Agung

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Agung
Same pair of gong: the left gong (to the right of the player) is a pangandungan , which supports the basic rhythm and the right gong (to the player's left) is a panentekan , which adorns the game of pangandungan .

Agung , also agong , in many languages ​​of the Malay Islands describes hanging hump gongs idiophonically played as serve . On the southern Philippine island of Mindanao , especially in the province of Maguindanao , they are used by the mostly Muslim Maranao and Tausug as a supporting musical instrument in a Kulintang ensemble. For other ethnic groups in the Malaysian Sabah , Sarawak and the rest of Kalimantan , the agung is the main instrument of an agung orchestra. In the gamelan of Java and Bali , large hanging gongs are called gong ageng .

Design

The agung is a large, heavy, wide-rimmed kettle gong that is responsible for the bass tone in a kulintang orchestra . Each of the gongs usually weighs between 4.1 kg and 5.6 kg, although it is entirely possible to use agung gongs that weigh less than 5 pounds (1.87 kg) or up to 20 or even 30 pounds (7.46 kg or 11.2 kg). This depends on the metal from which it is made, bronze , brass or iron . While its diameter is smaller than that of the gandingan and is between approximately 22 inches (560 mm) to 24 inches (610 mm), it is set much deeper than that of the gandingan, i.e. it has a significantly wider takilidan (edge), which, including the large, towering button or hump, can be between 12 and 13 inches (304-330 mm).

An agung brass

The gongs are hung vertically on ropes at about height or a little below the hips. They are attached to a raised structure such as a strong tree branch, a ceiling beam or a wooden or metal frame that serves as a frame for the gong.

The larger, deeper-sounding gong of the two is called pangandungan by the Maguindanao and p'nanggisa-an or punangisa-an by the Marano . It is located to the right of the player and either provides the basic rhythm or it is used for the rhythmic structure at the important points of a piece. The smaller, higher-sounding gong, which is also the thicker of the two, is called Panentekan by the Maguindanao , while it is called p'malsan or pumalsan by the Maranao . It is located to the left of the player and underlines or decorates the sections of the pangandungan game, mainly with double or triple hits that are used at all weakened points in the rhythm structure.

technology

An agung player demonstrates the new technique of katinengka with his bobbin lace .

When playing agung, the player usually stands next to the instrument, holding the upper part of the edge between the thumb and the other fingers of the left hand. With his right hand he creates the sound by striking the round hump or hump in the center of the gong with a clapper. The clapper, known as balu , is made from a short stick and is half a foot long (approx. 15 cm). One end is wrapped in a soft but tough material such as rubber. The handling of the balu while playing Agung is similar to the style of play of a tom-toms of brass. It uses dampening techniques to create a series of solid, rapidly decaying tones. The desired effect is brought about by leaving one hand on the hump or the knee on the flange after striking, or by placing the clapper itself on the hump. When a player uses both gongs, the assistant holds the lower-pitched gong in an angular position and dampens the instrument with both of his hands.

In the last few years a new type of handling has developed, in which predominantly part of the hump is held instead of the flange or, in another variant, one strokes around the hump, but using the wooden end of the clapper. The aim in each case is to dampen the sound in this way. These techniques, called Katinengka , are used by downriver musicians of the Maguindanaos ethnic group to create a metallic sound during the Kulintang performance.

Various combinations of players, gongs and sticks can be used to play an agung. The Agung can either be played by two players, each of whom works on their own gong, or a musician uses both gongs. If there is only one actor, he can either play both gongs, holding the higher-sounding gong at eye level, while the lower-sounding gong is held at an angle by an assistant for stability, or he can limit himself to one gong alone. The latter style, which is mainly used by the downriver Maguindanaos in Simuay and for whom this type of game is considered to be a very old one, only use the higher-sounding gong. Unlike the deeper sounding gong, this is a management instrument and therefore has a primary meaning. An example of this is playing a single gong agung on a Tagunggo piece.

In addition, the number of batons used can also vary. On most occasions only one bat is used, while other techniques use two clappers, one in each hand. However, this type of game is only reserved for competitions and demonstrations. With a much more interesting technique, only one balu is used , whereby it is necessary that the players play the agung in reverse order. This technique is called Patuy .

