Page 4 | Semar pegulingan

I Wayan Lotring

Contents

Semar pegulingan (1)

Gamelan semar pegulingan (2)

Gamelan pelegongan (3)

I Wayan Lotring (4)

The current revival (5)

Bibliography (6)

Seleh Notes Volume 11 Number 1 November 2003

© Nick Gray

Before gong kebyar became the creative centre of Balinese gamelan, noted composers like I Wayan Lotring were writing new pieces for the gamelan pelegongan.

Colin McPhee’s descriptions show that Lotring was experimenting with many of the new techniques that were to characterise later kebyar composition.

Lotring skillfully adapted pieces from the gender wayang and angklung repertory for gamelan pelegongan, such as ‘Sekar Ginotan’ and ‘Gending Angklung’.

This intermediate phase in modern Balinese gamelan, before kebyar took over completely, is now more highly valued in Bali, and Lotring’s pieces have been recorded by the ensemble from Binoh-Ubung Kaja in Denpasar, among others.

In recent years many Balinese musicians have become bored with the limitations of the omnipresent gong kebyar and this has led to a renewed interest in old seven-note pelog ensembles, such as semar pegulingan and selonding, as well as the creation of the new seven-note ensemble semara dana.

It would be interesting to know to what extent Western interest in the older seven-note ensembles has helped to inspire this revival.

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