| Term |
Definition |
| Angklung |
A type of bamboo rattle that lends its name to the gamelan called gamelan angklung though the instruments themsleves are rarely included in the ensemble today. |
| Ardha candra |
A symbol that represents the unification of oppositions and differences. The nada, the vertical line, symbolizes the male aspect. The curve of the candra, the crescent moon, represents the female aspect. The windu between them represents their androgynous combination, along with the unification of all diversity within the universe and, at the same time, a complete emptiness. |
| Asmara |
The god of love. |
| Atman |
Life-force of a person. |
| Balé agung |
Pavilion used to collect offerings during ceremonies. |
| Balé gong |
Temple pavilion used to house musical ensembles in the outer courtyard during ceremonies. |
| Balé kulkul |
Pavilion that houses kulkul (slit drums). |
| Bali Aga |
“Original Bali.” |
| Barong Ket |
A mythic lion-like creature that possesses auspicious magical powers. |
| Bemo |
A minibus. |
| Bendé |
A hanging gong with a sunken boss used in gamelan beleganjur. |
| Brahma |
The god who is the creator of life. |
| Brahmana |
The priestly caste. |
| Buana |
Worlds: the universe is the “big world,” a human body the “little world.” |
| Calonarang |
A legendary Javanese-Balinese tale dating from the 12th century, presented as a dance-drama since late 19th century. |
| Calung |
A five-keyed, medium size metallophone that plays a medium-level melody. |
| Candi |
Double doors. |
| Candi bentar |
Split gate. |
| Ceng-ceng |
Cymbals. In some types of gamelan smaller cymbals mounted on a frame and then struck with a loose cymbal in either hand also go by the name rincik. |
| Ceng-ceng kopyak |
A pair of large, hand-held cymbals used in some types of gamelan, including gamelan beleganjur. |
| Chakras |
Points in the body that relate to pathways of vital energy. Represented by flowers and a face made from gold foil that are placed or sewn onto the mortuary shrouds of certain high-caste individuals. |
| Dalang |
Puppet master in wayang who has the ability to recall the stories, manipulate the puppets, speak several languages, perform different voices, cue the musicians, tell jokes, and sing. |
| Galungan |
An island-wide festival in the Balinese Hindu calendar. |
| Gamelan |
A collection of instruments made and tuned to stay together as a set. The musicians come to the instruments for rehearsals and performances, rather than bring their own instruments. |
| Gamelan angklung |
An older style of gamelan that plays for a range of ceremonies, distinguished by four-keyed metallophones. |
| Gamelan beleganjur |
A type of gamelan that is portable and used for processions. The instruments may exist as a set or be borrowed from a gamelan gong kebyar or occasionally a gamelan angklung. |
| Gamelan gong kebyar |
The particular gamelan that is associated with the dance style of kebyar (see below). |
| Gamelan luang |
An old, sacred type of gamelan. |
| Gamelan selonding |
An ancient, scared type of gamelan that is associated with Bali Aga villages. |
| Gangsa |
A type of metallophone that has keys made from bronze and strung across the top of bamboo resonators, played with a mallet in the right hand. In most styles of gamelan the gangsas are the metallophone parts that play the kotekan. |
| Gender wayang |
Metallophone with 10-keys made from bronze and strung across the top of bamboo resonators, played with mallets in both hands. |
| Gong lanang |
The second largest hanging gong, considered “male” and played to mark the mid-cycle of the music. |
| Gong wadon |
The largest hanging gong, considered “female” and played to mark the beginning of the cycle. |
| Halus |
Refined. A type of character, human or god, that is refined in appearance, with fine or delicate features, and performs with refined movements in dance and drama. |
| Jaba |
Outside courtyard, or area, of a temple. |
| Jaba tengah |
Middle courtyard of a temple. |
| Jegogan |
The largest metallophones in a gamelan. They have four or five keys depending on the style. Their part is the slowest with the least notes, providing a kind of bass line. |
| Jeroan |
Inner courtyard of a temple. |
| Jiwa |
Soul of a person. |
| Kaja |
Direction that is classified as upstream and mountainward facing toward the mountainous ridge that runs east-west along the center of Bali. |
| Kangin |
Direction of the rising sun. |
| Kasar |
Coarse, as opposed to halus (see above). A type of character, human or demon, that has course features such as a bulbous nose or extended belly and performs with gross or clumsy movements in dance and drama. |
| Kauh |
Direction of the setting sun. |
| Kawi |
Old-Javanese, an esoteric language spoken by gods and noble characters in dance-dramas. |
| Kebyar |
Meaning to “flare up,” kebyar is a style of music and dance that is typified by sudden, dramatic changes in character. It emerged at the beginning of the 20th century and is one of the most popular styles today. |
| Kelod |
Direction that is classified as downstream, or away from the mountains, and considered less auspicious than upstream. |
| Kempli |
A medium-sized kettle gong that keeps the time. |
| Kempur |
