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

By the time Harrison wrote the Suite for Violin With American Gamelan, he was 57 and had been through a lot.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2020

Then there’s one I missed: Susheela Raman’s Ghost Gamelan, featuring the unearthly sounds of a Javanese gamelan band.

From The Guardian • Dec. 28, 2018

But then teachers introduced her to Indian ragas, Gamelan music and compositions with quarter tones, unfamiliar modes and atonal structures.

From New York Times • Aug. 29, 2018

You’ll find different musical timbres and textures in Lou Harrison’s Suite for Violin and American Gamelan, premiered in 1974 with percussion instruments built to be an approximation of the original Indonesian percussion ensemble.

From Washington Post • Aug. 10, 2018

This rewarding new recording offers a captivating performance of a Harrison masterpiece for this instrument, the Suite for Violin with American Gamelan, with the fine violinist Gabriela Diaz as soloist.

From New York Times • Nov. 5, 2014