470 MUSIC.
. The person.who. leads ithe band performs upon the re}>dki(pio.^ l-$),„an
instrumeht whieh, having -a .-neck, and jwo rings , pitchejfcb^rpiegs,- a ig; capable
of producing p'erfectjintonation and a t variety^ of ^sounds, by shortening
the-strings with the^preasure of. the<fingpr.{;l ■
The gdmbmg kdyu: (Hp. £2) is . a kind'Vc^^(#cc£ttov; consisting of wooden
bats o f graduated lengths, placed across;, a kind o f boat,», which when skilfully
struck with a'Sort, o f mallet, produce pleasing tones,, either grave,or
■ acute. The lowest and highest, sounds-pf .the instrument, differ -.from .each
•other by. the. interval Of ;th'rep octaves and a major, third: •.■the.;intermediate
Sounds o f each - octave from the lowest note are a second, third, fifth, and
siadh.’.’This.-instrument is'general,throughout the. Archipelago,' and.is;frequently,
played., alone, or accompanied only by the.drum and a .small
Rddm^Rdna^Dipura, a native of;Java, who.^accQmpanied me to England,
played on this instrument several of; his national melodies tefiyn.an-emiTient
composer, all of which were found to. bear a strron g . resemblahce .toj the
oldest music o f -Scotland; the «distinctive character o f both, as well- as o f
Indian music in general, being, determined by the^want o £ ih d :fpjiEth and
seventh of* the key and o f all the semitones.* By rej.tera%>n« several;pf the
sounds are artfully prolonged much beyond their »noted jfongth, which\prp|
.duces an . irregularity o f measure that might.-both perplex andqfffpd, the
-educated ear o f an accompanying timeist. /The, rhythm..ofjQth a>sections
(from extension and contraction) appears' very imperfect.
The bonang ox Jcrómo (No. 3), the saron (Nq.;«$,(the dérnongi&(^Q^&),
and seldntam (No» 7), are statedtos of metallic bars, and a Jrsp^^£]ijgljs
placed on a frame. -They contain a regular diatonic scale, j-apd J^darlvtw.o
-octaves. These, however, are neyer played singly, but hamopize with^tb,©
instrument on which the <air is; played.
The gongs (No.‘9) are perhaps the noblest instruments pf^the 1/ind fljat
have been brought .to Europe: h'amassured that they spg^ggj^p
that which was admitted in the terrific scenes of thejserjo^ ^alle^ representing
the death/of .Captain Cooke. Suspended in frames,; and,.struck^y
a mallet covered with-ploth/or .elastic gum, - they sustain' the harmonipus
triad in a very perfect manhefp and-, ^re probably the most .powerful and
musical of all monotonous, instruments. » They,,might be.iptrpduced 'With
advantage iri lieu'of large drums. They^have-the advantage of being meli-
RUOflS,
* The yamff observation bas, I believe, been made on the character óf l^eGrecian music.