Spreading the Love of Gamelan to Europe
Peter Smith
Peter Smith, 56, fell in love with gamelan at first sight. For him, the Javanese traditional orchestra was very charming. It glimmers like gold. Its sounds caresses and protects the soul. He learned about the art and spread his love of gamelan to his students and the public in the UK.
“I was in my first semester in the music department at York University in the UK. I was asked to help open a box of gamelan instruments that had just arrived at the campus. When I opened the box, I saw that the gamelan instruments were so shiny like gold,” he said, reminiscing of an event from decades ago.
The physical beauty of the gamelan set immediately charmed him and made him fall in love. He compared it with a plain black piano or a violin that, despite its own unique beauty, was still less attractive than the gamelan instruments with their intricate wooden engravings.
“My eyes were just glued, and then I heard its sounds. For Europeans like me, the sounds of a gamelan are very soothing,” said Peter in fluent Javanese on Monday (21/8/2017) in Surakarta, Central Java.
For Peter, western musical instruments are pleasing to the ear. Gamelan, however, penetrates deep into the soul and stays there. At York University, Peter learned how to play the gamelan under the tutelage of Professor Neil Sorrell. After spending three years learning the instrument at the university, he went to Surakarta to further hone his skills right at the heart of Javanese culture.
As a recipient of the Indonesian government’s Darmasiswa scholarship program for foreign students, Peter went to the Indonesian College of the Arts (STSI) in Surakarta (now the Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Surakarta) from 1992 to 1995. At first, he planned to spend a year studying gamelan in Surakarta.
“I thought one year would be enough and then I could return to the UK, thinking that I would have missed my village back home by then. However, the moment I stepped into this place, I felt that I was home. I ended up extending my stay,” he said.
Peter said that Surakarta felt just like his home village of Jericho in Oxford. The people are friendly and the food is delicious. He spent three years in “Kota Bengawan”(City of the River). He made friends with dalang (shadow puppet master), gamelan artists and members of karawitan (traditional music) communities in Surakarta, Klaten, Sukoharjo, Wonogiri, Sragen, Karanganyar and Boyolali.
Teaching gamelan
After finishing his studies, Neil Sorrell then asked him to teach gamelan at London’s biggest art center, the Southbank Center. He said yes. He enthusiastically introduced people to gamelan and taught the art to elementary school students, junior high school students and even college students in the UK. He has been spreading the love of gamelan in the UK for 20 years now.
Currently, Peter is a senior trainer at the Southbank Center. He actively provides training for the general public in gamelan courses ranging from beginners to advanced courses. “Many English people love gamelan music,” he said.
Data from the Education and Culture Ministry’s directorate general for culture affairs shows that the UK currently has 158 gamelan communities. Peter also trains gamelan groups in Graz, Austria, and Budapest, Hungary. He said that gamelan communities were blooming in many countries in Europe.
Together with his friends, Peter established the Siswa Sukra group. As an independent karawitan group, Siswa Sukra has a close relationship with the Southbank Center. They routinely train on Thursday night at the center.
Peter said that the name Siswa Sukra was proposed by one of its members, Richard, 71. Siswa means student and sukra means Friday. Siswa Sukra is a group of students that gather to learn gamelan on Thursday nights. “The group was already established years ago but the name Siswa Sukra has only existed for five years,” he said.
Siswa Sukra members have various professional backgrounds. They often hold performances at the Southbank Center. This August, Peter led the Siswa Sukra gamelan group in performances across cities in Indonesia. They hold gamelan performances and accompany shadow puppet performances facilitated by the Education and Culture Ministry.
The first performance was held at the Wayang Museum in Jakarta on Sunday (6/8). From Jakarta, 25 Siswa Sukra members performed in Joglo Pete in Majaksingi village, Borobudur district, Magelang, Central Java. Peter and his friends also performed at the Yogyakarta Arts Festival. They then accompanied a shadow puppet performance with Ki Widodo Wilis acting as dalang in Trucuk, Klaten regency. They held a closing performance at the Pendopo Ageng main hall of the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) in Surakarta on Monday (21/8).
“I was so happy I could play at ISI Surakarta. I went back to my alma mater where I learnt about gamelan,” said Peter, who also goes by the Javanese nickname Parto. Back when he was a student at ISI Surakarta, Peter was also often called Pe-te (pronounced like how the Javanese refer to the food petai). “In the UK, Peters are often called Pete. Here, though, the name becomes Pe-te,” said Peter, adding that he still loves the nickname.
Peter said that Siswa Sukra members have been wanting to visit Indonesia for a long time. Of its 25 members, 20 have never been to Indonesia. They all wish to find out what it is like to be where the gamelan was born.
“They play gamelan every week but they don’t understand what Indonesia is like. They can play Javanese music but they have never known nasi liwet (traditional Javanese rice dish),” he said.
Peter then contacted then Indonesian Embassy in London. The Siswa Sukra members’ wish was granted. The directorate of heritage and diplomacy of the Education and Culture Ministry’s directorate general of culture affairs facilitated the “concert” tour to several regions. This is not only about the performances. Siswa Sukra members also sharpened their skills by training under the tutelage of ISI Surakarta lecturers and professional musicians in Surakarta.
The joy became more palpable due to the enthusiastic responses the Siswa Sukra members received from locals at their performances. “They love it when they see western people playing Javanese gamelan,” he said.
Among the various gamelan instruments, Peter said that he loved playing the gender the most. Other than its smooth sound, gender can be played in tune with other instruments without having to be fixated on the musical notes. He said he could also play the kendang but he was less adept at it because the kendang was more difficult to play.
For Peter, playing the gamelan does not only bring peace to the soul. It also strengthens a sense of togetherness and kinship, as gamelan needs to be played collectively by a group instead of individually.
Peter said he was no longer concerned that the gamelan would be forgotten as the world moved into the future. As a global cultural heritage, the world community will protect gamelan. “This is a gift from Indonesia to the world. It brings mankind together,” he said.
