Gamelan gender wayang

Gamelan gender wayang is the smallest and among the oldest of Balinese gamelan ensembles: two to four bronze metallophones with ten keys suspended over bamboo resonators, played with two padded mallets to accompany wayang kulit shadow-puppet theatre and sacred rites including tooth filings, weddings and cremations. Its delicate interlocking melodies and active counterpoint supply the entire sonic world of the shadow play, cueing the puppeteer's narration, the puppets' travel, battles, love scenes and grief. It is performed by hereditary specialists and maintained as a living ritual art across the island.