Musical application

The agung as part of a Kulintang ensemble

Kulintang Ensemble

In the communities of the Maguindanao and the Maranao, the agung is mainly seen as a supporting or accompanying instrument of a conventional kulintang ensemble. By generating basic patterns and interlocking rhythms, the agung is used by the player to complete the melody given by the kulintang. The patterns usually used by the players are to be seen as much more free than they are with the other accompanying instruments of the kulintang, the babendil (a small gong) or the dabakan (beaker drum). The players can vary the patterns on their own as long as they present them in an aligned and reinforcing manner, thereby developing and supporting the rhythm of the piece. The length of the patterns themselves can be kept changing, depending on how they fit into the musical improvisation. Fast styles are helpful for the musician, as they allow him to clarify his playing coast and make it clear.

Among both the Maguindanao and the Maranao, the agung is viewed as a masculine embodiment, which is why the agung is traditionally viewed as a masculine instrument. In order to be recognized as a good player, you have to embody strength on the one hand and master stamina (error-free playing at an extremely high speed) and have perseverance on the other . The players must still be able to demonstrate their improvisational skills on different playing patterns so that the audience does not see the played patterns as repetitive and thus banal.

Due to the high level of skill required to play the agung , it is not uncommon for players to engage in friendly rivalries during their performance, using tricks to push each other to the limit in their game. If, for example, the types of p'nanggisa (the gong for the basic rhythm) so elusive that the p'malsan (the gong for the decoration) has a hard time to ornament the game or vice versa, the embellishments of p'malsan are so devoured that they can hardly be reached by the performance of the p'nanggisa , a player can get into the embarrassment of not being able to continue, which can make him the target of ridicule. Usually the players change places after each piece, but under these circumstances, if a player is no longer able to handle the part being played, the players may well remain at their gong or change places during the performance. It is also possible that the actors swap places with the Dabakan player after two plays. Although the players are in a competition, they see themselves together as a single unit in which the melody is closely accompanied and in which various variations are presented without the basic pattern of the music being destroyed.

Interaction with the opposite sex

A Maguidanao musician during a competition with two balu .

For men, especially for young adolescents, a key motive for learning the game of agung is the opportunity to get together and interact with young, even unmarried women. In both the Maranao and Maguindanao cultures, Islamic tradition forbids meeting or conversing with the opposite sex unless you are married or related by blood. Therefore, only the performance of the kulintang music offers such a possibility, since it is permitted here that the kulintang is also played by a woman in the presence of men. For example, agung players among the Maguindanao are allowed to musically accompany a young unmarried woman in the rhythmic varieties Duyog and Sinulog a Kamamatuan . In the case of another form of rhythm, the tidto , this is also answered in the affirmative, but here the kulintang is usually played by an older woman.

Competitions

The latter form is actually reserved specifically for solo agung competitions. Unlike other groups in the southern Philippines who hold group competitions, the Maguindanao excel at holding individual competitions in which they try to find out who is the best parrot (master player of the agung) in the community . The Tidto variety is ideally suited for such competitions , as the agung is more and more the focus of attention and, especially with this variety, it represents a focal point within an orchestra. Players typically offer two or more versions during such a contest, playing each of the three previously outlined techniques.

Signaling and supernatural character

Regardless of its use in a kulintang ensemble, another use for agung is common among the Maguindanao and Maranao . The agung serves as a warning signal for these ethnic groups in the event of imminent danger, it indicates the time of day or is used on other important occasions. In the past, the Sultan repeatedly struck the agung to announce the appointment of a meeting. Likewise, during the fasting month of Ramadan , it was suggested at three o'clock in the morning to give the sign to eat or it signaled the end of fasting for this day at sunset.

Probably because of the deep and loud sound that the agung makes, people also believed that it contained supernatural powers. For example, the local Maguindanao hit it in a fast and loud rhythm called baru-baru during an earthquake , because it is assumed that its vibrations could reduce or even stop the tremors.

origin

The doctrines largely agree that the origin of the agung is to be found in Indonesia , since the word agung / agong is derived from the Malay word agong and the Indonesian word ageng . Supporting evidence comes from a British explorer, Thomas Forrest, who wrote that Filipinos were "in love with musical gongs that came from Cheribon on Java and had round bumps."

