Tjokrowasito: A 100 years of gamelan

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).