This album, recorded in Bali, represents the shimmering cremation music heard throughout the island. During funeral ceremonies this music directs the attention and mood of the crowd. If you died in Bali and your ears still worked, this is the music you would hear. Played by an orchestra of eighteen, all in seamless synchronicity, this recording sheds light on the dynamic gamelan style found in Java’s neighboring island.

     Just east of Java sits the rather small island of Bali. Bali has a distinctly different culture. While the rest of Indonesia predominantly follows Islam, the people of Bali practice a localized form of Hinduism. This makes Bali home to a rich and highly ritualized culture with distinct worldview, ethos, and artistic expressions. One of Bali’s most creative expressions is a rapid and dynamic playing of gamelan (a large percussive ensemble of knobbed gongs and bronze keys).

     Gamelan music in Bali is most immediately recognizable by its unmatched speed and loud/soft dynamics, which have become the island’s musical trademark. Gamelan playing can be heard all over the island and is used for a variety of ceremonies, each of which requires a specific style of performance. There are many different styles of gamelan found in Bali and the unique Balinese funeral has its own. It is known as gamelan angklung. This style is performed on a set of highly portable instruments that have only four or five notes each, mostly within the same octave.

     It is important to know that a Balinese cremation ceremony is not a somber occasion. Though it is an event that requires a distinct mood, timely coordination, and a good deal of energy, its overall tone is not sadness. There are things to be done and duties have to be carried out — literally! The entire process is directed, largely, by a shimmering music.

     Beginning at the house of the deceased, the community gathers to pay respects before proceeding to the cremation grounds, where the body will be released. A group of gamelan musicians, ranging in numbers from 15-30, will already be at the house of the deceased, playing soft and slow pieces to promote lightheartedness and interaction amongst the guests.