| For music lovers, Bali holidays can be an | | | | composition of his piece No. 109, which was |
| enlightening experience, with Balinese | | | | entitled 'From the Island of Bali.' |
| performances being rich, unique and rhythmic. | | | | Through Bartok, Balinese music became better |
| Though it is little known, Balinese musical tradition | | | | known throughout Western Europe, and an |
| has been influential on western music and | | | | interest was sparked in western music lovers. |
| throughout the world, and a number of well | | | | This has inspired many to take holidays to Bali, |
| known composers have incorporated elements of | | | | where the combination of staying in a Bali luxury |
| Balinese influence into their works. Traditional | | | | hotel, and enjoying the spiritual performances of |
| Balinese music is as much about spiritual worship | | | | the gamelans, results in an exceptional experience. |
| as it is about the musical notes. This gives the | | | | Colin McPhee and Bali's Tabuh-Tabuhan: Toccata |
| music a distinctly soulful feel, as the very heart of | | | | Colin McPhee's chance encounter with a Balinese |
| the melody lies in religious worship. | | | | gamelan in New York sparked his interest in Bali, |
| If you want to experience the interesting, | | | | and his subsequent Bali holiday led him to dedicate |
| traditional music of Bali, a holiday there offers the | | | | a significant amount of time to exploring Balinese |
| opportunity to be entertained by the village | | | | music. He lived there for a long period of time and |
| orchestras, or 'gamelan,' as they are locally called. | | | | even wrote a book detailing his life in Bali. He has |
| A gamelan is made up of a number of band | | | | also compiled a Bali holiday guide, detailing |
| members, ranging from only a few to several | | | | everything from hotels in Bali to its vibrant |
| dozen. The central focus of the gamelan is on | | | | traditional music. While living in Bali, McPhee |
| percussion, and most of the instrumentalists play | | | | conducted an ethno-musicological study of the |
| instruments such as the xylophone, glockenspiel, | | | | local music, and went on to complete his |
| metallophones and gongs. But the gamelan is | | | | Tabuh-tabuhan: Toccata, a composition for which |
| made up of other instruments too, with | | | | he received the Pulitzer Prize. |
| woodwind and strings incorporated into the | | | | This unique Balinese work is divided into three |
| compositions. | | | | movements: Ostinatos, Nocturne and Finale. To |
| Bela Bartok and Balinese Music | | | | perform this work McPhee assembled his own |
| The famous composer Bela Bartok took an | | | | gamelan, which was made up of two pianos and |
| interest in collecting folk music from around | | | | percussion instruments. The work is unique in that |
| Europe, and he was interested in incorporating | | | | it fuses Balinese and western music together, with |
| other musical traditions into western compositions. | | | | Balinese motifs in a typically western symphonic |
| On hearing a gamelan perform, he was inspired to | | | | work. You will likely recognise these tunes at |
| incorporate Balinese music into his own works, | | | | some point on your Bali holiday, in the music |
| and he wanted to bring this musical form to | | | | resounding from the temples and in the local |
| western audiences. His Bali holiday inspired the | | | | village gamelan performances. |