Year 3, #5

Saturday, 29 November 2003
Lojiwetan, Solo

Dear Friends,

Last night we had the 5th klenengan of the 3rd fiscal year of our event. It was packed full and quite lively. The Idul Fitri/Lebaran holiday (end of the fasting month) fell on Tuesday/Wednesday and most musicians were back from any family gatherings. Everyone seemed in high spirits, helped by the sake which Bp. Saptono’s students brought. Good news—Bp. Yadi felt well enough to join in for a few hours. (He recently had reconstructive surgery on his leg—shin/upper ankle suffered a nasty complex fracture in a motorcycle accident.) We had the van pick him up after getting Pak Wahyo, he stayed for a few hours, and then went home early when his leg really started throbbing. He kept repeating over and over how important it was for him to come and how it had been the best medicine ever. He said he’s incredibly bored at home. He’s been told to stay off the foot completely for now and always have it propped up, and reportedly just lays on the bed with the rebab next to him, off and on playing.

A few musicians were still busy with holiday events out of town—Bp. Darsono “Jepang”, Bp. Sabar, Bp. Karman, Bp. Karno, Bp. Pardi—but most everyone else was there. We had a new addition this month—Bp. Cipt Ngasinah. Pak Ngasinah was a gender player at RRI Solo until he retired in 1992. Since retiring he hasn’t been seen around much in Solo proper, and he seemed very happy to meet up again with old friends.

(We won’t be having a klenengan in December, since both mas Wakidi and I will be in the States, so we will have 11 klenengan this fiscal year, as usual.)

The next klenengan will be Saturday, 24 January in Laweyan. A number of musicians (Wakidjo, Saptono, Dalimin, Wahyo) gathered together during dinner and decided to do a program of gendhing wayang next month.

Acara Gendhing

  1. Gd Bn Dhenggung Turulare kt 2 kr mg Ldr pl 5

    Bn: Dalimin
    Kd: Kamso
    Pn: Saptono

  2. Ketw. Gd. Tlutur kt 2 kr mg Ldr Playon pt wantah, pl 5

    Rb: Wahyo
    Gd: Ngasinah
    Kd: Wakidjo
    Pn: Saptono
    Gb: Wakiyo
    Bn: Dalimin

  3. Gd. Tunjung Karoban kt 2 kr mg 4 kalj Ldr. [??] Pt jugag, sl 6

    The ladrang, in irama wilet, is a mystery: 

                                                    .3.1 .3.2
                        .3.1 .3.2
                        .5.3 .6.5
                        .6.3 .1.2

    Rb: Wahyo
    Gd: Kamso
    Kd: Wakidjo
    Pn: Saptono
    Gb:Narto
    Bn: Dalimin

  4. Iringan Tari srimpi:
    Pt ageng pl 6, Gd. Glondhong Pring kt 2 kr mg Ldr. Gudhasih kalj Ketw. Sumedhang, pt pl 6 jugag

    Rb: Yadi
    Gd: Ngasinah
    Kd : Wakidjo
    Pn: Saptono
    Gb: Wakiyo
    Bn: Dalimin

  5. Gd. Maskumambang kt 4 arang mg 8 kalj Ldr. Kaki Tunggu Jagung (irama wilet), ada-ada girisa dados Srepeg Pinjalan mawi palaran Gambuh (Munirah), Durma (Warti)

    Rb: Yadi
    Gd: Kamso
    Kd Gd: Saptono
    Ciblon: Wakidjo
    Gb: Narto
    Bn: Dalimin

  6. Pt pl 6 jugag Bawa (Yasa) dhawah Gd. Rujak Sentul kt 2 kr mg Ldr. Srundeng Gosong kalj. Ketw. Pocung dados Srepegan-dolanan Menthog2, Kupu Kuwi, Pendhisil
  7. Jineman Uler Kambang (Sri Yanti)
    Langgam Gagad Enjang (Warti, rb, Raji)

    Rb: Yadi
    Gd: Ngasinah
    Kd: Wakidi
    Gb: Priyo
    Bn: Dalimin

  8. Pt sl 9 wantah Bawa (Hartono-RRI) dhawah Gd. Renyep kt 2 kr mg Ldr Eling-Eling kalj. Ketw Sinom Logondhang

    Rb: Raji
    Gd: Kamso
    Kd Gd: Wakidjo
    Ciblon: Wakidi
    Bn: Mardi

  9. Gd. Tentrem kt 2 kr mg 4 kalj Ldr. Singa-Singa, pl 7
  10. Ayak-ayakan

Musicians Attending

  • Rebab: Wahyo, Yadi, Raji,
  • Gender: Kamso, Ngasinah, Pahang
  • Kendhang: Kamso, Wakidjo, Saptono, Wakidi, Wawan
  • Sindhen: Tukinem, Mulyani, Parni, Tugini, Sri Yanti, Munirah, Sumini, Warti, Ratmi
  • Gerong: Panut, Tukimin, Widodo, Hartono, Yasa
  • Gambang: Wakiyo, Narto, Priyo
  • Suling: Mudjiono
  • Gender Penerus: Kuat, Ngahono
  • Siter: Priyo, Joko “Tipes”, Pahang
     
  • Bonang: Dalimin, Mardi
  • Bonang Penerus: Marman, Rajiman
  • Slenthem: Ripto
  • Kenong: Sarsidi
  • Gong: Ali
  • Balungan: Wiyono, Sular, Slamet “SriWedari”, Wardi “Kraton”, Ngatno (SriW), Warjina (SriW), Prapto RRI, Tulus, Harto “Jagalan”, Mayar

Audience

  • Lukman
  • Mulyadi
  • Kesi
  • A few neighborhood people
     
  • Greg McCourt, USA
  • Jessica Zike, USA
  • Michelle Spahn, USA
  • Ryan, USA
  • Rainer, Germany (visiting for 2 months)
  • Thomas, Australia
  • Kaoru, Japan
  • Akira, Japan
  • 2 long-term Japanese dance students
  • 2 of Pak Saptono’s beginning Japanese students
  • Niamh, Ireland
  • Estaban, Mexico
  • Joba, Hungaria
  • Dave, England
  • 3-4 other newly arrived Western students, some from Germany?

Budget

There’s a tradition of giving Lebaran bonuses in Java,and in the past we have taken the fasting month off and then doubled the envelopes for the post-Lebaran klenengan. This year we combined the November and December klenengan into this one 27 Nov, and gave Lebaran bonuses, but not double. Most of the musicians get Rp. 70,000 ($8) for the klenengan and we gave them Rp. 100,000 ($12). To double the entire klenengan budget just seemed like an outrageous amount of money to carry around and deal with! We spent Rp. 6.660.000, or $791.44 (Rp. 8.415 = $1).

Report written by Kitsie Emerson, 30 November 2003