Pitch Relation as a Generative Basis for Tataluan in Sundanese Gamelan and Balinese Gong Kebyar

Abstract

This study examines the compositional process of tataluan for Sundanese wayang golek through the interaction of Sundanese gamelan and Balinese Gong Kebyar. The study originated from an artistic research process in which the two gamelan systems were explored through direct listening, experimentation, improvisation, rehearsal, and musical forming. Particular attention was given to the emergence of pitch relations between the two ensembles. The analysis employs Michael Tenzer’s approach to musical organization, focusing on pitch, rhythm, periodicity, texture, segmentation, and form. The findings reveal three interconnected processes. First, auditory exploration produced three principal pitch relations—Da–Dang, Na–Ding, and Ti–Dong—which functioned as generative musical anchors rather than absolute pitch equivalences. Second, these pitch relations were elaborated through rhythmic placement, repetition, accentuation, dynamic variation, and differentiated instrumental functions, creating a layered interaction between the two ensembles. Third, the elaborated musical materials were organized into the formal sections of Tatalu, Bendrong, and Wawayangan, producing the larger structure of the tataluan composition. These findings indicate that the integration of Sundanese gamelan and Gong Kebyar did not occur through the homogenization of their musical characteristics. Instead, the compositional process developed through a trajectory of relation, elaboration, and formation, in which limited pitch correspondences became the basis for increasingly complex rhythmic, textural, and formal organization. The study therefore positions pitch relation as a generative point of departure in the creation of an intercultural gamelan composition for the pre-performance context of Sundanese wayang golek.