American Gamelan Institute
Encyclopedia
The American Gamelan Institute (AGI) is an organization devoted to promoting and documenting all forms of gamelan
, the performing arts of Indonesia
, and their international counterparts.
The Institute was founded in Berkeley, California
in 1981; the office moved to New Hampshire in 1990. AGI publishes scores, recordings, mongraphs, translations and other material. AGI has an online library with a wide variety of monographs, collections of notation, and a font for the cipher notation commonly used for gamelan, called KepatihanPro. These materials may be freely downloaded for educational use. AGI maintains an extensive archive of notation and scores for both new and traditional gamelan music, scholarly writings on gamelan, as well as audio and video recordings. Its founder and director is the composer and gamelan musician Jody Diamond
. The organization's scope includes gamelan music as practiced in Indonesia as well as around the world. The journal Balungan was started in 1984 to encourage a dialog between artists and scholars involved in gamelan. Current and back issues of Balungan are on line, and many libraries have subscriptions. The sixteenth issue was printed in December of 2010.
The Institute also has a podcast
, called Gongcast and hosts directories
of gamelan groups around the world. The directories for North America (Canada and the U.S.), are maintained by Barbara Benary
.
In the early 1990s, AGI produced three gamelan festivals called "Planet Gamelan."
The American Gamelan Institute is the publisher of all gamelan works by the American composer Lou Harrison
, who built gamelan instruments with his partner William Colvig
.
Gamelan
A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....
, the performing arts of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, and their international counterparts.
The Institute was founded in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
in 1981; the office moved to New Hampshire in 1990. AGI publishes scores, recordings, mongraphs, translations and other material. AGI has an online library with a wide variety of monographs, collections of notation, and a font for the cipher notation commonly used for gamelan, called KepatihanPro. These materials may be freely downloaded for educational use. AGI maintains an extensive archive of notation and scores for both new and traditional gamelan music, scholarly writings on gamelan, as well as audio and video recordings. Its founder and director is the composer and gamelan musician Jody Diamond
Jody Diamond
Jody Diamond is an American composer, performer, writer, publisher, editor, and educator. She specializes in traditional and new music for Indonesian gamelan and is active internationally as a scholar, performer, and publisher.-Biography:She received a B.A. from the University of California,...
. The organization's scope includes gamelan music as practiced in Indonesia as well as around the world. The journal Balungan was started in 1984 to encourage a dialog between artists and scholars involved in gamelan. Current and back issues of Balungan are on line, and many libraries have subscriptions. The sixteenth issue was printed in December of 2010.
The Institute also has a podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
, called Gongcast and hosts directories
of gamelan groups around the world. The directories for North America (Canada and the U.S.), are maintained by Barbara Benary
Barbara Benary
Barbara Benary is an American composer and ethnomusicologist specializing in Indonesian and Indian music.In 1976 she co-founded Gamelan Son of Lion with Philip Corner and Daniel Goode; she also constructed most of the group's instruments...
.
In the early 1990s, AGI produced three gamelan festivals called "Planet Gamelan."
The American Gamelan Institute is the publisher of all gamelan works by the American composer Lou Harrison
Lou Harrison
Lou Silver Harrison was an American composer. He was a student of Henry Cowell, Arnold Schoenberg, and K. P. H. Notoprojo Lou Silver Harrison (May 14, 1917 – February 2, 2003) was an American composer. He was a student of Henry Cowell, Arnold Schoenberg, and K. P. H. Notoprojo Lou Silver Harrison...
, who built gamelan instruments with his partner William Colvig
William Colvig
William Colvig was an electrician and amateur musician who was the partner for 33 years of composer Lou Harrison, whom he met in San Francisco, California in 1967...
.
See also
- GamelanGamelanA gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....
- Jody DiamondJody DiamondJody Diamond is an American composer, performer, writer, publisher, editor, and educator. She specializes in traditional and new music for Indonesian gamelan and is active internationally as a scholar, performer, and publisher.-Biography:She received a B.A. from the University of California,...
- American gamelanAmerican gamelanAmerican gamelan could refer to both instruments and music; the term has been used to refer to gamelan-style instruments built by Americans, as well as to music written by American composers to be played on gamelan instruments...
- List of music organizations in the United States