Gendhing

Gendhing is a term in Javanese gamelan music used to designate a complete musical composition performed by a gamelan ensemble. It refers to a specific piece rather than a broad genre, and gendhing pieces are typically named after their musical form or configurable structure, such as ketawang, lancaran, or ladrang. Gendhing pieces are integral to the core repertoire of Central Javanese gamelan.

Performance context and function: Gendhing pieces are used to accompany a wide range of activities, including courtly dance such as bedhaya and srimpi, wayang kulit shadow puppetry, and ceremonial or religious events. They can also be performed in concert settings. The same gendhing form may be played at varying tempi to suit different contexts.

Instrumentation and texture: A Javanese gamelan that performs gendhing typically includes metallophones (such as saron and demung), the larger metallic instrument family (kendhang drums regulate tempo and cue transitions), the gong family (gong ageng, kempul, kenong), and often a bonang. The melodic line, played by the balungan (literally “skeleton” melody), is elaborated by the other instruments in a heterophonic texture. The music is often performed in one of the traditional scales—pelog or slendro—and in a mode system known as pathet, which imparts a particular mood or color to the piece.

Structure and theory: Gendhing is organized around cycles called gongan, with the gong or large percussion marking the end of each cycle. The melodic material is typically built around a core balungan that is elaborated by intermediate and upper voices. Forms such as ketawang, lancaran, and ladrang define distinctive rhythmic and melodic formulas, including phrase length and how the gong cycles align with the ensemble’s tempo.

Notation and transmission: Traditionally, gendhing is transmitted orally within court and village traditions, using balungan-based systems. Kepatihan notation and other modern transcriptions exist for study and performance outside the oral tradition.