Year 4, #9

Friday, 22 April 2005
Rumah Bp. Supanggah, Benawa

Dear Friends,

On Friday night we had the 9th klenengan in the 4th fiscal year of the “Laweyan” klenengan, which is now simply called klenengan “malam Minggu ke-tiga”, and will be held for a few months at the home of Bp. Supanggah in Benawa, Palur before perhaps rotating somewhere else for a few months. This klenengan was videotaped by STSI for documentation purposes. Bp. Panggah was out of town as one of his children had a graduation ceremony in Malang.

As with almost every month, we had two new musicians this month: Bp. Joko “Asmoro” and Ibu Peni. Bp. Joko is a gerong singer with Ki Purbo Asmoro’s wayang troupe, and is Ki Purbo’s nephew. Ibu Peni won first place in last month’s “teenage sindhen” competition at Town Hall in Solo. We were glad to see Bp. Darsono “Jepang” back after a year or so of not attending. It was also so wonderful to see Bu Tukinem continuing to be healthy enough to attend. When she sang (palaran Pangkur in particular) many musicians commented that she still has not only a beautiful voice but the ability to blend yet project so well with the gamelan.

Sadly, about 30 minutes into the klenengan Bp. Kamso received news that his older brother had just passed away, so he immediately went home. His older brother was Bp. Dharto, a gambang, gender and gender penerus player who lived a ways out of Solo in Kebak Kramat. He played with out-lying groups and mostly for wayang. He was about 55 and died of complications after a recent stroke.

The next klenengan will be held Saturday, 21 May, at Bp. Panggah’s house in Benawa. It will be a special event in which all the gendhing will be pieces written by bapak-bapak in the group. Bp-s Dalimin, Yadi, Wakidjo, Darsono and Harjito in particular have composed many gendhing in the past. A selection of these will be put together, retaining pathet order, and played next month. Another idea that has been floating around and may take form next month or the following, is that a suite of palaran be done in which every vocalist has a turn (that would mean a suite of 18 palaran though, so it may be broken up among a few pathet, using a variety of kemudo and srepegan).

Acara Gendhing

  1. pt. pl 5 ageng. Gd. Tejanata Bedhayan kt 2 kr mg 4 kalj. Ldr. Sembawa, Ldr. Playon, pt wantah

    Rb: Wahyo
    Gd: Karno
    Gb: Narto
    Kd: Yadi
    penunthung: Wakidjo
    Bn: Dalimin
    Suling: Mujiono
    Gd pn: Joko Sabar

  2. Gd. Tunjung Karoban kt 4 kr mg 8 kalj. Ldr. Talak Bodin (wilet), pt kedhu, sl 6

    (In this klenengan, 3 ladrang that are normally in irama dadi were played in wilet—Talak Bodin, Tedhak Saking pl 5, and Giyak-Giyak. This reignited the quiet and subtle debate among the musicians, since some feel that there is too much “di-wilet-kan” these days--“apa-apa diwiletake”--and that it is simply a mental exercise in some cases, with no musical rewards. Others stood up for the practice, saying that it is always muscially interesting to try something in wilet.)

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

  3. Gd. Jatikondhang kt 2 kr mg 4 kalj. Ldr. Tedhak Saking (wilet) ktp Ktw. Girisa, pt ngelik jugag, pl 5

    Rb: Wahyo
    Gd: Karno
    Gb: Narto
    Kd: Yadi
    Ciblon: Wakidjo
    Bn: Dalimin

  4. pt. sl 9 wantah, Bawa (Hartono-RRI) dhawah Gd. Lentreng kt 4 kr mg 8 kalj. Ldr. Giyak-Giyak (wilet) dados Ayak-ayakan Gadhung Mlathi, Srepegan mawi palaran Pangkur (Tukinem), Dhandhanggula waosan (Hartono), Sinom Wenikenya (Yatmi), Durma (Widodo), Srepegan Mataraman

    rb: Raji
    Gd: Legiyo
    Gb: Sutat
    Kd Gd: Yadi
    Ciblon: Wakidjo
    Bn: Dalimin

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

  5. pt. pl 6 jugag Bawa (Joko “Asmoro”) dhawah Gd. Erang-Erang Bagelen kt 2 kr mg Ldr. Opak Apem kalj. Ktw. Retna Wigena, pt jugag

    Rb: Darsono “cilik”
    Gd:Darsono “Jepang”
    Kd: Wakidi
    Gb:Narto
    Bn: Mardi
    suling: Ngahono

  6. Jn. Uler Kambang, sl 9 (Munirah)

    (This is about the third time that Uler Kambang has been initiated by the gender player with a buka gender and I’m sorry to say I’ve missed the buka every time, because I’m not quick enough to turn on the machine. It usually takes everyone else by surprise as well÷.)

    Jn. Glathik Glindhing, sl 9 (Warti)
    Langgam Ngimpi (Dharti)
    Bawa gawan (Joko “Asmoro”) dados Ldr. Jurang Jugrug, pl 7

    kd: Wakidi
    gd: Darsono “Jepang”
    rb: Darsono “cilik”
    gb: Mayar

    Ldr. Pangkur, pl 7 dados Ayak-ayakan Pamungkas

    rb: Ngahono
    gd: Darsono “cilik”
    kd: Wakidi
    gb: Narto

Musicians Attending

  • Rebab: Wahyo, Raji, Darsono “cilik”, Ngahono
  • Gender: Karno, Legiyo, Darsono “Jepang”, Darsono “cilik”
  • Kendhang: Yadi, Wakidjo, Wakidi
  • Gambang: Narto, Sutat
  • Sindhen: Tukinem, Yatmi, Mulyani, Dharti, Parni, Tugini, Bero, Munirah, Warti, Sumini, Ratmi, Peni
  • Gerong: Panut, Yasa, Widodo, Hartono “RRI”, Saido, Joko “Asmoro”
  • Bonang: Dalimin, Mardi
  • Gender Penerus: Joko Sabar
  • Siter: Sular
  • Suling: Ngahono, Mujiono
  • Bonang Penerus: Rajiman
  • Slenthem: Ripto,Pardi
  • Peking: Tulus
  • Gong: Hali, Karman, Prapto
  • Kenong: Sarsidi
  • Kethuk: Pahang
  • Balungan: Ngahono, Pahang, Wakiyo, Wiyono, Harta, Prapto, Priyo, Cipt Ngasinah, Sular, Joko Sabar, Ngatno, Pardi, Joko Tipes, Slamet Widodo, Mulyono RRI, Parman, Mayar, Sarno, Purwanto

Audience

  • Mindy, USA
  • Hanae, Japan
  • Kaori, Japan/USA
  • Kaoru, Japan
  • Dennisse, Mexico
  • Lujar, Czech Republic
  • a few Dharma Siswa students that I don’t know
      Wawan
  • Slamet Suparno
  • Sigit—karw
  • Mariatun
  • Mulyadi
  • Lukman
  • about 20 STSI students that I don’t know by name, all sitting around the garden area about 6 members of the bapak-bapak group that now regularly rehearse at Benawa on Friday nights

Budget

This month we spent Rp. 7,120.000 (or $753.00 with the rupiah at Rp.9450 = $1).

Report written by Kitsie Emerson, Solo/Jakarta, 24 April 2005