Wayang shadow theatre In Bali Part 19

During a battle scene, the movement of a puppet shooting arrows, jabbing his fists, poking weapons and making numerous fighting gestures is comparable to the commanding movement of a baton in the hand of a Western music conductor. A good dalang is very aware of how these dramatic and extravagant sequences will excite an audience.

The third way a dalang cues his musicians is by loudly reciting dramatic terms. Some of those cuing devices are listed and translated below (Zurbuchen, 1987: 163):

bawisiati                                  next, then, following upon

ari wawu                                 just then, next, just as

agelis                                       immediately, quickly

ari tedun                                  upon the descent of

ari wijil                                    upon the appearance/coming forth of

caritanen                                 let it be told

warnanen                                let it be described

byatita                                     formerly, in the part

saksana                                   in the wink of an eye

kancit                                      straightaway

This dramatic narrative is easier for musicians to respond to than the puppet movements and the pattern of the rattle. For example, when a dalang wishes to tell his musicians to begin the mesem (sad scene for Arjuna), all he needs to do is recite, ‘Therefore Prince Arjuna cries’, and the musicians respond accordingly.

The fourth device that a dalang uses to cue his musicians is by singing a line or phrase. Similar to the technique often practised in Western musical theatre when the actor signals the musical director by saying a particular word or phrase, a dalang simply starts by singing a line after which the musicians would promptly follow. For example, when a dalang wishes to begin the Rebong love scene, he may sing, ‘Fragrant aroma permeates the air . . . (Miyik ngalub malimpugan . . .).’ Other musical scenes that require a sung phrase to begin them include the Tampak Silir unison vocal and instrumental, Angkat-angkatan travelling scene, Peparikan seductive scene and the Genjekan drunken scene.

In terms of musical drama or narration, a dalang’s cue for his musicians to collaborate with him is a sine qua non. Based on interactivity between a dalang’s vocal art and instrumental music which complement the narration, the Wayang performance employs three divergent types of musical drama:

1. Tandak (tetandakan, plural) is the vocal art that embellishes the melody and faithfully follows the pitch and tone of the instrumental music. This type of vocal art is always used for entrance scenes, sad scenes and love scenes. For example, tandak alas harum is used for the appearance of refined characters. Tandak candi rebah is for the arrival of demonic characters. Tandak mesem is for a sad scene of refined characters with small eyes; tandak rundah is for sad scenes of demonic characters with sharp fangs; and tandak bendu semara is for sad scenes of strong/hard characters with big oval or round eyes.
2. Tampak Silir is vocal/instrumental music where melody, pitch and tone match. In the first meeting scene, Tampak Silir is usually sung by the servant or precedes the dialogue, narrating the features of each character who is about to speak. The lyric is usually a brief, flamboyant description about a great king, a resilient hero, a holy sage, a gorgeouspalace or a prosperous country.
3. Bebaturan are ornamental vocal arts, which are melodically free from, and far more elaborate than, the instrumental music. Unlike the tandak, in which the instrumental music is dominant, the vocal element in Bebaturan always dominates the ostinato of the instrumental pieces. This vocal type is used in the travelling scenes and some fighting scenes. The lyrics describe the situation or the mood of a specific character.