Bittersweet sounds of passage Balinese gamelan angklung cremation music

An important presence through centuries of musical and social change, gamelan angklung is a small, four-tone bronze-keyed ensemble that remains ubiquitous at cremations in Bali. Ellen Koskoff offers a compelling portrait of these little-studied orchestras and their members: rice farmers, eatery owners, and other locals who do not see themselves as musicians or what they play as music. Koskoff examines gamelan angklung's cremation music and structures in three stages. First, she delves into the pieces across each stylistic category by charting differences in their tempos, pacing, general contours, and other characteristics. From there, Koskoff pivots to the pieces within each stylistic category to determine the specific grammar associated with each style. Finally, she presents the musical and emotional flow of actual cremations to show how the selection of pieces helps participants create and maintain the controlled emotional state needed for the ritual. A journey inside a tradition, Bittersweet Sounds of Passage looks at the overlooked music of an important ritual in Balinese village life.