The angklung (Sundanese: ᮃᮀᮊᮣᮥᮀ) is a musical instrument from the Sundanese people in Indonesia. It is made of several bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. The tubes are shaped to create a clear musical note when struck and are tuned to octaves, which are notes that are higher or lower in pitch, like Western handbells. The bottom of the frame is held in one hand, while the other hand shakes the instrument, making a repeating note sound. In an angklung ensemble, each performer usually plays only one note, using their angklung at the right time to create full melodies (see Kotekan).

The angklung originated in what is now West Java and Banten provinces in Indonesia. For many centuries, the Sundanese people have played the angklung. The instrument and its music are an important part of the cultural identity of Sundanese communities. Playing the angklung in an orchestra requires teamwork and coordination. It is believed to teach values such as working together, showing respect, and maintaining harmony in society.

On November 18, 2010, UNESCO added the Indonesian angklung to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. UNESCO encouraged the people and government of Indonesia to protect, share, and promote the angklung, as well as support the craft of making it.

Etymology

The word "angklung" may have come from the Sundanese term "angkleung-angkleungan." This term refers to the movement of the angklung player and the sound "klung" that the instrument makes.

History

Dr. Groneman says the angklung was a popular instrument across the archipelago before the Hindu era. According to Jaap Kunst in Music in Java, the angklung is also found in South Sumatra, Kalimantan, Lampung, East Java, and Central Java.

During the Hindu period and the Kingdom of Sunda, the angklung was important in ceremonies. It was played to honor Dewi Sri, the goddess of rice, to ask for her blessings. The instrument also signaled times for prayers and was used in the Kingdom of Sunda as early as the 7th century. During the Battle of Bubat, as described in Kidung Sunda, the angklung provided music for soldiers. The oldest surviving angklung is the Angklung Gubrag, made in the 17th century in Jasinga, Bogor. Other old angklung are kept in the Sri Baduga Museum in Bandung. The oldest tradition of angklung is called angklung buhun ("ancient angklung") from Lebak Regency, Banten. This type is played by the Baduy people during the seren taun harvest ceremony.

In 1938, Daeng Soetigna (Sutigna) from Bandung created an angklung based on the diatonic scale instead of the traditional pélog or sléndro scales. This change helped the angklung become popular again and led to its use in education, entertainment, and even in orchestras with Western instruments. One of the first times angklung was played in an orchestra was in 1955 during the Bandung Conference. In 1966, Udjo Ngalagena, a student of Daeng Soetigna, started Saung Angklung ("House of Angklung") to preserve and develop the instrument.

On November 18, 2010, UNESCO added the Indonesian angklung to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Varieties

Angklung kanekes, also called Angklung buhun or Angklung baduy, is an old type of angklung from the Baduy people in Lebak, Banten province, Indonesia. This angklung is used during a ritual to plant rice in the fields, a tradition passed down from their ancestors. Only the Baduy Dalam tribe makes angklung kanekes, as they keep the traditions of their ancestors. The largest angklung instruments in Kanekes are named: indung, ringkung, dongdong, gunjing, engklok, indung leutik, torolok, and roel.

Angklung dogdog lojor comes from the Dogdog Lojor culture in the Kasepuhan Pancer Pangawinan community or Kesatuan Banten Kidul near Mount Halimun. This angklung is used for farming, circumcision, and marriage traditions. Six people play it: two play the angklung dogdog lojor, and four play larger angklung instruments.

Angklung gabrag is from Cipinang village, Cigudeg, Bogor, West Java. It is very old and used to honor Dewi Sri, the rice goddess. It is played during rice planting, transporting rice, and storing rice in barns called leuit. A legend says angklung gabrag began when Cipinang village had a dry season because Dewi Sri did not bring rain.

Angklung badeng is from Garut, West Java. It was first used for planting rice rituals but now accompanies Islamic preaching. Nine angklung are needed for the da'wah process: two roel, one kecer, four indung, two anak, two dogdogs, and two gembyung.

Angklung bungko is from Bungko village, Cirebon, West Java. It is played with kendang, tutukan, klenong, and gongs. Long ago, it was used for village fights. Only three angklung bungko remain, believed to be 600 years old. They are said to have come from Ki Gede Bungko, a village elder and navy commander in the 15th century. This angklung is too fragile to play now, but people believe it has magical powers. In the past, playing it with a dance helped sick children recover.

Angklung badud is used in parades or carnivals for performances. It was created and kept in Parakanhonje Village, Indihiang District, Tasikmalaya City, West Java. The Kanca Indihiang Big Family preserved it in the 1970s. It entertains children before circumcision rituals. Before modern medicine, children were taken to a pool for soaking, and angklung badud was played during the journey.

