Pesindhèn

A pesindhèn (informally sindhen or sinden; also called waranggono) is a female solo singer who sings with a gamelan. They may perform in unaccompanied music, dance, or wayang performances.

The pesindhèn may sing together with a gerong (male chorus), but their styles and words will be different. The part of the sindhen is largely improvised within strict parameters (similar to instrumental cengkok). The sindhen is also allowed a much freer rhythm, similar to the rebab and suling, instead of the strict rhythm of the gerong.

Sindhen can also refer to the choir of male and female singers used to accompany the bedhaya and serimpi court dances. In this usage, pesindhen refers to the individual members of the choir.

References

• Kunst, Jaap. Music in Java. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1949. Page 127.
• Walton, Susan Pratt. Heavenly nymphs and earthly delights: Javanese female singers, their music and their lives. PhD thesis. University of Michigan, 1996.
• Walton, Susan Pratt. Mode in Javanese Music. Monographs in International Studies: Southeast Asia Series 79. Athens: Ohio University Press, 1987.