MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             

Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger


Support us financially by purchasing from

Extreme Heterophony: A Study in Javanese Gamelan for one or more pianists
by John Pitts
Published 2021
137 pages, paperback
Self published

John Pitts is a British composer, pianist and author from Bristol, England and has recently published this book. Gamelan is the traditional ensemble music of Java and Bali, and the term heterophony refers to the simultaneous performance of two or more versions of the same melody. Gamelan expands on this concept and is often performed with 20 or more singers and instrumentalists, simultaneously performing their own versions while piecing together a layered tapestry of harmonies and rhythms. The book is intended for pianists, and aims to show pianists how to perform gamelan on one or more pianos. The main body of the book is divided into three parts. Part 1 describes gamelan and explains some of the key concepts and terminology. Part 2 describes the traditional instruments used for performing gamelan and how they are used. Part 3 uses the gamelan composition Ketawang Puspawarna as a model for demonstrating ideas and processes for converting un-notated Karawitan-style gamelan into usable scores for one or more pianists.

Ketawang Puspawarna was composed in 1809 by Prince Mangkunegara IV of Surakarta in Central Java, Indonesia, with a nine-verse poem and vocal melody sung by a male chorus. The song’s basic melody is called the balungan, or “skeleton melody”, from which all of the other melodies are derived. Ketawang Puspawarna can have as many as 12 layers, with each layer performing its own melody loosely based on the balungan with improvisations added. Each layer may be simple or complex, and may be played on gongs, chimes, bells, metallophones, rattles, zither, xylophone, flute, bowed instruments, drums or sung. Gamelan melodies are based on either a 5-note scale (slendro) or 7-note scale (pelog). Ketawang Puspawarna uses the 5-note scale slendro, labeled in the book as 12356, and roughly equivalent to the notes, C, D E, G and A. The precise tuning of the scales is unique to each ensemble and its instrumental make-up. The concept of rhythm in gamelan is also different. Generally, a small group of drums and gongs keep time by marking a 4-beat cycle and a 16-beat cycle. In place of the ensemble aiming to begin on the first beat, the goal of each layer is to anticipate and end on the all-important beat 4. John has provided eleven different scores for the piano corresponding to layers that would be performed by other instruments during a gamelan performance, with very detailed notes about derived melodies and rhythms. A backing track for the piano music in the book is provided here.

Bruce McCollum

An intriguing look into gamelan music concepts and possibilities.


 



Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing