GORDANG SEMBILAN

Written in bahasa by Prof. Dr. R.M. Soedarsono
Posting inspired by Andrea 'Uli' Tobing-Hilliard

One of the very interesting ethnical music ensembles dating from the Pre-historic era is the GORDANG SEMBILAN, owned by the Batak Mandailing in North Sumatera. This ensemble consists of nine big one-head drums and several bronze blow instruments. While in some part of the areas in Indonesia the drum always functions as a rhythmical instrument, then what is interesting in GORDANG SEMBILAN is that the nine drums have more the feature of a melody. By observing the instruments in this ensemble, it is very clear that there is no Indian element, and can even be said to have more Pre-historic features. In the Batak Mandailing Society, when this very sacred instruments are not played, they are always stored in a special house called SOPO GORDANG meaning the house of the GORDANG. People say that the nine drums represent the nine clans in the Batak etnic, and the highest clan is the Raja (English: KING). Only ensemble from SOPO GORDANG is allowed to play a sacred music and to be played when to be needed to call the souls of the forefathers.



Because it is so sacred, the taking down those instruments must be with the authorization of the KING followed by executing the ritual buffalo butchery. After the drums are being synchronized then must be followed by executing the ritual buffalo butchery as well. This musical ensemble, which consider the drum to be the most important, forms the main ensemble of the Batak Society consisting among other of the Batak Mandailing, Batak Karo, Batak Pak-pak Dairi, Batak Simalungun, and Batak Toba (Margaret J. Kartomi, 1977).

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L'Histoire de Babar

This part was played by Inez Raharjo and Terrence Judian

Kisah Babar, Imajinasi Dongeng
Auditorium GoetheHaus
Sunday, 12 October 2008
Jl. Sam Ratulangi 9-15, Menteng Jakarta Pusat
Reportage Reported by Kompas TV

L'Histoire de Babar - Francis Poulenc
A piano composition narratively
based on a story written by Jean de Brunhoff
Pianists:
Nadia Suharto - 19 Maret 1998
Cindy K. Gunawan - 29 Agustus 1997
Inez Raharjo - 9 Mei 1994
Terrence Judian - 22 Desember 1995
Andhanu Candana - 29 Agustus 1992
Cinta M.I. Akharina - 24 November 1992
Maharani Yasmine Putri - 18 Juni 1994
Yuliana Wijaya - 25 April 1993
Dira Saphira Putri - 13 Tahun
Narator Janice Tiffani Halim - 4 Maret 1998