Angklung buncis is used for entertainment, like in Baros, Arjasari, Bandung, West Java. It uses two indung, two ambrug, one panempas, two pancer, one enclok, and three dogdogs (talingtit, panunggung, and badublag). Tarompet, kecrek, and gongs are added later. It has a salendro tone and songs called madenda or degung.

Angklung buncis was once used in rice-related events but now serves as entertainment. This change happened because people no longer focus on traditional beliefs. In the 1940s, rice storage barns (leuit) disappeared, replaced by easier storage methods. The name "buncis" comes from a song lyric: "cis kacang buncis nyengcle…"

Angklung calung, also called calung, is a bamboo instrument played by hitting its parts, not shaking. It follows pentatonic scales: da-mi-na-ti-la. Most calung are made from awi wulung (black bamboo), but some use awi temen (white bamboo). Calung is also a performance art, with two forms: calung rantay (played while sitting) and calung jinjing (carried and played while standing). It was used in ceremonies but now is for entertainment.

Angklung Reog is used with the Reog Ponorogo Dance in East Java. It has a loud sound, two tones, and a curved rattan shape decorated with colored threads. It was once a weapon from the Bantarangin kingdom. When soldiers celebrated a victory, the rope on the angklung loosened, creating a unique sound.

A type of Angklung Reog from Sambit, Ponorogo, is arranged from smallest to largest angklung with different tones. The oldest set, over 250 years old, is in the Sri Baduga Bandung Museum.

Balinese angklung called Rindik has a unique Balinese shape and tone. It is played by hitting bamboo like gamelan. Rindik Bali was originally Angklung Reog from Ponorogo, brought by Majapahit officials.

Angklung padaeng is a modern bamboo instrument. Traditional angklung used slendro, pelog, and madenda scales. In 1938, Daeng Soetigna changed it to play diatonic notes, like Western music. It is named "angklung padaeng" from "Pa" (father) and "Daeng" (the inventor). It is divided into two groups: melodic angklung and accompaniment angklung. A melodic angklung has two tubes with different pitches.

Notations

Angklung music uses a numbered system for musical notation, similar to solfège, but with a different method. In this system, higher numbers represent lower tones, and lower numbers represent higher tones. This may seem confusing to people familiar with Western solfège. Each scale uses only five notes: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, which are read as "da," "mi," "na," "ti," and "la." The actual pitch of these notes depends on the scale used and the starting frequency, which differs from Western standards. Traditional angklung instruments use scales such as saléndro, degung/pélog, and sorog/madenda.

Diatonic notation for angklung in Indonesia uses numbered musical symbols, similar to Jianpu notation, but with differences in rhythm line placement and chord markings. The notation is based on "movable do," where "1" represents the relative do, "2" represents the relative re, and so on. A dot above a number indicates a higher octave, and a dot below indicates a lower octave.

An alternative method involves marking specific numbers on individual angklung instruments, usually ranging from 0 to 31. Here, "0" represents the lowest tone, and "31" represents the highest tone.

Some angklung instruments contain multiple notes and are labeled using English chord symbols, such as C, Dm, Em, F, G, G7, Am, and others. These instruments are used to support and accompany musical pieces.

Cultural context

The angklung is an important part of Indonesian culture, especially for the Sundanese people. In the past, angklung was made and used for special events and rituals. Today, it is a traditional and modern musical instrument that people in Indonesia and around the world enjoy. Here are some of the roles angklung plays in Indonesian culture:

In old Sundanese traditions, angklung was played to call upon Dewi Sri, a goddess believed to bring blessings to rice plants, helping them grow strong and produce food for the community. This ceremony often happened during the Seren Taun, a time for planting and harvesting rice. The Baduy or Kanekes tribe still practices this tradition today. These groups are parts of the old Sundanese culture that remain today.

Angklungcenter

Saung Angklung Udjo (SAU) is one of the largest centers for protecting and growing angklung traditions. It was started in 1966 by Udjo Ngalagena and his wife, Uum Sumiati. Their goal was to protect traditional Sundanese arts and culture, especially the angklung. SAU is located at Jalan Padasuka 118, East Bandung, West Java, Indonesia.

SAU is a place where people can learn about culture and enjoy educational activities. It has a performance area, a center for making bamboo crafts, and workshops for creating bamboo musical instruments. SAU’s presence in Bandung is important because it helps preserve and grow Sundanese culture, especially angklung, through teaching and training programs.

SAU has regular performances every afternoon. These shows include wayang golek performances, helaran ceremonies, traditional dances, beginner angklung lessons, angklung orchestras, mass angklung performances, and arumba music. In addition to daily shows, SAU also holds special performances in the morning or afternoon. These performances are not only at SAU but also at other places in Indonesia and around the world.

