Professor Peter Steele leads a class on Balinese Gamelan music. Photo by Zoe Zhong ’17
If you’ve walked into James C. Colgate Hall on a Monday afternoon, you might have heard unfamiliar yet intriguing musical sounds flowing out of classroom 209. That’s Colgate’s brand-new Balinese Gamelan Ensemble rehearsing; their concert is tonight.
Traditional music of Java and Bali in Indonesia, Gamelan predominantly features percussive instruments — most commonly different types of metallophones and hand-played drums that register the beat.
“The first thing I thought of when I came to Colgate was to start a Gamelan course,” said visiting professor Peter Steele, who has studied the music, instruments, and Balinese culture for 14 years. “It contributes a lot to the community and offers a nice complement to the standard Western music.”
Most of the 13 student musicians who joined the ensemble didn’t have any experience with Gamelan music when they started rehearsing in February. Steele let the students try all the instruments and choose their own. “I wanted them to feel different instruments and see the ensemble from different perspectives,” he explained.
There isn’t notation or sheet music, so students learn the music by ear. They record rehearsals to help remember the music and practice it as their homework assignments.
“The hardest part is the damping,” said Jeremy Bayer ’15. Damping is a technique to playing some Gamelan instruments in which the musician dampens the previous played note while playing the next.
“You have to be very quick,” added Jade Hoang ’17, “and it’s easy to make mistakes.”
Steele admitted being somewhat surprised by the students’ enthusiasm. “I didn’t know what they would think of it because it’s unlike anything they’ve heard before,” he said. “But they have put a lot of hard work into it, and they all seem focused and interested.”
The professor invited guest artist I Dewa Ketut Alit to compose a piece for the ensemble. “Alit writes very forward-thinking, experimental music,” said Steele. “It’s challenging to both the audience and the musicians.”
Take the challenge tonight, starting at 7:00 p.m. in Brehmer Theater.