Indonesia: Music from West Java

The Sundanese are indigenous people in the western part of Java. Until the 15th century, the Sunda region of Java was home to a powerful kingdom which remained independent of numerous Javanese empires. As a result, the musical forms of Sunda were profoundly different from those of other areas of the island. Eventually Sundanese music would incorporate Javanese cultural and musical influence, but without losing its own creative spirit.The music in this recording, originally released in 1976, reflects the cultivation of the Sunda musical idiom with selections performed by traditional gamelan ensembles composed of metallophones, xylophones, drums, bamboo flutes, and bowed and plucked stringed instruments. The liner notes trace the evolution of Sundanese music and provide background on the tracks.

Track Listing

101	Kacapi Suling: Semarang and Banjaran	Uking Sukri, Ono Sukarna, Iim Ibrahim	09:03
102	Bandjar Malati, Iaras madenda	Eros Rosita, The gamelan sunda salendro of the Bandung Studios of Radio Republik Indonesia	09:12
103	Tari Topeng	The gamelan sunda of the Bakti Buddha Ensemble	07:58
104	Gonjang Sapuratina, Iaras salendro	The gamelan sunda salendro of the Bandung Studios of Radio Republik Indonesia	12:52
105	Ujung Laut (the shore) and Sangkur Ratu (the king's sword)	The gamelan degung of the Bandung Studios of Radio Republik Indonesia	09:52
106	Wayang Golek: Scene from the Ramayana	The dalang Tjatja Taryana and the Sundanese gamelan of the "Bakti Budaya" Ensemble	04:24