Angklung
The Angklung is a popular in Southeast Asia, consisting of bamboo Idiophone.
Origin
It is assumed that the history of Angklung dating back to the Neolithic Age (Neolithic ). Originally it was like Indonesian researchers suspect probably a simple, open at one end bamboo tube, which was beaten with a stick and was used to startle wildlife while hunting. Over the centuries it continued to evolve, especially in the area of Garut, Tasikmalaya, Ciamis, Sukabumi and Bandung, all in West Java, which constitutes the field of Sundavölker. The oldest direct evidence for the Angklung game can be found from the 4th century AD handed writing is to use the Angklung date back to the 13th century by the Sundavolk the Badui, which thus coincided their soldiers before battle, or in royal ceremonies. It was also used in Banten, Sukabumi, Cirebon and other areas of West Java in religious and ritualistic ceremonies. Angklung was primarily in honor of the Hindu goddess Dewi Sri, which is rice, fertility, nature and harvest ' responsible ' played. The angklung was played even in more mundane occasions for entertainment, for example, to the accompaniment of traditional dances. During the Dutch colonial period in Indonesia in the 18th century, the colonial power allowed the playing of Angklungs only the beggars and children, because they feared the Angklungspiel would unite the people and strengthen their resistance against the occupation, as you to play more complex songs a larger group of players needs. As a result, the Angklung came during the colonial period temporarily forgotten, or rather got the flavor to be just for beggars and children. This prohibition has been relaxed only at the beginning of the 20th century, which slowly increased the interest in this tradition. 1937/38, found the Angklung by the musician Daeng Soetigna its present form, which was in 1945 again refined by Udjo Ngalagena. In the context of the independence movement of Indonesia after 1945 some revolutionary songs emerged as the very well-known in Indonesia " Halo Halo Bandung " which are typically played with the Angklung. Today Angklung is common on all islands in Indonesia, the Badui play it yet, for example, during the sowing of rice seedlings in the fields and in the rice harvest the rice goddess to honor. For the inside Badui the Angklung is even next to other bamboo instruments, one of the most important musical instruments as they are allowed to play any music instruments made of metal, according to tradition, and waive any modern influences in their living environment since many generations. But on the up today Hinduism has survived Bali long time it was used as part of the instruments of a gamelan orchestra, today it is found but rarely on the island of the gods, since you now gamelan instruments preferably made of metal there. A legendary Angklung concert was the appearance of Kartini School in Bandung at the Asia - Africa Conference in Bandung in 1955 under the leadership of Daeng Soetigna and his student Udjo Ngalagena. Regularly great Angklung Festival will be held in Indonesia, where, for example, on 22 August 2007 a total of 10,000 Angklung player occurred in Bandung in different groups.
The word Angklung has its origins in the Hindu- Balinese language, after which it Angka from the individual words, which means " sound ", and treatment, what with broken up, incomplete, or can be translated to be away, there. The Angklung is thus translated literally a broken tone.
In the German literature one sometimes finds the term grid rattle for the Angklung, which describes the structure of the instrument frame and its a rattle similar style of play.
Structure and tone
The Angklung in its present form is as a melody instrument from two to four laterally movable ensembles made of bamboo, which are suspended in a wooden frame. At the lower end of the sound bodies are guided in slots of a bamboo tube.
The most widespread are instruments with two orchestras, as they are lighter. Angklungs with three ensembles give a slightly fuller sound, which can be an advantage in smaller groups Angklung in particular, but are a bit heavier. These Angklungs two almost equal size and a smaller ensembles are suspended in the frame. The fuller sound produced by a beat because of the closely spaced resonant frequencies of the major performing. Angklungs of three ensembles can also be used for chords, in addition there are also special chord Angklungs with four orchestras. It is the sound of a chord by the appropriate choice of several simple Angklungs replicate.
The sounding body are individual sections of a bamboo tube, which are closed at the bottom and at the top of cut in half, so that the time required for the tone generation standing wave can be formed. From the size of the orchestra and the width and length of the bisected area results, similar to an organ pipe, the pitch. So how do these every Angklung is to produce a sound exactly the same position. To tone the angklung is shaken sideways, so that the pins of the ensemble cast on in the slots and thus the sound is produced. The Angklung can be classified as shaking Idiophone due to this self -sounding tone.
The Angklung powerful sound whose timbre is between wooden and metallic with appropriate play. Especially the deep tones can be so loud that even be dispensed with for outdoor concerts or in larger halls to an electrical amplification, provided accompanying instruments are used without electrical amplification.
Notation
Modern Angklungs are the so-called " Angklung Padaeng " as it was developed by Daeng Soetigna to 1937/38, continued and was named after him (Pa = " father ", a form of appreciation for a highly respected person in Java), and the " Angklung Udjo " as it was developed by Daeng Soetignas students Udjo Ngalagena on. The main difference from the traditional Angklung is the use of international scale with 7 root notes ( diatonic tonal system of the Baroque by JS Bach, GF Handel, and many others: Do (246 Hz) Re ( 277 Hz) Mi ( 311 Hz) Fa ( 329 Hz ) Sol ( 369 Hz) La ( 415 Hz) Si ( 466 Hz) Do ( 493 Hz) ). A large set consists of 42 instruments, which are numbered from G to 30. The instruments with the numbers G to f assigns you as a bass and 0-30 as a melody instrument. In addition, there are other higher and lower tones, but these are rarely needed. On this basis, one can play with the Angklung alongside traditional Javanese pieces and international songs. This spread of the modern Angklung Sundanese his hometown Bandung throughout Java and as far as Malaysia, Thailand and more recently to Europe and other parts of the world.
