Interesting and Fun Facts about the Angklung, an Indonesian traditional musical instrument
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Search engine giant Google celebrates the Angklung, an Indonesian traditional musical instrument made of bamboo, with an animated Doodle on November 16, 2022. On this day in 2010, UNESCO officially pronounced angklung a World Heritage item. Here are some interesting and fun facts you should need to know about Angklung.
25 Interesting and Fun Facts about the Angklung
The Angklung
The angklung is a musical instrument from the Sundanese people in Indonesia made of a changing number of bamboo tubes connected to a bamboo frame.
The angklung is famous all through the world, yet it originated in what is presently West Java and Banten regions in Indonesia and has been played by the Sundanese for many centuries.
The angklung and its music have become a significant part of the cultural identity of Sundanese communities.
Playing the angklung as an orchestra requires collaboration and coordination, and is believed to promote the values of cooperation, mutual respect, and social harmony.
Angklung’s origin goes back 400 years to West Java, Indonesia. Villagers believed the sound of bamboo could attract the attention of Déwi Sri, the goddess of rice and prosperity. Every year, the town’s best craftsmen used special black bamboo to make angklungs. During the harvest season, they held ceremonies and played Angklungs with the expectation that the deity would bless them with fertile crops.
The word angklung may have originated from Sundanese angkleung-angkleungan, proposing the movement of the angklung player and the onomatopoeic klung sound that comes from the instrument.
The angklung was first invented in West Java, Indonesia, with a chance of cultural transmittance to different places like Malaysia and the Philippines over a few centuries.
There are many types of Angklung, in which each has its own uniqueness, such as: Angklung kanekes or Angklung buhun or Angklung baduy, Angklung dogdog lojor, Angklung gabrag, Angklung badeng, Angklung bungko, Angklung badud, Angklung buncis, Angklung calung, Angklung Reog, Angklung Reog Gong Gumbeng, Angklung Bali, Modern angklung or Angklung padaeng, Angklung sarinande, Angklung arumba, Angklung toel and Angklung sri murni.
In the mid-twentieth century during the time of the Dutch East Indies, the angklung was adopted in Thailand, where it is called angkalung (อังกะลุง).
The Thai angklung are ordinarily tuned in the Thai tuning system of seven equidistant steps per octave, and each angklung has three bamboo tubes tuned in three separate octaves as opposed to two, as is typical in Indonesia.
In 2008, there was a grand celebration in the Thai traditional music circle to mark the 100th anniversary of the introduction of angklung to Thailand. Both the Thai and Indonesian governments supported the celebration.
The angklung has additionally been taken on by its Austronesian-speaking neighbors, specifically by Malaysia and the Philippines, where they are played as part of bamboo xylophone orchestras.
Somewhere around one Sundanese angklung buncis ensemble exists in the US. Angklung Buncis Sukahejo is an ensemble at The Evergreen State College and incorporates eighteen double rattles (nine tuned pairs) and four dog-dog drums.
On November 18, 2010, UNESCO officially recognized the Indonesian angklung as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity and supported the Indonesian people and the Indonesian government to safeguard, transmit, promote performances, and promote the craftsmanship of the angklung.
On July 9, 2011, 5,182 individuals from numerous countries played angklung together in Washington, D.C., and are listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest angklung ensemble.
In any event, Indonesian people, still relatively few realize that Angklung has been known on the world stage. One of the nations in Europe. It’s from Keluarga Paduan Angklung (KPA) SMAN 3 Bandung, one of the senior secondary school choir clubs. They made breakthroughs to held Expand The Sound of Angklung (ESA). ESA is a music event where KPA has joined three categories in the Europe music festival.
On the other hand, ESA has been held and taken part in four times in 2002, 2004, 2008, and 2010.
Very few individuals realize that November 16 is celebrated as World Angklung Day.
Angklung has been recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as one of the national identities and cultures of Indonesia.
Angklung is remembered for the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since it contains the essential values of cooperation, mutual respect, and social harmony.
Angklung is not generally seen as an old or outdated tool but as a traditional Indonesian instrument that has started to be recognized internationally.
Indeed, even today numerous art students from France and America purposely come to Indonesia to learn more about Indonesian culture, even from the exchange of lessons numerous students from different friendly nations are highly interested to come and learn directly Indonesian culture in Indonesia.
The instrument is as yet a staple in Indonesian culture and generally, the government hosts Angklung performances to invite noteworthy guests to Indonesia’s Presidential Palace.
Angklung’s elevating sound can be heard in classrooms around the world since it’s an extraordinary way for teachers to introduce students to Indonesian music and culture.
On November 16, 2022, Google featured an animated doodle on its homepage for celebrating the Angklung. On this day in 2010, UNESCO officially declared angklung a World Heritage item.
