Music in Mapeh 8!

• When analyzing Asian theater forms, they will face extinction
• Indonesia has Wayang Kulit, Japan has Kabuki, and China has Peking Opera as their traditional theater forms
• Kabuki


  A highly stylized Japanese dance-drama known for high drama and elaborate make-up
• Kabuki


  • Combines music, dance, mime, and magnificent stage and costume in a unique way
  • The most popular among the traditional styles in Japanese drama
  • Star actors often also appear in television or film roles
• Kabuki became popular among the lower classes rather than the upper classes


  Edo period between 1603 and 1867
• First performance of Okuni, a shrine dancer, in Kyoto started Japanese interest in Kabuki theater


  1603
• Kabuki


  • Dance - First performers dance with folk and religious dance music
  • Costume - Performers' costumes stress the role being portrayed and show the latest fashion trend
  • Makeup - Exaggerated colors are very much emphasized
  • Music - Used for song, dance accompaniment, and sound effects. Wooden clappers serve as signal to start or end the play
• Ipponchoshi


  Continuous pattern used in speeches building up to an explosive climax in the aragoto style, involving extraordinary breath control
• Nori technique


  Adapted from chanting the joruri, entails a very sensitive capacity of riding the rhythms of the shamisen
• Yakuharai technique


  Fine delivery of poetical material written in Japanese metrical form, with seven and five syllables alternated
• Music Instruments of the Kabuki

  • Shamisen
  • Hyoshigi (wooden clapper)
  • Hayashi (musical ensemble)
  • Debayashi (onstage music performance)
  • Nagauta (performed on tiered platform backstage)
  • Joruri (musical ensemble on left side of stage)
  • Hyudorodoro (flute and drum to mark ghost appearance)
  • Geza (special effects music)
• Shamisen


  • Three-stringed instrument, most important instrument used in Kabuki
• Hyoshigi (wooden clapper)


  1. Used in ceremonial music to signal beginning and end of performances

  2. Struck together or against wooden board
• Hayashi


  • Musical ensemble for Kabuki theater, live performance of shamisen players
• Debayashi


  • Onstage music performance in full view of audience
  • Divided into Nagauta (performed backstage) and Joruri (ensemble on left side of stage)
• Nagauta


  • Performed on tiered platform backstage, includes shamisen, drums, and flute
• Joruri


  • Musical ensemble located on the left side of the stage
• Hyudorodoro


  • Used to mark the appearance of the ghost, played by flute and drum
• Geza


  • Used for special effects, with hidden musicians and enhanced music style using special drums, gongs, bells, and cymbals
• Kabuki uses a variety of musical instruments and ensembles to accompany the performances
• The shamisen is the most important instrument used in Kabuki
• Kabuki performances feature a mix of onstage and backstage music
• Music is used to signal key moments and create different moods and atmospheres in Kabuki
• Kabuki utilizes a range of traditional Japanese musical instruments and ensembles
• The music in Kabuki is an integral part of the overall theatrical experience
• Wayang Kulit


  Indonesian shadow puppetry
• Elements of Wayang Kulit

  • The Performers
  • The Equipment
  • Performance Elements
• The Performers


  • Dalang
  • Niyaga
  • Pesinden
• Dalang


  The puppeteer and conductor
• Niyaga


  The gamelan musicians
• Pesinden


  Female singer with Gamelan orchestra
• Dalang


  • Creative, humorous, and adaptable
  • Moves the puppets, sings, and sends signals to the orchestra
  • Plays all the characters in the show
  • Ability to have interchangeable voices to bring different characters to life
  • Tells a story with the accompaniment of several instruments, giving more effect to the puppets' actions
• The Equipment

  • Wayang Kulit (leather puppets)
  • Gunungan (symbolic scene element)
  • Kelir (the cloth screen)
  • Blencong (oil lamp)
  • Gedebok (banana trunk where puppets are arranged)
  • Kotak kayu (wooden chest)
  • Gamelan (music ensemble)
• Performance Elements


  • Janturan (narration)
  • Ginem (dialogue)
  • Tembang (song)
  • Suluk (mood song)
  • Gending (melody)
  • Gerong (male chorus) Sabetan (puppet movement)
• The most important people in a Wayang Kulit performance are the people in the audience
• The dalang prepares all the materials used in the shadow, such as the cloth and the light
• The puppet on the right represents the good character, while the puppet on the left represents the bad
• The stage is represented by the open space between them, which is about two meters wide
• Gamelan


  • The heart of art music in Indonesia
  • Performs a vital part in establishing the mood and emphasizing the action of the plays
  • Each of the gamelan musicians sits behind the dalang
  • A full Javanese gamelan ensemble consists of...