How to be found in Asia often is music not with the note symbols ( "Common Western Notification " CWN ), but a simple numbering system listed, which is based on the numeric notation of Émile Chevé, and was introduced by Dutch missionaries in the colony of the Dutch East Indies. Here, in the key of Do = C corresponds to the instrument No. 6 ' c1' of '1 'and the number 11 ' f1 ' of '7', '0 ' symbolizes a break and the dot'. ' Next, the blades of a sound. The octave is expressed with points above (high octave ) or below ( low) the number, a one with two dots over it is therefore a C ". Strikethrough figures symbolize half notes. Located about two notes a bar, these are only short intervals struck an apostrophe behind a note symbolizes a fermata. Besides the key Thu frequently used = C are pieces in the keys of Do = G, Do = G #, Do = a, Do = a #, Do = B, Do = C #, Thu = D, Do = D #, Do = D, Do = F and Do = F # is written, whereby the player constantly the notes of the need to translate a key to another key during the game, as do each of the note represents "1", and the instruments are often labeled with the notes in Do = C. example, if a passage with Do = F is played, the player must every time when the note '1 ' stands on the score sheet, the instrument '4' ( Angklung number 12 instead of 6 ) play ..
By adapting to the international scale with 7 tones the Angklung can also be combined with any other instruments, popular, for example, the guidance by a guitar playing the chords, or even a set of drums would be conceivable, and is also practiced. At the most authentic, it sounds to when playing purely in Sundanese tradition on bamboo instruments: Angklung with chords and basses, four or more votes, the bamboo xylophone called Kolintang or Arumba, Gambang - basses, the portable xylophone Calung, the Suling flute, drum Kendang and the Indonesian variant of the zither, called Kecapi or Kacapi.
Play
A Angklung produces only one tone. To play a melody, you need depending on the number of tones of the piece a corresponding number of Angklungs. A musician can play alone in the traditional way no melody, because he can not keep so many instruments. A Angklung orchestra usually consists of 30-40 players. Large Angklung Orchestra in Indonesia can also consist of more than 100 people.
In contrast, the Swiss duo Angklung consists of only two people. The trick of these musicians is that they have tied the Angklungs in a wooden frame and hit them from above. You can Angklung play alone when in the wake of the scale hangs the instruments in a rack and these shakes with both hands. Chord and bass Angklungs are often played with this style of play.
In the traditional game, each player plays according to ability up to seven tones. In the great Javanese orchestras the requirement is at least five instruments. The instruments are to hung on the top rail on the hand or forearm held horizontally and as soon as the corresponding sound is playing, shaken with the other hand on the lower cross bars at the sides quickly.
Another way of playing is at the bottom bar only to tap the Angklung short so that no continuous bulk Elton, but only a short " tick " occurs. This way of playing is especially used for rhythm-driven melodies or staccato, but is more difficult to play. Even chord Angklungs be played something like that. Here, these are arranged horizontally in a frame and the musician taps the instrument one or two rhythmic and alternating times to the side. Bass are on the other hand away continuously, mostly shaken pairwise multiple bars.
The different tones of a piece come during a Angklung concert from different directions of the stage. With the appropriate arrangement of players on a larger group of special effects can thus be achieved. As a listener you can for example listen to the melody wander through space, similar to a canon.
Angklung in schools and world
In Indonesia, especially in West Java, where the origin of Angklung is, takes place with the Angklung music lessons in all primary schools. Playing Angklung 1968 received from the Ministry of Education of Indonesia as an integral part of the education of students in the curriculum, as it is designed to promote team spirit and harmony.
In the city of Yogyakarta liturgical music is taught on the Angklung at the Catholic catechism school Pusat liturgical, and so widespread in all parts of the country. In addition, Pusat liturgical collects folk songs from across the country and prepares them for playing with the diatonic angklung in touch tacking on.
The Indonesian example was followed by the city of Hiroshima in Japan, which is now the " (Japanese ) City of Angklungs " called by implementing integrated playing the Angklung in music education in schools.
In Singapore, where the instrument is known since 1960, the Ministry of Education organizes every year an Angklung Festival for primary and secondary schools.
In Malaysia Angklung is strongly encouraged and is now also used to promote tourism. A university research there on a Angklung synthesizer. To the displeasure of Sundanese communities Malaysia tried to register a patent for the design of Angklungs, although a large proportion of the instruments was imported from Java.
In Thailand, the Angklung since approximately the year 1900, when King Rama V the Dutch- Indian colony, now Indonesia, visited and brought from there to his home, known.
Some schools occur in the context of distance in taking place several years touring in Europe. So the school SMAN3 from Bandung came in 2002 to Kiel and glues at Heidelberg. Saung Angklung Udjo occurred in 2008 at the Museum Embankment Festival Frankfurt and Bonn and played with Angklung group also on the Indonesian cultural event Pasar Malam in The Hague.
In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, some Angklung - groups have been formed, playing on local events.
2010, the angklung was added to the list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.