In the fourteenth century, people from the middle east introduced the religion of Islam into Indonesia, where the fall of the Majapahit empire began (Bali & Beyond, 2013). Those who wished to remain Hindu were exiled to Bali, and others remained in Java. This was the beginning of the Bali Java split, where Balinese gamelan originated. The gamelan played in Indonesia today is a distinct descendent of the gamelan played in the Majapahit period. Essentially, many of the instruments are the exact replicas of those made by stone carvers over six centuries ago (Lentz, 1965). The Majapahit time period is seen as the Bali Aga (old) period in Balinese history, followed by Middle and the New periods (Art Live Free, 2012). Balinese gamelan heavily evolved through this time and is still evolving today through both Western and modern Indonesian influences. “Bali has suffered a long and tumultuous history of wars, occupations, and even mass suicides. Stories from these past events are interwoven into daily rituals and are often referenced in gamelan pieces” (Art Live Free, 2012).
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As Balinese music is passed through oral tradition from generation to generation, an individual ideal is added to the music for each generation (Bali & Beyond, 2014). The last 100 years have brought many changes into Balinese gamelan music, as will the future as the music grows and adapts to cultural influences.