Music of Indonesia

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

As it is a country with many different

dance and theatre. Contemporary music scene have also been heavily shaped by various foreign influences, such as America, Britain, Japan, Korea, and India.[1]

The music of Java, Sumatra, Bali, Flores (Lesser Sunda Islands) and other islands have been well documented and recorded, and further research by Indonesian and international scholars is also ongoing. The music in Indonesia predates historical records, various

Native Indonesian tribes often incorporate chants and songs accompanied with musical instruments in their rituals. The contemporary music of Indonesia today is also popular amongst neighbouring countries, such as Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.[2]

In general, traditional music and songs of Indonesia compromises a strong beat and harmony with strong influence from Indian,Java,Arabic,Chinese and Malay classical music. The influence is strongly visible in the popular traditional music genre of Dangdut.[3][4][5]

Musical instruments

Musicians performing musical ensemble, The 8th century bas-relief of Borobudur Temple, Central Java, Indonesia

The musical identity of Indonesia as we know it today began as the

gendang (drums). Some of them developed elaborate and distinctive musical instruments, such as sasando string instrument of Rote island, angklung of Sundanese people, and the complex and sophisticated gamelan orchestra of Java and Bali
.

Indonesia is the home of gong chime, gong chime is a generic term for a set of small, high-pitched bossed pot gongs. The gongs are ordinarily placed in order of pitch, with the boss upward on cords held in a low wooden frame. The frames can be rectangular or circular (the latter are sometimes called "gong circles"), and may have one or two rows of gongs. They are played by one to four musicians, each using two padded sticks to strike them. They are an important instrument in many Indonesian musical ensembles, such as gamelan, kulintang, and talempong.

Gamelan

Javanese Gamelan in Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore
Gamelan xylophone solo.

The most popular and famous form of Indonesian music is probably

spike fiddles along with bamboo flutes. Similar ensembles are prevalent throughout Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, however gamelan is originated from Java, Bali, and Lombok
.

The Sundanese Degung gamelan performance in Museo Nacional de las Culturas Mexico, Indra Swara group.

In the Central Java, gamelan is intricate and meticulously laid out. The central melody is played on a metallophone in the centre of the orchestra, while the front elaboration and ornamentation on the melody, and, at the back, the gongs slowly punctuate the music. There are two tuning systems. Each gamelan is tuned to itself, and the intervals between notes on the scale vary between ensembles. The metallophones cover four octaves, and include types like the

kepatihan was developed to record the music. Music and dance at the time were divided into several styles based on the main courts in the area—Surakarta, Yogyakarta, Pakualaman and Mangkunegaran
.

Gamelan from eastern Java is less well-known than central or western parts of the island. Perhaps most distinctive of the area is the extremely large gamyak drum. In West Java, formerly

tembang sunda are three primary types. The Osing Javanese minority in eastern Java are known for social music for weddings and other celebrations called gandrung, as well as angklung, played by young amateur boys, which is very similar to Balinese
gamelan.

Keraton Yogyakarta
.

In Indonesia, gamelan often accompanies dance,

dalang (puppeteer) must have a thorough knowledge of gamelan, as he gives the cues for the music. Gamelan can be performed by itself – in "klenengan" style, or for radio broadcasts – and concerts presentation are common in national arts conservatories founded in the middle of the 20th century.[8]

Gamelan ensemble (or gambelan in Balinese term) accompanying barong.

Gamelan's role in rituals is so important that there is a Javanese saying, "It is not official until the gong is hung".

Catholic church in Indonesia.[10] Certain pieces are designated for starting and ending performances or ceremonies. When an "ending" piece (such as "Udan Mas") is begun, the audience will know that the event is nearly finished and will begin to leave. Certain pieces are also believed to possess magic powers, and can be used to ward off evil spirits.[9]

Talempong

Talempong performance

Talempong is a traditional instrument of the

gandang
, serunai and other traditional Minangkabau instruments are also commonly played with talempong.

Kulintang

Replica of a kulintang musical instrument, similar to the Gambang.

