Gamelan

Can you hear me. It starts with a shimmer, then a deep, warm boom that makes your heart feel steady and strong. Then comes a happy tapping sound, like sparkling raindrops dancing on a pond. All my voices, made of shiny metal and smooth wood, sing together in a beautiful chorus. I sound like a family of bells and gongs telling a secret story that floats on the air. People who hear me for the first time say my music is like nothing else they have ever heard. I am the Gamelan, the heart-music of the islands of Java and Bali in Indonesia.

My story began a very, very long time ago, over a thousand years ago, around the 8th century. I wasn't made by just one person. I was brought to life by many skilled people called artisans. These craftspeople in Indonesia knew the secrets of metal and wood. They heated up bronze until it glowed like the sun and poured it into molds to create my big, round gongs. They carefully tuned my metal keys so each one would sing a perfect note. They also carved my drums, called ‘kendhang,’ from wood and stretched animal skins over them to give me a deep, booming heartbeat. If you visit the great stone temple of Borobudur, which was built around the year 800, you can see ancient pictures of my ancestors carved right into the walls. That’s how long I have been making music for people.

From the very beginning, I had a very important job. My music filled the grand courts of kings and queens, making their palaces feel even more special. I was played for big celebrations and important ceremonies to make them feel joyful and grand. But one of my favorite things to do is help tell stories. I am the voice of the ‘wayang kulit,’ which are amazing shadow puppet shows. As the puppeteer makes the flat leather puppets dance behind a screen, I play the music. A deep ‘boom’ from my gong might mean a giant has appeared. A fast, light melody might be the sound of a hero in a battle. I help the audience feel all the excitement and magic of the ancient tales of gods and heroes.

For many centuries, my music mostly stayed on my home islands. But then, my voice traveled across the ocean. In the year 1889, I was brought to a big World’s Fair in Paris, France. A famous music writer, a composer named Claude Debussy, heard me play. He had never heard sounds like mine before, and he thought my music was magical. He was so inspired that he went on to write his own music that copied my shimmering, dreamy sounds. Today, you don't have to travel all the way to Indonesia to hear me. I am played by people all over the world, connecting them to my island home and to each other. My song is a story of harmony, showing how many different voices can come together to make something beautiful.