Swiss musicians join singing stones in East Java
Swiss musicians join singing stones in East Java
By Tarko Sudiarno
PACITAN, EAST JAVA (JP): The shrill sound of a bell suddenly
broke the silence in the darkness of Gong Cave, a natural cave in
Bomo village, East Java.
The walls of the cave echoed back the sound, making it
difficult to ascertain its source. Before complete silence
prevailed again, the booming sound of a gong reverberated
throughout.
These sounds, lasting for 15 minutes, were the opening to the
unique concert Singing Stone last Sunday morning.
It was a joint production of Indonesian and Swiss musicians,
supported by Pro Helvetia, a Swiss cultural foundation, the
municipality of the Swiss city of Basel and the administration of
Punung Pacitan subdistrict.
Performers were Made Beery Benhard Batschelet Tukijo and
Benhard Andreas Palem from Switzerland and Indonesian Joseph
Praba.
The Swiss musicians had previously performed in Australia and
South Africa.
All three are known as contemporary musicians heavily
influenced by the avant-gardist spirit in music.
A flutist, Made Beery earned his doctorate in music from the
University of California. Palem is a percussionist teaching
contemporary music in Switzerland. Yogyakarta resident Praba is
intensely involved in alternative and contemporary music.
The Swiss musicians are well acquainted with Indonesia's
traditional music.
Understandably, only one conventional musical instrument --
the flute -- was used in the 57-minute concert.
Other sources of sound came from pieces of round bamboo
rhythmically beaten with a piece of wood, and stalactite and
stalagmite stones also struck with a stick.
The only electronic equipment was a sound system and mixer to
process the sound of the wind.
Nevertheless, the acoustic effect naturally produced inside
the cave made the combination of the few sounds resemble a
complete orchestra.
Beatings on bamboo and stone fragments produced different
melodies which bounced and echoed off the cave walls.
Solid
Gong Cave is different from limestone caves generally found in
mountainous areas on the south coast of Java.
Sounds produced in these are absorbed by the limestone.
But Gong Cave is made of crystallized stone with a more solid
structure.
Each sound inside the cave is echoed clearly several times.
"That's why we chose this cave," said Joseph Praba.
The first number in the concert was Natural Cathedral Music,
which was dominated by the flute played by Made Beery.
The composition was peppered with both the improvised cave
stone beating by Bernard Palem and the sound of wind processed in
the mixer by Praba.
The 12-minute flat and heavy sound of the flute helped create
the solemn atmosphere of a religious rite. Eleven flutes are
required for the original composition.
Following right through from the first number, all sound
elements were produced dynamically.
The sound from rhythmically beaten bamboo and stone, and the
creaking sound of a metal bowl scraped with fingers complemented
the high-pitched shrill of the flute.
Although the sounds were produced through improvisation,
harmony was not absent.
At times, melodies flowed in a high tempo, but at others they
moved slowly like someone counting seconds in the passage of
time.
As is the case with contemporary music in general, this
concert gave birth to a strong improvised musical composition
without giving prominence to melodies.
Each sound element took turns taking the lead in the concert,
while other sounds responded.
Unlike a concert performed on the stage, where all players are
on the same platform, the musicians were at a distance of at
least 15 meters.
Praba was at the entrance of the cave, about 300 meters away
from his two colleagues inside..
He played his composition Song of Distant Winds.
He processed all sounds produced by the coastal wind and went
through eight pipes.
The different sounds carried by the wind -- including waves
crashing on the beach or the moaning of a gale -- seeped from the
pipe holes.
They varied in diameter and length. With each producing a
different melody, they were placed in perpendicular, horizontal
and slanting positions.
Inside the pipe there was a string which lengthens the
vibration of the sound.
The string's vibration produces resonance inside the pipe.
This is then conveyed to the mixer equipment through a sound
system placed at one end of the pipe. Praba's musical instrument
reminds one of an old-fashioned organ using tubes.
The climax of the concert was marked by a rising tempo
bordering on a din, while dancers responded with swift movements.
The concert leant heavily on the contemporary music principle
that all types of music can have their origin in sounds of any
kind.
The musicians explored the possibilities that natural sound
elements from items around the cave could offer.
"Nature is rich in sources of sound. We humans only have to
explore them," Praba said.
The back-to-nature spirit was prominent. The musicians not
only made use of sound elements originating in nature, but they
also treated nature around the cave very carefully.
They covered the wood used to strike the cave in rubber to
prevent damage to the walls.
Unfortunately, the audience made up of local villagers was not
the right market for this concert.
They were impatient waiting for the concert to begin, and
seemed more interested in observing the state of the cave.
They could not stop to rest as they had to keep moving along a
one-meter path. Overall, the contemporary music was strange to
their ears.