The ''calung'' ( su, ) is a type of
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
xylophone
The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in ...
originating from
Baduy culture and commonly used in
Baduy,
Bantenese,
Sundanese,
Banyumasan, and
Balinese performances.
The calung (instrument) consists of multiple bamboo tubes which are struck at the base to produce a woody sound.
In the
Balinese
Gamelan gong kebyar, the
metallophone
A metallophone is any musical instrument in which the sound-producing body is a piece of metal (other than a metal string), consisting of tuned metal bars, tubes, rods, bowls, or plates. Most frequently the metal body is struck to produce sound, ...
Jublag can also be known as ''Calung'', it has a one-octave range, and is generally utilized to play mid-range melodies.
In
Banyumas
Banyumas ( jv, ꦧꦚꦸꦩꦱ꧀, formerly spelt "Banjoemas") Regency is a regency ( id, kabupaten) in the southwestern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. Its capital is the town of Purwokerto, but that town no longer has a central a ...
, southwestern
Central Java in
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, when Calung is referred to as an ensemble, it uses multiple bamboo instruments and is composed of singers and dancers.
(2007). The ensemble is characterized by a variety of traits that include: interlocking melodies and
rhythm
Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular re ...
, abrupt changes in
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...
, as well as syncopated rhythm and humorous vocals. Calung (the ensemble) is present at many celebratory gatherings, and its dancers are sometimes related to prostitution.
On November 18, 2010,
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
officially recognized the Indonesian which includes a musical instrument of calung as a
Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity
The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness of intangible cultural heritage and encourage local communities to protect them and th ...
, and encouraged the Indonesian people and the Indonesian government to safeguard, transmit, promote performances and to encourage the craftsmanship of the . In 2011, calung traditions are recognized as
National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Indonesia
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Indonesia is a "living culture" that contains philosophical elements from the traditions of society and is still handed down from generation to generation. Edi Sedyawati (in the introduction to the Intangible C ...
by the
Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.
Etymology
The word "calung" unilaterally claimed by the people of Banyumas comes from the
Javanese language. The word comes from two words that are combined into one, namely "carang pring wulung" or the shoot of wulung bamboo/black bamboo (Gigantochloa atroviolacea).
Instrument
The calung works by cutting away multiple pieces of
bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
tubes to create a
pitch when struck.
Section (b): Village music. To make the Calung in the Sundanese tradition, a set of bamboo tubes are strung together through holes cut into the tubes. You are then able to play the Calung either suspended; you play the tubes while they are in hanging in front of you, or you can put them across a bamboo frame and play it like a xylophone
The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in ...
.
Gallery
File:Baduy van de residentie Banten, West-Java, Jannes Theodorus Bik (attributed to), c. 1816 - c. 1846.jpg, An illustration of a Baduy people, Sundanese Baduy man playing a calung by Jannes Theodorus Bik, c. 1816–1846.
File:Bali, gamelan player 2.jpg, A Rindhik musical instrument (Balinese calung style) from Bali, Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
.
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Slaginstrument van bamboe met vijf buizen TMnr 1057-4a.jpg, Calung Jinjing
See also
* Gamelan
Gamelan () ( jv, ꦒꦩꦼꦭꦤ꧀, su, ᮌᮙᮨᮜᮔ᮪, ban, ᬕᬫᭂᬮᬦ᭄) is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. T ...
* Music of Sunda
Sundanese Music ( Sundanese: ) is an umbrella term that encompasses diverse musical traditions of the West Java and Banten in western part of Java, Indonesia. The term of "West Java" is preferred by scholars in this field. The word "Sundanese ...
* Music of Java
The Music of Java embraces a wide variety of styles, both traditional and contemporary, reflecting the diversity of the island and its lengthy history. Apart from traditional forms that maintain connections to musical styles many centuries old, ...
* Music of Bali
The Music of Bali, Bali is an Indonesian island that shares in the gamelan and other Indonesian musical styles. Bali, however, has its own techniques and styles, including kecak, a form of singing that imitates the sound of monkeys. In additi ...
References
External links
*(August 2, 2011).
Calung Traditional Art from West java
, ''Antique-Teak-Furniture.BlogSpot.com''. An example of a Calung ensemble can be found in the video halfway down the page.
Indonesian musical instruments
Gamelan instruments
Keyboard percussion instruments
Music of West Java
Sundanese culture
{{Mallet-stub