Ruby Ornstein is an ethnomusicologist who specializes in Balinese gamelan music. She went to graduate school at the University of California. Ornstein’s research focuses on the North Balinese Kebyar musician murdered during the 1965 unsuccessful coup in Indonesia. She was the first woman ethnomusicologist to study in Bali (Sarkissian and Solis 432). Nevertheless, despite her ethnic differences, people accepted her very well and she found her fieldwork experience life-changing. During her field study, she learned two languages, how to behave properly in hierarchical culture, acquire proficiency in Kebyar music, and learn how to record gamelan music (Sarkissian and Solis 432). Ornstein believes that people have been too concerned about what’s going on in the conservatory. She encourages visitors and scholars to visit rural areas to explore the traditions and their culture. Moreover, Ornstein argues that traditional culture is in danger of disappearing. She associated the issue with the recent teaching setting in the conservatory where the traditional one-on-one dance and music lessons are now being replaced by group lessons in the conservatory. She argues that the lecture form of education where a large group is taught simultaneously deteriorates the lesson quality which leads to a unify performing style. Ornstein continues to emphasize the importance of adopting traditional one-on-one teaching methods because it opens up a wider range for improvisation. She believes that “an important role for ethnomusicology is not only to report on what there is but also to rediscover and encourage the reinvigoration of traditional music before it is lost.” (Sarkissian and Solis 433).
The Five-Tone Gamelan Angklung of North Bali
In north Bali, the gamelan angklung is based off a five-tone scale while four-tong angklung orchestras are popular in the south (Ornstein 71). The North Bali orchestra is composed of twenty-three instruments (Ornstein 72). The instrumental parts are divided equally with some sections playing the melody and others accompanying the bass. Bamboo flutes are capable of performing complicated rhythms and melodies and are often used in lyrical music. Drums, gongs, and cymbals are typically acting as a metronome that enlightens the melodies by rapid patterns. Balinese metallophones are made of bamboo pieces that produce beautiful sounds (Grenko, Ornstein72). The Gamelan orchestra is often acting as pit orchestras accompanying festivals, ceremonies, and dance dramas (Grenko, Ornstein72).
Sources:
Sarkissian, Margaret, and Ted Solís. Living Ethnomusicology: Paths and Practices. University of Illinois Press, 2019.
Ornstein, Ruby. 1971 “The Five-Tone Gamelan Angklung of North Bali.” Ethnomusicology 15 (1): 71-80
Grenko, Alexis. “The Music: A Gamelan Orchestra.” Balinesedancedrama, balinesedancedrama.jimdofree.com/the-music/.
