Tjokrowasito: A 100 years of gamelan<\/p>\n
Tarko Sudiarno, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
The sound of a small chime rang out at the residence of Ki
\nTjokrowasito, the Javanese gamelan master, followed by the sound
\nof people rushing to his bedroom.<\/p>\n
\"What can we do for you?\" a woman, assigned to attend the 100-
\nyear-old man, asked. \"Has the rehearsal begun?\" Ki Tjokrowasito,
\nlying in bed and holding a small bell, asked.<\/p>\n
\"Not yet, the rehearsal will start at four this afternoon. It
\nis only two o'clock now,\" the woman said.<\/p>\n
The gamelan master, fondly known as Romo Kanjeng, is confined
\nto bed most of the time now. He depends on others to do most
\nthings for him, such as bathing, eating and getting dressed.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Ki Tjokrowasito has spent more than half a
\ncentury promoting gamelan music around the world. Born on July
\n13, 1904, by the name Wasi Jolodoro, he started his musical
\njourney as a court servant at the Puro Pakualaman Palace in
\nYogyakarta. He earned the noble title of Kanjeng Raden Tumenggung
\nWasitodiningrat in 1976.<\/p>\n
His gamelan musical compositions and gendhing (traditional
\nJavanese songs) incorporate heroic lyrics able to motivate
\naudiences and, in some cases, prompt people to action. Moreover,
\nhis work always referred to the actual social conditions of a
\nparticular period, such as the Japanese occupation from 1942 to
\n1945, the Old Order period up until 1965 and the New Order period
\nthat lasted into the late 1990s.<\/p>\n
In 1959, for example, he composed a gendhing titled a, Ya, Ya
\n(Yes, Yes, Yes) to protest rising consumer prices:<\/p>\n
Ya, Ya, Ya, aja ngembang jambu\/Ya, Ya, Ya, juragane ngguya
\nngguyu\/Ya, Ya, Ya, dagangane laku\/Ya, Ya, Ya, regane tikel
\ntelu\/Ya, Ya, Ya, empun ngotn niku\/Ya, Ya, Ya, kapan onten undang-
\nundang kang tentu\/Ya, Ya, Ya, kemaruking nafsu\/Ya, Ya, Ya, margi
\nniku ngaco nagari saestu. (Yes, Yes, Yes, don't be like the
\nflower of a rose-apple tree\/Yes, Yes, Yes, the merchants are
\nhaving a good time\/Yes, Yes, Yes, their wares have sold well\/Yes,
\nYes, Yes, the prices have been increased threefold\/Yes, Yes, Yes,
\ndon't be so, buddies\/Yes, Yes, Yes, when will a fixed law be
\ndrafted\/Yes, Yes, Yes, how desire is above all else\/Yes, Yes,
\nYes, that will rot the whole country.)<\/p>\n
Ki Tjokrowasito also composed songs containing spiritual
\nmessages. From the Javanese school of mysticism, for example, he
\ncreated Jonggring Salaka Agung Kawruh Bejo in 1936, which was
\nadapted from the teachings of the Javanese mystic Ki Ageng Suryo
\nMataram. In 1968 he wrote several gendhing for the Catholics,
\nincluding Kristus Tri Narpati, Tri Kartika, Wus Miyos
\nand Ing Ratri.<\/p>\n
His astute and critical perceptions landed him in a bit of
\ntrouble at one point. In 1968, he was detained for eight days by
\nthe military for allegedly composing Genjer-genjer, a folk song
\nfrom Banyuwangi, East Java, that was at that time associated with
\nthe Indonesian Communist Party.<\/p>\n
He said the folk song was not his work, as he only composed
\nmusic for the gamelan. He also denied the allegation that he was
\na member of the Communist party, giving the military proof that
\nhe was in fact a member of the Indonesian Nationalist Party.<\/p>\n
Curiously enough, after this incident Ki Tjokrowasito went to
\nthe United States in search of more freedom to explore his
\ncreative potential without being afraid of intervention by the
\nauthorities. He lived and taught in the U.S. between 1969 and
\n1973 and again from 1976 to 1992.<\/p>\n
Through endless creativity and dedication, Ki Tjokrowasito saw
\none of his gendhing, Purnama Sidhi (Full Moon), played in outer
\nspace by Voyager 2, an unmanned U.S. spacecraft launched in 1977,
\nalong with works by the Beatles and Beethoven.<\/p>\n
Fast forward to a sunny afternoon in present-day Yogyakarta.
\nThe clock strikes four, indicating that the gamelan rehearsal is
\nready to begin, and a number of gamelan musicians turn up for the
\nsession at the large open structure in Taman Siswa in Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Ki Tjokrowasito is helped into his clothes. Then, several
\npeople help him into his wooden seat in front of the waiting
\nmusicians.<\/p>\n
As soon as he finds his place among the orchestra, the
\nmusicians strike up a fast and passionate rhythm. Upon hearing
\nthe sound, Ki Tjokrowasito suddenly is infused with energy.<\/p>\n
His hands show their agility again as if he were still very
\nyoung. His fragile fingers dance on the arms of his chair to the
\nrhythm of the gamelan music.<\/p>\n
It is the spirit of the gamelan that makes him come alive over
\nand over again. Every time he hears the sound of the gamelan,
\neither on a CD or in person, his spirit revives and energy floods
\nthrough his frail body.<\/p>\n
He can sleep all day, without eating or drinking, and wake up
\nonly when he remembers that there is a gamelan music rehearsal.
\nThe sound of gamelan music is his rabuk nyowo (spiritual
\nfertilizer), probably one of the reasons he has lived so long.<\/p>\n
His wrinkled hands will make the movements of a kecak dancer
\nor an orchestra conductor as he listens to the music. \"Good,
\ngood, go on,\" he will say every time a particular piece of
\ngamelan music is played.<\/p>\n
For his lifetime devotion to Javanese gamelan music, he has
\nearned the title Javanese gamelan music master from his students,
\nwho live all around the world. In fact, he is waiting for one of
\nhis students to emerge as the next master.<\/p>\n
The afternoon rehearsal featured Ki Tjokrowasito's son-in-law,
\nI Nyoman Wenten, and a number of other Balinese artists who were
\npreparing for the 100th birthday party of Ki Tjokrowasito, which
\nwas held on July 17.<\/p>\n
Besides performances by a number of his former students, his
\nson-in-law, his daughter and his grandchildren, Ki Tjokrowasito
\nwas granted the title of honorary professor from the Indonesian
\nArts Institute Yogyakarta on Friday.<\/p>\n
Also in conjunction with his 100th birthday, the Javanese
\nTraditional Music Society staged a gamelan performance, Gita
\nNirmala. On the same occasion, the society launched a book titled
\nElo! Elo! Lha Endi Buktine: Seabad Kelahiran Empu Kerawitan Ki
\nTjokrowasito (Elo, Elo! Where's the proof: The 100th Birthday of
\nKi Tjokrowasito)<\/p>\n
The title of the book was taken from the verses of one of his
\nsongs, called Jaya Manggala Gita (1952). The lyrics contain
\ncriticism of the Japanese occupation but they remain relevant
\ntoday:<\/p>\n
Elo, Elo! Lha Endi Buktine?\/Jare Hakko Itjiu?\/Unine Kemakmuran
\nBersama\/Kok koyo mangkene dadine\/Soyo suwe soyo\/Aduh Bangsaku!
\n(Elo, Elo! Where is the proof?\/You say Hakko Itjiu?\/You say
\ncommon prosperity\/Why is it like this now?\/The longer the
\nmore...\/Oh, pity my people).<\/p>",
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