Group of musiciansThe term gamelan refers not only to the instruments but also to the groups of musicians who play them. People participate in these groups from a very young age, and one is often surprised to hear intricate pieces being performed by children's groups in which the average age is only 12 years. In the villages, stitch groups may be formed for special festivals only to be disbanded as soon as the festival is over. Most groups play together for a long time, however - some for as long as 40 or 50 years with unchanged membership. Some groups even outlive their original membership and continue to exist as autonomous village institutions for hundreds of years.
Organizationally, music and dance troupes in Bali are deeply rooted in the banjar - the fundamental unit of community within the Balinese village or town. Its guiding principle and philosophy is that any group must strive to exist as a coherent unit rather than as a collection of individuals. In Balinese music, this attitude of cooperation is essential, and individual virtuosity is always far overshadowed by the ideal of unity and perfect synchronization of the various parts. Much more so than in Western music, a single part or Musician cannot stand alone, but is integral to the whole. For this reason, solo performance is nonexistent in Bali.
Anyone with sufficient interest may join a gamelan, and groups are composed of farmers, merchants, civil servants, etc. Although the academy in Denpasar is giving birth to a new generation of professionals, music remains by and large a non-professional, village endeavor.
While the immediate motivation to form a new group may vary - an upcoming celebration, a festival competition with another banjar, or a specially commissioned hotel performance, for example - in general the Balinese simply love to play, and a first rehearsal often finds more players ready to join in than there are positions in the orchestral typical cooperative banjar fashion, even the extras take part in the sekaha (club), however. They will become helpers (for moving or maintaining the instruments) or alternate players.
With the exception of large hotel or other tourist performances, little money is made from the performances. All proceeds are put into a common fund for tuning and maintenance or acquisition of new instrunents, as well as for dance costumes or an occasional dinner for the sekaha members. Excess funds are divided among the members just before Galungan.
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