Page 4 | Semara dana - Balinese gamelan - the next generation

Gamelan semara dana

Contents

Semara dana (1)

Historic gamelan (2)

Gamelan gong kebyar (3)

Gamelan semara dana (4)

Seleh Notes Volume 10 Number 2 March 2003

© Andy Channing

Semara dana first appeared in about 1985, created by the renowned composer I Wayan Berata, primarily to accompany sendratari - a spectacular dance-drama form, with large-scale, lavish productions, developed originally in Java in the 1960s.

The name semara dana is derived from Semaradahana, literally ‘the burning of Semara’, a 12th century Old Javanese epic poem.

The Hindu god of love, Semara, is given the task of awakening his father, the god Siwa, from deep meditation.

Knowing that this will prove to be an act of self-sacrifice he does so. Angry at being woken, Siwa shoots a ray of fire from his third eye and turns Semara to ashes which spread all over the world, inspiring love, lust and procreation.

In Balinese dana also means ‘donation’ or ‘alms’, hence Semaradana - ‘the gift of Semara’.

The instrumentation of gamelan semara dana is that of gong kebyar, including gangsa, reyong, gongs and drums.

The trompong has been retained but, as in gong kebyar, is only used to play the ceremonial lelambatan pieces.

The tuning comprises the full seven-tone pelog scale. Essentially semara dana is a seven-tone gamelan gong kebyar - a super kebyar!

This means an enormous range of music can be played, from classical semar pegulingan pieces to today’s gong kebyar repertoire, and it opens up tremendous possibilities for new composition and experimentation which the Balinese are quick to take up.

A number of exciting new compositions have already been written specifically for the gamelan semara dana.

One of the foremost composers in the new style is I Dewa Ketut Alit, who writes for the group Çudamani (pictured) from the village of Pengosekan, near Ubud.

Çudamani, one of Bali's leading semara dana ensembles

There are now over 25 gamelan semara dana in use in Bali, many in the Ubud area of south central Bali, and that number is rising rapidly.

In the UK gamelan semara dana
are owned by the LSO and
Inspire-Works.

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