Kolintang or kulintang is a

Minahasa people of North Sulawesi, however it also popular in Maluku and Timor. The instrument consist of a row/set of 5 to 9 graduated pot gongs, horizontally laid upon a frame arranged in order of pitch with the lowest gong found on the players' left.[11] The gongs are laid in the instrument face side up atop two cords/strings running parallel to the entire length of the frame, with bamboo/wooden sticks/bars resting perpendicular across the frame, creating an entire kulintang set called a "pasangan".[12]

The main purpose for kulintang music in the community is to function as social entertainment at a professional, folk level.[13] This music is unique in that it is considered a public music in the sense everyone is allowed to participate.[14] Not only do the players play, but audience members are also expected to participate.[15] These performances are important in that they bring people in the community and adjacent regions together, helping unify communities that otherwise may not have interacted with one another. Traditionally, when performers play kulintang music, their participation is voluntary.[16] Musicians see performances as an opportunity to receive recognition, prestige and respect from the community and nothing more.[17] kulintang music differs in many aspects from gamelan music, primarily in the way the latter constructs melodies within a framework of skeletal tones and prescribed time interval of entry for each instruments. The framework of kulintang music is more flexible and time intervals are nonexistent, allowing for such things as improvisations to be more prevalent.

Angklung

Angklung performance

Angklung is a bamboo musical instrument native to Sundanese people of West Java. It is made out of bamboo tubes attached to a bamboo frame. The tubes are carved so that they have a distinctive resonant pitch when being vibrated. Each angklung only plays one note.[18] This musical instrument made of bamboo is played by shaking it. The sound of the Angklung is generated from the impact of bamboo tubes. It has a distinctive sound that vibrates in a composition of 2, 3, to 4 notes in each size.

Angklung existed before the Hindu era in Indonesia. In the days of the

Sundanese kingdom (12th to 16th centuries), Angklung became a musical instrument that was always used in various events or celebrations, especially traditional events in farming. At that time, Angklung was played as worship of "Dewi Sri
", namely the Goddess of Rice or the Goddess of Fertility to be given blessings to the plants she planted and also to prosper in life. Not only that, during the Sundanese kingdom, Angklung was also used as a trigger for the spirit of war.

The types of bamboo that are commonly used as musical instruments are black bamboo (awi wulung) and ater bamboo (awi temen), which when dry are whitish yellow. Each note (barrel) is produced from the sound of the bamboo tube in the form of a blade (wilahan) for each bamboo segment from small to large. Each bamboo size has a different pitch.

Suling

Boy playing suling

Suling is the

gambus, and dangdut
. This flute is made of a long, thin-walled bamboo tube called tamiang and a thin rattan band encircles the mouthpiece.

Kacapi suling

Sundanese men playing the Kecapi suling

Kacapi suling is a type of

tembang sunda. The rhythmic strains of the kecapi are slow in tempo, produced by strings that blend into soft music when combined with the melody of the suling or melismatic vocals. The kacapi is a traditional zither of Sundanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese guzheng, and similar to the Japanese koto, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum, the Vietnamese đàn tranh and the Kazakh jetigen, and suling is a bamboo flute
.

Kendang

Gendang beleg performamce in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.

Kendang or Gendang is a two-headed drum used by peoples from

Makassarese
, the Ganrang drums have much more importance, with it considered the most sacred of all musical instruments, comparable to gongs in Java.

One of the best known variations of the Kendang is the Gendang beleq. Gendang beleq is a traditional music from

gendang)",[20] as the performance is about a group of musicians playing, dancing and marching with their traditional instruments, centered on two big drum (gendang). The drum is made from a wood frame with goat
skin drum-head. The wood is selected from woods which is hard yet light. In a Gendang beleq performance, the drummers carry and play gendang and dance a dramatic and confrontational duet. The drummers play interlocking tune with their large drums. Aside from able to play their instruments, the players must have the agility and stamina to perform the dance and marching with their instrument.

Sasando

Man playing sasando

Sasando is a plucked string instrument native of Rote island of East Nusa Tenggara. The parts of sasando are a bamboo cylinder surrounded by several wedges where the strings are stretched, surrounded by a bag-like fan of dried lontar or palmyra leaves (Borassus flabellifer), functioned as the resonator of the instrument.

Tapanuli ogong

Musical performance from Tapanuli area of North Sumatra. Tapanuli ogong is a form of dance music played with a type of lute, trumpet and flute.