SAU does more than perform. It also sells traditional bamboo musical instruments, such as angklung, arumba, calung, and other similar items.

Gamelanangklung

In Bali, a group of angklung instruments is called a gamelan angklung. Although the name comes from the bamboo shakers, these instruments are rarely used outside of East Bali today. Instead, ensembles often use mostly bronze metal instruments, usually with around 20 musicians.

The instruments in a gamelan angklung are similar to those in gamelan gong kebyar, but there are important differences. The gamelan angklung uses a 5-tone slendro scale, though most ensembles play a four-tone version of this scale on instruments with four keys. An exception is the five-tone angklung from northern Bali, which has up to seven keys. In four-tone angklung groups, flute players sometimes play a fifth tone that is not clearly marked. Also, while many instruments in gamelan gong kebyar cover multiple octaves of their pentatonic scale, most gamelan angklung instruments only cover one octave. Some five-tone ensembles have about one and a half octaves. The instruments in gamelan angklung are much smaller than those in gamelan gong kebyar.

Gamelan angklung music is played in Balinese temples during temple anniversaries (odalan). It is also used in rituals related to death (pitra yadnya), connecting it to spiritual beliefs about life, death, and the afterlife. Because the instruments are portable, they are carried during processions when a funeral bier is moved from a temporary burial site to a cremation location. Musicians also play during cremation ceremonies. Many Balinese people associate angklung music and its slendro scale with emotions that mix sacred sweetness and sadness.

The structure of gamelan angklung music is similar to gamelan gong kebyar, but it uses a four-tone scale. A pair of jegog metallophones plays the main melody, which is then expanded by gangsa, reyong, ceng-ceng, flute, and small drums played with mallets. A medium-sized gong called kempur is used to mark major sections of a piece.

Most older compositions do not include the more showy techniques found in gamelan gong kebyar. Recently, many Balinese composers have written kebyar-style pieces for gamelan angklung or adapted kebyar melodies to fit its four-tone scale. These new pieces often include dance, so gamelan angklung ensembles are sometimes expanded with larger gongs and drums. Some modern composers have also created experimental music for gamelan angklung.

Outside Indonesia

In the early 1900s, during the time of the Dutch East Indies, the angklung was introduced to Thailand, where it is known as angkalung (อังกะลุง). In 1908, Luang Pradit Pairoh, a royal musician in the group of Field Marshal Prince Bhanurangsi Savangwongse of Siam, brought the angklung to Thailand. This happened during a royal visit to Java, which was 27 years after King Chulalongkorn’s first state visit to Java in 1871. Thai angklung instruments are usually tuned using the Thai system of seven equal steps per octave. Each angklung has three bamboo tubes, which are tuned to three different octaves, unlike the typical two-octave setup found in Indonesia.

In 2008, a large celebration was held in Thailand to honor the 100th anniversary of the angklung’s introduction to the country. Both the Thai and Indonesian governments supported this event.

The angklung has also been adopted by neighboring countries where Austronesian languages are spoken, such as Malaysia and the Philippines. In these countries, the angklung is played as part of bamboo xylophone orchestras. In Malaysia, the angklung became popular after the end of the Confrontation. It is usually played using a pentatonic scale similar to the Indonesian slendro scale. In the Philippines, angklung sets are also available in diatonic and minor scales, which are used to perform Spanish-influenced folk music and traditional pentatonic songs.

At least one Sundanese angklung buncis ensemble exists in the United States. Angklung Buncis Sukahejo is a group at The Evergreen State College and includes eighteen double rattles (nine tuned pairs) and four dog-dog drums.

World record

On July 9, 2011, 5,182 people from many countries played angklung together in Washington, D.C. They are listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest angklung ensemble.

On Saturday, August 5, 2023, Indonesia successfully broke the Guinness World Records for the world's largest angklung ensemble. This event was organized by 15,110 participants at Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. The Indonesian President, Joko Widodo, and ministers from the cabinet attended this important event.

Gallery

• A young dancer is joined by angklung musicians in Baduy, Banten, around 1910 to 1930.
• Angklung musicians perform in Indonesia in 1949.
• An angklung orchestra performs in Indonesia in 1971.
• Sundanese boys play the angklung in 1918.
• Children are with angklung musicians at Lake Bagendit.
• An angklung performance features dancers.
• People play the angklung.
• An angklung orchestra is at Saung Angklung Udjo in Indonesia.
• An angklung calung performance occurs in Frankfurt, Germany.
• An angklung toel performance happens on Malioboro Street in Yogyakarta.
• The MKIF Angklung Group performs in Germany.