The third largest hanging gong that marks the off beats in basic eight-beat cycles. |
| Kendang |
Cylindrical drums with two heads, played with a stick on the right head and the hand on the left head. |
| Keras |
The strong type of characters in dance and drama. |
| Kesatria |
The caste from which kings and princes came historically. |
| Kotekan |
Rhythmic or melodic interlocking where two or more parts are needed to make the complete pattern. |
| Kris |
A distinctive type of dagger. |
| Kulkul |
Slit drums that produce sounds that carry over great distances. Different rhythmic patterns communicate messages to the surrounding community. |
| Lembu |
Sarcophagus. |
| Lingga-yoni |
Symbolic representations of male-female genitalia. |
| Mahabharata |
A Hindu epic that tells the tale of the five Pandawa brothers fighting the evil Korawa brothers. |
| Mantra |
Incantations, typically Hindu or Buddhist. |
| Manusa Yadnya |
The category of ceremonies held for people. |
| Masuk angin |
An ailment characterized by cold-like symptoms and thought to be acquired through travel. |
| Mawinten |
An elaborate purification celebration held when there is a blockage within the soul. |
| Meru |
A tiered shrine in a Balinese temple that represents sacred Mount Meru within Hindu cosmology. |
| Metallophone |
Types of instruments that resemble xylophones and have keys made of metal. Resonators and methods of playing can vary from one type to the next. |
| Mudra |
Ritual hand gestures. |
| Naga |
Mythical serpent that binds the universe together in Balinese cosmology. |
| Nganteg |
A temple consecration. |
| Nyurat ukur |
A mortuary ritual that involves creating a shroud adorned with gold for very pure or holy high-caste individuals. |
| Odalan |
Anniversary festival marking the birth of a temple and celebrated once in every 210-day calendrical cycle. |
| Orang halus |
Refined ethereal beings. |
| Otonan |
A person’s birthday which is celebrated every 210 days. |
| Padmasana |
Lotus seat, or shrine, that functions as resting place for the gods during temple ceremonies. |
| Pajeng |
Ceremonial parasols. |
| Pamurtian |
A giant, many-headed demon. |
| Pawacakan |
A ceremony to pay off any ancestral debts owed by a newly born child. |
| Pedanda |
High priest from the Brahmana caste. |
| Pemangku |
Priest from the commoner caste. |
| Penasar |
Servant-clown characters that are Balinese additions to depictions and dance-dramas of ancient tales such as the Hindu epic poem Mahabharata or the Javanese story of Sutasoma. |
| Penjor |
Long ceremonial flags strung up on bamboo poles. |
| Piasan pedanda |
Pavilion used by high-priests during temple ceremonies. |
| Pitra Yadnya |
The category of ceremonies conducted for priests. |
| Ponggang |
A very simple two-note melody played on kettle gongs as part of a musical piece performed in gamelan beleganjur. |
| Pura Yadnya |
The category of ceremonies conducted for temples. |
| Rangda |
The “Queen of Witches,” the supreme manifestation of malevolent power. |
| Rarung |
The daughter and servant of Rangda. |
| Ratih |
The goddess of love, wife of Asmara. |
| Rejang |
A sacred dance used to welcome the gods to a temple festival. |
| Reyong |
A set of kettle gongs, either played in a rack or divided up between players who each play one. |
| Rindik |
A xylophone made from bamboo. |
| Sanggar |
An arts troupe that specializes in particular style of music, dance, and/or drama and often is available for hire. |
| Sari |
Essence. |
| Saron |
A type of metallophone that has the keys strung across the top of an empty trough. |
| Seka |
Clubs that specialize in a particular activity, including music, dance, and drama. |
| Sida Karya |
Sacred mask in Topeng Pajegan used when the dancer moves into the role of ritual specialist. |
| Siwa |
The god of destruction, known as Shiva in Sanskrit. |
| Suling |
End-blown, bamboo flutes of various sizes used in gamelan. |
| Sunari |
Large bamboo flutes placed in temples that sound as the wind blows around them. |
| Tawa-tawa |
A medium-sized kettle gong that keeps the time. |
| Topeng |
Masked dance-drama based on historical chronicles. |
| Topeng pajegan |
The form of topeng that is performed during rituals and is danced by a ritual specialist. |
| Topeng panca |
The form of topeng that is performed by multiple dancers. |
| Triskati |
“Three powers” conceived of as the trinity of Brahma, Siwa, and Wisnu. |
| Trompong |
A row of kettle gongs played by a single person. |
| Tumpang salu |
A large, covered bed-like structure where the corpse is placed during specific mortuary rituals. |
| Ugal |
Largest metallophone in the gangsa section of gamelan gong kebyar and the leader of the section. |
| Warung |
Small shops or stalls that function like corner stores. |
| Wayang |
Puppet theater. |
| Wayang kulit |
A type of puppet theater performed by highly stylized puppets that traditionally are made from cowhide and that appear as shadows on a screen. The most popular performances for humans, rather than for the gods, are taken from the Mahabharata. |
| Wayang lemah |
A sacred type of puppet theater that is required at some ceremonies and employs a series of strings in place of a solid cloth screen. |
| Wisnu |
The god of life. |
| Yadnya |
The name for ceremonies in general. |
