Bali Essentials - Balinese Music PDF

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Balinese Music...

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1.) Research in print or online two (2) definitions for ethnocentrism and record them here along with the sources. Give one (1) example of ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism: 1.) The attitude that one's own group, ethnicity, or nationality is superior to others. a. Merriam Webster – https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ethnocentrism 2.) Judging another culture solely by the values and standards of one's own culture. a. Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnocentrism Example: I would say one of the most popular and extreme forms of ethnocentrism was shown by Hitler in Nazi Germany when he had thousands of Jews slaughtered.

2.) Thinking about the five propositions of sound, describe your initial reaction to the sound of a gamelan orchestra. Would you consider any part of your initial reaction to be ethnocentric? Explain. I feel that ethnocentric views come from not really understanding any other cultures or ways of life. My initial reaction could be considered ethnocentric because the gamelan orchestra sounds seemed random and unorganized, but after a few minutes of listening, I could tell there was repetition. Truthfully, I feel my view actually came from my original perception of music as proposition five states, “the term ‘music’ is inescapably tied to Western culture and its assumptions”. Although I’ve experienced other musical cultures, I always just understood music to be extremely thought out and prepared beforehand. After understanding the five propositions of sound, I was able to understand the true definition of a musical works. One, “the basic property of all music is sound,” therefore the gamelan orchestra easily falls into this category. Two, “the sounds (and silences) that comprise a musical work are organized in some way.” While the sounds seemed chaotic and messy to me, there was still repetition after listening for a few moments, so I feel the gamelan orchestra is in fact organized in some way. Three states, “sounds are organized into music by people; thus, music is a form of humanly organized sound,” and clearly the gamelan orchestra music is played by people so again it can easily fall into this classification. Four, “music is a product of human intention and perception,” and gamelan is the traditional music of Java and Bali in Indonesia. “Gamelan's role in rituals is so important that there is a Javanese saying, ‘It is not official until the gong is hung.’ Some performances are associated with royalty.” Therefore, it is an integral part of the culture and definitely has intention.

3.) Based on material presented in the textbook and online, identify two or three points that reinforced or transformed your perception of the Balinese community and its music. The Balinese people have a very religious culture, bound by “praying place (Pura)” and “family system”. In addition, their most familiar life concept called “Tri Hita Karana” is designed around keeping “the good balance between human and environment, human and human the last one human and god.” As stated above, Balinese Gamelan music is very important in rituals and official ceremonies, so it’s transformed my views of the music because I’ve realized

it’s more than just music, it’s their culture. When I read online about Wayang, a type of shadow puppet theatre that is typically accompanied by a gamelan, it said “the dalang (puppeteer) must have a thorough knowledge of gamelan, as he gives the cues for the music.” This sort of helped me realized how similar gamelan is to a western orchestra because the dalang could be considered the conductor of the orchestra.

4.) Describe a practical social application for the concept of kilitan telu in the United States. The Bakan text states that, “The kilitan telu elegantly symbolizes a Balinese cultural vision of an integrated, interdependent community.” (Bakan, 97) Although this may be a simple example that applies to more than just the U.S., I would say that giving back to the community through charity work for a good cause would be a good social application of the concept kilitan telu. For example, a few years ago, I got together with some friends and people from my school to go around to the homes of elderly people and offer to rake up leaves and clean the outside of their homes for them. We didn’t accept any payment or compensation and did it simply because we knew it must be difficult for them to do that hard work themselves and wanted to show how we sincerely care about them in our community. We are all in this together and we must take care of each other.

5.) If yours were the last words to be written about Balinese music, what would you say and why? Balinese music is rich in melody and texture and is often played outside or in open temples or pavilions. Music, dance, and drama are all closely connected. Balinese music is based around an instrument known as the Gamelan, or Gong, a traditional musical instrument from Bali. It is such a central part of Balinese music that the whole “orchestra” is also referred to as a gamelan. Gamelan music is almost completely percussion. Though it sounds strange at first with its noisy, jangly percussion it’s exciting and enjoyable. It needs about 40 people to play a complete formation and both men and women can be players.

Additional Resources Bakan, Michael B. World Music. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2012. “Balinese Community System | Bali Information”. Bali Group Organizer. 14 Dec. 2014. Accessed 25 Feb. 2018. Retrieved from https://www.baligrouporganizer.com/balinesecommunity-system/ “Gamelan”. Wikipedia. Accessed 25 Feb. 2018. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamelan “Wayang”. Wikipedia. Accessed 28 Feb. 2018. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayang...