- Puspawarna
Puspawarna (Javanese for "kinds of flowers") is a
gamelan composition famous in central Java. It is aketawang inslendro pathet manyura. Thus the full title of the piece is Ketawang Puspawarna Laras Slendro Pathet Manyura. As manyura is the final pathet in awayang performance, the mood it evokes is of ripeness or fulfillment.The piece is performed for the entrance of the prince. The text refers to different kinds of flowers, each symbolizing a different rasa. The text and melody are attributed to Prince
Mangkunegara IV ofSurakarta (reigned 1853-1881), to commemorate his favorite wives and concubines.A recording of Puspawarna by the court gamelan of
Pura Paku Alaman ,Yogyakarta , directed byK.R.T. Wasitodipuro (now K.P.H. Natoprojo), recorded byRobert E. Brown , was included on theVoyager Golden Record , which was sent on theVoyager 1 spacecraft as a greeting to whatever extraterrestrials may find it. The recording is also available on the album "" (originally released in 1971). According to the note by Brown in the reissued version of that CD, "Puspawarna" was one ofCarl Sagan 's favorites on the record.References
*Brown, Robert E. Notes to "Java: Court Gamelan". Reissued edition. New York: Nonesuch 79719-2, 2003.
External links
* [http://www.zaender.com/gamelan/nota/2002/puspa.htm Kepatihan notation for the balungan of Puspawarna]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/gamelan/audio/index.php?group=Gamelan_Nyai_Saraswati&performance=20031123&view=audio Recording of Puspawarna by Gamelan Nyai Saraswati, University of North Carolina]
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