K.R.T. Wasitodipuro

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

K.R.T. Wasitodipuro was one of the most respected players of the Javanese gamelan. He was born in 1909 in Yogyakarta as Wasi Jolodoro and died in 2007. His name changed several times over the course of his life, each time after an honour he received. First he was called Tjokrowasito, later Ki Tjokrowasito. In the 1960s the Paku Alaman palace gave him the name K.R.T. Wasitodipuro. Later he became known as K.P.H. Notoprojo. He grew up in the Paku Alaman palace and began gamelan at five, with his father, who led the palace gamelan.

Music and breakthrough

He played in the gamelan of the court and in well-known groups such as Daya Pradangga. From 1934 he was musical director of the gamelan at the radio station MAVRO, during the occupation at Radio Hosokyoku and afterwards at RRI Yogyakarta. From 1953 he taught abroad. He also taught at Indonesian dance academies and founded a school for vocal music. In 1962 he took over from his father the leadership of the gamelan of Pura Pakualaman. Before that he had lived in Solo for a long time, and as a result the Pakualaman style came to resemble that of Solo more. He was also a composer and played the rebab, a bowed instrument.

Influence

In 2004 he received the Nugraha Bhakti Musik Indonesia Award. For world music he is important because he passed the gamelan on to students all over the world, so that the palace repertoire of Java was played outside Indonesia.

Listening