Gambuh
Encyclopedia
Gambuh is an ancient form of Balinese dance-drama. It is accompanied by musicians in a gamelan gambuh ensemble.
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.
, an old literary tongue, which is translated for the audience into contemporary Balinese language
by the characters of lower status.
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 cengceng), a metallophone called kenyir, kangsi, and gumanak. The last three of those instruments—the kenyir, kangsi, and gumanak—are not currently found in any other gamelan ensemble of Bali.
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 topengTopeng
Topeng is a dramatic form of Indonesian dance in which one or more mask-wearing, ornately-costumed performers interpret traditional narratives concerning fabled kings, heroes and myths, accompanied by gamelan music...
masked dance and arja
Árja
Árja is a Norwegian Sami political party. The party was founded on 24 May 2008 in Jergul, and its leader is Láilá Susanne Vars. The ideology of the party is claimed to be based on respect for the elderly in society and traditionally based education...
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
Kawi language
Kawi is a literary and prose language on the islands of Java, Bali, and Lombok, based on Old Javanese, a language with a sizable vocabulary of Sanskrit loanwords. Kawi is the ancestor language of modern Javanese. The name "kawi" is derived from the root ku, which in Sanskrit means “poet”, and, in...
. Performances are long and, unlike wayang
Wayang
Wayang is a Javanese word for theatre . When the term is used to refer to kinds of puppet theatre, sometimes the puppet itself is referred to as 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 KawiKawi language
Kawi is a literary and prose language on the islands of Java, Bali, and Lombok, based on Old Javanese, a language with a sizable vocabulary of Sanskrit loanwords. Kawi is the ancestor language of modern Javanese. The name "kawi" is derived from the root ku, which in Sanskrit means “poet”, and, in...
, an old literary tongue, which is translated for the audience into contemporary Balinese language
Balinese
See:*Bali, an Indonesian island*Balinese art*Balinese people*Balinese language*Balinese script*Balinese mythology*Balinese , a cat breed*Balinese Gamelan, local music*Balinese Room, a famous illegal casino in Galveston, Texas...
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 sulingSuling
A suling or Seruling is an Indonesian bamboo ring flute. It is used in gamelan ensembles.Depending on the regional genre, a suling can be tuned into different scales...
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
Rebab
The rebab , also rebap, rabab, rebeb, rababah, or al-rababa) is a type of string instrument so named no later than the 8th century and spread via Islamic trading routes over much of North Africa, the Middle East, parts of Europe, and the Far East...
while percussion instruments fill out the sound with a variety of timbres and rhythms: a medium-sized gong
Gong
A gong is an East and South East Asian musical percussion instrument that takes the form of a flat metal disc which is hit with a mallet....
, a small gong called kajar, two kendang
Kendang
Kendhang is a two-headed drum used by peoples from Maritime Southeast Asia....
, a chime called klenang, a bell tree called gentorag, rincik (reminiscent of a cengceng), a metallophone called kenyir, kangsi, and gumanak. The last three of those instruments—the kenyir, kangsi, and gumanak—are not currently found in any other gamelan ensemble of Bali.