Year 4, #7

Saturday, 12 February 2005
Laweyan, Solo

Dear Friends,

Last night we had the 7th klenengan in the 4th fiscal year of the Laweyan klenengan. It started at 8:00 pm and went until almost 2:30 am. This was also the last klenengan at the Laweyan site. We've been having the klenengan there since the summer of 2002, but the rental contract on the house is up. We actually have a few more months left, but household expenses are piling up quickly there because there are no monthly renters for the first time in 2 years, so we've decided to leave slightly before the contract is up.

We plan to move the gamelan that we use for the klenengan, which is on loan from Carol Walker and Tim Buehrer, to Bp. Panggah's pendhopo in Benawa, near STSI. The klenengan itself will rotate around a bit—a few months at Bp. Panggah's, then a few months at Ibu Mulyani's in Baluwarti on her gamelan, then a few months somewhere else, then back to Benawa, etc. It was nice having our own spot (but a luxury), however, a rotating klenengan will have its own benefits as well, as different communities will be able to enjoy it, and slightly different combinations of musicians may come to the various locations.

This month's klenengan was extremely full, as it is the Javanese month of Sura—the lunar month in which, by legend, the formidable Queen of the South Seas is always marrying off one of her relatives, and a month in which mortals defer to her and don't plan weddings, circumcisions, or any other ceremony aside from various types of cleansing ceremonies. As modern as life in Solo may get (sindhen sitting glued to their handphone, text-messaging away, while not singing—in Jakarta while singing) the month of Sura remains a month for wayang of a certain variety—cleansing villages, offices, neighborhoods, etc—but not much else activity.

We were very happy to see Ibu Tukinem back! She had an operation on her ear canal almost a year ago, and had not been able to come back since. She was looking quite good and in terrific spirits!

We had one new musician—Bp. Cipta, a young musician who is currently the kendhang player for Ki Purba Asmara and has been interested in coming for quite some time, as he likes to divide his time between wayang and klenengan experience. He is also the regular kendhang player now for Bp. Mulyadi's fairly high profile bapak2 group Mulyararas.

The next klenengan will be held 19 March 2005 at Bp. Panggah's home in Benawa.

Acara Gendhing

  1. (For those of you who tend to wonder or notice these things, this was the second time I tried out my new machine—a "HiMD", and this time used the regular MD setting but a Hi-MD disk—so I can compare the quality from last time when I used the CD setting and so can you.....)

  2. BEDHAYAN pt pl 6 ageng Gd. Kaduk Manis kt 2 kr mg 4 kalj Ldr. Kaduk

    ktp Ktw. Dhendha Gedhe, pt ageng

    Rb: Raji
    Gd: Karno
    Gb: Karman
    Kd: Yadi
    Bn: Dalimin

  3. Gd. Sidamukti kt 4 arang mg 8 , pl 6 (normally a gendhing bonang in slendro, they played it as a gendhing rebab and in pelog), pt jugag

    Rb: Wahyo
    Gd: Karno
    Gb: Karman
    Kd: Yadi
    Bn: Dalimin

  4. Ktw Gd. Ela-Ela Kalibeber kt 2 kr mg 4, sl 9, pt ngelik

    Rb: Wahyo
    Gd; Kamso
    Gb: Narto
    Kd: Yadi
    Bn: Dalimin

    (My favorite moment in the klenengan was when I saw one of the musicians carefully notating the kendhang part to this "gendhing kendhang" as they were playing it and then checking back over it and singing it to himself all through the break before the next piece. This was a well-respected kendhang player in his own right, but someone who perhaps couldn't play Ela2 Kalibeber before or wasn't sure of himself, and I bet now he can....)

  5. Gd. Jaka Ngiwat kt 4 arang mg 8 (kosek alus) kalj. Ldr. Lere-Lere Sumbangsih, p t 6 jugag

    rb: Raji
    Gd: Karno
    Gb: Karman
    Kd Gd: Wakidjo
    Ciblon: Wakidi
    Bn: Sagimin

  6. Gd. Wiyang kt 4 kr mg 4 kalj Ladr. Yujana pt Elayana dados Ayak-ayakan rangkep, Srepeg, palaran Pangkur (Harjutri), Sinom Wenikenya (Warti), Srepegan, pt jugag, sl 9

    Rb: Panggah
    Gd: Cipt-Ngasinah
    Kd: Wakidjo
    Gb: Narto
    Bn: Sagimin

    (This was the end of the pieces that were pre-planned by the elder bapak-bapak last month.)

  7. Gd Budheng-Budheng kt 2 arang mg 4 kalj. Ldr. Sarayuda (andhegan gawan—Kesi, andhegan Dhandhanggula Turu Lare—Budi), pt nyamat wantah
  8. Jn. Uler Kambang, nyamat (Yayuk)
    Ldr. Asmaradana Kethoprak

    (Yasa, then Munirah), pl 6

    Rb: Ngahana
    Gd:Cipt-Ngasinah
    Kd Gd: Wakidjo
    Ciblon: Panggah
    Gb:Djoko Tipes
    Bn: Sagimin

    Pt manyura jugag, Bawa (Panut-sorry didn't get the name of the bawa) dhawah Gd. Widosari kt 2 kr mg 4 dados Ayak-ayakan Pamungkas

    Rb: Ngahana
    Gd: Cipt-Ngasinah
    Gb: Narto
    Kd: Wakidi
    Bn: Sagimin

Musicians Attending

  • Rebab: Wahyo, Raji, Panggah, Ngahono
  • Gender: Karno, Kamso, Cipt-Ngasinah
  • Kendhang: Yadi, Wakidjo, Wakidi, Panggah
  • Gambang: Narto, Karman, Djoko
  • Sindhen: Tukinem, Mulyani, Dharti, Parni, Tugini, Tarini, Yayuk, Kesi, Harjutri, Munirah, Warti, Sumini, Dwi
  • Gerong: Panut, Darsono "STSI", Yasa, Budi, Widodo, Hartono "RRI", Jumiko, Tukiman, Saido
  • Bonang: Dalimin, Sagimin
  • Gender Penerus: Sutat
  • Siter: Priyo
  • Suling: Mujiono
  • Bonang Penerus: Slamet Widodo, Rajiman
  • Slenthem: Ripto, Kamso
  • Peking:Warjinah
  • Gong: Hali, Legiyo
  • Kenong: Sarsidi, Karno
  • Kethuk: Kuat, Ngahono
  • Balungan: Ngahono, Sagimin, Pahang, Wakiyo, Wiyono, Harta, Tulus, Prapto, Priyo, Cipta, Sular, Joko Sabar, Ngatno, Pardi, Joko Tipes

Audience

  • Rainer, Germany
  • Sophie, England
  • Mindy, USA and her dad
  • Tzara Vierck, USA
  • Hanae, Japan
  • Kaori, Japan/USA
  • Kaoru, Japan
  • Dennisse, Mexico
  • Lujar, Czech Republic
  • Marta, Hungary
  • Niamh, Ireland
     
  • A number of young students from STSI
  • Gito Brayut
  • Mulyadi
  • Lukman
  • Sumi

Budget

This month we spent Rp. 6.620.000 (or $719.00 with the rupiah at Rp.9200 = $1).

Report written by Kitsie Emerson, Solo/Jakarta, 13 February 2005