Minimalism Meets Gamelan: An Analysis of Diana Blom and Emma Stacker’s Gong Agong (2006)

Abstract

Contemporary composers draw influence from every style and period in music history. The current pluralistic approach to composition sometimes poses challenges when analysing new music. Often, difficulties arise because the analyst is unsure of which analytical tool to use. Rather than choose a specific tool to analyse a current composition, this paper suggests that the analyst first discover what styles of music influenced the composers while writing the piece and then analyse the piece by making connections to the influences. This paper examines a recent 21st century electroacoustic composition, Diana Blom and Emma Stacker’s Gong Agong (2006), looking at how the composers incorporate elements of minimalism and gamelan in the piece. Gong Agong was one of three finalists in the Musica Nova International Electroacoustic Music Competition 2006 (Category B: Compositions for acoustic instrument/voice/ensemble and electroacoustic media). This paper also examines how minimalist elements interact with certain characteristics of gamelan to create an original piece. By first recognising the styles that influenced a piece of music, analysing a twentieth (or twenty-first) century piece becomes much less daunting.