| GAMELAN ou GAMELANG [gamlã] n. m. - 1872, gamelang ; du javanais gamel «instrument». Orchestre indonésien comprenant gongs, xylophones, tambours, etc., et plus rarement des rebabs. - Par ext. «(…) mon approche de ce continent Messiaen est surtout sensibilisée par les fauves couleurs de ses horizons… Oh ! l'éclatant gamelan de ses claviers (marimbas, xylorimba, xylophone, vibraphone, glockenspiel, cencerros, etc.)» (Paul Metano, in Opéra de Paris, n° 12, 1er nov. 1983, p. 5). |
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Translation :
Indonesian orchestra comprising gongs, xylophones, drums, etc., and more rarely rebabs. - By ext. «(…) my approach to this Messiaen continent lies above all in the awareness of the fawn colors of its horizons… Oh ! the ringing, glittering gamelan of its keyboards (marimbas, xylorimba, xylophone, vibraphone, glockenspiel, cencerros, etc.)» |
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Our observations We could have replaced the word xylophones, which most probably refers to the gambang-s of the Javanese gamelans, with métallophones. Metallophones are indeed more important than xylophones in the tradition of gamelans. This definition is no doubt aimed to readers knowing better the wood-keyed instrument.
But it gives off a correct general idea of what a gamelan looks like : ensemble comprising gongs and xylophone-like instruments, predominance of percussions and the possibility of additional instruments like the rebab. |
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