Year 2, #3

Saturday, 28 September 2002
Laweyan, Solo

Dear Friends,

Last night the 3rd North-American-sponsored klenengan of the second fiscal year running was held in Laweyan, Solo. As you know it had been delayed a week due to embassy warnings and my own school's ban on travel to Solo/Yogya. Nothing ever came of the threats to foreigners that the US and other embassies warned of. Who knows if it was mis-information or if the actions were cancelled because of the high news profile from the embassy, but at any rate everything went fine and Solo seems perfectly safe right now. It was quite a production to cancel, with so many musicians still not owning phones, but we sent around Mas Joko Tipes as a runner and he got to EVERYONE except Pak Wakiyo, miraculously, sometimes going back 2-3 times to a particular person's house to catch them personally. The caterer had already groceried, so we had to give her a little extra to cover loss. In a way, it worked out well that it was cancelled, as a large group of musicians were in Japan last week, doing a concert with Bp. Saptono, and another few were in Kalimantan with the Kraton.

Acara Gendhing

  1. Gd. Bn. Majemuk kt 4 kr mg 8 pl 5

    bn: Mulyono
    kd: Wakidi
    slent: Sardiman

  2. Ketw. Gd. Tlutur kt 2 kr mg Ldr. Playon

    rb: Wahyo
    gd: Kamso
    kd: Yadi
    bn: Mulyono

    (Pak Wahyo had clearly come prepared with this gendhing)

  3. Gd. Lobaningrat kt 4 arang mg 8 (kosek alus) kalj. Ldr Rangsang pt jugag, sl 6

    rb: Wahyo
    gd: Karno
    kd: Yadi
    bn: Dalimin

    (after Tlutur, with many getting a bit lost, Pak Wahyo turned to Pak Yadi and said "I think I'm going to do something popular now...")

  4. Gd. Bondhan kt 4 kr mg kt 4 dados Saratruna, pt jugag

    rb: Wahyo
    gd: Kamso
    kd: Yadi
    bn: Sagimin

    (Gd was Pak Wahyo's idea--but not going to Kinanthi, but rather to mg Bondhan and on to Saratruna was Pak Yadi's communication as the gendhing progressed.)

  5. Gd. Lonthang kt 4 kr mg 8 kalj. Ldr Peksi Kuwung (wilet) pt kedhu

    rb: Raji
    gd: Karno
    kd gd: Yadi
    ciblon: Wakidjo

    (A piece recently played at Mangkunegaran a lot, but Mas Raji is a proponent of a slightly different garapan, from Bp. Marta, and that seems to be why he played this piece.)

  6. pt. pl 6 jugag Bawa (Panut) dhawah Lipur Erang-Erang kt 2 kr mg 4 kalj Ldr. Gegot

    rb: Raji
    gd: Kamso
    kd gd: Yadi
    ciblon: Wakidjo
    bn: Dalimin

    (Mas Raji had his notation out and was clearly intending to play something different--after about 2 kenongan smiled and closed his book and followed along--I'm not sure whose lead--with Lipur Erang2.)

  7. Jn Uler Kambang (bk. gender)
    Jn Glathik Glindhing
    Lgm Ngimpi, sl 9

    gd: Darsono "Jepang"
    kd: Wakidi

    A founding rule of the klenengan, that foreigners don't play, was broken this month, with Esther from England singing Lgm Ngimpi! Sorry, it was one of those things there was nothing I could do anything about!

    Mas Darsono really wanted a langgam and the sindhen kind of looked at him sideways and continued with their gossiping, so he called on Esther, who's been studying here for about 1-2 years or so--a Dharma Siswa. The kendhangan and gerongan were so fabulous that it was rather a disappointment one of the professional sindhen didn't sing. Also pretty painful--I kept looking around at the players who weren't playing at that point, but who were sitting right up front--like Mas Saptono, Pak Wahyo, Pak Yadi, Pak Dalimin--and thinking "I can't believe we're putting them through this in this context..." It's not that there was anything unusual about the way Esther sang--she sang like a 1.5-year, Western student of sindhenan, and has a very nice voice. But in that setting it was a bit uncomfortable.....I don't think that kind of thing will happen again, but I'll make an announcement of reminder to the foreign comnmunity if it does....

