Buka (music)
Encyclopedia
The buka is the short introduction to pieces of gamelan
. It is also called the bubuka or bubuka opaq-opaq.
Buka are generally played by a single instrument in a free rhythm, until the last few notes when the kendhang comes in to set the tempo and cue the whole gamelan, which joins on the final note, with the first gong ageng
.
Buka are often played by the bonang barung in the so-called "loud style." In other styles, they can be played by the rebab
, gendér
, or kendhang alone, or may be sung, especially by the dalang in a wayang
performance.
Mantle Hood
emphasizes the importance of the buka in the determination of the pathet
of a gamelan composition, and analyzes it as an extended elaboration on the typical cadential
formulas. He compares it to the alap
of Hindustani classical music
in its role of setting the mood and set of pitches.
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....
. It is also called the bubuka or bubuka opaq-opaq.
Buka are generally played by a single instrument in a free rhythm, until the last few notes when the kendhang comes in to set the tempo and cue the whole gamelan, which joins on the final note, with the first gong ageng
Gong ageng
The gong ageng is . It is the largest of the bronze gongs in the Javanese and Balinese gamelan orchestra...
.
Buka are often played by the bonang barung in the so-called "loud style." In other styles, they can be played by the rebab
Rebab
The rebab , also rebap, rabab, rebeb, rababah, or al-rababa) is a type of string instrument so named no later than the 8th century and spread via Islamic trading routes over much of North Africa, the Middle East, parts of Europe, and the Far East...
, gendér
Gendér
A gendér is a type of metallophone used in Balinese and Javanese gamelan music. It consists of 10 to 14 tuned metal bars suspended over a tuned resonator of bamboo or metal, which are tapped with a mallet made of wooden disks or a padded wooden disk . Each key is a note of a different pitch, often...
, or kendhang alone, or may be sung, especially by the dalang in a wayang
Wayang
Wayang is a Javanese word for theatre . When the term is used to refer to kinds of puppet theatre, sometimes the puppet itself is referred to as wayang...
performance.
Mantle Hood
Mantle Hood
Mantle Hood was an American ethnomusicologist. Among other areas, he specialized in studying gamelan music from Indonesia. Hood pioneered, in the 1950s and 1960s, a new approach to the study of music, and the creation at UCLA of the first American university program devoted to ethnomusicology...
emphasizes the importance of the buka in the determination of the pathet
Pathet
The pathet is an organizing concept in gamelan music. It is difficult to explain, but is similar to the melody types, that is, for example, modes, ragas, or maqamat, of other musics....
of a gamelan composition, and analyzes it as an extended elaboration on the typical cadential
Cadence (music)
In Western musical theory, a cadence is, "a melodic or harmonic configuration that creates a sense of repose or resolution [finality or pause]." A harmonic cadence is a progression of two chords that concludes a phrase, section, or piece of music...
formulas. He compares it to the alap
Alap
The alap is the opening section of a typical North Indian classical performance. It is a form of melodic improvisation that introduces and develops a raga...
of Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
in its role of setting the mood and set of pitches.