#2439: Sundanese Gamelan Pop

There’s gamelan music from Sunda, the western third of the island of Java in Indonesia, on this edition of New Sounds. The Sundanese type of gamelan is called Degung - an unique type of gamelan used for listening and ritual, rather than for various forms of theatre or dancing. In contrast to other gamelan, Degung is smaller in size, having developed in the small courts of Sunda, originally without singing, and may feature a large hanging gong, called goong and a 4-hole bamboo flute, known as suling degung. Gamelan degung has also become the vehicle for arrangements of Sundanese popular music. Listen to this distinctive style of chamber gamelan pop from a 1985 LP of music by E. Koestyara and Group Gapura along with the Western music that it has inspired, like Lou Harrison’s work Main Bersama-Sama, written for Degung, but including an additional horn from the European classical orchestra.
» Presentation on gamelan with more photos, in French

PROGRAM # 2439 Songs from Sunda (First aired on Thurs. 7/14/05)

ARTIST(S)	RECORDING	CUT(S)	SOURCE
E. Koestyara & Group Gapura	Sangkala	Ayam Sebrang [6:00]	Icon #5501 Long out of print
Evergreen Club	Sunda Songs	Sorban Palid [8:00]	Naxos World #76061** www.naxos.com *
Tembang Sunda	Sundanese Classical Songs	Bubuka, Rajah Kunasari [5:30]	Nimbus #5378, out of print. Nimbus Records’ site to contact for more info is: www.wyastone.co.uk
Tembang Sunda	Classical Music from West Java	Bubuka, Tepang Asih [4:30]	Celestial Harmonies #13134 www.harmonies.com
West Java	Sundanese Jaipong and Other Popular Music	Idjah Hadidjah: Tonggeret [4:30]	Nonesuch Explorer #79815** www.nonesuch.com *
E. Koestyara & Group Gapura	Sangkala	Reumbeuy [4:00]	See above.
Sunda Africa	No Risk No Fun	India [5:30]	GlobeStyle #ORB-095** www.acerecords.co.uk
Lou Harrison	Music of Lou Harrison	Main Bersama-sama, excerpt [5:30]	CRI #613 Our of print, but try Amazon.com* or auction sites

*, ** - Find the recordings you've heard - go to the New Sounds Recordings Information page