Introduction

What is Gamelan Music?

Gamelan music is the music from Indonesia. There are many different types of Gamelan music, the most popular being Javanese and Balinese. Udan Mas, which is the piece of music representing this culture in the investigation, is a type of Javanese Gamelan.

Figure 1.1

Figure 1.1 is a map of Indonesia, where Gamelan music began. This type of music was featured in the court life during the 8th to 11th centuries and is divided by two major cultures. The different genres are Balinese from Bali and Javanese from Java. As shown on the map, Java and Bali are very far from one another, which is the reason for the different types of Gamelan music.

History

Figure 1.2

Gamelan music began in what is now Indonesia. It was featured in the court life during the 8th to 11th centuries and is divided by two major cultures of the music. The different genres are Balinese from Bali and Javanese from Java. Figure 1.2 is a picture of a stone carving from the Borobudur Buddhist temple in Central Java from around 800 A.D. This engraving is the first known evidence of Gamelan instruments.

What is American Wind Band Contemporary Music?

Contemporary music falls under the Modern Era. This type of music follows the musical rules set hundreds of years earlier yet, it is not bound by them.

Figure 1.3

Figure 1.1 is a picture of the composer of City Trees, Michael Markowski. He is one composer who has started to develop this new type of music.