Gamelan Music Adds Acoustic Dimension to Silent Film

Some of the many instruments played by members of Gamelan Semara Winangun. Pam McLennan/The Epoch Times

The 1933 production of Legong: Dance of the Virgins, the last feature film shot using the two-colour Technicolor process, premieres at Ottawa’s Mayfair Theatre on Oct. 18 as part of the theatre’s Silents is Golden screening series.

Filmed on location in Bali using an all-Balinese cast, the tragic love story of a young Legong dancer is the last surviving silent film by a major Hollywood studio (Paramount).

A silent film is made without simultaneous sound or dialogue. During the silent film era, a live pianist would normally accompany the film to add an acoustic dimension to the show.

Built in 1932, the Mayfair Theatre is the perfect venue for showing the silent film, as this film genre resonated in the heritage building during the early years of its existence.

Legong dance originated in Bali in the nineteenth century as entertainment for royalty. A Legong dancer begins training around the age of five and continues until the onset of puberty.

Legong is very stylized, and of all the Balinese dances is thought to be the most graceful. Hand gestures and facial expressions are used to convey feelings and to tell the story.

The Legong dance tells the story of the king of Lasem, who abducts a young princess named Rangkesari. Upon learning of her captivity the princess’s brother, the prince of Daha, threatens to start a war unless she is released. The king refuses and on the way to the battlefield encounters a bird that predicts his death, which unfolds.

Silents Is Golden

Mike Dubue, general manager and musical director at the Mayfair, runs the theatre’s Silents is Golden screening series. Now in its second year, the 2010 series will feature nine silent movies during the month of October.

Even though some of the films are not really silent, all will be accompanied by new live soundtracks composed by bands, ensembles, or solo composers from the Ottawa region. The music genres used include classical, jazz, rock, ethnic, and improvised.

A musician himself, Dubue observed that the original soundtracks do not always complement the cinematography. He thus sees them as a blank canvas for local musicians seeking to diversify their skills beyond the norm.

Dubue revealed that the 2011 series will expand to 18 films. He is hoping to double the number of films until he has a month-long film festival, facilitated by funding and sponsorship, as well as performances by musicians from other cities.

Gamelan Ensemble

For Legong: Dance of the Virgins, the Ottawa-based gamelan ensemble, Gamelan Semara Winangun, will perform their traditional Balinese soundtrack.

The gamelan, mainly found in Indonesia, is an ensemble that plays bronze metallophones, gongs, cymbals, bells, tuned gong chimes, kendangs (double ended cylindrical hand drums), suilings (bamboo flutes), and rebab (two stringed bowed instrument).

In Bali alone there are over 30 types of gamelan, from duos to orchestras of over 50 musicians. Usually different groups of performers play different short rhythm patterns simultaneously to create a complete musical phrase. Gamelan music uses a lot of sudden changes in tempo and dynamics. The Balinese gamelan has a faster tempo than the Yogyakarta style from Java, and it is considered a more cultured, formal, and gentler style.

Jamie Gullikson, leader of Gamelan Semara Winangun, explained that their music is mostly taken from the Legong repertoire, an older style of five-tone gamelan, which was in danger of extinction less than a century ago. The ancient music pieces and recent compositions have all been arranged and rearranged to accompany the movie.

Gullikson said the group has received intensive training from Made Lasmawan, master Balinese drummer, musician, and composer, and Dewa Made Suparta of the renowned Cudamani group. Several members also received training in Bali.

The ensemble was founded in 2002, and practises regularly at the Indonesian Embassy. There are currently 12 members in the group, although for the film there will be 13 performers.

I was most fortunate to attend two rehearsals as the ensemble prepared for the film. I found the musicians comfortable and proficient in Balinese gamelan music and in fact had me recalling the ensembles I’d seen in Ubud, the cultural centre of Bali.

I suggest attendees prepare for a special evening of silent cinema and a not so silent accompaniment. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Visit www.ottawagamelan.org and www.mayfairtheatre.ca for more information.