Bali Words, Java Tune

Bali Words, Java Tune

A terrace at the temple of Borobudur, Bali; photo from 1913.

“Feeling For Life” is the title I gave my most recent radio special–a two-hour exploration of Indonesian music and musicology. My special guest, Cornell Emeritus Professor of Music and Asian Studies Marty Hatch, founded the Cornell Gamelan Ensemble in 1972. He gave a vivid picture of the role of Javanese music, as understood by Western scholars (including Marty himself, and several of his teachers), in developing the field of ethnomusicology. We listened together to recordings of gamelan ensembles, gender wayang (music to accompany shadowplay) groups, Western pop-influenced krontjong tunes, and other stuff–a veritable crash course in the music of that part of the world. Listen right here!

“Feeling For Life: Indonesian Music Special with Marty Hatch,” January 26, 2024, first hour

“Feeling For Life: Indonesian Music Special with Marty Hatch,” January 26, 2024, second hour