Year 5, #4

Sunday, 30 October 2005
Home of Ki Purbo Asmoro, Gebang, Mojosongo, Solo

Dear Friends,

Last night we had the 4th klenengan in the 5th fiscal year of Pujangga Laras. It was held at the home of Ki Purbo Asmoro in Gebang, Mojosongo, starting at 8:00 and lasting until 2:00 am. We hired a video team to document the klenengan, as we plan to make a kind of slideshow of names and faces for subscribers. This is a idea that George Schnee and Clara Silverstein (subscribers since 2001) gave us. We hope by December to have a 60-minute DVD ready which subscribers can watch simply as is, or can also access the trailer at the end which will show faces matched up with names and affiliations.

Hate to sound repetitive, but THIS was the most full klenengan ever and probably the most varied musically as well. The klenengan has been growing every month in numbers with this month no exception, and probably most importantly this is the fasting month so very few musicians were absent. If the klenengan were growing due to people starting to come who simply hear about a "free dinner and an envelope" that would be a concern, but the klenengan is growing every month because of new, interesting and terrific musicians who start coming. The new musicians this month were:

  • Rumyati Anjang Mas (gerong): a female dhalang from a very famous family of dhalang and musicians. She's the older sister of Ki Sri Joko Raharjo, aunt to Bp-s Pahang and Joko Sabar who come every month, and aunt to Bp. Ratno who has come on occasion.
  • Jungkung Darmoyo (rebab) the son of Ki Mujoko, who passed away suddenly in 1992 at much too young an age (50's), while performing a wayang. Jungkung is a dhalang by profession, but is also an experienced rebab and kendhang player.

    This was most likely a one-time-show for both Rumyati and Jungkung, since they came on Ki Purbo Asmoro's invitation as fellow dhalang, but we certainly extended the invitation for both of them to come again whenever they can. Their attendance also points out one of the reasons we like the klenengan rotating—in each location a slightly different group of people come, usually on invitation from the host, and lend a slightly different feel to the klenengan.

  • Warsito (bonang): bonang player for Ki Manteb Soedarsono and former member of Condhong Raos (Ki Nartosabdo's group). Bp. Warsito seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself, loved meeting up with old friends, and most likely will be a regular as long as Ki Manteb is not peforming on the same night as the klenengan.
  • Puji (gerong): dhalang as well as musician with Ki Purbo Asmoro's group and at Sri Wedari. A very young but talented STSI graduate/musician—and one of those who grabs the notation, and takes it home for rehearsals with bapak2 groups in his neighborhood.
  • Mangun (gerong): I have yet to figure out who this man is (mas Wakidi had no idea, even by the end of the night who he was) but he has a terrific voice, and sang a rather obscure bawa beautifully with no notation, no text in front of him. Seemed to be a friend of Bp. Panggah's and Ki Purbo's.

(Ki Purbo Asmoro (dhalang and the host) also joined in and played a bit of gender—his main instrument when playing gamelan.)

Good news on the health front—Pak Wahyo was quite enthusiastic this month and played rebab for 5 gendhing as well as a suite of langgam (everyone thought surely he'd step down and not be interested!). Sometimes his arm gets so tired that he only plays 2 gendhing, but not last night.

(One thing that will make the beginning of the recording not so great—mas Purbo really wanted to use a simple sound system—like we did in Wonogiri—and we had a bit of trouble getting the mikes adjusted right at the beginning.)

The next klenengan will be on Saturday, 26 November at the home of Bp. Supanggah in Palur.

Acara Gendhing

  1. Gd. Bn. Klenthung, kt 4 arang mg 8, pl 5

    Kd: Yadi
    Bn: Dalimin

  2. Gd. Pasang kt 4 arang mg 8 kalj. Ldr. Singa-Singa, pl 5, pt ageng

    Rb: Wahyo
    Gd: Karno
    Gb: Narto
    Kd: Yadi
    Bn: Dalimin

  3. Gd. Peksi Bayan kt 4 kr mg 8 kalj. Ldr. Kaki Tunggu Jagung (wilet), sl 6

    Rb: Wahyo
    Gd: Karno
    Gb: Sutat
    Kd Yadi, pn Wakidjo
    Bn: Dalimin

  4. Gd. Tamenggita kt 2 kr mg 4 kalj. Ldr Winangun, pl 6/7, pt 7 jugag, GARAP SRIMPEN

    rb: Wahyo
    Gd: Karno for pl 6 and Hadi Sucipta for pl 7 (kd player for Ki Purbo Asmoro)
    Gb: Narto for pl 6 and Sutat for pl 7
    Kd: Yadi
    pn: Wakidjo
    bn: Dalimin

    This was quite amusing in the inggah, when the gender and gambang moved to pelog barang for the 2.5 gatra with 7s in the inggah, (ala Sambul Gendhing, ala the Sekar Arum recording of this piece). Right at the switching point, mas Cipt (kd player for mas Purbo and simply acting as general assistant with the gamelan last night) happened to be fixing up some mikes in the vicinity and got nabbed into playing gender for the pelog barang parts. I don't think anyone even knew he played gender, but he managed just fine—albeit sweat pouring down his face by the end of the 2.5 gatra as he had no notation—then went back to fixing up mikes.

