3. Key Indonesian Facts
Indonesia is a nation made up of about 17,500 islands in South East Asia.
With a population of over 200 million, it is the world's fourth most populous
country and the most populous Muslim-majority nation.
The nation's capital city is Jakarta.
4. MUSIC OF INDONESIA
Indonesia is so culturally diverse, and every one of the 17,500
islands has its own cultural and artistic history and character.
This results in hundreds of different forms of music, which often
accompanies dance and theatre.
The most popular and famous form of Indonesian music is
GAMELAN.
Gamelan is an ensemble of tuned percussion instruments that
include metalophones, drums and gongs.
Gamelan is mainly from Java and Bali.
5. When is Gamelan Orchestra used?
The word "gamelan" is a Javanese word meaning "orchestra,"
referring to the instruments that make up the ensemble.
These ensembles can range from few portable instruments,
played by three or four musicians, to a large ensemble with as
many as twenty-five musicians and between ten to fifteen
singers.
Many communities have their own gamelans.
There are gamelans in the UK, notably at the South
Bank Centre in London.
8. GONGS
The soul of the gamelan is believed to
reside in the large gong, or gong ageng.
Other gongs are tuned to each note of the
scale and include ketuk, kenong and
kempul.
