Gamelan Angklung

$14.00

The award-winning gamelan orchestra Gita Kencana plays music from their traditional instrumental repertoire, showcasing the sweet and uplifting sound of ceremonial angklung music.

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Album Notes

This recording features Sekaa Angklung Gita Kencana, one of the outstanding angklung ensembles of Bali. (“Sekaa Angklung” simply means angklung group; “Gita Kencana” is their proper name, meaning Golden Song.) The orchestra of 22 musicians, based in the banjar of Beluran, in the village of Kerobokan, is devoted to its ceremonial role of accompanying Bali-Hindu ceremonies—particularly those connected with death—with its sweet and uplifting sound. But the well-developed instrumental repertoire of Gita Kencana has also brought it civic honors, including first prize in the annual island-wide gamelan competitions of the Bali Arts Festival. This 1992 recording focuses on the group’s kelentengan (traditional angklung) repertoire, plus one dance work, Panyembrama, borrowed from the mainstream kebyar repertoire.

Recorded August 9, 1992 at the bale banjar of Beluran.
CD cover art by I Made Berata of Peliatan, Bali.
Recording, mastering, and booklet text by Wayne Vitale.
With special thanks to I Nyoman Jika (ensemble director), Ruby Sue Ornstein and Ni Ketut Arini (historical information), and David Irons (coordination of cover art).