The gamelan is an indigenous instrumental ensemble from Bali, Indonesia, largely made up of forged bronze percussion instruments. It has been and continues being a great influence for western music since the end of the 19th century. The acquisition of a Balinese gamelan gong kebyar set by the Barcelona Museum of Music in 2013 makes it available to the participants of the course. It is the only accessible gamelan set in a public entity, in Spain.
The course will teach the necessary knowledge to understand the principles and operation. It will allow the participants to deep in one of the most important traditions of classical Asian music, that has remained unattainable for a long time. The learning of the gamelan tradition allows us to approach an artistic philosophy and aesthetics radically different from what our western cultural framework provides us.
The numerous gamelan instruments offer different degrees of technical and musical complexity. Even so, all the performers are equally essential and equally valued within the group. Everyone can find their place in the group and at the same time make sure they are a functional gear so that the orchestra can sound correctly. The most experienced performer is offered a challenge, and at the same time, the most innovative interpreter may feel useful within the set. This social and inclusive aspect of gamelan is extraordinarily powerful and attractive, being an artistic reflection of Balinese life and religion, where the community is always more important than the individual.
The course will last 20 hours, the participants will obtain a technical knowledge of the instruments, the sociohistorical framework necessary for a good understanding and learning of the structure and the rhythmic and melodic patterns of a traditional Balinese piece. Once the course has finished, participants interested in deepening further, may be offered the possibility of joining the gamelan group of the Museum, the Gamelan Penempaan Guntur group, according to vacancies.
The course is aimed at:
university students, teachers in the field of music, professional musicians and percussionists, musical composers, fans of Asian culture and music in general. Many composers continue to find in the gamelan a territory where they can freely experience, and professional musicians continue to find a source of new and unforeseen resources to deepen musical abilities. Also, teachers will find in the gamelan a source of didactic resources and group dynamics to apply to the music teaching.
Trainer: Jordi Casadevall
He began to study gamelan music in Bali in 2008, led by renowned professor I Gusti Ngurah Padang (Sskar). Since 2009, he has taught courses and conferences on traditional Balinese music, at the Museum of Music, ESMUC and Casa Asia. In 2013, he was responsible for selecting and sending to Barcelona the gamelan gong kebyar of the Museum of Music from Bali. He is currently in charge of the various educational activities related to the gamelan of the Museum, as well as the direction of the first stable group of gamelan in Catalonia, the Gamelan Penempaan Guntur group.