Archives West Finding Aid

Recorded with Sony 800-B, Electro-voice microphone.

Instruments included: 1) Serunai - double reed conical oboe. There are two Serunai played one at a time by a blind musician. 2) Kesi - a pair of bells tied to a string, beat with both hands on an iron plated woodbox. 3) Chanam - a pair of rimless gongs tuned a major second apart played twice or four times as fast as the big gong. 4) Gong Imu & Gong Anak - Hanging flat gongs. 5) Gedombak - a pair of vase-shaped single headed drums played by two men. These men also help the dalang by getting the puppets ready. They sit on both sides behind the dalang. 6) Gedang Imu & Gedang Anak - double headed drums played by two musicians at the prelude. Later on they are played by one person who also played the Gedup Imu & Anak. 7) Gedup Imu & Gedup Anak - double headed spiked drums played with sticks. (Lim Chew-Pah's collection includes slides of instruments.)

Contents (described by collector):

75-28.1 (recorded 3-6-75) - 1) Introduction or prelude: The dalang is playing the drums Gedup Imu and Gedup Anak but later was joined by another man who also acts as dalang to introduce the puppets of the night. They are interchanged with the Gedang. 2) Another prelude. The second drummer added, the dalang introduced the puppets by singing.

75-28.2 (recorded 3-6-75) - 1) Introduction to the real Wayang Kulit; introduction short; 2) A break; ceremony music while the dalang is praying; he began by sitting at the side and gradually moved to the center of the stage; after the ceremony he begins praying for the land and the people; the story starts.

75-28.3 (recorded 3-6-75) - 1) Continuation of previous tape; halfway in the comedy it starts to rain and the show is stopped; (recorded 4-6-75) - 2) Prelude, opening of Wayang Kulit, missed the beginning part.

75-28.4 (recorded 4-6-75) - 1) Continuation of previous tape - Prelude, only the gendang is used; 2) After a short pause, the music starts again; very short piece with percussion only; 3) Another short piece - serunai solo; music starts again; 4) Short piece; the introducing of puppets beginning with music and then singing; 5) After one or two minutes a break in recording connections; 6) Introduction of ceremony by the first dalang; at the end of the tape, recorder battery gradually dies out; volume gets softer.

75-28.5 (recorded 4-6-75) - 1) Sound gets softer until fades out due to recorder problems; 2) Music continued from previous tape selection; 3) Takes of various instruments.

Additional collections deposited by Lim, Chew-Pah: 1)1974035 Singapore 2)2014006 China (May include music from Malaysia, Singapore, United States).

EC analog reels digitized 9/2016 (48 kHz, 24-bit) - 75-28.1.wav (44:46), 75-28.2.wav (47:26), 75-28.3.wav (31:41), 75-28.4 (48:57), 75-28.5 (33:21).