Man playing Sape

Sape Dayak

The sapeʼ (sampek, sampeʼ, sapek) is a traditional lute of the Kenyah and Kayan community who live in the longhouses that line the rivers of East Kalimantan, West Kalimantan and North Kalimantan. Sape' are carved from a single bole of wood, with many modern instruments reaching over a metre in length. Technically, the sape is a relatively simple instrument, with one string carrying the melody and the accompanying strings as rhythmic drones. In practice, the music is quite complex, with many ornamentations and thematic variations.

Genres

Sindhen
style

The diverse world of Indonesian music genres was the result of the musical creativity of its people, and also the subsequent cultural encounters with foreign musical influences into the archipelago. Next to distinctive native form of musics, several genres can traces its origin to foreign influences; such as gambus and qasidah from Middle Eastern Islamic music, keroncong from Portuguese influences, and dangdut with notable Hindi music influence.

Folk music

SambaSunda music performance, featuring traditional Sundanese music instruments.

Indonesian regional folk pop musics reflects the diversity of

Pop sunda
, Pop Minang, Pop Batak, Pop Melayu, Pop Ambon, Pop Minahasa and others. Other than featuring the legacy of Lagu Daerah (regional traditional songs) of each regional cultures, the musician might also create some new compositions in their own native language.

Tembang Sunda

salendro compositions. The lyrics are typically sung in free verse, but a more modern version, panambih
, is metrical. It is usually the drums.

Jaipongan

Jaipongan dance performance

Jaipongan is a very complex rhythmic dance music from the Sundanese people of western Java. The rhythm is liable to change seemingly randomly, making dancing difficult for most listeners. Its instruments are entirely Sundanese, completely without imported instruments. It was invented by artists like Gugum Gumbira after Sukarno prohibited rock and roll and other western genres in the 1960s.

Gambus

Gambus literally means oud, referring to a type of lute or 12-string pear-shaped guitar
, is the Middle-Eastern-derived Islamic vocal and instrumental music. These traditions began to be incorporated throughout many areas of Indonesia by the 16th century.

Qasidah modern

qasidah modern musical groups in Indonesia is Nasida Ria.[21]

The contemporary form of Islamic Middle Eastern-influenced music in Indonesia is exemplified by the band Debu, that feature a sufism approach on music to spread their message.

Kroncong

Keroncong singer, Waldjinah in a kroncong performance at the 55th Tong Tong Fair
at The Hague in 2013.

Keroncong) has been evolving since the arrival of the Portuguese, who brought European instruments. By the early 1900s, it was considered a low-class urban music. This changed in the 1930s, when the rising Indonesian film industry began incorporating kroncong. And then even more so in the mid- to late 1940s, it became associated with the struggle for independence
.

Perhaps the most famous

Bengawan Solo River, Java's longest and most important river) became widely popular among the Javanese, and then later nationally when recordings were broadcast over the local radio stations. The song also became quite popular with the Japanese soldiers, and when they returned to Japan at the end of the war re-recordings of it (by Japanese artists) became best-sellers. Over the years it has been re-released many times by notable artists, mainly within Asia but also beyond (like Anneke Grönloh
), and in some places it is seen as typifying Indonesian music. Gesang himself remains the most renowned exponent of the style, which although it is seen now as a somewhat starchy and "dated" form is still popular among large segments of the population, particularly the older generation.

After World War II and during Indonesian National Revolution (1945–1949) and afterwards, kroncong was associated with patriotism, since many of Indonesian poets and patriotic songs authors uses kroncong and somewhat jazz fusion as the genre of their works. The patriotic theme and romantic wartime romance was obvious in the works of Ismail Marzuki, such as "Rayuan Pulau Kelapa", "Indonesia Pusaka", "Sepasang Mata Bola", "Keroncong Serenata" and "Juwita Malam". These patriotic songs can be sung in hymn or even in orchestra, but most often was sung in kroncong style known as kroncong perjuangan (struggle kroncong). The kroncong divas; Waldjinah, Sundari Sukoco and Hetty Koes Endang, was instrumental in reviving the style in the 1980s.