    Just a note: there was a short discussion about how the those 2.5 gatra in the inggah (.77. 7723 etc up to 2454) can be garap-ed in pelog 6, without a move by the gender and gambang, and with sindhen and rebab, etc playing in pl 6, with only the balungan/bonang voicing the 7s. (It was said that this was the way Bp. Mloyo played the piece.) Interestingly enough, this is the way all Jakarta musicians play the piece to this day (in fact Jakarta musicians had never even heard of switching to pl 7 in this piece until mas Wakidi rehearsed it that way with them last week!)—as taught to them by elder Jakarta RRI musicians who have now passed away.

    Mas Wakidi at this point suggested, given the large number of sindhen, that each one sing one jineman or kethoprakan or dolanan and we go right down the line for fun, starting with Bu Yatmi. But for some strange reason they all chose to sing langgam from the very beginning, and not only that--after mbak Yayuk started going in an order that didn't highlight the best side of our sindhen line-up, so after 4 langgam, mas Wakidi shouted out in protest "wis, wis ora sida—gendhing-gendhing wae". ("OK OK—forget it, just please play a gendhing!")

  5. Bawa Dhandhanggula (Puji) dhawah Lgm. Gagad Enjang, pl 6 (Dewi)
    Lgm. _____________ (Yayuk), pl 6

    (by Ki Mujoko, and suggested by mas Darsono in respect to Jungkung's attendance—I'll have to wait until getting back to Jakarta to look up the name))
    Lgm Nyidhamsari, pl 6 (Munirah)
    Lgm Wuyung, pl 6 (Warti)

  6. pt sl 9 wantah Bawa (Hartono RRI) Kusmilang dhawah Gd. Sido Luwih kt 2 kr mg 4 kalj. Ldr. Sembada (once in wilet and once as bedhayan!) dados Ayak-ayakan rangkep, Srepeg, mawi palaran Kinanthi, Dhandhanggula Mataraman, Srepegan Mataraman, pt jugag

    (Gd. Sido Luwih is a new gendhing by Bp. Dalimin)

    rb: Wahyo
    gd: Wito
    kd: Wakidi
    gb: Sutat
    bn: Mardi

    (BREAK FOR DINNER)

  7. Ldr Sengsem (Nartosabdo), sl 6

    (then, strangely, the langgam virus started again—and I personally like them in moderation—put to an end by Bu Tugini who finally did an old-style dolanan! But I do have to say everyone—players and audience—seemed to be enjoying themselves a lot & lots of jokes and laughter)

  8. Bawa (Mangun)- Lgm. Tamansari, pl 6 (Yatmi)
    Lgm Meh Rahina, pl 6 (Taduk)
    Lgm Janjine Piye (Tarini)
    Lgm, ? pl 6 (Dharti)
    Lgm, ? pl 6 (Parni)
    Ldr. Kembang Kacang, Suwe Ora Jamu, pl 6 (Tugini)

    rb: Jungkung
    gd: Purbo Asmoro
    kd: Wito
    gb: Sutat
    bn: Warsito
    bn pn: Ngahono

  9. pt manyura jugag Bawa (Iyasa) Banjaran Sari dhawah Gd. Lobong kt 2 kr mg Kinanthi kalj Ldr. Kembang Pepe
  10. Ayak-ayakan Pamungkas

    rb: Jungkung
    gd: Karno
    kd gd: Wakidjo
    ciblon: Wito
    bn: Warsito
    gb: Sutat

Musicians Attending

  • Rebab: Wahyo, Jungkung
  • Gender: Karno, Wito, Purbo Asmoro
  • Kendhang: Yadi, Wakidjo, Wakidi, Wito
  • Gambang: Narto, Sutat
  • Sindhen: Yatmi, Mulyani, Dharti, Parni, Tugini, Tarini, Bero, Yayuk, Kesi, Narti, Kaeni, Warti, Munirah, Sumini, Tadhuk
  • Gerong: Panut, Yasa, Hartono RRI, Tukimin, Joko Asmoro, Rumyati, Mangun,
  • Bonang: Dalimin, Mardi, Warsito
  • Gender Penerus: Joko Sabar
  • Siter: Joko Tipes, Priyo
  • Suling: Ngahono, Mujiono
  • Bonang Penerus: Ngahono, Mardi
  • Slenthem: Ripto, Cipt/Gebang
  • Peking: Cipt-Ngasinah
  • Gong: Prapto, Karman
  • Kenong: Sarsidi
  • Kethuk: Mulyono
  • Balungan: Ngahono, Wakiyo, Wiyono, Wardi "Kraton", Priyo, Ngatno, Joko Tipes, Mulyono RRI, Slamet Widodo, Warjinah, Parman, Kuat, Sular, Pahang, Tulus, Legiyo

Audience

  • Mindy, USA
  • Niamh, Ireland
  • John, England
  • Kaoru, Japan
  • Kaori, Japan
  • Hanae, Japan
  • Mulyadi, Lojiwetan
  • Waridi
  • Panggah
  • Darsono "Jepang"
  • Sri Dadi, Kartasura
  • Lukman
  • Wawan
  • a number of young STSI students

Budget

We spent Rp. 8,250,000 ($826 with Rp. 9,980 = $1), due to the unusually high attendance. We also spent an extra $346 in bonuses, as the Lebaran holiday is coming up. Instead of doubling all the envelopes which we sometimes do at Lebaran (which seemed quite unwieldly as well as quite expensive with current attendance) we conserved a little and simply added Rp. 50,000 to each envelope, much like last year.

Report written by Kitsie Emerson