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A_HOUSE_IN_BALI
May 01, 2006
Additions: June 14, 2006
About Colin McPhee's "A House in Bali"
Published 1944-47
Before running off for an About events: 1931-35
extended stay in Bali, I and 1937-38
was looking around for
books that I might read on
the subject... this was my
first trip there -- indeed CITIZEN_DOOM
my first trip outside the
US -- though Dangerbaby
has been there many times.
Rather than be entirely
led around by her, I
wanted to develop my own
way of understanding the I was hoping for
place, so I went off looking something like 1930s
for some books that were spy novels set in It's a trick that I
neither guide books, nor Indonesia. like a lot, to use
heavy scholarly tomes... low culture as a
series of hooks to
What I found was attach high culture.
a handful of
popular novels For example, I might
and/or travelog begin studying British
set in or around For the most history by checking on
Bali. part voices from details in Katherine
an earlier era, Hepburn movies.
though there was
also some Pico Iyer OUT_OF_THE_DUMPSTER
in the stack.
I flipped through
them quickly to
decide which one
I would carry with me.
"A House in Bali"
begins with Colin
McPhee as a young
composer obsessed with
some phonograph And so, right there
recordings of Balinese I was hooked, connected
gamelan, determined to to the material on
travel there and learn my musical exploration
more of this music. axis, rather than on
pulp fiction. MUSEODD
(For lack of
"The records had been made anything
in Bali, and the clear, better to
metallic sounds of the link to.)
music were like the
stirring of a thousand
bells, delicate, confused,
with a sensuous charm, a
mystery that was quite
overpowering." -- p 10
"A House in Bali" is a very
good book in many, many
respects; Colin McPhee writes
quite well:
"They used no notes (indeed there
were none, it seemed); each phrase
of the melody, each intimate detail BALINESE_MUSIC
of accompaniment they had learned by
ear, listening carefully and with
infinite patience to the teacher who
had, perhaps, been called from some Upon trying to return
other village. Late into the night to Paris in 1932:
they played. From the house I could
hear them going over phrase after "I went to concerts only to listen
phrase, correcting, improving, unitl with restlessness, for the
the music begain to flow of its own programmes of new music that I
accord. I fell asleep with the once delighted in now seemed
sounds ringing in my ears, and as I suddenly dull and intellectual. I
slept I still heard them, saw them cared even less for the eloquence
rather, for now they seemed of the romantic symphonies. As I
transformed into a shining rain of sat in the concert halls I thought
silver." -- p. 26 of the sunny music I had listened
to in the open air, among people
who talked and laughed, hearing
yet not hearing the musicians, but
cheered and exhilarated by the
sounds." -- p. 77
But there are strange absences
throughout this book that are
ultimately very distracting.
Evidently McPhee made a decision
to avoid presenting Western
viewpoints: it's about his
interactions with the locals,
and the things that he learned
from them.
If he learned anything *about* the
locals from other Westerners,
those are details that are skipped
in this account.
Throughout I had an uncomfortable
feeling that I was looking at a move
in a turf war. Perhaps McPhee wanted
to be seen as someone doing *original*
research, not just making a personal
exploration?
If he published professionally, he
would be required to cite sources,
but in this popular format he can The trouble is that while I was
dodge that, and give the audience reading this book, I also started
the vauge feeling that he was a studying some other works
true pioneer in the Western study about people such as "Walter
of Balinese music. Spies"...
So, I was wondering, Walter Spies did things *like*
what was Colin McPhee's what McPhee was doing -- working
connection with Walter out a notation for gamelan music,
Spies? doing transcriptions of gamelan
for piano -- a solid ten years
before McPhee got to it.
McPhee definitely knew Spies...
He talks about staying with him However, Spies never
after McPhee returned to Bali in published very much of
1932. And throughout he casually his work in this
refers to him as "Walter". Late direction -- one
in the book he mentions, just version of the story:
in-passing, that he and Spies had he didn't think it was
performed together at one point, good enough yet, and
doing gamelan transcribed for the material was later
piano. These events weren't lost in the Japanese
worth covering in the story? invasion. And through
much of his life Spies
Spies absolutely *must* was concentrating on
have talked to McPhee his painting.
about the work that he did
in the mid-20s, and McPhee PITA_MAHA
simply chose not to say
anything about it. But Spies *was* recognized as
a Western authority on gamelan
music. It's likely that the
Balinese music records that
There are only two inspired McPhee to travel to
possiblities as I see Bali were some of the ones that
it: were produced with Spies'
assistance...
(1) McPhee did know about Spies
musical work, and sought him out (I gather that the
intentionally to find out what friends Colin McPhee
he could before proceeding. borrowed these records
from were Miguel and
(2) McPhee did not know of Rose Covarrubias, some
Spies work when he went to Bali friends of Spies.)
and when he met Spies and
talked about it he was either
disappointed that someone got
there ahead of him, or was
excited to find someone who
could give him some hints,
Either way, you would think
that McPhee would talk about
this.
The second case would be
particularly interesting. But I think the
first case is far
Any one who pursues an more likely.
art in any direction must
know that feeling of *Some* westerner
dissapointment when you or other had decided
learn that your work is to record that gamelan
not as original as you music.
thought it was.
And the records
were played for him
by *friends* of
Spies, who must've
talked about him...
Another absence:
what kind of person
is McPhee, really?
There is no mention whatsoever
of love interests in the years
he spent in Bali. This made me One of the driving
wonder if he was another one of forces of these
the gay guys (like Walter Spies, expatriate scenes The straights
for example). always seems to be are fascinated
sexual. by the exotic
I mean, there's a sub-plot young girls,
about him taking on a the queers by
young boy from a farming the young boys;
village as a protege, and all in a setting
having him trained in a with much less
style of dancing where the of the moral
boy dresses as a young (puritanical?)
girl... Doesn't that restrictions
sound like a hint? of home.
(Consider,
Burroughs
But it turns out that that in Tangiers.)
McPhee was married to the
anthropologist Jane Belo.
She was with him in
Bali, the whole
time... and wasn't
mentioned once in the Dangerbaby had been
entire book? skeptical of my "turf war"
theory, ("it's just not
what the book is about"),
but when I discovered this
missing wife problem her
reaction was: "Oh, for
god's sake!"
But there are many other
angles one could take
to this book... many
subjects of interest.
We returned to Sayan, to find on the TO_SEE_OR_TO_DO
table by my bed-room door a large
silver bowl of yellow rice, buried in
flower petals. It was from Made'
Gria, the _dalang_. Beside the
palm-leaf books which he had been
working on the day before there lay a
little fan of blossoms.
How do you honour books in America?
Durus asked as he set a lamp on the
table. A large mantis flew out of
the dark and settled in the circle of
light.
I found it hard to explain.
-- p. 96
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