gamelan

American  

[gam-uh-lan, -luhn] / ˈgæm əˌlæn, -lən /

Also gamelin

noun

1. an Indonesian orchestra consisting of bowed stringed instruments, flutes, and a great variety of percussion instruments.

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gamelan British  

/ ˈɡæmɪˌlæn /

noun

1. a type of percussion orchestra common in the East Indies

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Etymology

Origin of gamelan

1810–20; < Javanese, equivalent to gamel song accompanied by a gamelan + -an nominalizing suffix

Example Sentences

In particular, they studied the 'bonang', an instrument from the Javanese gamelan built from a collection of small gongs.

From Science Daily • Feb. 27, 2024

Their December concert will feature Balinese gamelan, and in May, film and chamber music will combine to explore the connection between mothers and their children.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 17, 2023

Western audiences would likely experience a learning curve with sonifications that employ, say, the sound of a Javanese gamelan, but a framework that contains such options can flex and adapt to the data’s needs.

From Scientific American • Jan. 5, 2023

A self-described “expressivist,” he was known for haunting, mystical works that fused various traditions, among them European Romanticism, Indonesian gamelan and electronics.

From New York Times • Jun. 9, 2022

Where The Beades had plundered music hall, centuries-old Anglo-Celtic folk and the sounds of the 1960s electronic avant- garde, Steve Reich derived his inspirations from African drumming and Balinese gamelan music.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall