Third Week

This assignment was extremely interesting because it made me realize that even though the sound of the music doesn't necessarily change in different contexts, the performance and how other people regard the music does. Both of these gamelan groups were Balinese and therefore had the same instruments and general harmonies, yet I can not help but feel overwhelmed by the differences between the two performances. The setting was the most obvious difference between the two. The "Ratna Ayu" piece was performed on a formal stage with the sole purpose of entertaining an audience, while the "Gamelan Bali Nyepi" piece was performed on the beach for the performers' own enjoyment. This affected everything about the performances, from the actual rhythm of the pieces to the clothes the performers wore. While the "Ratna Ayu" piece is clearly strictly structured since it is routinely performed for an audience, the "Gamelan Bali Nyepi" seemed to be more free since the people were not performing for anybody but themselves. The individuals that performed the latter piece were wearing a simple white outfit as they sat on the ground joyously playing their instruments, while the performance of the "Ratna Ayu" piece was anything but simple as all the performers wore elaborate costumes and even employed eloquent dancers that ultimately demanded all of the attention. The music seemed secondary to the dancing in this performance, while the "Gamelan Bali Nyepi" piece was performed with no dancing at all. Even the instruments used in the two performances were notably different from each other, rendering those used to create the "Ratna Ayu" piece more elegant and appealing. Even though I enjoyed both performances, it is not surprising that I found the "Ratna Ayu" piece to be more interesting since it was essentially performed to attract and engage an audience.