Balinese Gamelan Musician and Teacher since 1930s

Peliatan has many Balinese artists who have contributed in efforts of Balinese music and dance preservations. They had made Peliatan as a well known village as “Village of Arts”, not only in Bali but also in international attention. I Nyoman Regog, a Balinese gamelan musician and teacher, from Banjar Kalah Peliatan, was one of among all those artists.

I Nyoman Regog was also one of a Balinese gamelan musician who joined the Peliatan Troupe of their performance at the Paris Colonial Exhibition in Paris, 1931, a six months exhibition, very huge, attended by almost 33 millions visitors from all over the world. One point form this event is that the Peliatan Troupe “Dancers of Bali” created a big sensation in European Art Community. This was also the first time of Balinese artists in the international attention.

I Nyoman Regog
I Nyoman Regog (1931)

In that time, I Nyoman Regog was on the age of 18, although still on young age, he was one of the best gamelan musicians of the Peliatan Troupe. After the triumph of the Paris 1931, the Peliatan Group activities were getting grown up, and even sometimes inactive due to the political situations.

Year by year, as told by I Made Putra Yasa (son of I Nyoman Regog), tells that beside as a talented Balinese gamelan musician, I Nyoman Regog was also a gamelan teacher. Almost five decades Regog had actively teaches in many places, not only in Peliatan village, but also in many other villages of Bali. Besides teaching in the villages, Regog also teaching in the School of Art Conservatory, called the KOKAR since established in September 1960, and teaching almost until 1970s.

I Made Putra Yasa also says that I Nyoman Regog composed, and arranged various classical Balinese gamelan works, and until nowadays still popular and played by many gamelan groups in Peliatan, East Bali, and South Bali. In that era many of talented musicians or composers created pure musical works, as their expression of their own skills and passion, a-non material purposes, fully dedicated to their society, art sense, and towards younger generation. All these can be seen from the various gamelan works which had no specific name of the composers (anonymous).

I Nyoman Regog
I Nyoman Regog (1980an)

Nowadays, the name I Nyoman Regog might be not popular as the other talented musicians or composers, as he is a very modest person. But in fact I Nyoman Regog had received many awards from both local and center government, especially in Balinese gamelan. Some of these included The Wija Kusuma Award, given in 1984 by the Government of Gianyar Regency as an appreciation for I Nyoman Regog of his efforts to preserve and develop the art of Bali especially for the gamelan works. And in 1991 Regog awarded as a talented old Master (Seniman Werdha Berprestasi) from the committee of Bali Art Festival under Department of Bali Culture. In 1993 again Regog received a special appreciation from the Bali Governor and awarded the Dharma Kesuma Madya Award, the highest award of the Bali Culture.

I Nyoman Regog, the great Master, died in 1990. All his works, efforts, dedications, toward the preservation and development of Balinese gamelan in Peliatan, Bali, would always be highly appreciated.

Photo : Doc. I Made Putra Yasa