Professor of Music, Wesleyan University
by Dr. Maho Ishiguro
Sumarsam is from East Java, Indonesia. He is an ethnomusicologist whose research focuses on Central Javanese gamelan, music practice from his nation, Indonesia. He trained as a gamelan musician from young age, and attended ASKI, the national conservatory of Indonesian performing arts in Surakarta in the 1960s. After several cultural missions abroad, he was invited by Wesleyan University to teach gamelan ensemble for several years. He decided to enter the field of ethnomusicology when he was teaching at Wesleyan, receiving his master’s degree at Wesleyan and Ph.D in Southeast Asian Studies at Cornell University. Since the 70s, he has been teaching gamelan at Wesleyan non-stop.
Here is Sumarsam demonstrating some of the instruments in gamelan ensemble at Wesleyan University:
A side from his teaching the practice of gamelan, he is a well-known researcher of music theory of karawitan. His essays on the relationship between balungan and song melodies in gamelan repertoire is an essential read for those interested in gaining deep understanding of how parts are put together in the music of gamelan ensemble. His recent research has shifted from the musical grammar of gamelan to the engagement of Islam and performing arts in Java. He has published several articles and often presented on the issues of intensification of conservative Islam in Java and its effect on the practice of shadow puppetry theatre.
As an ethnomusicologist, he wishes to be the bridge between Java and his students in the US. He believes that ethnomusicology is an important field, and a study of social cultural conditions and people’s lives through music practice. He hopes his ethnomusicological works open up the doors to many into performing arts of Indonesia and Java in particular.
