Selamat datang!  Or, in English, welcome, to the bright, loud, fascinating world of the gamelan. Gamelan–a thousand-year-old musical ensemble that hails from Indonesia–is taught and played weekly by Wesleyan undergraduates, graduates, and professors; but few know much about it beyond the unfamiliar metallic noises that emit from the World Music Hall.

So what exactly is gamelan? At Wesleyan, it consists of a three-row, 60 piece ensemble that includes metallophones, xylophones, drums, string instruments, and gongs. Oftentimes vocalists are included in the musical pieces as well. Though gamelan music is traditionally accompanied by dance or a shadow puppet show, Wesleyan students practice gamelan that is performed independently.

The word itself derives from the Javanese word “gamels,” which means to strike or to hammer, and describes the style in which the instruments are played. The overall auditory effect of the ensemble, however, is difficult to describe.

“It’s a combination between a calm sound–something kind of tranquil and softer–and the section in the piece that’s really loud and fast,” said advanced player Katherine Scahill ’11.

The music operates in cycles, the ends of which are punctuated by the largest gong. Meanwhile the drums keep the beat. Smaller instruments, such as the strings, elaborate on the structure created by the gongs. Then there are xylophone-like instruments–some of which have keys made out of metal, others of wood–that play more complicated versions of the melody.

“It took me a little while to appreciate gamelan,” said player Miles Bukiet ’11. “I was confused by the music; I didn’t really understand it. It took some time and some listening to really understand the beauty of it.”

Javanese connoisseur Harrison Parker was the first to donate a gamelan drum to Wesleyan University. Next came a drum that Wesleyan purchased from the New York World Fair in 1964. The purchase of this drum coincided with the hiring of Robert Brown, the man who famously coined the term “world music.” Brown was among the first graduates of the country’s first university program in gamelan music, which was implemented at UCLA in the 1950s.

Today Adjunct Professor of Music Sumarsam and Artist in Residence I. Harjito teach gamelan, though Harjito is currently on sabbatical. Sumarsam came to Wesleyan in 1972.

“Back then there were a number of students who knew gamelan,” Sumarsam said. “There was a graduate student majoring in gamelan, and another writing a thesis on gamelan.”

In 1972 the ensemble was about the same size as it is now, with more than 60 instruments. At that time, however, there was only one gamelan class. When interest grew, another professor and a second class were added in 1974.

Today at Wesleyan, the music department offers a beginners’ classes and an advanced class in gamelan.

“It is a performance class, so there’s a focus on playing,” Sumarsam said. “75 to 80 percent is playing, and maybe there’s 20 percent discussions, lectures, or documentary film-showing.”

While the program has thrived, learning the skills involved in playing gamelan music has hardly been easy.

“It’s an interesting set-up because traditionally you learn gamelan by listening,” Sumarsam said. “You will have a professional group of 20 to 30 people and two to three students learning from them; but here, because this is a school with limited resources, we have a different set up. We have all new students who have no idea what gamelan is, and we start from scratch. The process is very slow.”

Though Sumarsam says that the beginners’ class is often reluctant to give an official recital, the advanced group puts on more formal performances. In the past, ensembles have performed at the National History Museum in New York, as well as other universities. On Feb. 26, the advanced ensemble is collaborating with the Wesleyan Ensemble Singers, the Wesleyan University Orchestra, and pianist Lisa Moore to put on a show in celebration of famed gamelan composer, Lou Harrison. Later in the semester, the ensemble will perform the same piece in Washington, DC. An organization in South Port, Conn. has also invited the ensemble to perform and give a workshop for young students.

At Wesleyan, interest in Gamelan has remained high.

“Forty to fifty students came at the beginning of Spring semester,” Samarsam said. “We gave them a simple musical test and then reduced the number to 26–and that’s already too many!”

Sumarsam reports that a number of the beginners have shown interest in continuing on in the advanced group. Students like Scahill have taken gamelan a number of semesters.

“If you really want to challenge yourself and learn a different instrument, you can do that in the classes – but it’s not a highly pressurized environment,” Scahill said. “It’s a learn by just playing model.”

Bukiet agrees that learning the gamelan has been an undeniably positive experience.

“I have the ability to study with a true master who also happens to have an incredible joy for his art. We learn on a very rare set of instruments, playing awesome music,” Bukiet said. “It’s one of those things that makes Wesleyan a wonderful place to be.”