Indonesian Music - Gamelan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Indonesian Music - Gamelan - Essay Example Ethnomusicologists trained in the West have always shown interest in Javanese and Balinese orchestral traditions because these types of music were always easily available in the US. Therefore, researchers and students have always remained focused on these varieties though the music from other islands like Borneo, Sulawesi and Sumatra also form integral parts of Indonesian music. In order to understand the music tradition of a country it is necessary that one should have some background information about its geography, religion, culture and traditions. Indonesia is a diverse cultural composite of 13,667 islands and it is a home for over a hundred different ethnic groups speaking more than 300 languages. The population is a mix of several major religions like Islam, Hindu, Buddhism and Christianity. Therefore, these catalytic factors have a great influence in shaping the art form of Indonesia, especially in music. Local beliefs and traditions known as adat – a native term for cu stoms – play a significant role in forming the Indonesians’ religious practices. The adat ceremonies are marked by events like ritual sacrifices, communal feasts etc. The natives harbor a notion that the spirits of departed ancestors still remain somewhere near the community. Hence they pay offerings to the departed souls in hopes that the spirits will accept what they earnestly submit.