Langgam Jawa

There is a style of kroncong native to Surakarta (Solo) called langgam jawa, which fuses kroncong with the gamelan seven-note scale.

Gambang kromong

Gambang kromong, a music performed on melodic percussions and brass, is native of the Indonesian capital of Jakarta.

Early in the 20th century, kroncong was used in a type of theatre called Komedi Stambul; adapted for this purpose, the music was called gambang kromong. Gambang kromong is quite prevalent in Betawi culture of Jakarta.

Tanjidor

Tanjidor is a traditional Betawi musical ensemble of Jakarta.[22] The instruments used are almost the same as a military marching band and/or corps of drums/drum and bugle corps, usually consists of tuba or sousaphone, trumpet, clarinet, tambourine and drums.[23] The term tanjidor was derived from Portuguese tanger (playing music) and tangedor (playing music outdoors), subsequently adopted in Betawi language as tanji (music).[23] Other than Jakarta, tanjidor musical ensamble is also can be found in Pontianak, West Kalimantan.[24]

Campursari

A musical fusion style of traditional Javanese music and

Jaipong music with a distinctive drum beat
.

Dangdut

Dangdut performance

Dangdut is a popular traditional music genre of Indonesia which is partly derived of Indian, Arab, and Malay music. It consists of melodious and harmonical music with the main Tabla as the percussion beat especially in the classical dangdut versions. It was originally an Indonesian dance music that has spread throughout Southeast Asia, became the dominant pop style in the mid-1970s. Famous for its throbbing beat and the slightly moralistic lyrics that appeal to youth, dangdut stars dominate the modern pop scene. However dangdut—especially performed by female singers—also often featuring suggestive dance movements and naughty lyrics to appeal the larger audience. This development was strongly opposed by the conservative older generation dangdut artist.

Dangdut is based around the singers, and stars include

Dewi Perssik
from younger generation.

Contemporary music

The contemporary music of Indonesia is diverse and vibrant.[according to whom?] Throughout its history, Indonesian musicians were open to foreign influences of various music genres of the world. American jazz was heavily marketed in Asia, and foxtrots, tangos, rumbas, blues and Hawaiian guitar styles were all imitated by Indonesian musicians.[25] As the result, various genres were developed within Indonesian music frame: Indonesian pop, rock, jazz, and hip hop.

Indonesian music also plays a vital role in the Indonesian creative pop culture,[

Ada Apa Dengan Cinta (2002) also produced successful soundtrack hits with most songs written and performed by Melly Goeslaw
.

Today the Indonesian music industry enjoys nationwide popularity. Thanks to common culture and intelligible languages between Indonesian and Malay, Indonesian music enjoyed regional popularity in neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. However, the overwhelming popularity of Indonesian music in Malaysia had alarmed the Malaysian music industry. In 2008 Malaysian music industry demanded the restriction of Indonesian songs on Malaysian radio broadcasts.[26]

Orchestra

Western classical music reached Indonesia in the era of Dutch East Indies as early as the 18th century, but it was enjoyed only by a handful of wealthy Dutch plantation owners and officers in elite social clubs and ballrooms such as Societeit Harmonie in Batavia and Societeit Concordia in Bandung. De Schouwburg van Batavia (today Gedung Kesenian Jakarta) was designed as a concert hall in the 19th century. Classical music has been restricted to the refined, wealthy and educated high-class citizen, and never penetrated the rest of the population during the East Indies colonial era.[citation needed] The type of western-derived music that transcended the social barrier at that time was Kroncong, known as lower-class music.

An amateur group called Bataviasche Philharmonic Orchestra was established in Dutch colonial times. It became the NIROM orchestra when the radio broadcasting station Nederlandsch-Indische Radio Omroep Maatschappij was born in 1912. Today it is known as Jakarta Symphony Orchestra that has existed in the country's musical world for almost a century through its changing formats to suit prevailing trends and needs. In 1950, a merger of the Cosmopolitan Orchestra under Joel Cleber and the Jakarta Studio Orchestra under Sutedjo and Iskandar appeared as the Djakarta Radio Orchestra under Henkie Strake for classical repertoires, and the Jakarta Studio Orchestra led by Syaiful Bachri specialised in Indonesian pieces. In 2010 Jakarta Symphony Orchestra staged a comeback after a fairly long absence.[27]

In the 1960s to 1980s classical music in Indonesia aired mainly by the national radio broadcasting service Radio Republik Indonesia (

Jos Cleber
, as well as other Indonesian popular national songs in the album Simfoni Negeriku.

