The gendèr wayang metallophone quartet is one of the smallest yet most important and sacred musical ensembles from the island of Bali, Indonesia. The people of Bali follow a version of the Hindu religion where music, dance and drama are integral to religious life. All performances – whether for ritual or entertainment – are imbued with sacred expression and meaning. The gendèr wayang quartet is commonly used to accompany the ubiquitous shadow puppet play (wayang kulit), as well as a host of religious ceremonies including temple anniversaries, tooth filings and cremations.

The gendèr wayang ensemble comprises two larger and two smaller instruments, each with ten metal keys strung over bamboo resonators. They are tuned to a five-tone slendro scale of roughly equidistant intervals, and overall they span three octaves. The musicians play with two disc-shaped mallets, utlilising a complex playing/damping technique to curb the resonance of the metal keys for a clean, clear sound. Mastery of this skill, as well as learning and memorizing the very complex repertoire, have led to its reputation as the most difficult music in Bali.

There are many kinds of pieces, some long and others short, that accompany the many and varied characters and dramatic scenes in wayang kulit plays and which express a wide range of emotions. Typical musical features include slow-moving melodies in the left hand, intricate interlocking parts in the right hand, pentachords, short sections repeated up or down a tone, and melodic patterns based around the different permutations of three notes.

Words really fall short when describing the grace and beauty of this music, but perhaps the ethnomusicologist Colin McPhee has summarized it most accurately and succinctly when he said it is “like a prism revolving in sunlight”.

Audio: Seketi, performed by Seka Rat Nadi (Trent University, Feb 4, 2008).

Audio: Tulang Lindung ("Eel's Bones"), performed by Seka Rat Nadi (Trent University, Feb 4, 2008).