SAPTO RAHARDJO (JP/Slamet Susanto)

The spirit of gamelan music can be summed up in one word: unity.

That's because gamelan is produced by a multitude of players working in unison. Originally from Java, gamelan's unique and touching sound have made it famous throughout the world -- and its popularity keeps on growing.

According to Indonesian gamelan maestro Sapto Rahardjo, that popularity is due to the spirit of harmony associated with the musical genre.

And that, Sapto says, takes mutual understanding among many musicians synchronizing their efforts to produce the music's hypnotic rhythms.

"The openness and delight of gamelan music make people fall in love with it," Sapto says of the orchestral form, which requires a minimum of 42 players.

Sapto has been a leading proponent in the development of gamelan.

When the first World Gamelan Festival was held in Canada in 1986, the international reception was quite enthusiastic, with musicians from various countries participating. By 1995, the community of gamelan enthusiasts counted on members from 14 countries, more than doubling to 33 in 2005. Today, it includes some 35 countries.

Beginning in 1993, and again the following year, Sapto and musicians from Yogyakarta organized a special gamelan festival, to preserve and develop the traditions and culture surrounding the musical form.

"This was just our first step towards creating something more lasting," he says of the group's efforts.

It wasn't until 1995 that he and his colleagues were able to put together the first annual Yogyakarta Gamelan Festival (YGF), with the goal of holding yearly festivals through 2014.

Until now, the YGF continues to exist without a major sponsor, financed instead by the community of musical enthusiasts.

"After 2014, we might start to see results. The YGF will have to adapt and adjust throughout these development periods. I believe the YGF will one day be equal to other world festivals, and will live on," he adds.

To introduce gamelan to younger generations, the YGF holds community gamelan events for students, preserving traditional sounds while adapting the music to suit the tastes of today's youth. In addition, Sapto hopes to establish a gamelan school by 2011, which will present the musical form in a more systematic manner.

As he sees it, gamelan can also be used as an instrument in Indonesian diplomacy, to promote the country as an equal partner on the world stage.

"Through our culture, we can stand up and be counted as equal alongside other nations."

Sapto's artistic talent and creativity were first noticed when he was still young. As a boy, he used to listen to the gendhing (gamelan) performances broadcast by Radio Republic Indonesia.

He continued to play gamelan after attending the Ungaran School in Yogyakarta, going on to study karawitan (the singing that accompanies gamelan music) at the Arena Budaya (cultural center) in Yogyakarta.

After completing high school, Sapto studied at the Indonesian Film and Drama Academy. A lifelong student, he continued to learn by reading, interacting with other gamelan players and studying at the foot of the late Ki Cokro Warsito, the father of Indonesian gamelan.

In 1973, Sapto created a gamelan arrangement using a gambang suling (a traditional instrument similar to a xylophone) on a ping-pong table. As there was no recording studio, the arrangement had to be recorded with a tape recorder.

"My friends and I used to play the drums, the angklung (a musical instrument consisting of bamboo tubes shaken to produce a sound), the guitar and the violin, all while sitting on a ping-pong table," he recalls.

"Suddenly, I had this idea, and from that was born the gambang suling arrangement."

In 1975, he produced another arrangement called the "Jatilan Negro", followed, in 1978, by "Yogya Harmony 78", which orchestrates several instruments, including an electronic synthesizer, acoustic guitars, drums, violins, flutes and vocals.

In addition to writing essays and books, Sapto has since created countless gamelan arrangements. Some of his best known works are the "Borobudur Suite", "Java", "Merapi" and "Katak-katak Bertanggo".

He says his goal is to introduce gamelan throughout the world, which he strives to do by updating its sound through the use of modern technology, including computers and synthesizers.

Since 2006, Sapto has also taught gamelan in the United States for three months out of every year.

"This is another way of making gamelan better known in the world," he says.

Popular

Is Indonesia really ready to embrace dual citizenship?

Palm oil plantation-less mills lead to increase deforestation

Prabowo inaugurates construction of Majapahit palace replica