RWA BHINNEDA THE AESTETICS OF BALINESE TRADITIONAL MUSIC

Abstract

Karawitan aesthetics was the "spirit" of art which was manifested in the form of three components, namely tungguhan, garap, and jengah. These three components could be regarded as aesthetic forming media which was covered by the concept of rwa bhinneda. Rwa bhinneda were two different things and functioned as elements of balance used in Balinese culture and/or Hinduism which could be used as an umbrella in studying Balinese musical aesthetics. The concept of balance could be interpreted as things that were opposite and always came in pairs. Balinese karawitan aesthetics that were opposite and always came in pairs were related to tungguhan, garap, and jengah. The aesthetic manifestations of Balinese music related to tungguhan were pemade and kantil, pengede and barangan, lanang and wadon, and ngumbang-ngisep (these terms were related to sound). The concept of balance associated with garap were polos-nyangsih, pesu-mulih, galak-manis, and ngumbang-ngisep (these terms were related to dynamics), and aesthetics that were associated with the concept jengah was the number and size of the type of tungguhan used. Jengah was a trait possessed by humans who did not want to be outdone by others. Balinese musical aesthetics could be expressed by its supporters, so that it became an aesthetic statement. In Bali there were around 48 types of Balinese gamelan, each of which had tungguhan, functions, repertoires, musicians or supporters, and different aesthetics which were manifested by tungguhan and garap factors. The 48 (forty eight) sets of gamelan consisted of 38 sets of old gamelan and 10 (ten) sets of new gamelan. The number and type of tunguhan used in each set of Balinese gamelan depended on anatomy or aesthetics. In this case, musical needed were manifested in each of the gamelan sets.

Keywords: rwa bhinneda, aesthetics, aesthetics statement, tungguhan, garap, and jengah

DOI: 10.7176/ADS/74-05

Publication date:July 31^st 2019