Book Review
Feb. 9th, 2022 01:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariGamelan: Cultural Interaction and Musical Development in Central Java
by Sumarsam
Way back in college, I took a couple of terrific courses on Javanese gamelan, which were mostly centered around playing in the ensemble rather than deep musicological study of it. This book helped me fill in that scholarly gap.
Gamelan: Cultural Interaction and Musical Development in Central Java provided a detailed and fascinating examination of the development of the gamelan and its music and the effects of Java's interactions with Hindu, Islamic, and Western cultures. Sumarsam also looks at the ways Western thought influenced theories and analysis of gamelan music, and contributes a counterargument to those earlier theories.
This was an engrossing and very interesting read. I really enjoyed taking a deep dive into the history and workings of music I love, and loved playing.
(Full disclosure: Sumarsam taught those college gamelan courses I took.)
by Sumarsam
Way back in college, I took a couple of terrific courses on Javanese gamelan, which were mostly centered around playing in the ensemble rather than deep musicological study of it. This book helped me fill in that scholarly gap.
Gamelan: Cultural Interaction and Musical Development in Central Java provided a detailed and fascinating examination of the development of the gamelan and its music and the effects of Java's interactions with Hindu, Islamic, and Western cultures. Sumarsam also looks at the ways Western thought influenced theories and analysis of gamelan music, and contributes a counterargument to those earlier theories.
This was an engrossing and very interesting read. I really enjoyed taking a deep dive into the history and workings of music I love, and loved playing.
(Full disclosure: Sumarsam taught those college gamelan courses I took.)
