Colotomy

The English language term was coined, presumably first in Dutch, from the Greek word for a unit of rhythm (colon) and something that divides (-tomy / -tomic), by the ethnomusicologist Jaap Kunst. Although the term "colotomic" was derived from Indonesian music theory, it can be applied to other musical traditions as well. In particular, it has been used to describe Japanese gagaku and Thai piphat. ==Example of a colotomic structure== The lancaran is a cycle of 16 beats (keteg) in the following order: ::TWTN TPTN TPTN TPTG where T indicates the strike of the ketuk, P the kempul, N the kenong, and G the simultaneous stroke of the gong and kenong. The W indicates the wela, the pause where the kempul is omitted. Thus, the gong plays once, the kenong divides that into four parts, the kempul divides each of those in two, and the ketuk divides each of those further in two. Note that except for the kenong playing on the gong, the instruments do not play when the next one plays. (Remember that the gatras of gamelan music have the strong beat (seleh) at the end, not at the beginning as is often considered normal for Western music. Thus the more important structural instruments coincide with the stressed beats.) Colotomic structures occur on even larger scales in most gamelan pieces as well. For example, a typical lancaran has four gongs, at the end of which the larger gong ageng is played. Groupings of four are most common at all levels of structure, although there are numerous exceptions at larger levels. The colotomic structure of a piece is the length of the cycle and how the interpunctuating instruments play during that cycle, but they are also musical forms which are associated with specific structural patterns on a larger scale than the colotomic cycle, and guidelines for what tempi and irama may be used. ==Colotomic structures in Javanese gamelan==

Colotomic structures or Gendhing structures refer to gamelan compositions in general. Gendhing (also written, as in the old orthography, gending) can also be used to refer to a specific class of colotomic structures used in Javanese gamelan music. At its simplest, colotomic may be taken to mean, "cyclically punctuating". More clearly, "gongs of different sizes are used to mark off circular segments, or cycles, of musical time." Though a colotomic structure may be hundreds of units long and is generally explicitly stated, it is akin to hierarchical Western meter.T = kethuk, P = kempul, N = kenong, Gong = gong ageng. The ketawang is one of the gendhing structures used in Javanese gamelan music. Its colotomic structure is: ::pTpW pTpN pTpP pTpG where p indicates the strike of the kempyang, T the ketuk, P the kempul, N the kenong, and G the simultaneous stroke of the gong and kenong. The W indicates the wela, the pause where the kempul is omitted. Thus, the gong plays once, the kenong divides that into two parts, the kempul (or wela) divides each of those in two, the ketuk divides each of those further in two, and finally the kempyang divides each of those in two. The kendhang usually plays in kendhang kalih style. Ketawang usually have the specific form of an ompak that lasts one gongan and may be repeated several times, and a ngelik that may last three or four gongan. Some ketawang have the same ompak but different ngelik. Ketawang often begin in irama tanggung and then slow down to irama dadi or slower. The ketawang developed in the court of Prince Mangkunegara IV (r. 1853–1881) of Surakarta. Famous ketawang: Puspawarna. Lancaran The lancaran is one of the gendhing structures used in Javanese gamelan music. It is the shortest of the gendhing structures that are not from the wayang repertoire. Gangsaran and bubaran are related structures that share the same colotomic structure. Groupings of four are most common at all levels of this structure. The basic colotomic structure is a cycle of 16 beats (keteg) in the following order: ::TWTN TPTN TPTN TPTG where T indicates the strike of the ketuk, P the kempul, N the kenong, and G the simultaneous stroke of the gong and kenong. The W indicates the wela, the pause where the kempul is omitted. Thus, the gong plays once, the kenong divides that into four parts, the kempul divides each of those in two, and the ketuk divides each of those further in two. Note that except for the kenong playing on the gong, the instruments do not play when the next one plays. The kendhang plays in kendhang kalih style. A typical lancaran has four gongs, at the end of which the larger gong ageng is played. Lancaran are usually played fast, usually in irama lancar. Some lancaran have a separate section which can be played between repetitions of the four-gong ompak, known as the nyekar or lagu. Lancaran are often written in balungan nibani. Bubaran are played more moderately, usually in irama tanggung, but are usually written in balungan mlaku. They also use a distinctive kendhang pattern. A bubaran is used as an ending piece, to be played while the audience is departing. The best-known bubaran is Udan Mas. Gangsaran is a variety of lancaran which consists of simply a repeated tone. It originates from the wayang repertoire. It can appear at the end of a composition as well. Ladrang except that four (instead of two) nongan comprise a gongan. It is also similar to the lancaran, except it is twice as slow, and the kempyang plays in between each beat of the lancaran''. Many ladrang have two sections, an ompak and a ngelik, each of which typically last one gongan. Ladrang can be played in any irama except for lancar. Wayang In Javanese gamelan music, there are a few gendhing structures derived from the wayang repertoire: Ayak-ayakan, Sampak, and Srepeg. Ayak-ayakan The ayak-ayakan is one structure. The colotomic structure is: ::...P ...P ::TNTN TNTN with both lines played together, and T indicating a stroke of the kethuk, P the kempul, and N the kenong. The kenong and kempul always play the seleh. In slendro manyura, the gong suwukan is used instead of the kempul. Gongans are of varying length, according to the pathet. The ending (suwuk) can occur at different points in the cycle, given the cue from the kendhang or kepyak. It usually begins in irama lancar, and then slows down to tanggung, dados, or rangkep. The ayak-ayakan is often used to accompany the entrance of puppets, or the transition between pathets. Sampak Sampak is another structure. A sampak often follows a srepeg. It is the fastest of the wayang structures. The colotomic structure is: ::NNNNNNNN NNNNNNNN ::TPTPTPTP TPTPTPTP with both lines played together, and T indicating a stroke of the kethuk, P the kempul, and N the kenong. The kenong and kempul always play the seleh. It does not use the kempyang. Gongans are of varying length, usually two, three, or four gatras, based on a signal from the kendhang. The ending (suwuk) can occur at any point in the cycle, given the cue from the kendhang or kepyak, and consists of a gatra played after the gong. The melodic shape of a sampak is distinctive, as the gatras are repeated notes in the pathet. It is played in irama lancar. Example Sampak pélog barang: :2222 3333 7777 :7777 2222 6666 :6666 3333 2222 :Suwuk: xx22 This sampak has three gongan. The signal to end can come at any gong, where the player plays the next two notes as normal, and then 22 (as indicated by xx22). Srepeg Srepeg is another colotomic structure: ::...P...P ...P...P ::TNTNTNTN TNTNTNTN with both lines played together, and T indicating a stroke of the kethuk, P the kempul, and N the kenong. The kenong and kempul always play the seleh. Gongans are of varying length, according to the pathet. The ending (suwuk) can occur at any point in the cycle, given the cue from the kendhang or kepyak. The melodic shape of a srepeg is distinctive, as it consists mostly of the seleh alternating with a neighbor tone. It is usually fast and played in irama lancar. ==See also==