Eksplorasi Balungan Gending Gaya Yogyakarta dan Surakarta

Balungan gending merupakan acuan pengrawit dalam menentukan pola permainan ricikan. Secara visual, balungan gending berbentuk susunan nada-nada yang sudah diatur tinggi rendah maupun fungsinya. Karawitan gaya Yogyakarta memiliki balungan gending yang berbeda dengan gaya Surakarta. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengeksplorasi gaya atau ciri khas gending berorientasi kewilayahan sehingga untuk mengeksplorasi dua gaya gending ini tidak akan terlepas dari historisitas kewilayahan empat kerajaan Dinasti Mataram, yaitu Kasultanan Yogyakarta, Kasunanan Surakarta, Mangkunegaran Surakarta, dan Pakualaman Yogyakarta beserta dengan pengaruhnya. Dengan mempergunakan metode deskriptif kualitatif, keberadaan gending gaya Yogyakarta dan Surakarta dilihat sebagai suatu fenomena sosial dengan mengacu pada balungan gending. Balungan gending gaya Yogyakarta cenderung melompat, patah-patah. Balungan gending gaya Surakarta cenderung linier, mengalun. Perbedaan balungan gending akan berdampak pada karakter gending. Gending gaya Yogyakarta cenderung berkarakter gagah, mantap, dan bergelora, sedangkan gending gaya Surakarta cenderung berkarakter luwes, mengalir, mengalun. Ketercapaian karakter gending akan terwujud melalui kemampuan pengrawit dalam menginterpretasi kehendak balungan gending.Exploration of Balungan Gending Gaya Yogyakarta and SurakartaAbstractBalungan gending is a reference for musicians who want to determine the pattern of ricikan playing. Visually, balungan gending takes the form of a sequence of notes arranged in terms of pitch and function. The Yogyakarta style of karawitan has a different balungan gending from the Surakarta style. This study aims to explore the regionally oriented styles or characteristics of gending, so that the exploration of these two gending styles cannot be separated from the regional history of the four kingdoms of the Mataram Dynasty, namely the Sultanate of Yogyakarta, the Sunanate of Surakarta, Mangkunegaran Surakarta, and Pakualaman Yogyakarta, along with their influences. Using a qualitative descriptive method, the existence of Yogyakarta-style and Surakarta-style gending is viewed as a social phenomenon based on the gending structure. The structure of Yogyakarta-style gending tends to be jumpy and fragmented, while the structure of Surakarta-style gending tends to be linear and flowing. Differences in gending structure will impact the character of the gending. Yogyakarta-style gending tends to have a bold, steady, and passionate character, while Surakarta-style gending tends to have a flexible, flowing, and melodious character. The gending's character is realized through the performer's ability to interpret the intent of the gending's structure.Keywords: Exploration of Gending; Balungan Gending; Gending style.