Title: Gamelan Gender Wayang
(If link does not work, watch it on youtube and skip to 5:44, the clip I am referring to ends at approximately 15'')
Performers: Evan Ziporyn and Christine Southworth
Culture: Balinese/American
Instrumentation: two gender paired (tuned) Jegog or possibly Jublag/Calung (pronounced "Chalung"
Context:
This is a very common genre of music in Bali. The name "Gender Wayang" comes from the paired tunings of the instruments used in this recording. Often, when two of one instrument are present, they are tuned in gendered pairs, the male instrument being slightly higher, the female being slightly lower. The pitch classes are the same, but there is difference of several cents between the similar bars, creating a whirring sound which "brings the sound of the gamelan to life", and to some imitates a sort of breathing.
What I find most intriguing about this recording is the performer Evan Ziporyn. Evan, a new virtuoso of the Clarinet was previously a member of the Bang On a Can All-Stars, and has released recordings of solo music and new works for clarinet such as "This is not a Clarinet"consisting of 21st century music for the instrument. He is also a Kenan Sahin distinguished professor of music at MIT. With this list of achievements, one would expect only a devout clarinet player and classical musician. Instead, he is an incredibly diverse musician; he composes music for gamelan ensemble, is heavily involved with his own gamelan ensemble at MIT, and the Gamelan Galak Tika from Boston. Unless I truly need to say more, I believe that this man is a truly stellar example of a 21st century musician.
