Musical Similarities Across the Globe

A map of Indonesia

When asked to think of the world’s most unique music cultures, it is unlikely that the music culture of Indonesia will be one of the first listed.  Either because their history is not as public, their size not as large, or merely their people are so culturally diverse, facts about Indonesian music tend to be largely forgotten.  However, once unraveled, Indonesian music is not only one of the most complex and rich music cultures, but also has many similarities with Western music in addition to other world music cultures.  For instance, through merely looking at the gamelan ensembles that are prevalent in Indonesia, one can find many similarities to other music cultures.  In addition to featuring gongs and drums, gamelan ensembles feature metal slab instruments (for example the saron) that are similar to African mbira in that they are metallic, keyboard percussion.  Gamelan ensembles are tuned to certain scale systems such as the five equidistant toned slèndro or the seven toned pelog.  However, like the maqams of the Arabic world, these systems can be interchanged with one another in a way that makes them different from the Western scales.  Through the analysis of Indonesian culture, particularly of Bali, an island in the Indonesian archipelago, the blending of unique Indonesia characteristics and similarities with other music groups can be understood.

Steven Davies article titled Balinese Aesthetics provides insight into the world of Bali and how their cultural identity affects their music.  Like many other music cultures around the world, Balinese music originally stems from religious purposes.  While it is common practice in modern Bali to hear formally religious gamelan music played in a secular space, there are still pieces of gamelan music that can only be played on temple grounds.  This parallels the development of mbira music in Zimbabwe, as the mbira music is considered a sacred instrument in Zimbabwe.  Even though it can be heard in secular settings today, the true meaning of the mbira will always be a sacred one for those who have mastered it.  Because the music cultures of Indonesia and Bali developed for the same religious purposes, their respective places in each culture are very similar.

The largest Balinese temple in the world, located at Lombok

Davies also noted the competitive nature of the Balinese in a way that is similar to the Western world.  Frequently gamelan music is performed in a competitive modality called a mabarung.  These competitions feature side-by-side gamelan ensembles simultaneously and energetically playing different pieces, trying to drown out the other ensembles.  As Davies wrote, “rather than music, this is closer to sports.”  These mabarungs are more so about endurance and strength than the music being produced.  Many other music cultures do not feature such a competitive nature in their music production as the mabarungs of Bali.  However, because parts of Western culture are similarly very competitive, western cultures have analogous competitions.  For instance, in marathon competitions in America, such as dance marathons, the competition of winning takes precedence over both the music and the performance of dance.  Because Westerners and Balinese share a similar mindset in terms of a competitive nature, there are parallels that can be drawn from both cultures.

A typical gamelan ensemble

It has only been seen so far that Balinese culture can assimilate with other cultures based on similar cultural practices.  However, there are many aspects of Balinese culture that separates it from all other music cultures.  One such aspect that delineates Balinese culture from other cultures is their emphasis on innovation.  While many other cultural practices tend to hold onto their past, the Balinese have a constant demand for new dramas, musical works, and dances.  As a metaphor, Davies points towards their geographic climate as a reason for this constant need of turnover.  For instance, before work was done in making art that could be maintained, the tropic weather degraded painting and sculpture.  Physically it was necessary to constantly recreate art because they would be ruined within months.  This mindset has stayed with the Balinese because “the attitude of the Balinese to their arts is more like that of Westerners to pop culture than to high art.”  Therefore, based on their unique climate, culture practices and ideals were created by the Balinese that were completely novel in comparison to other music cultures.

It can be seen through these examples, that the similarities and differences between the Balinese music culture and other music cultures worldwide can be attributed to the cultural practices outlined by Davies.  Based on this, the article writes about the importance of the audience in the performance model outlined by Jeff Todd Titon.  The audience of a performance is the members of the community that are witnessing the performance and being changed because of it.  Because it is the community that ultimately shaped the music in Bali, the importance of the audience in any performance cannot be ignored.  It is the audience that ultimately demand the religious ceremonies where gamelan music originated and crave a constant turnover of new art that is a unique feature of Balinese culture.  Many people merely consider music ending with the performers; it is the audience, however, that outlines the characteristics of the performance that will be maintained in the future.

1) Davies, Stephen. “Balinese Aesthetics.”  The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 65, (2007): 21-29.

2) Titon, Jeff Todd. “Chapter 5: Asia/Music of Indonesia.” Worlds of Music: an Introduction to the Music of the World’s Peoples. Belmont, CA: Schirmer Cengage Learning, 2009. Print. 299-311.