General Definitions
Diverse class of mainly percussion-dominated music ensembles found on Bali, Java, and several other Indonesian islands.
Gamelan
Slower, majestic Indonesian gamelan style
Central Javanese Court Gamelan
Popular chordophone used in Hindustani classical music
Sitar
Colotomic metric structure of Indonesian gamelan music
Gong cycles
Symbolic cultural role of all the complex interlocking rhythms found in Balinese gamelan music
Communal interdependence
“The Sound of God” (sacredness of sound, music as path toward communion with divine)
Popular musical style from Punjab originally; often featured in Bollywood films, music videos
Bhangra
Large pitched metal instrument used to regular the gamelan's metric cycles
Gong ageng
Three-part texture of Indian Classical Music
Solo melody, drone, and rhythmic accompaniment
The term for the spiritual collective of the arts, including music and dance in Indian traditions
Sangita
the "precise melody form" common in traditional Indian musical practices
raga
Fast, virtuosic, and frenetic Indonesian gamelan style
Balinese Gamelan Gong Kebyar
Pair of drums popular in Hindustani classical music
tabla
Ubiquitous set of interlocking rhythms in Balinese Gamelan music
Kilitan Telu
The cultural meaning of Balinese "out of tuneness" between paired instruments
Gives life to the gamelan
Intentional "out of tuneness" creating acoustical beating between paired instruments in Indonesian music
Ombak
Balinese Ramayana dance drama that uses a vocal version of gamelan rhythms
kecak
Paired metallophones responsible for the fast interlocking patterns (kotekan) in Balinese gamelan music
gangsa
Skeletal drum pattern that articulates the tala in Hindustani classical music
theka
The terms for musical school and teacher in Indian Classical Music that relate to the incredible oral tradition of learning and performing.
gharana, guru
Agama Tirta
Hindu devotional singing, inspired by Vedic chant thought to be the origin of classical Indian genres
Bhajan
kengdang
The gradual "note-by-note" expansion of a raga's melodic range as it is performed
barhat
In what ways does beleganjur music function as a “weapon” in thebattles against evil spirits that occur during Hindu-Balinese cremationprocessions?
•Frighten and deflect evil spirits (bhutas, leyaks)
•Give courage to the atma
•Energize tower carriers
•Regulate pace of procession
•At end, “ladder to Upper World”