Ketawang
Encyclopedia
The ketawang is one of the gendhing structures used in Javanese gamelan
music.
Its colotomic structure is:
where p indicates the strike of the kempyang, T the ketuk, P the kempul
, N the kenong
, and G the simultaneous stroke of the gong
and kenong. The W indicates the wela, the pause where the kempul is omitted. Thus, the gong plays once, the kenong divides that into two parts, the kempul (or wela) divides each of those in two, the ketuk divides each of those further in two, and finally the kempyang divides each of those in two. The kendhang usually plays in kendhang kalih style.
Ketawang usually have the specific form of an ompak
that lasts one gongan and may be repeated several times, and a ngelik
that may last three or four gongan. Some ketawang have the same ompak but different ngelik. Ketawang often begin in irama tanggung and then slow down to irama dadi or slower.
The ketawang developed in the court of Prince Mangkunegara IV
(r. 1853-1881) of Surakarta
.
Gamelan
A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....
music.
Its colotomic structure is:
-
- pTpW pTpN pTpP pTpG
where p indicates the strike of the kempyang, T the ketuk, P the kempul
Kempul
A kempul is a type of hanging gong used in Indonesian gamelan. It is often placed with the gong suwukan and gong ageng, hanging on a single rack, at the back of the gamelan, and these instruments are often played by the same player with the same mallets...
, N the kenong
Kenong
The kenong is one of the instruments used in the Indonesian gamelan. It is technically a kind of gong, but is placed on its side and is roughly as tall as it is wide. It thus is similar to the bonang, kempyang and ketuk, which are also cradled gongs. Kenongs are generally much larger than any of...
, and G the simultaneous stroke of the gong
Gong ageng
The gong ageng is . It is the largest of the bronze gongs in the Javanese and Balinese gamelan orchestra...
and kenong. The W indicates the wela, the pause where the kempul is omitted. Thus, the gong plays once, the kenong divides that into two parts, the kempul (or wela) divides each of those in two, the ketuk divides each of those further in two, and finally the kempyang divides each of those in two. The kendhang usually plays in kendhang kalih style.
Ketawang usually have the specific form of an ompak
Ompak
The ompak or umpak is a section of a gamelan composition.It refers to the opening gongan of a ladrang or ketawang, or four gongans of the lancaran. These sections are usually repeated, and can be repeated as often as desired. This section is also called the bubuka gendhing, which is not to be...
that lasts one gongan and may be repeated several times, and a ngelik
Ngelik
The ngelik is a part of an Indonesian gamelan composition that contrasts from the surrounding section, either the ompak or merong. It is also sometimes called the gendhing proper, in contrast to the bubuka gendhing ....
that may last three or four gongan. Some ketawang have the same ompak but different ngelik. Ketawang often begin in irama tanggung and then slow down to irama dadi or slower.
The ketawang developed in the court of Prince Mangkunegara IV
Mangkunegara IV
Mangkunegara IV was the fourth ruler of Mangkunegaran, a small Principality based in Surakarta, Java, ruling from 1853-1881. His title before ascending was Pangeran Adipati....
(r. 1853-1881) of Surakarta
Surakarta
Surakarta, also called Solo or Sala, is a city in Central Java, Indonesia of more than 520,061 people with a population density of 11,811.5 people/km2. The 44 km2 city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and...
.