Kanjeng Pangeran Harjo Notoprojo (Hanacaraka:ꦑꦤ꧀ꦗꦼꦁꦦꦔꦺꦫꦤ꧀ꦲꦂꦗꦟꦡꦦꦿꦗ), also known asTjokrowasito,Wasitodipuro,Wasitodiningrat, among other names (March 17, 1909 – August 30, 2007), was one of the most highly respected performers ofJavanese gamelan. He led thePaku Alaman palace gamelan as well as the gamelan for theRadio Republik IndonesiaYogyakarta, and taught gamelan in universities around the world. He was also a noted composer andrebab performer.
On March 9, 2004, he received the Nugraha Bhakti Musik Indonesia Award.
His official name changed several times, corresponding to honors received during his lifetime. He was born in Yogyakarta, Central Java, as Wasi Jolodoro. He was first called Tjokrowasito (Cokrowasito in the new orthography); and known familiarly as Pak Tjokro (Cokro). As he became musically proficient, his peers called him Ki Tjokrowasito (Ki is an unofficial title of respect). In the 1960s, the Paku Alaman Palace honored him with the name K.R.T. Wasitodipuro, or "Wasito of the palace; and the additional honorifics K.R.T., or Kanjeng Raden Tumenggung. Later, he was honored again to become K.R.T. Wasitodiningrat, "Wasito of the world." In 2001 he was recognized officially as the biological son ofPaku Alam VII, and half-brother of thePaku Alam VIII. He was then given a title similar to aprince: K. P. H. Notoprojo, or Kanjeng Pangeran Haryo, which remained his name until the end of his life.[1]
He was born inYogyakarta,Java. He grew up in the Paku Alaman palace, and began studying gamelan at age five from his legal father, R.W. Padmowinangum, who led the palace gamelan. His formal education was at Taman Siswa secondary school, enriched by studies at the palace.
In addition to playing in the court gamelan, he played with other famous gamelan groups, such asDaya Pradangga. He served as gamelan musical director at the radio station MAVRO (Mataramsche Vereeniging Radio Omroep) from 1934,Radio Hosokyoku from 1942-1945 during theJapanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, and RRI Yogyakarta after independence. He had the opportunity to teachkarawitan abroad beginning in 1953, and worked in several countries. He taught at theKonservatori Tari Indonesia andAkademi Seni Tari Indonesia, and founded a school for the study of vocal music, Pusat Olah Vokal Wasitodipuro.
He assumed leadership of the Pura Pakualaman gamelan from his father in 1962. The musical style of the Pura Pakualaman had traditional shared elements of both theYogyakarta Sultan's palace, and, influenced by intermarriage, with theSunan's palace in Solo (Surakarta). Notoprojo, following extended residencies in Solo, furthered this process, perhaps to the point at which the style of the Pura Pakualaman could be heard as largely Solonese in character.
He composed music for the new genre ofsendratari dance-drama in the 1960s, including the first performances held at the Lara Jonggrang temple complex inPrambanan. He collaborated with the choreographerBagong Kussudiardjo. His over 250 compositions include numerous light gamelan pieces (lagu dolanan) and experimental works (kreasi baru), including many which are prominent in the gamelan repertoire. He revived several moribund or extinct art forms from Yogyakarta history, includingwayang gedhog. Scores of his works, as well as a two-volume set of his notation for vocal music, are published by theAmerican Gamelan Institute.
A recording of Puspawarna by the court gamelan ofPaku Alaman,Yogyakarta, directed byK.R.T. Wasitodipuro (later known as K.P.H. Natoprojo) and recorded byRobert E. Brown was included on theVoyager Golden Record, which was sent on theVoyager 1 spacecraft as a greeting to whatever extraterrestrials may find it. The recording is also available on the albumJava: Court Gamelan (originally released in 1971). According to the note by Brown in the reissued version of that CD, "Puspawarna" was one ofCarl Sagan's favorites on the record.[2]
He led the gamelan at the Indonesian Pavilion of the1964 New York World's Fair. He moved toValencia, California in 1971 and taught at theCalifornia Institute of the Arts until 1992, in addition to work atUniversity of California, Berkeley,San Jose State University, and many other universities in the US and Canada. In 1992 he retired and returned to Indonesia. His home is both a residence for young artists, and a site of regular performances and gatherings of some of Java's best gamelan artists.
He died in Yogyakarta on August 30, 2007, at the age of 104 in the reckoning of years in theJavanese calendar.[3] He was instrumental in spreading the appreciation and knowledge of Javanese gamelan around the world. According toMantle Hood, "It is accepted that no other Indonesian has even approached the contributions of this man in helping the world know the great gamelan traditions of Java."[4]
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