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A House in Bali Paperback – May 15, 2000

by
Colin McPhee (Author)
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Colin McPhee (Author), James Murdoch (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 18 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Periplus Editions (HK) ltd. (May 15, 2000)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 9625936297
  • ISBN-13: 978-9625936291
  • Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.7 x 8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #577,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsA good read
By murni@murnis.com on August 23, 2003
Format: Paperback
I am Balinese and live in Ubud, about 10 minutes walk from where Colin McPhee stayed, when he came to Bali in 1931. My aunt worked for him.
He heard a record of gamelan music in New York and couldn't wait to get to Bali to listen to the real thing.
He stayed in Bali for almost 8 years and set about documenting gamelan music. Much of his research was carried out in a village near Ubud where my Villas are. There are still old people in the village who remember him.
His book is beautifully written and tells stories of his adventures and life in the village and his encounters with the local Balinese. It's not necessary to understand technical music matters to enjoy this book - it is totally accessible.
Highly recommended.
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5.0 out of 5 starsHooked!
By storygirl on May 19, 2002
Format: Paperback
Ever since I visited Bali in 1997, I've been hooked on anything Bali--gamelan music, the wayang puppets, the masks, the smell of kretek ( I don't smoke) and incense, frangipani flowers,... even the sputtering sound of motorcycles! I got my hands on all the National Geographic issues on Bali I could lay my hands on in second-hand bookshops .
When I found this book, I was almost certain I wasn't going to be disappointed. I was right. Consider, for instance, the blurb at the back of the book: "The graveryard, moreover, was a natural meeeting-place for witches and sorcerers, for every village had its suspects, owneres of books of spells that enabled the reader to change himself into a leyak--a ball of fire, a giant rat, or even a riderless motor cycle that travelled backwards. In this magic state sorcerers were indeed dangerous; they could send a man out of his wits or bring him to a lingering death."
Written by a musician, it doesn't fare so badly as a literary read. It captures the magic, mysticism, and soul of a place. A Bali experience is a sensory overload. Colin McPhee happily immersed himself in it and did a very impressive job.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA classic account of life and music in Bali in the 1930's.
By A Customer on May 21, 1996
Format: Hardcover
Colin McPhee was a young American composer, just out of college
in the early thirties when he heard a recording of Bali's
unique gamelan music. Having time and (apparently) money,
he traveled to the island, lived there for several years
and studied the music. The book is a warm-hearted account of
the people he knew, their lives and their music. Anyone
thinking of a trip to Bali or just curious about the Balinese
and their music must read this classic.
Unfortunately, it is currently listed as not in stock by the
publisher. If we pester them enough, perhaps they will print
more.
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5.0 out of 5 starsThe epitome of following one's dream
By DJ Rix on November 26, 2007
Format: Paperback
Even as the art & tradition of classical gamelan music fades in Java, gamelans are built & organized in America & Europe, the music is studied & taught in universities. This has occurred since the 70's, when recordings of gamelan music became widely available, particularly in a major series on Nonesuch Explorer. For many people, hearing gamelan for the first time is not only a delightfully exotic experience, the music unlike anything one has heard, but there is often also a strange shock of recognition, as if one somehow already knew the music, although where & how remains a mystery. Perhaps this is what happened to Colin McPhee. For McPhee in 1930, as for so many western musicians since, hearing gamelan inspired something like a religious conversion.

