Chris demonstrates the Gender, one of the instruments of the Gamelan. The bars are made of thin bronze plates suspended over bamboo or metal resonators.
The Gender is one of the instruments used to provide the music for Javanese shadow puppet plays (wayang kulit)
Peter Crosthwaite in Java
Francis Drake was one of the first Europeans to hear the Javanese Gamelan, an orchestra of bronze musical instruments. While a Naval Commander in the East India Company, Peter Crosthwaite visited the island of Java, and it is likely that he would have heard Gamelan music.
Wayang
In the Indonesian islands of Java and Bali, gamelan music accompanies shadow puppet plays.
The puppets are made from leather, carved and pierced by tiny chisels. They are held against a screen which is lit from behind. The pierced holes in the puppets create amazing patterns as the light shines through.
The master puppeteer is called a Dalang. He tells the stories and works the puppets. He may also act as conductor, controlling the musicians.
- Find out more about Wayang and Gamelan at Bali and Beyond
A Cumbrian Wayang
The Musical Stonemason is a Wayang for Cumbria, and is like no other Wayang performance.
It is inspired by Peter Crosthwaite and Joseph Richardson, and explores the musical stones of Skiddaw through puppetry, storytelling and musical performance, using both the Richardson stones and the Egremont community gamelan.
Crosthwaite and Richardson are represented by two marionettes, and even perform on the instruments!
The Musical Stonemason is a creative collaboration between SoundWave, Egremont Community Gamelan led by Chris Stones, puppeteers led by artist and master puppeteer Ali McCaw and writer David Napthine.