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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.


gamelan British  
/ ˈɡæmɪˌlæn /

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of gamelan

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

The tones suggest Indonesian gamelan music, but with less structured sonic patterns.

From Washington Post • Feb. 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

In the early nineteenth century Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of Singapore, while supervising the British occupation of Java sent two gamelan sets back to Britain, housed today in the British Museum.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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