''Gerong'' () is the Javanese verb meaning "to

sing Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

in a

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

." ''Penggerong'' is the proper name of a member of the chorus, but often the word gerong is used to refer to the unison male chorus that sings with the

gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...

. The chorus or the

melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...

may also be called the gerongan. The gerong generally sings in distinct sections of a gamelan composition. Certain standard texts in Javanese

poetic meter In poetry, metre ( Commonwealth spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of ...

s of various structures are used in many compositions; some are based in Javanese poetic forms known as macapat. Some pieces have specific texts written for them, but this is often a special treatment. Female singers are referred to as ''pesindhen'', and may sing in a separate group, a combined group with the men, or as a solo female voice, with or without a male chorus. A gerong part is different from that of a single female singer sindhen, in that the chorus must sing together, and is generally more connected to the steady pulse of the underlying gamelan parts. While vocal parts for both male and female singers can be notated in the cipher or number notation called

kepatihan notation Notation plays a relatively minor role in the oral traditions of Indonesian gamelan but, in Java and Bali, several systems of gamelan notation were devised beginning at the end of the 19th century, initially for archival purposes. Kepatihan Kepa ...

, the actual realization of these parts will always be open to stylistic and other variations. The noted Javanese musician K. P. H. Notoprojo (known to his students as Pak Cokro) wrote out vocal notation for many pieces. These are now on line in the library of the American Gamelan Institute.http://www.gamelan.org/library The Vocal Music of K.R.T. Wasitodipuro

References

Gamelan instruments Singing {{Indonesia-stub

See also

References