gamelan
noun
gam·elan ˈga-mə-ˌlan 
-ˌlän
: an Indonesian orchestra made up especially of percussion instruments (such as gongs, xylophones, and drums)
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web In addition to studies of electronic music, Mr. Marshall discovered the Indonesian gamelan at Cal Arts and studied with K.R.T. Wasitodipura before traveling to Indonesia and Bali on a Fulbright fellowship to investigate further. 
Allan Kozinn, Washington Post, 3 June 2022 In college, Melody studied Balinese gamelan and Brazilian sambas. Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 22 Mar. 2022 Also on the first floor is the Experience Gallery, where would-be musicians can practice on an Indonesian gamelan, a banjo, bongos, ukulele and more. Susan Glaser, cleveland, 10 Mar. 2022 Indonesia and its gamelan orchestras didn’t seem so far away. Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2021 The dancers were accompanied by a 40-piece gamelan orchestra in which players used mallets to produce rapid, rhythmic and hypnotic music on banks of percussion instruments. Seth Mydans, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2020 Games of the youths are accompanied by dancing, percussive tinklings inspired by Balinese gamelan music. Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 15 Apr. 2020 The things often summoned up her Java stories of gamelans, sate-sellers, cicadas and warm rain. The Economist, 5 Sep. 2019 Now Ithaca’s annual Porchfest has grown into a six-hour extravaganza featuring 180 acts as varied as string bands, opera singers, hip-hop groups, and Indonesian gamelan ensembles. Melody Warnick, Woman's Day, 2 Apr. 2019 See More
Allan Kozinn, Washington Post, 3 June 2022 In college, Melody studied Balinese gamelan and Brazilian sambas. Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 22 Mar. 2022 Also on the first floor is the Experience Gallery, where would-be musicians can practice on an Indonesian gamelan, a banjo, bongos, ukulele and more. Susan Glaser, cleveland, 10 Mar. 2022 Indonesia and its gamelan orchestras didn’t seem so far away. Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2021 The dancers were accompanied by a 40-piece gamelan orchestra in which players used mallets to produce rapid, rhythmic and hypnotic music on banks of percussion instruments. Seth Mydans, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2020 Games of the youths are accompanied by dancing, percussive tinklings inspired by Balinese gamelan music. Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 15 Apr. 2020 The things often summoned up her Java stories of gamelans, sate-sellers, cicadas and warm rain. The Economist, 5 Sep. 2019 Now Ithaca’s annual Porchfest has grown into a six-hour extravaganza featuring 180 acts as varied as string bands, opera singers, hip-hop groups, and Indonesian gamelan ensembles. Melody Warnick, Woman's Day, 2 Apr. 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
borrowed from Javanese, going back to Old Javanese gamĕlan "percussion instrument, ensemble of percussion instruments," from gamĕl- "playing of a percussion instrument" + -an, noun-forming suffix
First Known Use
1816, in the meaning defined above