Gamelan sets made in Bantul reach international markets

Thu, January 5, 2017 / 12:16 am

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The circular plates will be made into a bonang, a medium-sized metal percussion set. JP/Aditya Sagita
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A man cuts a metal plate into a pattern for a kenong, a metal percussion set like a bonang, but bigger. JP/Aditya Sagita
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A worker hammers a plate into a kenong percussion set. JP/Aditya Sagita
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The plates are welded to make a kenong. JP/Aditya Sagita
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Workers fill in the cracks and gaps in the welding with some putty. JP/Aditya Sagita
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Three men cut and forge metal plates in the Daliyono Legiono workshop. JP/Aditya Sagita
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Legiono checks the tune of a gong using a master gong, called the “baboon”, as the benchmark. JP/Aditya Sagita
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A man tests the sound of a gong after completing the instrument. JP/Aditya Sagita
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A worker makes the wooden racks for gamelan sets. JP/Aditya Sagita
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Workers paint a wooden rack for a bonang set red. JP/Aditya Sagita
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Bars of saron and gambang lay on a table in the Daliyono Legiono workshop. JP/Aditya Sagita
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A “baboon” saron, or the master saron, is used to set the tones of every new saron made. JP/Aditya Sagita
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Finished gongs on display in the Daliyono Legiono shop. JP/Aditya Sagita
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A buyer checks out the gamelan sets at the workshop. JP/Aditya Sagita
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The workshop also produces and sells mallets used to hit the gamelan. JP/Aditya Sagita

The loud sounds of gamelan welcome visitors to the traditional gamelan workshop called Daliyono Legiono in Baturetno village in Banguntapan district, Bantul regency, Yogyakarta. Each visitor gets a pair of cotton balls to plug ears before entering the house.

The Daliyono Legiono workshop, established in 1954, has exported its gamelan abroad. The founder was Daliyono and now his son, Legiono, continues the legacy.

Making gamelan sets requires rigorous craftsmanship and patience. To make a gong, for example, the workshop needs two to four days. Legiono said his market in the beginning was only Yogyakarta and neighboring areas, but later in the 1980s the family began to sell gamelan in Malaysia and Singapore.

The workshop sells a set made of brass for Rp 220 million [US$16,330] while ones using bronze cost Rp 370 million. The cheapest sets are made of iron and are sold for Rp 50 million. Brass ones will make a lighter sound while bronze ones will produce more rounded sounds. [evi]