Pelog
Pelog is a heptatonic musical scale central to the tuning systems of gamelan ensembles in Indonesian traditions, particularly those of Java and Bali, featuring seven tones per octave with unequal intervals that create a characteristic gapped structure often employing subsets of five tones in performance.[1][2] Unlike the more equidistant slendro scale, pelog's intervals include smaller steps of approximately 133 cents and larger double steps of about 267 cents, approximating a nine-tone equal temperament while maintaining a non-harmonic profile suited to the inharmonic spectra of bronze metallophones.[3] The tones are traditionally named bem, gulu, dada, pelog, lima, nem, and barang, numbered 1 through 7 in Javanese notation, with approximate Western equivalents such as D♯, E, F♯, A, A♯, B, and C♯, though exact tunings vary widely between ensembles.[3][2] In Javanese gamelan, pelog supports three primary melodic modes known as pathet—lima, nem, and barang—each emphasizing specific subsets of the scale to evoke distinct moods and guide improvisation, such as pathet barang focusing on tones 2 and 6 while avoiding 1.[1][2] Common five-tone configurations include scale I (tones 1, 2, 3, 5, 6), scale II (1, 2, 3, 5, 7), and scale III (2, 3, 5, 6, 7), which facilitate cyclical forms like ladrang and accompany rituals, dances, and shadow puppetry.[2] Balinese variants retain pelog's pentatonic essence with alternating small and large intervals but adapt it for faster, more dynamic styles in ensembles like gong kebyar.[4] Empirical studies of over two dozen Central Javanese gamelans confirm a statistical tendency toward these interval patterns, underscoring pelog's role in preserving cultural acoustics despite regional variations.[3]Origins and Etymology
Etymology
The term "pelog" derives from the Javanese word pelag, signifying "fine," "beautiful," or "noble," which underscores the scale's esteemed aesthetic role within the gamelan ensemble. This etymology highlights the cultural appreciation for pelog's refined tonal qualities, distinguishing it from the complementary slendro scale. Alternative linguistic interpretations link "pelog" to terms like pelo (a speech defect or lisp) or pegol (awkward articulation), suggesting a metaphorical connection to nuanced or interpolated tones, though the primary association remains with beauty and nobility.[5] The earliest documented written reference to "pelog" appears in the 19th-century Javanese text Serat Centhini (1814), a comprehensive compilation of cultural knowledge commissioned by the Surakarta court under Paku Buwana V. In this work, pelog is described in contexts of gamelan performance, such as tuning the rebab fiddle to the nem pitch for pieces in pelog pathet nem, illustrating its integration into royal musical practices. These references, drawn from verses on musical theory and ensemble playing, mark pelog's formal entry into Javanese literary tradition, reflecting its established use in court rituals by the early 19th century.[5] Spelling and pronunciation of "pelog" vary across regions and historical periods, influenced by Javanese dialectal differences and colonial documentation. In central Javanese contexts, it is typically rendered as pélog or pelog, emphasizing a soft initial syllable. Older Dutch colonial records from the late 19th century, such as ethnographic studies of Javanese music, often transliterate it as "pèlog" to capture the accented pronunciation, as seen in descriptions of gamelan ensembles exhibited in Europe. These variations, including occasional simplifications like "pelok," persist in Sundanese and Balinese adaptations but maintain the core phonetic structure tied to Javanese origins.[6][7]Historical Development
The pelog scale emerged in the Central Javanese courts during the 8th to 10th centuries, coinciding with the flourishing of the Hindu-Buddhist Mataram kingdom, where it integrated influences from Indian musical traditions such as raga and tala systems alongside possible Chinese elements evident in early metallophone tunings.[8] This period marked a synthesis of indigenous shamanic practices with imported courtly music, fostering pelog as a seven-tone system used in gamelan ensembles for ritual and ceremonial purposes.[2] Archaeological and textual evidence from the era, including temple inscriptions, suggests that such scales supported the development of sophisticated bronze instruments in royal settings.[8] During the 16th to 18th centuries, pelog gained prominence through its dissemination under the Mataram Sultanate, particularly in the reigns of sultans like Agung (1613–1645), who patronized gamelan ensembles tuned to pelog for Islamic court rituals while preserving Hindu-Buddhist stylistic elements.[9] The sultanate's expansion across Java standardized pelog variants in palace music, with notable sets like Gunturmadu originating around 1644 to accompany shadow puppet performances and state ceremonies.[9] This era solidified pelog's role in cultural unification, as Mataram's influence radiated from Yogyakarta and Solo, blending it into both secular and sacred repertoires.[2] The colonial period under the Dutch East Indies (19th–20th centuries) spurred standardization of pelog through ethnomusicological documentation, notably by Jaap Kunst, whose fieldwork in the 1920s and 1930s involved precise tone measurements and analyses that clarified its intervallic structure and historical ties to Asian traditions.[10] Kunst's seminal work, building on earlier European studies, highlighted pelog's resilience amid modernization, preserving it in gamelan sets despite colonial disruptions.[10] Post-independence from 1945 onward, pelog has contributed to Indonesia's national cultural identity, integrated into educational curricula, state media like Radio Republik Indonesia, and international diplomacy efforts such as the 1977 Gamelan Festival, reinforcing its status as a symbol of unity in diversity.[2] Government policies under leaders like Suharto promoted pelog-based gamelan as part of Pancasila ideology, ensuring its adaptation in contemporary arts while maintaining traditional courtly essence.[11] In 2021, gamelan, encompassing pelog tunings, was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, further affirming its global importance.[12]Musical Structure and Tuning
