Javanese Music

Javanese music is the musical heritage of Java, Indonesia, centered on the gamelan: bronze percussion orchestras of metallophones, gongs, and drums whose interlocking parts accompany court ceremony, dance, and the wayang shadow-puppet theatre. The refined court styles of Yogyakarta and Surakarta, with their colotomic gong cycles and soft singing, anchor the tradition, alongside popular strands such as kroncong, campursari, and the songs of singer-poets like *Gesang* and *Waldjinah*. Landmark recordings by *Robert E. Brown* for #Nonesuch# carried the court gamelan of the Pura Paku Alaman to the world, one piece traveling on the Voyager Golden Record.