Interpretations of Melodic Framework and Instrumental Idiom in a Metrically Fluid Piece of Central Javanese Music Performed on a Busking Zither

This article examines a recorded performance of a piece of music adapted from the Central Javanese court repertoire of pathetan to a large Javanese zither (siter barung). This solo instrumental rendition of a pathetan on a siter barung is very unusual, as the family of zithers do not usually partake...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Rohan Iyer
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Analytical Approaches to World Music 2022-12-01
Series:Analytical Approaches to World Music
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journal.iftawm.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Iyer_AAWM_Vol_10_2.pdf
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849422739089129472
author Rohan Iyer
author_facet Rohan Iyer
author_sort Rohan Iyer
collection DOAJ
description This article examines a recorded performance of a piece of music adapted from the Central Javanese court repertoire of pathetan to a large Javanese zither (siter barung). This solo instrumental rendition of a pathetan on a siter barung is very unusual, as the family of zithers do not usually partake in this genre of pieces, even within the realm of court-style gamelan music. A busker (ngamen), who belongs to a troupe of musicians that comprise a siteran ensemble, plays the zither. The pathetan is a metrically fluid genre of Javanese music, which holds important mode defining and mood setting functions across different performance contexts. Ngamen siteran troupes are made up of itinerant street musicians who primarily perform light, vocal genres of music. Transcription and analysis of the piece “Pathetan Sléndro Manyurå Jugag” reveals that the siter barung largely adheres to the standard court-style melodic framework. By comparing this performance to a court-style rendition of the same piece on a large Javanese metallophone (gendèr barung), aspects of performative interpretation particular to the siter barung instrumental idiom and to rural/village styles of Central Javanese performance are highlighted. This study hopes to provide a model upon which pathetan can be (re)-introduced into ngamen and court-style siteran contexts.
format Article
id doaj-art-688b3059614f4ac2a141393c86c03f23
institution Kabale University
issn 2158-5296
language English
publishDate 2022-12-01
publisher Analytical Approaches to World Music
record_format Article
series Analytical Approaches to World Music
spelling doaj-art-688b3059614f4ac2a141393c86c03f232025-08-20T03:30:56ZengAnalytical Approaches to World MusicAnalytical Approaches to World Music2158-52962022-12-01102127Interpretations of Melodic Framework and Instrumental Idiom in a Metrically Fluid Piece of Central Javanese Music Performed on a Busking ZitherRohan Iyer0PhD Candidate at the School of the Arts & Media, University of New South Wales, Sydney (Bidjigal Land)This article examines a recorded performance of a piece of music adapted from the Central Javanese court repertoire of pathetan to a large Javanese zither (siter barung). This solo instrumental rendition of a pathetan on a siter barung is very unusual, as the family of zithers do not usually partake in this genre of pieces, even within the realm of court-style gamelan music. A busker (ngamen), who belongs to a troupe of musicians that comprise a siteran ensemble, plays the zither. The pathetan is a metrically fluid genre of Javanese music, which holds important mode defining and mood setting functions across different performance contexts. Ngamen siteran troupes are made up of itinerant street musicians who primarily perform light, vocal genres of music. Transcription and analysis of the piece “Pathetan Sléndro Manyurå Jugag” reveals that the siter barung largely adheres to the standard court-style melodic framework. By comparing this performance to a court-style rendition of the same piece on a large Javanese metallophone (gendèr barung), aspects of performative interpretation particular to the siter barung instrumental idiom and to rural/village styles of Central Javanese performance are highlighted. This study hopes to provide a model upon which pathetan can be (re)-introduced into ngamen and court-style siteran contexts.https://journal.iftawm.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Iyer_AAWM_Vol_10_2.pdfngamensiteranpathetanmelodic frameworkinstrumental idiom
spellingShingle Rohan Iyer
Interpretations of Melodic Framework and Instrumental Idiom in a Metrically Fluid Piece of Central Javanese Music Performed on a Busking Zither
Analytical Approaches to World Music
ngamen
siteran
pathetan
melodic framework
instrumental idiom
title Interpretations of Melodic Framework and Instrumental Idiom in a Metrically Fluid Piece of Central Javanese Music Performed on a Busking Zither
title_full Interpretations of Melodic Framework and Instrumental Idiom in a Metrically Fluid Piece of Central Javanese Music Performed on a Busking Zither
title_fullStr Interpretations of Melodic Framework and Instrumental Idiom in a Metrically Fluid Piece of Central Javanese Music Performed on a Busking Zither
title_full_unstemmed Interpretations of Melodic Framework and Instrumental Idiom in a Metrically Fluid Piece of Central Javanese Music Performed on a Busking Zither
title_short Interpretations of Melodic Framework and Instrumental Idiom in a Metrically Fluid Piece of Central Javanese Music Performed on a Busking Zither
title_sort interpretations of melodic framework and instrumental idiom in a metrically fluid piece of central javanese music performed on a busking zither
topic ngamen
siteran
pathetan
melodic framework
instrumental idiom
url https://journal.iftawm.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Iyer_AAWM_Vol_10_2.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT rohaniyer interpretationsofmelodicframeworkandinstrumentalidiominametricallyfluidpieceofcentraljavanesemusicperformedonabuskingzither