The (Sundanese: ) is a musical instrument from the Sundanese in Indonesia that is made of a varying number of bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. The tubes are carved to produce a resonant pitch when struck and are tuned to octaves, similar to Western handbells. The base of the frame is held in one hand, while the other hand shakes the instrument, causing a repeating note to sound. Each performer in an ensemble is typically responsible for just one pitch, sounding their individual at the appropriate times to produce complete melodies (see Kotekan).
The originated in what is now West Java and Banten provinces in Indonesia, and has been played by the Sundanese for many centuries. The and its music have become an important part of the cultural identity of Sundanese communities. Playing the as an orchestra requires cooperation and coordination, and is believed to promote the values of teamwork, mutual respect and social harmony.
On 18 November 2010, UNESCO included the Indonesian in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and encouraged the Indonesian people and the Indonesian government to safeguard, transmit, promote performances and to encourage the craftsmanship of the .
Etymology The word may have originated from Sundanese , suggesting the movement of the player and the onomatopoeic sound that comes from the instrument.
History According to Dr. Groneman, the had already been a favorite musical instrument of the entire archipelago even before the Hindu era. According to Jaap Kunst in Music in Java, besides West Java, also exists in South Sumatra and Kalimantan. Lampung, East Java and Central Java are also familiar with the instrument.
In the Hindu period and the time of the Kingdom of Sunda, the instrument played an important role in ceremonies. The was played to honor Dewi Sri, the goddess of Rice, so she would bless their land and lives. The also signaled the time for prayers, and was said to have been played since the 7th century in the Kingdom of Sunda. In the Kingdom of Sunda, it provided martial music during the Battle of Bubat, as told in the Kidung Sunda.Awi-Awi Mandiri, The Spirit of Angklung, 2018 The oldest surviving is the , made in the 17th century in Jasinga, Bogor. Other antique are stored in the Sri Baduga Museum, Bandung. The oldest tradition is called ("ancient ") from Lebak Regency, Banten. The is an ancient type of played by Baduy people of the inland Banten province during the seren taun harvest ceremony.
In 1938, Daeng Soetigna (Sutigna), from Bandung, created an that is based on the diatonic scale instead of the traditional pélog or sléndro scales. Since then, the has returned to popularity and is used for education and entertainment, and may even accompany Western instruments in an orchestra. One of the first performances of in an orchestra was in 1955 during the Bandung Conference. In 1966 Udjo Ngalagena, a student of Daeng Soetigna, opened his ("House of Angklung") as a centre for its preservation and development.
UNESCO included the Indonesian in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on 18 November 2010.
Varieties Traditional
or or is an ancient originating from the Baduy in Lebak, the Banten province of Indonesia. This is used to accompany the ritual of planting rice on the fields passed down by their ancestors. are only made by the Baduy Dalam tribe who still maintain the pure traditions of their ancestors. The names of instruments in Kanekes from the biggest are: , and .
is an that originates from the Dogdog Lojor culture found in the Kasepuhan Pancer Pangawinan community or Kesatuan Banten Kidul scattered around Mount Halimun. is used to accompany the tradition of farming, circumcision, and marriage. This is played by six players consisting of two players playing the and four players playing the large .
is an originating from Cipinang village, Cigudeg, Bogor, West Java. This is very old and is used to honor the goddess of rice, Dewi Sri. is played during (rice planting), (transporting rice), and (storage) in the (barn). According to legend, began to exist when Cipining village experienced a dry season because Dewi Sri did not make it rain.
is an originating from Garut, West Java. Initially, this was used for the ritual of planting rice, but now it has shifted to be used to accompany the preaching of Islam. It takes nine to complete the accompaniment process consisting of two , one , four , two , two , and two .
is an that originates in Bungko village, Cirebon, West Java. is played with other musical instruments such as kendang, and gongs. In ancient times, was a musical accompaniment to fights between villagers. The existing consists of three pieces which are believed to be 600 years old. This old is believed to have originated from Ki Gede Bungko, the elder of Bungko village, as well as the Commander of the Navy of the Cirebon Sultanate in the Sunan Gunung Jati era around the 15th century. This cannot be played anymore because it is fragile. The people believe that has magical powers. In ancient times, if a child was sick, when the was played around the village and accompanied by a dance, the child could recover on their own.
is a type of that is used for performing arts at parades or carnivals. The art of was born and preserved in Parakanhonje Village, Indihiang District, Tasikmalaya City, West Java. Under the care of the Kanca Indihiang Big Family, in its era around the 70s can be known everywhere. The main function of in society is to entertain children before the circumcision ritual. Before the invention of local anesthetics, a child who was going to be circumcised early in the morning would be paraded to the pool () to soak in it. would be played on the way to and from the pool as the people watched, similar to a parade.
is an used for entertainment, such as the in the Baros area, Arjasari, Bandung, West Java. The instruments used in the art of are two , two , , two , one , three (one , one , and one ). , , and gongs have been added over time. The has a tone and a vocal song can be or .
