The large hand-forged bronze gongs of
Central Java are world-renowned as extraordinary musical instruments. The visual
impression these instruments make is nearly as arresting as their mysteriously undulating
voice, resonating at the very bottom of the tonal spectrum. And with some particularly
venerated gongs, it is said that one can even feel spiritual power emanating. Despite the
admiration and curiosity these instruments elicit however, little is understood about the
way they are made. Because of the spiritually risky nature of their work -- controlling
primal forces of fire and wind to transform the Earth's ores into human possessions -- and
the sheer difficulty of explaining the complex techniques, knowledge about the process,
and spiritual attitudes have been closely held by gongsmiths for centuries.
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This video documentary shows the process
of manufacture, from start to finish, as practiced by master gongsmith, Tentrem Sarwanto,
one of the most prominent of those working in the style traditional to Surakarta, Central
Java. Shot with Tentrem's full cooperation and consent, the 42-minute video is an in-depth
study of the gong making process -- from the weighing of raw materials, to the smelting
and testing of the alloy, forging, quenching, filing, and final tuning -- employed by
gongsmiths for generations. It concludes with a brief performance of music showing gongs
in ensemble with other gamelan instruments at the royal palace (Istana Mangkunegara).
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Tentrem Sarwanto (born in 1941) is the
third, and youngest, of three brothers who make gamelan instruments. Tentrem was
recognized by their father, Kartopandoyo, as the inheritor of the power to make gongs -- a
power that had been in their family for at least four generations. There are several other
gongsmiths, most notably Resowiguno, currently working in the area of Surakarta. Tentrem,
however, is the most well-known among Westerners owing to the quality of his instruments,
the accessibilty of his smithy, and his keen interest in the promulgation of knowledge
about gongsmithing. Depending on the size of the order he receives, he employs as many as
twenty craftsmen to assist him in his work. In addition to his many instruments in
Indonesia, Tentrem has made gamelan ensembles for clients in Australia, Japan, Great
Britain, and the USA.
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