What is a barong? And why?

Subject: What is a barong? And why?
From: Penny S.
Date: 10 Jul 99 - 04:51 AM

Actually, I know what it is, and so do you. But I couldn't let its existence pass unrecognised. A music scheme we are adopting in our school has a section on Irish folk music (good point). The children have to listen to a jig, and learn appropriate rhythms befoe learning Phil the Fluter's Ball, along with looking at pictures of Ireland, and a bunch of little girls dancing. But they also have to learn that the jig is accompanied by a barong. This is the word given to the teacher. No correct spelling available. Does this show contempt for Gaelic, bodhrans, or both? Or is it a hangover from some section on gamelan?

Penny

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: The Shambles
Date: 10 Jul 99 - 05:28 AM

I have a picture of little children dance a jig accompanied by a Balinese Lion, for that is what a barong is (or two people dressed up as a lion).

Does it go on to say that you hit it with a wooden stick?

The barong is the Jedi Knight of Balinese mythology, it would be worse if it was the Dark side, as represented by Rangdah.

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: The Shambles
Date: 10 Jul 99 - 05:49 AM

Are you sure it wasn't the o'barong?

This is short and to the point The Barong dance

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: Penny S.
Date: 10 Jul 99 - 06:58 AM

Not only did it mention the wooden stick, but suggested the children mimed this, using their thumbs and little fingers to follow the beat on their legs.

A whole new generation of players.

Penny

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: Penny S.
Date: 10 Jul 99 - 07:34 AM

Thanks for the connection. It explains why I felt the word was a word, and possibly why it wasn't picked up by a spellchecker. (Maybe it was!)

Penny

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: Jack Hickman - Kingston, ON
Date: 10 Jul 99 - 10:37 AM

In the context described in the first post, there is no doubt that the item mentioned is in fact a bodhran. I have heard it pronounced in so many different ways, that it would not surprise me that whoever used the word heard a Dubliner say bodhran in their dialect (bough-ron)and interpreted it as barong.

Jack Hickman

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: Obloquy67
Date: 12 Jul 99 - 02:16 AM

Yes, I would think that we are talking about a bodhrán; an Irish percussion instrument. It is shaped like a large tambourine (a shallow, wide, circular drum) stretched by a wooden ring and a single crossbar. It is basically a tight hide drumskin that is played with a small, two-ended wooden beater. The beater is held between the fingers of one hand and is rotated back and forth. The other hand holds the crossbar and alters the timbre by finger pressure on the back of the drumhead. It is also harder to play than it looks.

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 12 Jul 99 - 08:08 AM

Wasn't O'Barong the king of the fairies? Or maybe that's wht they call it sur le continong ... Why is it that if you tap a Ming vase, it goes tang? Why does sour cream have a use-by date? Why am I being arrested by the Thread-Creep Police?

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: Fadac
Date: 12 Jul 99 - 10:16 AM

Seannus Kennedy describs it this way: In the Northern Irland it's called a Bohran and it's made from the skin of an Englishman and played with the bone of a Scotsman. In and around Dublan, its called a Bouhron and it's made with the skin of a goat. Down around Kerry, it's made with the skin of a dog, so naturaly it is called a BowWoW Ron.

-Fadac

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: Art Thieme
Date: 12 Jul 99 - 10:26 AM

A barong is a bra for women with 3 instead if 2! (4 is a "cobra"----for siamese twins.)

Art

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: catspaw49
Date: 12 Jul 99 - 10:26 AM

Incorrect sound produced by a sheep?
Noise made by hitting a cracked gong with a rubber mallet?
Offensive Nasty Guzzlers hanging on the rail in beer joints?

catspaw

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: The Shambles
Date: 12 Jul 99 - 04:51 PM

This is the photo I could find of Rangda. You may recognise her/him?

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: Art Thieme
Date: 12 Jul 99 - 11:38 PM

What is "SIS, BOOM, BAH" ??

The sound of an exploding sheep.

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: Fadac
Date: 13 Jul 99 - 10:04 AM

Watch out for the unexploded Scotsman!

-Fadac

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: Roger the zimmer
Date: 13 Jul 99 - 10:12 AM

It's used on quiz shows .Get the answer right, you get a bell, otherwise a gong: Ba(W)ronggggg!

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: Martin _Ryan
Date: 13 Jul 99 - 01:43 PM

The usual derivation quoted for "bodhrán" is from a Gaelic word for deaf - so its a deafener. I've also seen it argued as being a shortening of "tam-bourine" - probably because old versions often had rattles set into the rim and were often (usually) referred to as tambourines anyway!

Sorry to break the rhythm of the jokes!

Regards

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: The Shambles
Date: 13 Jul 99 - 03:58 PM

Isn't it always supposed to be the bodhran that breaks the rhythm?

Or so they say....... Why is it that the hardest people on bodhran players are other bodhran players?

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: annamill
Date: 13 Jul 99 - 04:02 PM

I don't know. Whatsa Barong with you?

sorry annap

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: The Shambles
Date: 13 Jul 99 - 04:10 PM

I have heard this song sung in the East. 'Get back to where you once barong'.

OOOH! Sorry.

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: Peter T.
Date: 13 Jul 99 - 05:54 PM

And why is a Tang Dynasty song sung, and a Sung Dynasty cash register goes Ching! How come you can buy Peking Duck in Beijing? (true!)If Dolly Parton married Wally Cox and they were given a pair of oxen as a present, what would they be called in a children's game? Things to ponder,
yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: The Shambles
Date: 13 Jul 99 - 06:54 PM

This tread has reminded me of one of the reasons I grew up a little weird, (what's your excuse Peter?) for The Barong and Rangda played an important part in my childhood, despite growing up in the far from 'exotic' West of London..

My father is an artist and his main subject was the art and culture of the Far East. I grew surrounded by paintings of the region, Bali especially. For many years I had a huge portrait of Rangda at the foot of my bed. Not a pretty sight, but it never gave me nightmares. I did however, tend to strike out unlucky when girlfriends saw it, so around puberty, Rangda and I parted company.

But he/she will always have a special place in my heart.

Subject: RE: What is a barong? And why?
From: Penny S
Date: 14 Jul 99 - 12:35 PM

Thanks for the photograph. Who did you mean? The consensus on our staff is ... someone whom teachers find inimicable. Definitely of the dark side. And increasingly possessed of an irrational spirit.

Penny