ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses different kinds of musical creativity that take place in Protestant and Catholic churches in central Java. It presents several examples that are representative of different kinds and degrees of music involvement in the church, types of musical repertoire, and aesthetic and philosophical issues related to Javanese Christian music. The chapter is concerned with Javanese Protestant songs called Langen Sekar. It describes the composition process and the structure of Christian traditional songs, their musical and linguistic characteristics. The chapter is devoted to songs created and performed within the Catholic Church. As Philip Yampolsky notes, Christian popular music is marketed in the same media, through the same techniques, and performed in the same manner as secular popular music. Gamelan music in the Catholic and Protestant churches is represented in different degrees; its presence depends on the availability of musically capable individuals as well as the support of religious leaders and congregations.
