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| bonang | |
|---|---|
| Name | Bonang |
| Background | percussion |
| Classification | Idiophone |
| HornbostelSachs | 111.242.122 |
| Developed | Java, Indonesia |
| Related | Gamelan, Saron, Gong ageng, Kendang, Rebab |
bonang The bonang is a set of small tuned bronze kettles used in gamelan ensembles of Java, Bali, and other parts of Indonesia. It functions as a melodic and colotomic instrument, interacting with saron, demung, and gong instruments in orchestral and court contexts such as the Yogyakarta Sultanate and the Surakarta Sunanate. Prominent in both courtly and popular repertoires like gendhing and ladrang, the bonang appears in regional ensembles associated with figures such as Raden Mas Said and institutions including the Royal Court of Yogyakarta.
The name derives from Javanese and Sundanese vernaculars connected to bronze metallurgy and courtly arts in Java and West Java. Historical records from the Mataram Sultanate period and colonial archives of the Dutch East Indies reference terms for kettle and bowl instruments alongside court titles and ritual listings in documents tied to the VOC. Ethnomusicologists from institutions such as Leiden University and Cornell University have discussed lexical relationships between bonang, kendang, and other instrument names in studies comparing Javanese language sources and inscriptions found near Borobudur and Prambanan.
Bonang consist of two main sets mounted in wooden frames: the higher-pitched bonang panerus and the lower-pitched bonang barung, with occasional larger bonang panembung used in some Central Java traditions. Metal kettles are cast from bronze alloys similar to those used for gong ageng and kenong, and are shaped to specific pitch profiles described in organological studies at museums like the National Museum of Indonesia and collections of the British Museum. Makers associated with historical workshops in Kraton Yogyakarta and artisan centers in Solo produce variations in bowl diameter, wall thickness, and rim curvature, factors also documented in catalogs from the Smithsonian Institution and the World Instrument Museum.
Players strike the kettles with padded mallets, using techniques that interact rhythmically with kendang drum patterns, the melodic contours of rebab and suling, and colotomic punctuation by gong ageng and kempul. Performance practice varies between court ensembles of the Sunanate of Surakarta and village gamelan groups studied by scholars at University of California, Los Angeles and University of Oxford. Notable pedagogues associated with bonang technique include masters from the Kraton of Yogyakarta and researchers who've worked with performers featured in collections at the British Library and Smithsonian Folkways.
The bonang often carries the seleh and interlocking figurations in forms such as gending, ladrang, ketawang, and gendhing ketawang. It provides both elaboration (cengkok) and colotomic signaling within repertoires linked to court ceremonies, shadow-puppet theater like wayang kulit, and dance genres connected to the Javanese court. Compositions studied by musicologists at Yale University and SOAS University of London highlight the bonang’s role alongside solo vocalists and instrumentalists from traditions patronized by the Pakubuwono and Hamengkubuwono dynasties.
Archaeological and iconographic evidence from sites such as Prambanan and Borobudur suggests early forms of tuned bowls in the archipelago, while colonial ethnographies from the 19th century document bonang construction and court usage under Dutch East Indies administration. The instrument evolved through interactions with trade networks involving China, India, and Islamic sultanates like Demak and Banten. Modern scholarship drawing on archives at KITLV and fieldwork by researchers from Cornell University traces changes in scale systems and ensemble configuration from precolonial courts to post-independence institutions including the Indonesian Institute of the Arts.
Beyond musical contexts, bonang play roles in ritual and civic events such as royal ceremonies in the Kraton, life-cycle rituals connected to families of the Javanese aristocracy, and public festivals sponsored by municipal governments in Surakarta and Yogyakarta. Ethnomusicological work links its sound-world to literary and courtly aesthetics exemplified by texts from the Mataram and Majapahit periods and performance genres preserved by institutions like the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture and regional arts councils. Collaborative projects between UNESCO and Indonesian cultural institutions have recognized gamelan practices, influencing preservation programs in museums and conservatories.
Tuning systems associated with bonang reflect regional scales such as pelog and slendro used across Central Java and Bali, with microtonal adjustments documented by acoustic studies at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Cambridge. Tuning methods employ strike-and-listen techniques maintained by specialized craftsmen in Java whose practices are archived by the National Museum of World Cultures and conservatories like the Indonesian Conservatory of Music. Contemporary makers sometimes experiment with stainless steel and aluminum alternatives cited in technical reports from ITB Bandung and ethnographic exhibitions at institutions such as the Asia Society.
Category:Indonesian musical instruments Category:Gamelan