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We have more than 25 gamelan sets at Mekar Bhuana, with 21 at Mekar Bhuana in Bali and four at Mekar Bhuana Aotearoa in New Zealand.
Our Angklung Klentangan set is still without casings. The keys and pots are likely up to 100 years old. Find out how you can support.
Our Semara Patangian ensemble in New Zealand is unique because it is the only one of its kind outside of Bali with the old-fashioned key order and instrumentation.
Our first Semara Patangian (Pelegongan ) set is at Mekar Bhuana Centre in Bali. It is an antique, very complete ensemble that Vaughan Hatch acquired in 1999.
In 2019, we restored and reconstructed a very unusal Angklung set from Lombok we have called ‘Semara Kirang’ because of its tuning, where it has four sweet tones with the lowest one missing.
Purchased in 2015, our second Selonding set is based in New Zealand and is modelled on the Bugbug formation that has 48 keys. It is smaller than our more complete set in Bali and has a lower and different tuning. It is the only one of this type outside of Indonesia as all active sets overseas are based on the common Tenganan Pegringsingan model.
The Seven-tone Semara Pagulingan set in New Zealand also partly old but has a higher tuning than our one in Bali. The ensemble is both smaller in instrumentation as well as dimensions of the keys, pots and casings.
Our Six-tone Semara Pagulingan is not yet complete, as we still need to fundraise more to make the ornate wooden casings, the design of which we would like to base on the only other Six-tone Semara Pagulingan orchestra in the world.
In mediaeval Bali (circa 1600-1906) Semara Pagulingan (also known as Semar Pegulingan) was an important part of the Balinese courts.
Our five-tone Semara Pagulingan set is our antique Semara Patangian set with a terompong, ponggang-kempyung, kangsi and grantang added, and the gender rambat removed.
We have one Javanese gamelan set at Mekar Bhuana: a very old set that based on its organology, patina and ornamentation dates to the first half of the 19th century (circe 1820).
Purchased in 2012, our first Selonding set is modelled on the Bugbug formation but with additional instruments found in the set from Merajan Selonding in the Besakih Temple complex that dates back to around the 10th century.
Our Old-Fashioned Angklung set is characterised both by its age (estimated to be from the 1800s) as well as its old-fashioned instrumentation (hence the name: kuna = old fashioned).
We have seven antique Gender Wayang sets at Mekar Bhuana, but only four sets have casings. These four sets have been lovingly restored by founder Vaughan Hatch.
Our Gong Bheri ensemble includes the following instrumentation:
1 x bheri, 1 x sungu, 1 x bende, 1 x tawa-tawa, 1 x rebab.
Our Baleganjur set is around 40-50 years old and is made up of the following instrumentation:
1 gong ageng, 1 x reong, 3 pairs of ceng-ceng kopyak, 1 tawa-tawa, 1 bende, 2 kendang cedugan.