Similar agung instruments

In Kulintang ensembles

On the Sulu Archipelago , not two, but three, but weakly sounding agungs are used within Kulintang orchestras, which serve as accompanying instruments here. With the Tausug, the Samal and the Yakan they are used as a humming background in musical groups. Among the Tausug and Samal, the largest agungs, which are equipped with a wide inwardly turned rim, are called Tunggalan or Tamak . They emit slow, regular beats and are related in their function to the Pangandungan of the Maguindanaon and the P'nanggisa-an of the Maranao. A smaller pair of agungs, the Duahan, are responsible for the syncope to the Tunggalan or Tamak . These are divided into a wide-rimmed Duahan, the Pulakan , and a narrower one, known among the Tausug as Huhugan or Buahan and among the Samal as Bua .

In Agung ensembles

The agung naturally plays a major role within agung orchestras, which consist of larger gongs that are suspended or suspended or held and provided with humps or humps. These deliver humming tones without being accompanied by a melodic instrument such as the kulintang.

A Tiruray agung ensemble called Karatung plays at San Francisco State University

Such orchestras are mainly found among the Lumad groups on Mindanao (the Bagobo, Bilaan, Bukidnon, Hanunoo, the Magsaka, Manabo, Mangyan, Palawan, Subanun, T'boli , Tagakaolu, Tagbanua and the Tiruray). You can also meet them in the regions on the island of Borneo in Indonesia and Malaysia (among the Iban , Modang, Murut , Bidayuh , Kadazan-Dusun and Kayan ). Among these ethnic groups, Agung orchestras are preferred to Kulintang-like ensembles. The composition and the sound of these orchestras vary significantly between the individual groups. The Hanunoo ethnic group on Mindoro, for example, has small agung ensembles that consist of only two light gongs and are played by two musicians on the floor, performing a simple double rhythm. The Manobo, on the other hand, have an ensemble made up of up to 10 small Agungs and named Ahong . These hang vertically in a triangular formation on a frame and are played by three musicians. One acts standing while the other two sit in front of the instrument. The Ahong is divided according to its provisions. The higher sounding gongs carry the melody and are known as Kaantuhan , three to four lower sounding gongs are called Gandingan and they form the melodic ostinato , while the deepest sounding instruments set the tempo and are called bandil .

An old Tiruray humpback gong set made of bronze

The Tiruray refer to their agung ensembles as the Kelo Agung , Kalatong or Karatung ensembles . These consist of five flat hunched gongs of graduated dimensions, each of which is played by one person. The smallest gong, Segaron , is the management instrument that provides a constant beat rhythm. The Sagabong ensemble of the Manobo follows the same format and consists of five small gongs, each held individually by a player, whereby these play a special interlocking pattern in which they use rubber clappers. The T'boli and Palawan have similar agung ensembles, with the T'boli consisting of three to four agungs. Two or three of them are collectively referred to as semagi because they are responsible for the permutation. The last agung, the tang , on the other hand only provides a steady beat rhythm. In the Palawan, the gong music groups are called basal . These consist of four gongs, one or two deep-sounding agungs with a large hump, and a pair of small hump, higher-sounding sanangs , which provide a “metallic” sound. The Subanon also have an agung ensemble, which is similar to the Karatung of the Tiruray and which they call Gagung sua .

Both the Bagabo and the B'laan attest to their form of the Agung ensemble with the name Tagunggo . This consists of a set of eight metal gongs that hang on a harness and are played by two, three or more people. Seven of the small gongs produce a running melody, with the eighth, larger gong syncopating with the remaining gongs and providing an independent rhythm. The Agung ensemble of the Manabo is similar to the just described Tagunggo , but has the name Tagungguan among this ethnic group .

On the western coast of Sabah, the Kadazan Dusan know their Agung ensemble under the name Tawag or Bandil . Groups living along the coast are made up of six to seven large gongs, while groups living in the plains inland have 7–8 large gongs. In the southwest of the Malay state of Sarawak , the Bidayuh Agung groups consist of nine large gongs, which are divided into four groups, Taway , Puum , Bandil and Sanang . In comparison, the agung ensembles among the Ibans from Sarawak, on Kalimantan in Brunei , again consist of fewer gongs.

Such ensembles either play alone or they are supported by one or two accompanying drums, whereby the hand and a wooden stick are used to play them and the gongs are accompanied homophonically in an interlocking technique. These agung orchestras are usually found as background music at any type of social celebration. This applies to agricultural customs, for weddings, for joint harvest festivals, victory celebrations, convalescence rites, funeral rituals or they are used solely for the entertainment of guests.

Others

  • Agung a bentong is a log drum made of bamboo from the Maranao in Mindanao.
  • Ogung is a hanging humpback gong among the Batak people of Sumatra.

credentials

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