Open Collections

Abstract

This paper is concerned with recent developments in the style of Balinese Gamelan known as Tabuh Kreasi Gong Kebyar. Specifically, the focus is on the repertoire of new compositions performed at the annual Bali Arts Festival in the last twenty years. The first section will explore the many influences that have played a role in crafting the form and function of the music as it is today, namely the institutionalization of the arts, national cultural mandates, the competitive performance context of the festival and other aspects of modernization in Bali. The second half will be an analysis of a selection of pieces through this time period, focusing on development of formal structure and the emergence of new textures as well as harmonic and metric relationships.