Spring 2004
Cancelled

ARTS 648 (THST)
Music and Theater of Indonesia

01/26/2004 - 05/08/2004
Saturday 09:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Indonesian people have, since their early history, been in continual contact with foreign cultures. Hinduism, Islam, and Western Europe have made significant contributions to the development of Indonesia's arts and culture. This course introduces students to the rich performing arts and culture of Indonesia, focusing on the genres from the islands of Java and Bali. The approach will be descriptive and comparative, integrating music and theater. A principal theme will be to explore the differing experiences of historical development, colonization, decolonization, and modernization in the two neighboring and related traditional cultures of Java and Bali. We will also spend a portion of the course in demonstrations and workshops, including instruction on the performance of Gamelan, a group of Javanese and Balinese instruments played in orchestral arrangement, and Kechak, a Balinese musical drama that employs complex rhythmic play, chanting, and storytelling.

Study materials for the course include: I Made Bandem and Fredrik deBoer, KAJA AND KELOD: BALINESE DANCE IN TRANSITION; Sumarsam, GAMELAN: CULTERAL INTERACTION AND MUSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN CENTRAL JAVA; James Brandon, ON THRONES OF GOLD: THREE JAVANESE SHADOW PLAYS; as well as musical recordings and films.

Students will be responsible for a final research paper.

ENROLLMENT INFORMATION

Consent of Instructor Required: No

Format: Seminar

Level: GLSP Credits: 3 Enrollment Limit: 18

Texts to purchase for this course:
Sumarsam, GAMELAN: CULTURAL INTERACTION AND MUSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN CENTRAL JAVA (University of Chicago Press), Paperback

PLEASE NOTE: A course packet will be provided at the first meeting of class.

READING MATERIALS AVAILABLE AT BROAD STREET BOOKS, 45 BROAD STREET, MIDDLETOWN, 860-685-7323

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