The chain of dry islands from Lombok to Timor are economically poor, but culturally rich. They fall into two regions: Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) includes the western, Muslim islands -- Bali, Sumbawa, and Lombok -- which have Asian flora and fauna, and remnants of the melodic gong traditions exemplified in Javanese and Balinese gamelan; Nusa Tenggara Timur (NTT) includes the eastern, mostly Christian islands -- Sumba, Flores, and Timor -- which have Australian flora and fauna, and simpler gong traditions that musicologists have dubbed "non-melodic."
This volume begins in Sumbawa with two intimate pieces that unfold between a fine female voice, a male voice, and a graceful violin working in the "gypsy minor" scale. This is night music performed by an old man and his daughter. The longer, more satisfying piece tells the story of a difficult sea journey. Next come four pieces from economically and socially isolated Sumba, an island where traditional religion remains unusually strong. The wavy, sliding melodies of the jungga, a two- or four-stringed lute, have been compared to slide guitar. However, when combined with a high, full-throated male vocal, the feeling of Central Asian and Native American music comes to mind. Also from Sumba, two non-melodic gong ensemble funeral pieces move through muted, trance-like, deep-toned cycles. At a real funeral, this music would go on for days; here, each piece runs just over four minutes.
The volume concludes with nine pieces from Timor, the largest and most ethnically diverse island in the chain. There's a lively women's gong ensemble, playing funeral cycles at a higher pitch level than in the Sumba selections. There are five mixed-chorus vocal pieces, some slow, mysterious, and monophonic, and others lively work songs featuring interaction between different kinds of voices. There's a long selection of bidu, chugging, high-lonesome string and vocal music played by the Meto people at domestic celebrations. A guitar literally scrapes out bustling rhythm while a violin and singer hang on long, high notes. Concluding this diverse volume are two regional variations on bidu, both rich with moody melodies and the heightened energy of a country jam session. ~ Banning Eyre
