ABSTRACT
Indonesia is an exceptionally diverse island nation, with 250 million citizens drawn from multiple races, ethnicities, and cultural traditions. e people gained independence from the Dutch colonial empire in 1945, and their national language (Bahasa Indonesia) is the fi fth most spoken language in the world. Much of the nation’s territory includes the ocean; Indonesia comprises over 13,000 islands (only 5% of which are inhabited). is chapter focuses on several major islands renowned for their musical cultures: Sumatra, Java, and Bali, and includes information on the lesser-known islands of Lombok, Sumbawa, and Sulawesi. Many outsiders are already familiar with the sounds of the gamelan, a large gongchime ensemble, particularly those found in Java and Bali. One reason for this familiarity may be that many North American and European universities own such ensembles, and college radio stations often include gamelan in their world music off erings. Indonesia has much more music to off er, however.
