1st Edition

Archaic Instruments in Modern West Java: Bamboo Murmurs

By Henry Spiller Copyright 2023
    172 Pages 50 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    172 Pages 50 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Archaic Instruments in Modern West Java: Bamboo Murmurs explores how current residents of Bandung, Indonesia, have (re-)adopted bamboo musical instruments to forge meaningful bridges between their past and present—between traditional and modern values. Although it focuses specifically on Bandung, the cosmopolitan capital city of West Java, the book grapples with ongoing issues of global significance, including musical environmentalism, heavy metal music, the effects of first-world hegemonies on developing countries, and cultural “authenticity.” Bamboo music's association with the Sundanese landscape, old agricultural ceremonies, and participatory music making, as well as its adaptability to modern society, make it a fertile site for an ecomusicological study.

    Introduction

    1 Bamboo Murmurs

    2 When in Bandung …

    3. Bamboo Wisdom

    4 Roots Values

    5 Entanglements

     

    Biography

    Henry Spiller is Professor in the Department of Music at University of California, Davis and the author of several books, including FOCUS: Gamelan Music of Indonesia.