Gambuh

''Gambuh'' ( ban, ᬕᬫ᭄ᬩᬸᬄ) is an ancient form of Balinese dance-drama. It is accompanied by musicians in a gamelan ''gambuh'' ensemble.

History

''Gambuh'' is one of the oldest surviving forms in Balinese performing arts, dating to the late Majapahit era (ca. 15th century) with very little known change since this time. Emiko Susilo writes, "when the dance-dramas of Majapahit came to Bali, they had the new task of ''preserving'' the tradition of a fallen dynasty" (emphasis in original). It also introduced a new element of narrative to Balinese performing arts that influenced other forms of dance-drama on the island, such as ''topeng'' masked dance and '' arja'' opera. For centuries it was supported by patronage at the royal courts of Bali's aristocracy, during which it achieved its greatest heights of sophistication. As the courts fell apart in the bloody wars with the Dutch, this support evaporated and much of the art of ''gambuh'' was lost. Like the many other arts that formerly depended on royal patronage, ''gambuh'' found some community support by playing for temple ceremonies.

''Gambuh'' is now nearly extinct. In 1997, Susilo observed, "In total there are perhaps only four groups that perform in the ''Gambuh'' style." It is unpopular even among Balinese performers. The dance and music are technically exacting and complex; the dialogue requires knowledge of the Kawi language. Performances are long and, unlike ''wayang'' shows, contain no comic relief, making demands of potential audiences.

Dramatic components

Combining dance, music, and acting, ''gambuh'' draws on the narrative material of the ''Malat'', a series of poems about the fictional Javanese Prince Raden Panji, an incarnation of Wisnu. On his wedding night, he is separated from his fiancée, Candra Kirana, beginning an epic in which the two lovers search for each other over years and across wide areas of medieval Java. They finally meet on the field of battle, recognize each other through their disguises, and live happily ever after. Other characters include members of the court and their servants. The refined (''alus'') characters speak in Kawi, an old literary tongue, which is translated for the audience into contemporary Balinese by the characters of lower status.

''Gamelan gambuh''

A complete ''gamelan gambuh'' requires approximately 17 musicians to accompany the dance-drama. The main instruments in ''gambuh'' performances are very low bamboo flutes called ''suling gambuh'', between 75 and 100 cm in length and 4 and 5 cm in diameter. There are usually four such flutes, but sometimes as few as two or as many as six. The ''suling gambuh'' play melodies along with a ''rebab'' while percussion instruments fill out the sound with a variety of timbres and rhythms: a medium-sized gong, a small gong called '' kajar'', two ''kendang'', a chime called '' klenang'', a bell tree called '' gentorag'', '' rincik'' (reminiscent of a '' ceng-ceng''), a metallophone called '' kenyir'', '' kangsi'', and '' gumanak''. Page 20. The last three of those instruments—the ''kenyir'', ''kangsi'', and ''gumanak''—are not currently found in any other gamelan ensemble of Bali.

Gallery

File:09 21_07_GAMBUH_Budakeling_(_2007_—_PICs_)_—_02_Condong_&_Kawan-2.jpg
File:09 21_07_GAMBUH_Budakeling_(_2007_—_PICs_)_—_11_gambelan.jpg
File:09 05_07_ngayah_GAMBUH_Batuan_(_2007_—_PICs_)_—_24_JEFF_tukang_suling.jpg
File:Seruling Gambuh Bali.jpg

See also

* Balinese dance
* Music of Bali

References

{{Dance of Indonesia

Music of Bali
Ethnomusicology
Gamelan ensembles and genres
Dances of Bali