Abstracts
Abstract
This article discusses the soundtrack used for the ethnographic film Trance and Dance in Bali made by anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson in 1951. The soundtrack consists of a selection of Balinese gamelan and voice pieces, recorded by the labels Odeon and Beka in 1928, and chosen and arranged by Colin McPhee to fit the on-screen action. The film depicts a reenactment of a calonarang ceremony, a ritual which takes place in villages in Bali during the night, consisting in a sacred dance-drama that is highly regionally specific in its execution. However, for the purposes of Mead and Bateson, this calonarang was performed outside its ritual context in order to provide footage for the ethnographers. The aim of this article is to determine the original source of the soundtrack, discuss what is presented visually in the film, assess the adequacy (or inadequacy) of the choices of music in relation to the image, and in the case of inadequacy, to provide suggestions for musical alternatives. The musical and ritual regionalisms inherent to Balinese musical and ritual practice render some of the soundtrack choices inadequate. We argue that the chosen pieces do not all appropriately support the calonarang performance and ceremony depicted, due to inaccurate musical and ritual regionalisms.
Keywords:
- Bali 1928,
- Balinese gamelan,
- calonarang,
- Colin McPhee,
- Odeon and Beka
Résumé
Cet article traite de la trame sonore utilisée pour le film ethnographique Trance and Dance in Bali produit par les anthropologues Margaret Mead et Gregory Bateson en 1951. La bande originale résulte d’une sélection de trames de gamelan et de chants balinais issues des enregistrements réalisés par les labels Odeon et Beka en 1928, choisies et arrangées par Colin McPhee pour soutenir l’action visuelle. Le film montre la reconstitution d’une cérémonie calonarang, un rituel prenant place la nuit dans les villages à Bali et consistant en une danse dramatique dont la spécificité d’exécution est hautement régionale. Toutefois, pour les besoins de Mead et Bateson, ce calonarang fut interprété hors de son contexte rituel afin de fournir des séquences filmiques aux ethnographes. L’objectif de la présente recherche consiste à déterminer la source originale de la bande sonore, discuter de ce qui est présenté visuellement dans le film, évaluer l’adéquation (ou l’inadéquation) du choix de la bande sonore par rapport aux images, et dans le cas d’une inadéquation, fournir des suggestions musicales alternatives. Les régionalismes musicaux et rituels inhérents aux pratiques balinaises rendent certains des choix musicaux de la trame sonore inadéquats. Nous soutenons que les pièces sélectionnées ne supportent pas toutes de façon appropriée la performance et la cérémonie.
Mots-clés :
- Bali 1928,
- calonarang,
- gamelan balinais,
- Colin McPhee,
- Odeon et Beka
Appendices
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