Initially, was used in agricultural events related to rice. Nowadays, is used as entertainment. This is related to societal changes and less emphasis on traditional beliefs. The 1940s can be considered the end of the ritual function of in honor of rice because it has since turned into an entertainment form. In addition, rice storage barns () began to disappear from people's homes, replaced by sack places that were more practical and easy to carry. Many of the rice is now sold directly, not stored in barns. Thus the art of that was used for the (rice-carrying) ritual is no longer needed. The name of the is related to the well-known lyrics "". The text is part of the art of , so this art form is called .
or is a prototype musical instrument made of bamboo. In contrast to the which is played by shaking, the is played by hitting the rods () of sections of bamboo tubes arranged according to (pentatonic scales), . Most commonly are made from (black bamboo), but some are made from (white bamboo).
The meaning of , apart from being a musical instrument, is also attached to the term performance art. There are two known forms of , namely and . This musical instrument is a traditional Sundanese musical instrument, which is also known and developed in the Banyumas region. When playing the , the player usually plays by sitting cross-legged, while a person playing carries the bamboo that has been lined up and plays it while standing. Initially, was performed to accompany Sundanese traditional ceremonies as a ritual for the celebration of the people of West Java, but with the development of the era, it began to be used as a musical instrument for entertainment.
Angklung Reog is a musical instrument to accompany the Reog Ponorogo Dance in East Java. Angklung Reog has a characteristic in terms of a very loud sound, has two tones and an attractive curved shape of rattan (unlike the usual angklung in the form of a cube) decorated with beautiful colored fringed threads. It is said that angklung was a weapon from the kingdom of Bantarangin against the kingdom of Lodaya in the 11th century, when the victory by the kingdom of Bantarangin was happy, the soldiers were no exception, the angklung holder was no exception, because of the extraordinary strength of the reinforcement of the rope, it loosened to produce a distinctive sound, namely klong-klok. and klung-kluk when heard will feel spiritual vibrations.
Is a type of Angklung Reog from Sambit, Ponorogo. Shaped like Angklung Reyog but arranged from small to the largest angklung with various tones, Gong Gumbeng Angklung is the first and oldest type of pitched angklung. A set of angklung Gong Gumbeng that is more than 250 years old is now stored in the Sri Baduga Bandung Museum.
Balinese angklung called Rindik has a distinctive Balinese shape and tone. The angklung Rindik is played by hitting the bamboo like a gamelan. Rindik Bali was originally Angklung Reog from Ponorogo who was brought by later Majapahit officials.
Modern or
is a musical instrument made of bamboo which is a modern variant of . Traditional used the , and scales. In 1938, Daeng Soetigna made an innovation so that the could play diatonic notes. To appreciate his work, this was named , which comes from the words (father, respected adult male) and (the inventor's name). The tuning used is diatonic, according to the western music system, and can even be presented in an orchestral form.
In line with music theory, the is divided into two groups: the melodic and the . A melody specifically consists of two sound tubes with a pitch difference of one octave. In one unit, generally there are 31 small melodic and 11 large melodic . Meanwhile, the is used as an accompaniment to play harmonic tones. The voice tube consists of three to four, according to a diatonic chord. After Daeng Soetigna's innovation, other reforms continued to develop. Some of them are , and . After Daeng Soetigna, one of his students, Udjo Ngalagena, continued his efforts by establishing in the Bandung area. To this day, the area known as is still a center of creativity with regard to .
is a term for that only uses round tones (without chromatic tones) with a basic tone of C. The small unit of contains 8 angklung (Low to High Do tones), while plus contains 13 angklung (Low to High Sol until High mi).
is a musical ensemble of various musical instruments made of bamboo. was born around the 1960s in West Java, Indonesia, and is now a typical West Javanese musical instrument. In 1964, Yoes Roesadi and his friends formed a musical group that specifically added angklung to its ensemble line. They got the idea to call themselves the Arumba group (Alunan Rumpun Bambu – Strains of Bamboo). With the passage of time, the term arumba finally stuck as an ensemble of bamboo music from West Java. is a term for a set of musical instruments consisting of at least: ) Angklung – One unit of melody angklung, hung so that it can be played by one person ) Lodong (big bamboo) – One lodong bass unit, also lined up so that it can be played by one person ) Gambang I – Melody bamboo xylophone ) Gambang II – Companion bamboo xylophone ) Kendang – Traditional drum
is a new innovation from conventional angklung which was already legendary. The difference between Angklung toel and the angklung that people have known so far lies in its placement. This angklung has a waist-high frame with several angklungs lined up upside down and given a rubber band. How to play it is quite unique, almost similar to playing the piano. People who want to play simply 'touch' (toel) the angklung according to the tone and the angklung will vibrate for a while because of the rubber.