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.