Bali music maestro Rembang happy on the home front<\/p>\n
DENPASAR, Bali (JP): He is now 70, but Nyoman Rembang, a
\nmaestro of Balinese drums and gamelan, is always active --
\nperforming at hotels and public places, and passing on his skills
\nto students, both local and foreign.<\/p>\n
This tall, slim man spends much of his time writing books. At
\npresent he is completing a book on the music that accompanies the
\nGambuh dance, the oldest Balinese classical dance. Music
\nresearchers from many countries and those writing their
\ndissertations on traditional music often crowd his house in
\nBanjar Tengah, Sesetan, Denpasar.<\/p>\n
\"When I realize my age, I feel like having a rest. My spirit,
\nhowever, is difficult to dampen. I have been involved in art
\nsince I was young. I feel uncomfortable if I don't do any art
\nactivities, even if it's only one day,\" said Nyoman Rembang.<\/p>\n
He even fills his spare time involving himself in art
\nactivities. His hands, no longer as strong as they once were,
\ncontinue to strike various percussion instruments that are stored
\nnext to his house. Sometime he cuts up bamboo stems to make a
\nbungbang gamelan, a set of traditional gamelan instruments that
\nhe began producing in 1985.<\/p>\n
Large and small pieces of bamboo produce many different
\nsounds. Equipped with his highly sensitive ear, he has turned
\nthese bamboo pieces into a beautiful accompaniment instrument.<\/p>\n
A complete set of the gamelan is played by 32 people, each
\nplaying one bungbang. This instrument is flexible -- it can be
\nused to accompany any dance or song.<\/p>\n
Bungbang has been a popular instrument among traditional
\nmusicians and academic circles for dozens of years. This
\ninstrument can now be found in various U.S. and European
\nuniversities, and Rembang continues to receive many orders from
\noverseas.<\/p>\n
Rembang received the Adhikarya Seni (Masterpiece in Art)
\naward from the government in 1999, one of many awards that have
\nbeen initiated by the local Balinese provincial government, the
\neducation ministry and president Soeharto when he was in power.
\nUNESCO has also recognized Rembang recently in its program,
\n\"Sacred Rhythm: The Millenia, Percussion for Union\". But he does
\nnot like to talk about his awards; his art is what matters to
\nhim.<\/p>\n
Rembang is concerned that many of his colleagues are not
\nproperly remunerated for their skills.<\/p>\n
\"Most are underpaid, receiving amounts lower than what the
\ngovernment has stipulated. What can they do? If an order is
\nrejected because the pay is bad, then many other people will take
\nthe order. Artists, from villages in particular, need money
\nbadly, especially when the country is still in the grip of an
\neconomic crisis,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Rembang himself sets his own fees for hotels.<\/p>\n
\"An artist must have his or her own bargaining position
\nprepared, otherwise they'll be belittled. Perhaps it is only my
\ngroup that dares to set a fee,\" said Rembang, chairman of the
\ngong association, langestisari, an organization that brings
\ntogether veterans and younger Balinese artists.<\/p>\n
Informal study<\/p>\n
Nyoman Rembang studied art, particularly percussion and
\ngamelan, informally. His formal education went no further than
\nthe elementary school level.<\/p>\n
His father was a farmer and his mother a gambuh dancer. At
\nthe age of seven years, he began to learn how to play gamelan
\ngender, studying under the instruction of two noted musicians in
\nhis local area of Sesetan. His teachers were impressed by his
\nextraordinary talent. After receiving instruction only a few
\ntimes, he could play the gender with confidence and precision.<\/p>\n
The young Rembang also learned how to play gamelan legong. So
\nthat he could study with the master teachers of this instrument,
\nhe was willing to walk to Kuta, Geladang, Kepaon, Tohpati and
\nelsewhere. Throughout his period of learning he was urged on by a
\nstrong desire to provide musical accompaniment to the gambuh
\ndance, a highly complicated performance.<\/p>\n
So, away he went in search of another master. This pattern
\ncontinued, with Rembang wanting to learn other, and still other
\nkinds of traditional music. He gained fame for his versatile
\nskills in practically every kind of Balinese traditional music
\nwhen he was still in his teens.<\/p>\n
He also began to give lessons on how to play Balinese
\ntraditional percussion when he was still very young. In the wake
\nof all this activity, the orders started coming in for
\nperformances.<\/p>\n
In 1952, Nyoman Rembang accepted an offer to be a member of
\nthe permanent teaching staff of Balinese percussion at the
\nIndonesian Traditional Music Conservatory (Kokar), a music center
\nbased in Surakarta. During his appointment in Surakarta, he also
\nlearned the Javanese gamelan, which explains why he is also a
\nformidable Javanese gamelan player.<\/p>\n
In 1963, when Bali set up its own traditional music
\nconservatory, Rembang returned to his home island. At that time
\nmany people were pressuring him to stay with the Surakarta
\nconservatory, \"but I didn't have formal education ... I was just
\nan ordinary lecturer,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Nyoman Rembang has often been invited abroad, either to
\nperform or to give lectures as an honorary lecturer. He usually
\nfeels happy to accept invitations for a performance, which often
\ncome from Singapore and Sri Lanka. In response to invitations to
\nbecome an honorary lecturer, he considers carefully before making
\na decision.<\/p>\n
\"If I agree to sign a teaching contract, I will have to stay
\nabroad for many months. Well, I would miss my family,\" said
\nRembang, now a widower with three children.<\/p>\n
He once signed a three-year contract to teach Balinese gamelan
\nat the University of California at Berkeley in the United States.
\nApproaching the sixth month of his contract, he greatly missed
\nhis wife and decided to return home.<\/p>\n
\"Actually, I was allowed to take my wife, but she refused to
\njoin me because she was afraid of the flight,\" he reminisced.<\/p>\n
Instead of going abroad, Nyoman Rembang chooses to continue
\npracticing his art, spend time with his grandchildren and spend
\ntime in the place he loves most -- home. (Alpha Savitri)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bali-music-maestro-rembang-happy-on-the-home-front-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}