Term referring to bamboo Xylophone, bamboo xylophone ensemble or metallophone of Indonesia (the bamboo xylophone and xylophone ensemble are found in Java and Sunda, while the metallophone is found in Bali). For details on Sundanese usage, see Indonesia, §V, 1(ii)(b); this entry deals with the calung ensemble of Banyumas, west Central Java.
Calung typically comprises two multi-octave bamboo xylophones which play interlocking patterns; two single-octave bamboo xylophones (slenthem and kethuk-kenong) which play a central melody and its colotomic punctuation, respectively; a blown bamboo gong; two small kendhang (drums); and a female vocalist (sindhèn) who is also often a dancer (and then referred to as lènggèr). Instrumentalists also participate in the vocals, providing stylized responses to both the female vocalist and certain kendhang cues. The performance style involves dense interlocking, rapid changes of tempo and density, lively syncopated drumming and comic vocal interchanges. Calung is performed on various celebratory occasions, including the festive all-night performance lènggèr (named after the featured female singer-dancer of the same name) and types of jaranan (horse trance dance).
In Bali, the calung is a single-octave metallophone with tube resonators (also called jublag) in several gamelan-type ensembles that plays a central mid-range melody (for details of Balinese usage, see Indonesia, §II, 1(ii)(d)).
GEWM, iv (‘Java’; R.A. Sutton)
Banyumas Bamboo Gamelan, Nimbus NI 5550 (1998)