The Story of Babar

Translated from the French by Merle S. Haas

In the great forest a little elephant is born. His name is Babar. His mother loves him very much. She rocks him to sleep with her trunk while singing softly to him.
Babar has grown bigger. He now plays with the other little elephants. He is a very good little elephant. See him digging in the sand with his shell .
Babar is riding happily on his mother’s back when a wicked hunter behind some bushes, shoots at them.
The hunter has killed Babar’s mother! The monkey hides, the birds fly away, Babar cries. The hunter runs up to catch poor Babar.
Babar runs away because he is afraid of the hunter. After several days, very tired indeed, he comes to a town …
He hardly knows what to make of it because this is the first time that he has seen so many houses.
So many things are new to him! The broad streets! The automobiles and buses! However, he is especially interested in two gentlemen he notices on the street.
He says to himself: “Really, they are very well dressed. I would like to have some fine clothes, too! I wonder how I can get them?”
Luckily, a very rich Old Lady who has always been fond of little elephants understands right away that he is longing for a fine suit. As she likes to make people happy, she gives him her purse. Babar says to her politely: “Thank you, Madam.”
Without wasting any time, Babar goes into a big store. He enters the elevator. It is such fun to ride up and down in this funny box, that he rides all the way up ten times and all the way down ten times. He did not want to stop but the elevator boy finally said to him: “This is not a toy, Mr. Elephant. You must get out and do your shopping. Look, here is the floorwalker.”
Babar then buys himself: a shirt with a collar and tie, a suit of a becoming shade of green, then a handsome derby hat, and also shoes with spats.
Well satisfied with his purchases and feeling very elegant indeed, Babar now goes to the photographer to have his picture taken.
Babar dines with his friend the Old Lady. She thinks he looks very smart in his new clothes. After dinner, because he is tired, he goes to bed and falls asleep very quickly.
Babar now lives at the Old Lady’s house. In the morning, he does setting-up exercises with her, and then he takes a bath.
He goes out for an automobile ride every day. The Old Lady has given him the car. She gives him whatever he wants.
A learned professor gives him lessons. Babar pays attention and does well in his work. He is a good pupil and makes rapid progress.
In the evening, after dinner, he tells the Old Lady’s friends all about his life in the great forest.
However, Babar is not quite happy, for he misses playing in the great forest with his little cousins and his friends, the monkeys. He often stands at the window, thinking sadly of his childhood, and cries when he remembers his mother.
Two years have passed. One day during his walk he sees two little elephants coming toward him. They have do clothes on. “Why,” he says in astonishment to the Old Lady,”It’s Arthur and Celeste, my little cousins!”
Babar kisses them affectionately and hurries off with them to buy them some fine clothes.
He takes them to a pastry shop to eat some good cakes.
Meanwhile, in the forest, the elephants are calling and hunting high and low for Arthur and Celeste, and their mothers are worried.
Fortunately, in flying over the town, an old marabou bird has seen them and comes back quickly to tell the news.
The mothers of Arthur and Celeste have come to the town to fetch them. They are very happy to have them back, but they scold them just the same because they ran away.
Babar makes up his mind to go back with Arthur and Celeste and their mothers to see the great forest again. The Old Lady helps him to pack his trunk.
They are all ready to start. Babar kisses the Old Lady goodbye. He would be quite happy to go if it were not for leaving her. He promises to come back some day. He will never forget her.
They have gone … There is no room in the car for the mothers, so they run behind, and lift up their trunks to avoid breathing the dust. The Old Lady is left alone. Sadly she wonders: “When shall I see my little Babar again?”
Alas, that very day, the ing of the elephants had eaten a bad mushroom.
It poisoned him and he became ill, so ill that he died. This was a great calamity.
After the funeral the three oldest elephants were holding a meeting to choose a new King.
Just then they hear a noise. They turn around. Guess what they see! Babar arriving in his car and all the elephants running and shouting: “Here they are! Here they are! Hello, Babar! Hello, Arthur! Hello, Celeste! What beautiful clothes! What a beautiful car!”
Then Cornelius, the oldest of all the elephants, spoke in his quavering voice: “My good friends, we are seeking a King. Why not choose Babar? He has just returned from the big city, he has learned so much living among men, let us crown him King.” All the other elephants thought that Cornelius had spoken wisely and eagerly they await Babar’s reply.
“I want to thank you one and all,” said Babar, “but before accepting your proposal, I must explain to you that, while we were traveling in the car, Celeste and I became engaged. If I become your King, she will be your Queen.”
“Long live Queen Celeste! Long live King Babar!” cry all the elephants without a moment’s hesitation. And thus it was that Babar became King.
“You have good ideas,” said Babar to Cornelius. “I will therefore make you a general, and when I get my crown, I will give you my hat. In a week I shall marry Celeste. We will then have a splendid party in honor of our marriage and our coronation.” Then, turning to the birds, Babar asks them to go and invite all the animals to the festivities, and he tells the dromedary to go to the town and buy some beautiful wedding clothes.
The wedding guests begin to arrive. The dromedary returns with the bridal costumes just in the nick of time for the ceremony.
After the wedding and the coronation everybody dances merrily.
The festivities are over, night has fallen, the stars have risen in the sky. King Babar and Queen Celeste are indeed very happy.
Now the world is asleep. The guests have gone home, happy, though tired from too much dancing. They will long remember this great celebration.

Program:
Jakarta Conservatory of Music
Jl. Cipete IV No. 8 Jakarta Selatan 12430
jcom@centrin.net.id
+62 21 7690470/99161338

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