本篇文章呈現作者對以下問題的了解：一個特定的甘美朗 (gamelan) 組合如何為其所屬的機構具體展現意義，並且獲得機構成員的尊敬。本文所探討的是十八世紀中葉以Kangjeng Kyahi Kancilbelik (池塘中的神聖鼠鹿) 之名聞於世的中爪哇甘美朗樂隊，而其所屬的機構是印尼爪哇日惹蘇丹的宮廷 (Kraton Yogyakarta)。這個由38件樂器所組成的獨特組合，不僅具有演奏 音樂的功能，同時本身也是可供審美欣賞的對象，幾乎所有的人都會因其壯觀的規模和具有美麗裝飾的木製框架而留下深刻的視覺印象。然而對於宮廷的成員來說，這部甘美朗另外有著遠超乎以上所述的重要價值，也就是人們在這部甘美朗和賦予爪哇君主統治意義的世界觀之間所建立起來的無數的連結關係。 Kangjeng Kyahi Kancilbelik是一座意義的場所，坐落在由它與領袖特質、自然力量、精神能量、權力思維、歷史事件、令人讚歎的技藝，不口象徵符號之間所建立的關係而形成的脈絡之中。作為一個本身受尊崇的對象，它與爪哇因統治者而產生和實行的君主統治制度的氛圍形成了一種互相增強的關係。Kangjeng Kyahi Kancilbelik在宮廷典禮中是成就典禮重要性的有效媒介，而同時藉著奉獻的形式和行禮的動作，它本身也成為受尊崇的對象。對Kangjeng Kyahi Kancilbelik近距離的解讀將可作為一個例證，讓我們了解音樂物質文化中的物體如何以饒富意味的方式回應著在生活中創造和使用它們之人的價值觀和世界觀。

In this article, the author present his understanding of how a particular gamelan set embodies meaning for and commands the respect of members of the institution of which it is an inseparable part. The central Javanese gamelan that is studied is the mid-eighteenth century set known as Kangjeng Kyahi Kancilbelik (“Venerable Mouse-Deer in a Pond”), and the institution to which it belongs is the Kraton Yogyakarta (the palace of the Sultan of Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia). This unique set of thirty-eight musical instruments is both a functioning tool of musical performance and an aesthetic object in its own right that can visually impress allmost anyone with its considerable size and beautifully ornamented wood casing. But what is of far greater significance to its valuation by members of the palace community is the myriad linkages people have constructed between this gamelan and facets of the world-view that informs Javanese kingship. Kangjeng Kyahi Kancilhelik is a site of meaning that is given context through its relationships with charismatic personalities, natural forces, spiritual energies, conceptions of power, historical events, admired crafts, and symbols. As a revered object in and of itself, it partakes in a mutually-enhancing reciprocal relationship with the aura of the ruler around whom the institution of Javanese kingship is conceived and practiced. Kangjeng Kyahi Kancilbelik is used as an effective agent in palace ceremonies to contribute to their significance, while at the same time it is an object toward which are made reverential gestures in the forms of offerings and acts of obeisance. This close reading of Kangjeng Kyahi Kancilbelik serves to illustrate how objects of music material culture resonate in meaningful ways the values and world view of the people who create and utilize them in their lives