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Thegong ageng (orgong gedhe in NgokoJavanese, means large gong) is anIndonesianmusical instrument used in theJavanesegamelan. It is the largest of the bronzegongs in theJavanese andBalinese gamelan orchestra and the only large gong that is calledgong in Javanese.[1] Unlike the more famousChinese orTurkish tam-tams, Indonesian gongs have fixed, focusedpitch, and are dissimilar to the familiarcrash cymbal sound.It is circular, with a conical, tapering base of diameter smaller than gong face, with a protruding polishedboss where it is struck by a padded mallet.Gongs withdiameter as large as 135 centimeters (53 inches) have been created in the past, but gongs larger than about 80 centimeters (31 inches) are more common especially to suit the budget of educational institutions.[2]
There is at least one large gong in each gamelan, but two are common and older gamelans may have three or more.[1] Thegong ageng usually has its own name, which may be bestowed upon the entire set of instruments.[1] The gong ageng is considered the most important instrument in a gamelan ensemble: the soul or spirit of the gamelan is said to live in the gong.[3]Gong ageng are often proffered ritual offerings of flowers, food, and/or and incense before performances[4] or each Thursday evening[1] to appease spirits believed to live in and around it.
Commonly, less expensive iron gong ageng or a slit-type gong are made to fulfill the role of the bronze gong, though at the loss of sound quality- for poorer regions and villages.[2]The cost of expertly pure cast & beaten bronze has seen a rise in bronze-plated and bronze-laminated iron gongs created for the undiscerning expatriate.
Traditionally, it is the first of the instruments to be made. A highly skilled gong-smith will smelt and cast, then supervises the hammering process, but will be solely responsible for the final fine tuning of thegong ageng pitch- the rest of the ensemble is tuned (and named) according to the qualities of thegong ageng.[5]It is the single most costly and lengthy item to fabricate- and often requires multiple re-castings due to stress-cracks created in the beating process of forming it and undesired tonal ortimbre qualities. The pitch desired is very deep, distinctly pitched rumble that sound like thunder or the "rolling waves of the sea".[6][7]Slight differences in the opposite halves of a gong create a desired "beating" in the sound. It is named according to subjective poetic descriptive images for different speeds of beats, comparing slow beats with waves of water and faster beats with Bima's laughter (Bima is one of the Pandawa brothers in theMahabharataepic).
The gong is fabricated to resonate at the lowest thresholds of human hearing (20 Hz to 20,000 Hz). Actual pitch will vary, but a finegong ageng of example of theNusantara Museum ofDelft was measured to have a fundamental tone of 44.5 Hz.[8] The Gong Ageng has about a dozen prominent exponentially decaying partials, with some component frequency ratios that closely correspond to harmonics and others that are enharmonic. Many of the partials have a slow amplitude and frequency modulation of a few Hertz, and a faster modulation around 20 Hz.[9]The instruments of the gamelan are then fabricated on the fundamental tone of thegong ageng pitch is basis of the slendro pitch "6" (enam, ornem) of It is typically pitched to match the 6 of the gamelan.[10]
Gong ageng demarcates the larger phrase structure orgongan. Within thegongan structure, Between, thegong suwukan andkempul punctuate the subdivisions of time. Agongan is the time span between thegong ageng strikes, which are subordinate to thetempo:irama, and length of the structure (bentuk).[11] thegongan is the longest time-span in thecolotomic structure of gamelan.[12][13]
In largergendhing (compositions), only thegong ageng is employed. Some gamelan sets for cost considerations will use the gong ageng for bothpélog andsléndro scale systems. A truly full set in akeraton(palace) will have twogong ageng.
Thegong suwukan orgong siyem is the smaller gong in the set used for smaller phrases. It is generally pitched higher, and at different pitches for pélog and sléndro. Frequently gamelans will have more than one gong suwukan, for different ending notes, and differentpathet.
Most common is a 1 for pathet sanga and lima, and 2 for pélog pathet nem and barang, and sléndro pathet nem and manyura. Usually a 1 can be played forgatra ending in 1 or 5, and a 2 for 2 or 6. A few gamelans include a gong suwukan 3 as well.[14]
Thegoong ageung plays a similar role in Sundanese gamelan (e.g.degung). Thekempur in Balinese gamelan is similar to thegong suwukan (and not to be confused with the Javanesekempul). In other Indonesian and Philippine cultures, its analog is theagung.[15]
Thegong ageng is central and fundamental to the gamelan orchestra. Similes between thegong ageng are made in relations to Indonesian, and particularly the Javanese and related Balinese society cultures. A very large (and expensive) gong ageng is often commissioned for prestigious state-sponsored projects. Two famous ones include the Surabaya Naval Dockyard statue (weighing over 2000 kg) and in the seaside resort of Ancol inJakarta (approximate diameter 3 meters, weight several thousand kilogram). These two former gong ageng can be heard a distance of 20 kilometers out to sea.[16]
On auspicious or important occasions agong ageng is often struck, just as in Western society a ribbon may be cut or a champagne bottle smashed (commissioning of a building or ship, launching a project, finalizing a major business deal, and similar occasions).
In the houses of the wealthy, mainly Javanese aristocrat families ofJakarta,gong ageng are used to herald the arrival of guests. Less important guests are heralded by thekempul.
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