The gender wayang repertoire in theater and ritual: A study of Balinese musical meaning

In this dissertation I examine Balinese musical meaning as situated knowledge. I analyze ways that people interpret the significance of musical sound in theatrical and ceremonial performances, considering the diversity of views and practices and abundant regional and personal variation. The concept of zaman dulu (a bygone era) serves as an important framework for the performers with whom I worked, informing and contextualizing their present musical practice. Therefore, zaman dulu is a theme that frames this study and enables me to contextualize the Balinese present.;The gender wayang ensemble provides essential musical support for the songs and speech of the dalang (shadow master) in wayang (shadow play) and is also an essential component in certain rites of passage such as toothfiling and cremation ceremonies where it is performed without wayang. Music expresses time, mood and characterization in similar ways in these two contexts: pieces played for rituals are drawn from the wayang repertoire and fulfill similar functions in shaping the event. Through musical analysis I explore the way piece categories provide meaningful support that shapes each performance and brings theatricality into ritual and ritual into theater, symbolically linking the human experience to the wayang world. Many performers feel that the presence of the gender ensemble in these rituals is necessary because of its association with the mythological past represented in wayang, and that by evoking the past the participants undergoing the ceremony identify with wayang characters.;This dissertation examines performers' personal interpretations and musical choices in theatrical and ritual contexts from three regions of southern Bali which are linked historically yet reflect contrasting personalities and musical styles. These areas are Sukawati (Gianyar), Tunjuk (Tabanan), and Kayu Mas (Denpasar). As teachers and story tellers, wayang performers function in Balinese society as major repositories of knowledge of all kinds: in all contexts they are inextricably linked to the wayang world and teach through the art of story telling. Their narratives and musical expression within and without the wayang context open the doors to a rich cultural tradition at the core of Balinese existence.