The Music: A Gamelan Orchestra

Performances of any form of Balinese dance drama simply would not be complete without the accompaniment of a gamelan orchestra. Some orchestras have a five-tone scale, while others have a four-tone scale. Some orchestras even have a seven-tone scale! This all varies by region, with north Bali favoring five-tone, and south Bali using four-tone (Ornstein 71). In a standard north Balinese orchestra, there are twenty-three instruments (Ornstein 72). These instruments (familiar to us) include metallophones, gongs, drums, cymbals, and flutes. Southern Balinese instruments are similar, except they have a wider range. Balinese metallophones (below; left; behind the drums) are bronze keys suspended over tuned bamboo pieces set in a frame (Ornstein 72). The paired tuning of the keys and bamboo pieces produce the "shimmering" sound unique to Balinese gamelan music. 

Gamelan orchestras essentially operate by some instruments playing the melody, and some playing the bass or beat. A simple melody is usually enhanced by rapid patterns, fit together to form one melody. Drums and gongs are used as time keepers, and cymbals typically mirror the drum beats, with the cymbals acting as a percussive instrument. Bamboo flutes are used in lyrical music, and play complicated variations of the melody (Ornstein 72). Some pieces begin with just one instrument playing, followed by the rest of the orchestra. In addition to accompanying dance, gamelan orchestras also play at temple festivals, processionals, cremations, and other ceremonies (Ornstein 76). The gamelan orchestra is as culturally significant as dance drama! In fact, it's difficult to imaging Balinese dance drama without its iconic music.

This video provides an excellent, up-close view of a gamelan orchestra.

You can skip around to different parts of the clip to hear the changing rhythms. 

It's amazing that it's all a single piece of music! 

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_93HkMujys

Page Source:

Ornstein, Ruby. 1971 "The Five-Tone Gamelan Angklung of North Bali." Ethnomusicology 15 (1): 71-80