Scale Composition
Pelog is a heptatonic anhemitonic scale central to gamelan music, consisting of seven tones without semitones between adjacent notes, distinguishing it from scales with half-step intervals.[13] In Javanese gamelan tradition, the tones are denoted using kepatihan cipher notation as numbers 1 through 7, with specific names: 1 (bem or panunggul), 2 (gulu), 3 (dadi or dada), 4 (pelog), 5 (lima), 6 (nem), and 7 (barang). The fourth tone (pelog) is often considered auxiliary or optional in certain modal contexts, as pelog functions primarily as a five-tone framework in practice, though the full heptatonic structure provides flexibility for melodic elaboration.[14] Complementing pelog in gamelan ensembles is the slendro scale, a pentatonic anhemitonic system with five tones (numbered 1, 2, 3, 5, 6) that approximates more nearly equal intervals, often described as equipentatonic. Unlike slendro's relative uniformity, pelog features non-equidistant intervals that create a more varied and expressive sonic palette, contributing to the scale's perceived complexity and emotional depth in performance.[13] This contrast allows gamelan music to alternate between the two laras (tuning systems), enhancing structural diversity within compositions. Theoretically, pelog integrates into the Javanese pathet system, a modal framework that organizes subsets of the scale's tones to evoke specific moods or narrative functions, such as pathet lima (tones 1, 2, 3, 5, 6), pathet nem (tones 1, 2, 3, 5, 6), and pathet barang (tones 2, 3, 5, 6, 7). These modes guide melodic contour and hierarchical emphasis, with the full heptatonic set available but not always fully employed, and specific goal tones varying within each pathet (e.g., 1 and 5 prominent in lima).[13][2] For conceptual understanding, pelog intervals have been approximated in just intonation using simple frequency ratios, as in composer Lou Harrison's influential interpretation for Western gamelan adaptations: from the tonic, the tones align approximately as 1/1 (bem/panunggul), 13/12 (gulu), 7/6 (dadi), 17/12 (pelog), 3/2 (lima), 19/12 (nem), and 7/4 (barang), culminating in 2/1 for the octave. These ratios, drawn from harmonics 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, and 21, provide a pure, resonant basis that highlights pelog's dissonant yet consonant qualities, though traditional gamelan tunings deviate slightly for idiomatic timbre.[15]Tuning Variations
Pelog tunings display considerable variation in practice, with no universal standard across Javanese and Balinese gamelan ensembles, reflecting both regional traditions and the acoustic properties of bronze instruments. Measurements from ethnomusicological studies reveal typical small intervals (single steps) ranging from about 100 to 160 cents, while larger intervals (double steps) often approximate 240 to 300 cents, contributing to the scale's flexible, non-equidistant character.[3] The octave itself is generally near a 2:1 ratio but frequently stretched, exceeding 1200 cents—sometimes up to 1220 cents—to enhance ensemble resonance and subtle beating effects known as ombak.[16] Instrument-specific differences are prominent within a single gamelan set. Metallophones like the saron and gender feature relatively fixed, precise pitches tuned for clarity in melodic lines, whereas idiophones such as the gong ageng produce broader, more resonant tones with slightly detuned intervals to create acoustic interactions.[17] This leads to "bent" or non-monotonic tunings, where interval progressions are irregular and do not follow a strictly ascending pattern in size, allowing for perceptual elasticity in performance.[17] For instance, the tuning of higher-register instruments like the gender may deviate by 10-20 cents from lower ones like the saron, fostering the characteristic shimmering texture of gamelan sound.[18] Ethnomusicological analyses, including Mantle Hood's pioneering measurements in the 1950s on Javanese gamelans, underscore these inconsistencies, showing octave stretches beyond 2:1 driven by ensemble acoustics rather than isolated instrument tuning.[19] Later comprehensive surveys, such as those by Surjodiningrat et al. examining 27 Pelog gamelans, confirm a statistical bias toward nine-tone equal temperament approximations, with small intervals averaging 133 cents and exhibiting ranges of 100-160 cents across ensembles.[20][3]| Example Interval Structure (from averaged Javanese Pelog measurements) | Typical Size (cents) | Approximate Ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Small step (e.g., gulu to dadi) | 133 | N/A |
| Large step (e.g., bem to dadi) | 267 | N/A |
| Octave (full span) | 1205-1220 | >2:1 |