by Jessica Schoedel

Description:

The angklung is an Indonesian tuned rattle made from bamboo. Three pieces of bamboo and tuned in octaves and placed in a frame for a person to shake. When a person “shake[s the rattle], the tubes slide along grooves cut into the rectangular frame and strike a bamboo or wooden rim”.[i] Each rattle has only one pitch, and multiple rattles are tuned in pitches similar to Western music.

Function:

Angklung is an instrument played in groups. Usually there are four or more people[ii] involved in the group, but could be as many as 20-160 people[iii]. It is often used as accompaniment in types of folk dances, ritual and ceremonial dances. One of the major functions of the angklung is to accompany the rice harvesters back to the village after the rice has been harvested. The angklung is also used in the badut ensembles of West Java. These ensembles play at any festive occasion and are made up of several male dancers and musicians. This usually involves a lot of jovial dancing and lively melodies[iv]. 

History:

The angklung originated with the Badui people[v], a group people who live just outside of Jakarta in West Java[vi]. As previously mentioned, the angklung is now tuned to a Western scale, but at one time were tuned to the slendro and pelog scales. Straying away from the past of ceremonial use, the angklung is now widely used in music education; similar to the way hand bells are used in the US[vii].

[i]  “Angklung”. Sam Cronk. Website. Updated 14 December 1996. Visited 28 October 2004. <http://www.si.umich.edu/chico/instrument/pages/anklg_gnrl.html>.

[ii]  “Indonesia”. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 20 vols. Ed. Stanley Sadie. London: Macmillan, 1980.

[iii]  “Angklung Products Page.” Website. Visited 24 October 2004. <http://www.kolintang.co.id/angklung.htm>.

[iv]  “Indonesia”. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 20 vols. Ed. Stanley Sadie. London: Macmillan, 1980.

[v] “Udjo's School of Angklung”. Website. Updated 15 March 2000. Visited 28 October 2004. <http://hammer.prohosting.com/~udjo/index2.html>.

[vi] “Definition of Badui”. Website. Visited 31 October 2004. <http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Badui>.

[vii] “Indonesia”. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. 2 ed. Ed. Stanley Sadie. London: Macmillan, 2001.

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