  8. Gd. Rondhon kt 4 arang mg 8 kalj. Ldr. Raranangis dados Ayak-ayakan ir 2 kangge Palaran Pangkur Paripurna dados Srepeg Mataram kangge rambangan Pangkur Mataraman, Dhandhanggula Mataraman--Srepeg Mataraman

    rb: Darsono "cilik"
    gd.Darsono "Jepang"
    kd gd: Kamso
    ciblon: Wakidi
    bn: Sagimin

    (This was so great that Mas Darsono "cilik"--Pak Saguh's son, from Delanggu-- took the step forward to do this whole suite. He's been only playing maybe one gendhing and only in pl 7 in the past. From across the room Pak Yadi and Pak Dalimin were listening intently, bending forward and watching his hands and whispering and nodding to eachother, and right behind him were Pak Wakidjo and Pak Saptono bretahing down his neck (!) so he was really in the spotlight, but he sounded great.)

  9. Gd. Sangopati kt 2 kr mg 4 dados Ayak-ayakan Kaloran, pl 7

    rb: Saptono
    gd: Sardiman
    kd: Kamso
    bn: Sagimin

Musicians Attending

  • Rebab: Wahyo, Raji, Wakidjo, Darsono "cilik", Saptono Kendhang: Yadi, Wakidjo, Wakidi, Kamso
  • Gender: Kamso, Karno, Darsono "Jepang", Sardiman Sindhen: Mulyani, Parni, Tukinem, Tugini, Dharmi, Munira Gerong: Panut, Yoso, Saimin (kw Benawa), Wakidi, Darsono "Jepang", Siter: Priyo
  • Gambang: Wakiyo
  • Gender Penerus: Joko Tipes
  • Suling: Tarno
  • Bonang: Dalimin, Sagimin, Mulyono
  • Bonang Penerus: Sagimin, Karno
  • Peking: Sutat
  • Slenthem: Sardiman, Wiyono
  • Gong: Ali
  • Kenong: Sarsidi
  • Kethuk: Mujiono
  • Demung/Saron: Wiyono, Warjina, Ngatno, Ngahono, Mulyono, Sular, Pardi

Audience

  • Marlene (The Netherlands) + Gembong (husband) + Arthur (2-year old) Akira, Japan
  • Kaoru, Japan
  • a new student of Fumiko's from Japan (?) Thomas, Australia
  • a friend of Thomas, Australia
  • Esther, England
  • Chris, England
  • Nicole, MN, USA
  • Niemh, Ireland
  • Rainer, Germany
  • Ross, England
  • Steve Laronga, USA
  • Wawan, STSI student
  • Bp. Salim (tea server at the Mangkunegaran) Mulyadi, Lojiwetan
  • Tukiman and 5 Bapak2 all from karawitan Laweyan

Budget

We spent Rp. 4,475,000, which at the exchange rate this week of Rp. 8900, comes to $502.00. Our monthly estimate this year is $500 a klenengan, so we basically achieved that.

RAISING THE MUSICIANS' RATES-skip if not interetsed

We decided to raise the musicians' rates a bit, since it's been 14 months running already without any raise. From now on, the envelopes are Rp. 70.000 for musicians--a raise from Rp. 60.000. Attached is a file with the new financial information if you're interested in looking at the details. Aside from it being 14 months running without a raise, there had recently been heated exchange among a few musicians about proper rates for klenengan, after a one-off klenengan in Solo sponsored by the Japanese group Lambangsari. At that klenengan, the musicians were paid exactly what we pay for ours, and there was quite a bit of grumbling--many saying that since it was a one-off, and very formal with set gendhing and limited players, the rate should have been higher. In the discussion we were able to hear what some of the up-to-date rates are for STSI and musicians following famous dhalang--they run from Rp. 125.000-250.000 a night. We were assured by many that our rate was still quite luxurious for a klenengan that's routine, with no uniforms, completely unlimited participation in terms of numbers, and completely free form of gendhing/who plays what. However, we did decide to go with a small raise.