Tradition in Suspension: Timbre in Contemporary Gamelan Compositions

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ABSTRACT Timbre, which traditionally was put in the background of musical compositions, now starts to gain a presence in the foreground of contemporary gamelan compositions. It does so to the extent that it dominates other musical parameters; it blurs the distinction between timbre, harmony, rhythm, and many other elements. In this paper, I analyse the rise of timbre as a compositional parameter by looking at new gamelan works after the year 2010. This includes the works of Septian Dwi Cahyo, Irene Tanuwidjaja, Dion Nataraja, Dieter Mack, Putu Septa, Arham Aryadi, Arya Deva Suryanegara, and Yan Priya Kumara Janardhana. Aside from this primary analysis, I also trace the development of the discourse regarding timbre in the gamelan tradition by looking at historical precursors in the twentieth century, such as works by I Wayan Sadra, Pande Made Sukerta, Aloysius Suwardi, Ki Tjokrowasito, and Ki Nartosabdho. I connect my analysis with various critical theories by writers ranging from Bhabha to Derrida to demonstrate that the rise of timbre has brought the gamelan tradition to its breaking point, yet, it is still in relation to that tradition; it is a state of tradition in suspension.