Kecak chorus

Item

Edited Title

en Kecak, Bali

Archivist's Original Title

en Kecak chorus

Original description

en Appearing in its present form at the beginning of the 1930s, this genre drew from older models, such as the trance-dances as practised in temples.
A chorus of men, some forty performers, seated in concentric circles facing towards the centre, where a scene from the Ramayana is played, with the texts declaimed by actors. The chorus itself performs a polyphony of diverse cries and onomatopoeias, wherein the syllables [ke] and [cak] (pronounced "cha") are stylised monkey calls. The result is a varied rhythmic counterpoint, mainly using techniques of hocket, ostinato and off-beat. Synchronisation betwecn the different parts is rigorously directed by one of the members in the chorus, a sort-of conductor whose signals can be clearly heard. There is no place for improvisation, and all the parts, whose number vary during a performance, have been learned by heart.

Time duration

en 0:03:14

MetadataURL

Recording date of the original material

en 1978

Acquisition Date

en 1983

Population

en Bali

Place of the cultural origin

Country Name

Recording place

en Bali, Ubud

Resource Language

en Bali

Comment

en Voice CD I - Techniques: Calls, cries and clamors.

Archivist Category

en Music (Vocal)

Recording context

en Published record

Instrument, Original Archivist Data

en Male chorus

Collector

Name of original Collection

en Voices of the World, an Anthology of Vocal Expression (CD)

Collection source citation

Related material

History of ownership

en Recording achived in 1983 at Musée de l'Homme (BM.1983_021) but not yet digitized in 2024.

Holding Institution of Original Materials

Licensing Institution

Accessing Institutions

Copyright Information

en CC BY-NC-ND

Physical format

en Magnetic tape

Preservation State of Physical Object

en Copy

Original item number

en CNRSMH_E_1996_013_001_001_010

SEAH Identifier

en SEAH_CNRSMH_E_1996_013_001_001_010