Quote:
|
Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey
Gangsa is bronze.
In Central Jawa good quality gamelan instruments are made of bronze, and have traditionally been made of bronze.
The pendok that I mentioned is not made of the bronze that is usually found in Central Jawa, but it could be a bronze, because the composition of bronze is highly variable. New bronze made today is typically about 10% tin and 90% copper, but over the course of history, the metals used to make bronze have varied a lot, I seem to recall reading somewhere that one of the bronzes used in England in early times was made of 8 different metals, what I can remember of this mix is copper, tin, zinc, lead, arsenic.
If the colour of Pusaka's pendok is correct, it is very probably mamas.
There were pendok made of gangsa, or bronze, but I cannot recall ever having handled one.
|
A. G. Maisey,did they have a specific name for that bronze made of 8metals or did they just call it bronze?
I had also read that gamelan instruments are just made from bronze however I also know that people also consider the gamelan instruments in the royal courts to have a superior sound.
Master Tjokorda Raka Swastika is of the Ubud Royal family so when he said that the gamelan instruments were made from Panca Datu perhaps he was specifically talking about the instruments in the possession of the royal courts or perhaps this is unique to Bali?