In the 1930s a young American composer heard some gramaphone records of Balinese gamelan musicùthe clear metallic music of the land that forever changed his life. As a result, Colin McPhee lived for the day when he could travel and study the beautiful island of Bali, its people, culture, and music. His classic text written in the 1940s still remains the only literary narrative of the island by a classically trained musician, and this unique perspective allowed him to immerse himself in the people, and music of his beloved Bali. And in the end, he only left the island in 1938 as the threat of the second World War loomed over the Pacific. McPheeÆs work is a landmark look at BaliÆs distinctive gamelan tradition, and is now available again more than 50 years after it was written.