In the ancient text of the Serat Sastramiruda there is a myth telling of the development of the Slendro and Pelog Ghamelan, and although it’s of course quite unscientific, it does convey the generally accepted view of Javanese society that the ghamelan is the gift of the gods to human being. The myth runs as follows:
When the Bathara Guru (Shiva) came to earth in human form, he became a king with the name of Shri Padhuka Maharaja Dhewa Buddha and had his court in Medangkemulan. He built a beautiful new palace on Mahendra mountain, now called Mount Lawu. Every day in the palace his courtiers played on the so-called Ghamelan Lokananta which consists of a small cymbal, large cymbals, a drum, and a gong. This music was very primitive and it was used to accompany the Lenggotbawa dance of the gods. When Shiva returned to the seat of the gods he was succeeded as king of Medangkemulan by Bhatara Indera, another god who took the name of Sanghyang Suraphati. His palace was called Suralaya. During this time a great star came to earth and turned into 7 nymphs: Suprabha, Wilutama, Warsiki, Surendra, Gagarmayang, Irimirim, and Tunjungbiru. These beautiful nymphs were ordered by the prince to dance round the palace’s ornamental pool. They did so, dancing in a line to the accompaniment of songs. The king was then inspired to add the flute to the instruments of the ghamelan and to give them the five-note mode. The flute was made of bamboo, and had four holes. The drum still provided the basic rhytm, and the tune which was used for the accompaniment of the nymphs’ dance is called the Swaraketawang. Afterwards the number of the dancers was increased to nine and the Bedaya dance of the palace to his day uses nine dancers, some of them with special names, such as Pembatak, Hapit Endhelajeg and Endhelwaton. At that stage; the ghamelan was then called Lokananta Surendrabuwana. Perhaps there is some connection here with the historical fact of the coming of the House of Syailendra form South Andalas. This dynasty ruled over territory extending to Middle Java, and built the Kalasan temple dedicated to Dewi Tara.
Later Bhatara Citrasena was ordered to go to Purwacarita, to give the Ghamelan to Shri Raja Kanoo. This prince was very gratified by the gift of the Ghamelan instruments and added to the Ghamelan Surendra certain other instruments such as the rebab (a one-stringed instrument) and the Salugi, Dada, Gulu, and Barang. The prince gave to his invention the name Ghamelan Salendro, and many tunes were composed in the 3 groups of Pathet Nem, Pathet Sanga, and Pathet Manyura. Besides the Ghamelan used for accompanying the dances, King Kanoo also composed martial music which became known as Ghamelan Mardangga and which employed the following instruments in the Slendro mode: Kala, Sangka, Bahiri, Gurnang, Tongtong Grit, Maketeg, and Magurugangsa.
When Phrabu Basurata reigned in the kingdom of Wirata, he added the Ghendher and Salukat to the Ghamelan, and composed tunes specially for the Ghendher, When the four kingdoms of Jenggala, Kediri, Singosari, and Ngurawan flourished in Java, all four kings held in their courts performances of the Srimpi dance, performed by 4 women dancers accompanied by the Ghamelan Slendro. This was about the beginning of 13th century.
When Raden Panji Kasatrian became king he took the name Suryamesisa, and added the following instruments to the Ghamelan: Bhonang Panerus, Dhemung, Saron Bharung, Kecer, Ketipung, Slentem, and Kempul; and the Ghamelan as then constitued was also used to accompany wayang performance. The same prince also added a kind of zither, and composed the classic tunes Gendhings; Monggang, Kodhok Ngorek, Corobalen, and Galaganjur, all in the Slendro mode. To train the soldiers in the art of war, the king composed war dances like the Lawung and Dhadhap while his daughter Dewi Candrakirana developed the Badaya Serimpi dance.
After Islam came to Java, and during the Sultanate of Demak, the Walis decided to use the Ghamelan and the Wayang as a means of propagating the new faith. For example, Sunan Giri composed the Ghamelan Sekaten to be played in the court-yard of the great mosque on the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed. When Sunan giri acted as regent for the young prince of Demak, he composed a new Ghamelan in a new Pelog mode, together with appropriate songs, divided into 3 groupings: Sendhon Nem, Lima, and Bharang. These were used to accompany the Wayang Gedhog.
Nowadays the Wayang Purwa is accompanied by the Ghamelan in the Slendro mode and the Wayang Gedhog by the Ghamelan Pelog, though to make the performance of the Wayang Purwa the more enjoyable and to provide yet more music during the performance, additional ghamelan music is played sometimes in the Pelog mode.[email_link]
Narasumber: Moerdowo,R.M.
