Swiss musicians join singing stones in East Java<\/p>\n
By Tarko Sudiarno<\/p>\n
PACITAN, EAST JAVA (JP): The shrill sound of a bell suddenly
\nbroke the silence in the darkness of Gong Cave, a natural cave in
\nBomo village, East Java.<\/p>\n
The walls of the cave echoed back the sound, making it
\ndifficult to ascertain its source. Before complete silence
\nprevailed again, the booming sound of a gong reverberated
\nthroughout.<\/p>\n
These sounds, lasting for 15 minutes, were the opening to the
\nunique concert Singing Stone last Sunday morning.<\/p>\n
It was a joint production of Indonesian and Swiss musicians,
\nsupported by Pro Helvetia, a Swiss cultural foundation, the
\nmunicipality of the Swiss city of Basel and the administration of
\nPunung Pacitan subdistrict.<\/p>\n
Performers were Made Beery Benhard Batschelet Tukijo and
\nBenhard Andreas Palem from Switzerland and Indonesian Joseph
\nPraba.<\/p>\n
The Swiss musicians had previously performed in Australia and
\nSouth Africa.<\/p>\n
All three are known as contemporary musicians heavily
\ninfluenced by the avant-gardist spirit in music.<\/p>\n
A flutist, Made Beery earned his doctorate in music from the
\nUniversity of California. Palem is a percussionist teaching
\ncontemporary music in Switzerland. Yogyakarta resident Praba is
\nintensely involved in alternative and contemporary music.<\/p>\n
The Swiss musicians are well acquainted with Indonesia's
\ntraditional music.<\/p>\n
Understandably, only one conventional musical instrument --
\nthe flute -- was used in the 57-minute concert.<\/p>\n
Other sources of sound came from pieces of round bamboo
\nrhythmically beaten with a piece of wood, and stalactite and
\nstalagmite stones also struck with a stick.<\/p>\n
The only electronic equipment was a sound system and mixer to
\nprocess the sound of the wind.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the acoustic effect naturally produced inside
\nthe cave made the combination of the few sounds resemble a
\ncomplete orchestra.<\/p>\n
Beatings on bamboo and stone fragments produced different
\nmelodies which bounced and echoed off the cave walls.<\/p>\n
Solid<\/p>\n
Gong Cave is different from limestone caves generally found in
\nmountainous areas on the south coast of Java.<\/p>\n
Sounds produced in these are absorbed by the limestone.<\/p>\n
But Gong Cave is made of crystallized stone with a more solid
\nstructure.<\/p>\n
Each sound inside the cave is echoed clearly several times.
\n\"That's why we chose this cave,\" said Joseph Praba.<\/p>\n
The first number in the concert was Natural Cathedral Music,
\nwhich was dominated by the flute played by Made Beery.<\/p>\n
The composition was peppered with both the improvised cave
\nstone beating by Bernard Palem and the sound of wind processed in
\nthe mixer by Praba.<\/p>\n
The 12-minute flat and heavy sound of the flute helped create
\nthe solemn atmosphere of a religious rite. Eleven flutes are
\nrequired for the original composition.<\/p>\n
Following right through from the first number, all sound
\nelements were produced dynamically.<\/p>\n
The sound from rhythmically beaten bamboo and stone, and the
\ncreaking sound of a metal bowl scraped with fingers complemented
\nthe high-pitched shrill of the flute.<\/p>\n
Although the sounds were produced through improvisation,
\nharmony was not absent.<\/p>\n
At times, melodies flowed in a high tempo, but at others they
\nmoved slowly like someone counting seconds in the passage of
\ntime.<\/p>\n
As is the case with contemporary music in general, this
\nconcert gave birth to a strong improvised musical composition
\nwithout giving prominence to melodies.<\/p>\n
Each sound element took turns taking the lead in the concert,
\nwhile other sounds responded.<\/p>\n
Unlike a concert performed on the stage, where all players are
\non the same platform, the musicians were at a distance of at
\nleast 15 meters.<\/p>\n
Praba was at the entrance of the cave, about 300 meters away
\nfrom his two colleagues inside..<\/p>\n
He played his composition Song of Distant Winds.<\/p>\n
He processed all sounds produced by the coastal wind and went
\nthrough eight pipes.<\/p>\n
The different sounds carried by the wind -- including waves
\ncrashing on the beach or the moaning of a gale -- seeped from the
\npipe holes.<\/p>\n
They varied in diameter and length. With each producing a
\ndifferent melody, they were placed in perpendicular, horizontal
\nand slanting positions.<\/p>\n
Inside the pipe there was a string which lengthens the
\nvibration of the sound.<\/p>\n
The string's vibration produces resonance inside the pipe.<\/p>\n
This is then conveyed to the mixer equipment through a sound
\nsystem placed at one end of the pipe. Praba's musical instrument
\nreminds one of an old-fashioned organ using tubes.<\/p>\n
The climax of the concert was marked by a rising tempo
\nbordering on a din, while dancers responded with swift movements.<\/p>\n
The concert leant heavily on the contemporary music principle
\nthat all types of music can have their origin in sounds of any
\nkind.<\/p>\n
The musicians explored the possibilities that natural sound
\nelements from items around the cave could offer.<\/p>\n
\"Nature is rich in sources of sound. We humans only have to
\nexplore them,\" Praba said.<\/p>\n
The back-to-nature spirit was prominent. The musicians not
\nonly made use of sound elements originating in nature, but they
\nalso treated nature around the cave very carefully.<\/p>\n
They covered the wood used to strike the cave in rubber to
\nprevent damage to the walls.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the audience made up of local villagers was not
\nthe right market for this concert.<\/p>\n
They were impatient waiting for the concert to begin, and
\nseemed more interested in observing the state of the cave.<\/p>\n
They could not stop to rest as they had to keep moving along a
\none-meter path. Overall, the contemporary music was strange to
\ntheir ears.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/swiss-musicians-join-singing-stones-in-east-java-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}