I was given an old copy of this book shortly after I heard gamelan for the first time, & so I was able to follow McPhee on his great adventure to find where the music came from. When he arrived in Bali, he discovered that although the culture was vibrantly alive, much of music was in danger of being lost. He met, befriended, & studied with some greatly talented Balinese musicians, old masters & several younger composers & leaders, including Wayan Lotring & Made Lebah. They set about restoring a Semar Pegulingan gamelan. The task of bringing this music back to life is the "plot" of the "A House In Bali." McPhee quickly realized that his western musical training was of limited value, because the "values" of music - technically & culturally - in Bali were so different. Music had popular, ritual, & concert functions, as in the West. But the music was inseparable from the instruments, & each collection of instruments - each gamelan, was unique.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsA Fun Read
By Patrick J. Gray on February 12, 2014
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Colin McPhee takes you there with words that paint a perfect picture of Bali as he viewed and lived it. Not just a cold Anthropology, nor Ethnomusicology account, but a true life story poetically and personally described in refined and colorful detail.
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5.0 out of 5 starsQuite an interesting and well presented account of Bali
By Kean Chhay Chang on August 8, 2002
Format: Paperback
It's a very interesting book in regards to what I have actually read. It seems to have accounts on Balinese culture. I found it enjoyable and interesting to read because it not only talks about Balinese culture but about the conflict and clashes within the village like the little dancer named Sampih and his dance teacher Nyoman Kaler.
Colin McPhee conveys many interesting things like when bad luck happened in his home in Sayan and how they had to do a purification ceremony in regards to dispel the demons, witches and evil spirits. His wanderings in Bali to record music and study their music like the rare gamelan angklung and gamelan selonding from Tenganan who were the Bali Aga. Colin McPhee was drawn to the scintallinating sounds and metallic shimmer from the gamelan. At times there are humours accounts of what goes on between him and his friends that happen in the village or when they are touring around Bali. I found it enjoyable because, he seemed to have fitted in well with the Balinese people without too much problems compared with other writers before them spoke of barbarity and the animal like behaviour of the Balinese at certain functions. He writes with passion about what goes on and how things have changed with the colonial rule of the Dutch. The loss of autonomy by the Rajas who were reduced to poverty at times and how their obessions with cockfighting led to their ruin. Yet in times of despair and hardship they are always humble to him.
Overall the book contains a few photographs of his friends and colleagues. I found it wonderful and intriguing and as well as captiviting at times which he covers so many topics like the temple functions like Galungan, Wayang Kulit (Shadow Plays), the music club etc... This book you will grow to love like the book written by Miguel Corrovabias "Island of Bali".
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 starsI liked this book for its insight into Balinese culture and ...

I read this while in Bali. As a musician, this was dear to my heart. I liked this book for its insight into Balinese culture and history.

Published 12 months ago by A. Stockman
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Excellent! Although outdated nowadays...

Published 16 months ago by Dr. J. A. Delzotto
5.0 out of 5 starsStep back in time......

For anyone interested in what Bali was like in the 'old days', (the 1930's) this book is a treasure. Skillful prose, and insightful on a human level. Read more

Published on February 5, 2014 by cantudoit
3.0 out of 5 starsInteresting/disturbing slice of Balinese history.

Good read on a terrace in Ubud on a rainy afternoon. Brings into clear contrast the back-water Bali that McPhee encountered in the 30's with the modernized tourist destination it... Read more

Published on June 16, 2013 by Marianne N.
5.0 out of 5 starsTravel back in time

Reading Colin McPhee's "A House in Bali" makes you feel like you are there amongst the rolling green hills, listening to a gamelan orchestra, a troupe of graceful dancers... Read more

Published on April 20, 2012 by Donald E. Gilliland
5.0 out of 5 starsFAVORITE BOOK

Within the first few pages the author refers to an iced drink as being, typical of the tropics, "hilariously colored." Such writing makes this a a read-all-night special. Read more

Published on March 31, 2010 by Melina Watts
4.0 out of 5 starsA great read for a traveler to Bali

I took this book on a recent once-in-a-lifetime trip with my fiance to Bali. I found it an enjoyable read as we traveled around the island. Read more

Published on August 12, 2009 by Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 starsNostalgic trip

A fairly well written book about a Bali that does not exist anymore, but vivid in the memory of those lucky enough to have experienced McPhee's sense of wonder. Read more

Published on June 16, 2009 by Raul R. Nunez
4.0 out of 5 starsGood travel read.

I'm heading to Bali this month and this book provided a great intro to the customs and nature of this island. I'm even more excited to get there after reading it.

Published on July 7, 2007 by C. Krow
5.0 out of 5 starsMusic Lover

I first heard Gamelan was coming out of the oldest temple on the Island of Bali, near Ubud, and was reading this book at the time. Read more

Published on September 23, 2004 by French Raven

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