Year 4, #5

Friday, 12 November 2004

Laweyan, Solo

Dear Friends,

Last night we had the 5th klenengan in the 4th fiscal year of the Laweyan klenengan. Since it is still the fasting month (1 day left), we still held the klenengan at Bp. Mulyadi’s in Lojiwetan. The Laweyan community is a much more strictly Islamic neighborhood and formally requested that we not hold the klenengan during fasting. Like last month the event was extremely full, as musicians generally don’t have any work during the fasting month. A few musicians had already left for their home villages to celebrate the holiday with family.

We had one new member—in the gerong section:

Bp. Sardana Wibaksa—Pak Wibaksa was a wayang orang dancer for Sri Wedari in the 50’s and 60’s (from the same school of teachers as Pak Surana “Rana-Wibaksa” and Pak Rusman “Hardja-Wibaksa”) and in the 70’s and 80’s a freelance wayang orang dancer. In the 1990’s he was a gerong singer for Ki Manteb Soedarsono. He’s one of those musicians who had kind of disappeared for a few years, not going out much, and everyone seemed elated to have him come. He just started rehearsing with Bp. Mulyadi’s Monday/Friday group and heard about the event.

Unfortunately Pak Ripto/retired RRI (usually plays slenthem) has been in a motorcycle accident and couldn’t come—but evidently he is doing fine. We’ll go to see him sometime this weekend.

Sunday and Monday constitute the big holiday after the fasting month—Idul Fitri, or in more traditional Javanese terms Lebaran (or “Bakdo”). It is traditional in all employer/employee relationships to hand out Lebaran bonuses. All major offices give out “holiday bonuses”—even the international school I work for gives them to the Indonesian staff. We struggled with this the first year of the klenengan, but decided to give them out to the musicians, even though we don’t consider ours to be exactly an employer-employee relationship. Thus we have given the bonuses every year—and we put on only 11 klenengan a year instead of 12 so that we can afford it—usually making the fasting month the month off. (This year the month off will be the December klenengan, as it falls when mas Wakidi and I will be in the States.)

The next klenengan will be held 22 January 2005, back in Laweyan.

Acara Gendhing

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

    ??

  2. Gd. Agul-Agul, kt 8 kr mg 16, pl 5

    ??

    (We had the klenengan on Friday, since Saturday is already getting into the big holiday, and mas Wakidi and I were late getting in form Jakarta, as I was at work until 4 pm. I’m doing my best to pick up a dub from someone else who was recording the first 2 pieces—but I didn’t get a chance yet to ask anyone who played for what in the first 2 pieces.)

  3. Gd Maskumambang kt 4 arang mg 8 kalj Ldr. Siyem, sl 6, pt kedhu

    Kd: Yadi
    Ciblon: Wakidjo
    Rebab: Raji
    Gender: Karno
    Gb: Wakiyo
    Bn: Mardi

  4. Gd. Rasamadu kt 2 kr mg 4 kalj. Ldr Kagok, pl 5, pt ngelik jugag

    (The merong is dhandhanggula—Ldr. Maskentar/Subasiti in gendhing form.)

    Rb: Wahyo
    Gd: Kamso
    Kd: Yadi
    Cib: Wakidjo
    Gb: Narto
    Bn: Dalimin

  5. Gd. Guntur kt 2 kr mg Majemuk kt 4 kalj Ldr. Bedhat (wilet), suwuk gropak, Srepeg Pinjalan dados palaran Gambuh (Sumini) , Asmaradana miring (Munirah), Dhandhanggula macapat (Hartono RRI), Ayak-ayakan
  6. Pt sanga wantah, Jn. Uler Kambang (Yayuk)

    Rb: Raji
    Gd: Karno
    Kd: Yadi
    Cib: Wakidjo
    Gb: Wakiyo
    Bn: Mardi

    (break for dinner)

  7. pt sl 9 jugag Bawa (Yasa) Kenya Kedhiri dhawah Gd. Larawudhu kt 2 kr mg Ldr. Sekar Ngenguwung dados Srepeg Mataraman mawi rambangan Kinanthi (Hartono RRI), Dhandhanggula (Parni), Pangkur (Wibaksa) dados Srepeg Mataraman rangkap, pt jugag

    Rb: Mardi
    Gd: Legiyo
    Kd Gd: Wakidjo
    Ciblon: Wakidi
    Gb: Wakiyo
    Bn: Sagimin

  8. Pt pl 7 jugag, Bawa (Hartono RRI) dados Langgam Kelinciku Ucul (Munirah, Marni)
    Jn. Mari Kangen, pl 7 (Dharti)
  9. Gd. Prawan Pupur kt 2 kr mg 4 kalj Ldr. Kuwung, pt jugag
    Ayak-ayakan Kaloran, pl 7

    Kd Gd: Wakidjo
    Ciblon: Mariatun
    Gd: Legiyo
    Rb: Wawan
    Gb: Narto
    Bn: Sagimin

Musicians Attending

  • Rebab: Wahyo, Raji, Wawan, Mardi
  • Gender: Karno, Kamso, Legiyo
  • Kendhang: Yadi, Wakidjo, Wakidi, Mariatun
  • Gambang: Wakiyo, Narto
  • Sindhen: Mulyani, Dharti, Parni, Tugini, Tarini, Yayuk, Bero, Kesi, Munirah, Dwi, Sumini, Marni, Warti
  • Gerong: Panut, Yasa, Satimin, Widodo, Hartono “RRI”, Saido, Sardana-Wibaksa, Kuat, Cipt-Ngasinah, Jumiko
  • Bonang: Dalimin, Mardi, Sagimin
  • (Gender Penerus: Bp. Mulyadi’s gamelan doesn’t have one)
  • Siter: Djoko Tipes, Sular
  • Suling: Tarno
  • Bonang Penerus: Mardi, Sagimin, Karman
  • Slenthem: Wiyono
  • Peking: Sular, Wardjina
  • Gong: Hali, Legiyo
  • Kenong: Sarsidi
  • Kethuk: Mujiono
  • Balungan: Ngahono, Ngatno, Mayar, Slamet Widodo, Wardjina, Sagimin, Raji, Wiyono, Harta, Parman, Sutat, Mulyono “RRI”, Pahang, Narto, Prapto, Priyo

Audience

  • Mindy Johnston, USA
  • Hanae, Japan
  • Kaori, Japan/USA
  • Dennisse, Mexico
  • Leon, New Zealand
  • Ludek, Czech Republic
  • Christoph, France
  • X3 tourists from Australia (read about it on the gamelan list and happened to be in town)
     
  • Lukman
  • All of Bp. Mulyadi’s bapak2 group “Mulya Raras” sat outside listening

Budget

This month we spent $740 on the actual klenengan and $300 on Lebaran bonuses.

Report written by Kitsie Emerson, Saturday 13 November 2004