Performed and recorded in Tegal Tamu, Batubulan, Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia, in July 2022.
On this record we will hear the music of a traditional "Upacara" -celebration- called "Odalan". Odalan is, in the Balinese calendar, the synonym of a birthday, usually used for the Temples (from the smallest houses, to the temples belonging to the districts).
In this type of celebration, spaces are spiritually cleaned, creating a flow of life through various rituals and offerings to the gods, spirits, mortals, nature, etc. They are always commented by the "Pemangku" or "Pendeta", the senior priest of the town who indicates which ritual should be performed.
The religious music of the Gamelan "Gong Kebyar" -in the case of this recording-, accompanies each spiritual presence. "Gilak" is synonymous with the beginning of the celebration, where offerings are presented to the guests, such as coffee, sweets, and the preparations are closed if any other place or object must be decorated appropriately to the religion. Flower stained glass, bamboo and coconut decorations, ornate fabrics, and ceremonial clothing for guests are displayed at the event.
"Tari" means dance, "Rejang Dewa" is the welcome dance for the Gods, who are invited to the ceremony. This dance is performed by children who have not yet reached their menstrual period, as a symbol of purity. "Rejang Renteng" is a dance where adult women join in and perform a choreography in front of the temple as an offering on their birthday. "Rejang Gaia", in this case using the word "Gaia" as special, something unique to this town, is a free dance belonging to the "Tegal Tamu" town of Batubuán, where women use parts of different Rejang choreographies but moving freely and improvising as an entertainment offering to the Gods.
"Gabor" is another traditional dance that spread and today there is a version in several different towns, who with their peculiarities also use it as a Ceremonial dance.
The sound of the “Kendang”, the traditional drum used in Gamelan music, is what keeps the rhythm and the beat, indicating both the musical group and the dancers the next moves. The ceremony continues its process with an excerpt from "Tabuh Telu Lasem", Telu referring to the number Three in the Balinese language, and "Tabuh" meaning song. The songs are assigned different types of numbers, depending on the Gong cycle they have (every 8 beats, 16, or 32, for example).
"Murwua Daksine" marks a transition where we could understand the beginning of a trance, where the familiar participants of the ceremony walk in a joint procession clockwise around a small central ceremonial temple, with the intention of prolonging life. on planet Earth. This procession continues in "Bapang" and ends with the "Baris" dance, originally a warrior's choreography that is symbolized by the men of the family using spears and knives, in its version of "Upacara" where the movements are more free and improvised. .
The tension can be felt at this moment of the celebration, where with the setting of the music "Ari Anom", some family members go into a trance and connect with energies and spirits not visible to everyone. At this time the procession continues and both men and women join with offerings.
After the trance, the group presents the song "KIncang Kincung", as a farewell, thanks to the Gods and synonymous with the end of problems, indicating that the celebration was carried out successfully.
A Traditional "Upacara" in Bali means a religious celebration within the beliefs of Balinese Hinduism, a religion that combines traditions from the original Hinduism of India, combined with Buddhist traditions descended from more northern parts of Asia, together with the original animist tradition of the island. from Bali, prior to becoming Indonesia: The animistic rituals of the “Bali Aga” beliefs.
Within all the technological advances, the Balinese traditions remain almost intact. The songs are played as they were originally composed, and the rituals are followed step by step, passing them down from old to new generations, beginning with dances intended only for children, and onward.
credits
released February 19, 2023
This is a documentary process of recording Balinese Traditional Gamelan music, started in the year 2020.
Traditions have changed over time, but ancient musical compositions are adapted to nowadays life.
Agustín Oscar Rissotti, an Argentinian student of the University ISI Denpasar (Bali), developed an idea to join as many rehearsals, ensembles and religious ceremonies as possible with small microphones and recording equipment, to document the authentique "Bali Gamelan Sound".
In Bali, live performances are meant to be performed for the Gods. There is no egoistic purpose in this performances, but to admire the beauty of this world through the eyes of Hindu Balinese religion.
As for his ears, this is "The authentique Bali Sound", full of conversations around, people passing by, laughs, music of different performances played together (as it is meant to be in several Balinese Hindu ceremonies where -more than 1- ensembles are playing music very close to each other -at the same time-, background noises, sounds of coffee cups and arak shoots, breath of cigarettes, animals hollowing around, hundreds of motorbikes passing by, and even mother nature earthquakes.
With all my respect, this is the vision of a South Latin American guy who ended up studying Balinese Culture and living in the Island during the pandemic.
I hope this can translate you to the world I am living in.
Thankyou, I hope you will enjoy this music.
Astungkara, Matur suksema.
A special mention and gratitude for I Wayan Sweca who invited me to this celebration, for his wonderful Kendang skills, for becoming my mentor and allow me to record this music.
All the economic contributions made to this project will be spent in developing the Balinese Culture and Artists.
