Tjokrowasito: A 100 years of gamelan

Tarko Sudiarno, Yogyakarta

The sound of a small chime rang out at the residence of Ki Tjokrowasito, the Javanese gamelan master, followed by the sound of people rushing to his bedroom.

"What can we do for you?" a woman, assigned to attend the 100- year-old man, asked. "Has the rehearsal begun?" Ki Tjokrowasito, lying in bed and holding a small bell, asked.

"Not yet, the rehearsal will start at four this afternoon. It is only two o'clock now," the woman said.

The gamelan master, fondly known as Romo Kanjeng, is confined to bed most of the time now. He depends on others to do most things for him, such as bathing, eating and getting dressed.

Nevertheless, Ki Tjokrowasito has spent more than half a century promoting gamelan music around the world. Born on July 13, 1904, by the name Wasi Jolodoro, he started his musical journey as a court servant at the Puro Pakualaman Palace in Yogyakarta. He earned the noble title of Kanjeng Raden Tumenggung Wasitodiningrat in 1976.

His gamelan musical compositions and gendhing (traditional Javanese songs) incorporate heroic lyrics able to motivate audiences and, in some cases, prompt people to action. Moreover, his work always referred to the actual social conditions of a particular period, such as the Japanese occupation from 1942 to 1945, the Old Order period up until 1965 and the New Order period that lasted into the late 1990s.

In 1959, for example, he composed a gendhing titled a, Ya, Ya (Yes, Yes, Yes) to protest rising consumer prices:

Ya, Ya, Ya, aja ngembang jambu/Ya, Ya, Ya, juragane ngguya ngguyu/Ya, Ya, Ya, dagangane laku/Ya, Ya, Ya, regane tikel telu/Ya, Ya, Ya, empun ngotn niku/Ya, Ya, Ya, kapan onten undang- undang kang tentu/Ya, Ya, Ya, kemaruking nafsu/Ya, Ya, Ya, margi niku ngaco nagari saestu. (Yes, Yes, Yes, don't be like the flower of a rose-apple tree/Yes, Yes, Yes, the merchants are having a good time/Yes, Yes, Yes, their wares have sold well/Yes, Yes, Yes, the prices have been increased threefold/Yes, Yes, Yes, don't be so, buddies/Yes, Yes, Yes, when will a fixed law be drafted/Yes, Yes, Yes, how desire is above all else/Yes, Yes, Yes, that will rot the whole country.)

Ki Tjokrowasito also composed songs containing spiritual messages. From the Javanese school of mysticism, for example, he created Jonggring Salaka Agung Kawruh Bejo in 1936, which was adapted from the teachings of the Javanese mystic Ki Ageng Suryo Mataram. In 1968 he wrote several gendhing for the Catholics, including Kristus Tri Narpati, Tri Kartika, Wus Miyos and Ing Ratri.

His astute and critical perceptions landed him in a bit of trouble at one point. In 1968, he was detained for eight days by the military for allegedly composing Genjer-genjer, a folk song from Banyuwangi, East Java, that was at that time associated with the Indonesian Communist Party.

He said the folk song was not his work, as he only composed music for the gamelan. He also denied the allegation that he was a member of the Communist party, giving the military proof that he was in fact a member of the Indonesian Nationalist Party.

Curiously enough, after this incident Ki Tjokrowasito went to the United States in search of more freedom to explore his creative potential without being afraid of intervention by the authorities. He lived and taught in the U.S. between 1969 and 1973 and again from 1976 to 1992.

Through endless creativity and dedication, Ki Tjokrowasito saw one of his gendhing, Purnama Sidhi (Full Moon), played in outer space by Voyager 2, an unmanned U.S. spacecraft launched in 1977, along with works by the Beatles and Beethoven.

Fast forward to a sunny afternoon in present-day Yogyakarta. The clock strikes four, indicating that the gamelan rehearsal is ready to begin, and a number of gamelan musicians turn up for the session at the large open structure in Taman Siswa in Yogyakarta.

Ki Tjokrowasito is helped into his clothes. Then, several people help him into his wooden seat in front of the waiting musicians.

As soon as he finds his place among the orchestra, the musicians strike up a fast and passionate rhythm. Upon hearing the sound, Ki Tjokrowasito suddenly is infused with energy.

His hands show their agility again as if he were still very young. His fragile fingers dance on the arms of his chair to the rhythm of the gamelan music.

It is the spirit of the gamelan that makes him come alive over and over again. Every time he hears the sound of the gamelan, either on a CD or in person, his spirit revives and energy floods through his frail body.

He can sleep all day, without eating or drinking, and wake up only when he remembers that there is a gamelan music rehearsal. The sound of gamelan music is his rabuk nyowo (spiritual fertilizer), probably one of the reasons he has lived so long.

His wrinkled hands will make the movements of a kecak dancer or an orchestra conductor as he listens to the music. "Good, good, go on," he will say every time a particular piece of gamelan music is played.

For his lifetime devotion to Javanese gamelan music, he has earned the title Javanese gamelan music master from his students, who live all around the world. In fact, he is waiting for one of his students to emerge as the next master.

The afternoon rehearsal featured Ki Tjokrowasito's son-in-law, I Nyoman Wenten, and a number of other Balinese artists who were preparing for the 100th birthday party of Ki Tjokrowasito, which was held on July 17.

Besides performances by a number of his former students, his son-in-law, his daughter and his grandchildren, Ki Tjokrowasito was granted the title of honorary professor from the Indonesian Arts Institute Yogyakarta on Friday.

Also in conjunction with his 100th birthday, the Javanese Traditional Music Society staged a gamelan performance, Gita Nirmala. On the same occasion, the society launched a book titled Elo! Elo! Lha Endi Buktine: Seabad Kelahiran Empu Kerawitan Ki Tjokrowasito (Elo, Elo! Where's the proof: The 100th Birthday of Ki Tjokrowasito)

The title of the book was taken from the verses of one of his songs, called Jaya Manggala Gita (1952). The lyrics contain criticism of the Japanese occupation but they remain relevant today:

Elo, Elo! Lha Endi Buktine?/Jare Hakko Itjiu?/Unine Kemakmuran Bersama/Kok koyo mangkene dadine/Soyo suwe soyo/Aduh Bangsaku! (Elo, Elo! Where is the proof?/You say Hakko Itjiu?/You say common prosperity/Why is it like this now?/The longer the more.../Oh, pity my people).