The Indonesian composer who is considered most prominent and well known worldwide in the classical / contemporary music is

Midori Goto
etc., and his works are widely performed worldwide

Today, major cities like Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Medan and Batam are no strangers to orchestral music, with their own symphony groups. Jakarta, for instance, has its Nusantara Symphony Orchestra, the Twilite Orchestra and the Jakarta Chamber Orchestra.

Indonesia also has many patriotic songs that are used, played, and memorized by the population, some of these national songs are used during the colonial era of the Dutch East Indies, Japanese Occupation, and today Indonesia. Many of these songs have been recorded using orchestral recordings on different albums such as 'Simfoni Negeriku' conducted by Addie MS.

Pop

JKT48 performs at Jakarta–Japan Matsuri 2012
Peterpan performing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2008

Indonesian pop music today, known simply as "pop Indonesia" sometimes influenced by trends and recordings from West music,.

British pop, and also Asian J-pop
are obvious, the Indonesian pop phenomena is not completely derivative; it expresses the sentiments and styles of contemporary Indonesian life.

Koes Bersaudara later formed as Koes Plus is considered one of the pioneers of Indonesian pop and rock and roll music in the 1960s and 1970s. The American and British music influences were obvious in the music of Koes Bersaudara, The Beatles were known to be the main influences of this band. Several Indonesian musician were survived through decades and become Indonesian music legends, such as pop and ballad singers Iwan Fals and Chrisye; rock legend God Bless, Panbers, and D'Lloyd; dangdut maestro Rhoma Irama. One of the most influential Indonesian singers in pop music scene, especially during early 2000, is Agnes Monica, who had later known as Agnez Mo.

In late 90s through 2000s, the popular bands include

MTV Asia
.

Some of Indonesian pop bands are rekindled with their

Pop Malay Band) and popular in the late 2000s. The pop Malay bands include Kangen Band, WALI, Hijau Daun, Armada, Angkasa and ST 12
.

Indonesian pop music from the 1980s and 1980 are commonly referred to as "Indonesian city pop", due to their perceived similarities to the Japanese genre. The Japanese city pop itself gained popularity among youngsters and amateur musicians in the late 2010s via the Internet.

The most recent foreign influences on Indonesian pop music are influenced from Japanese pop. Several bands such as J-Rocks emulate Japanese pop culture. Girl groups are also spreading among boy bands, such as 7icons and Cherrybelle, as well as JKT48 which is an offshoot of the Japanese AKB48.

Rock

Just like pop music, Indonesian rock scene also was heavily influenced by the development of rock music in America. The most influential Indonesian rock bands was probably

Netral rose to mainstream. Notable act from ska music is Tipe-X
.

Jazz fusion

Some of Indonesian musicians and bands were exploring the

Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival is performed annually. The latest development of Jazz in Indonesia
reflected with many Jazz Festivals being held every year.

Indie scene

By the end of the 2000s decade, several indie bands such as Mocca, White Shoes & the Couples Company, and Efek Rumah Kaca emerged into the mainstream, providing soundtracks for film and subsequent tours in overseas territories. Upon entering the new decade (2010s), indie music broke into mainstream culture with its far greater appeal amongst adolescents due to its minimalist, melancholic sounds and age-related lyrics. The commercial breakthrough for its genre was led by Payung Teduh, Fourtwenty, Stars and Rabbit, Danilla, Banda Neira, Barasuara, and Fiersa Besari.

Notable contemporary artists

See also

References

  1. ^ "Indonesia - Geography". Country Studies.
  2. ^ MyIndo KC Ismail: Muzik Indonesia lebih progresif dari muzik Malaysia (in Malay)
  3. ^ Philip Yampolsky. "Music of Indonesia". Cambridge.org. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  4. ^ "The Indonesia Music". guidetotheworldofmusic.com. 13 April 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Get Fascinated by these 5 Unique Traditional Indonesian Musical Instruments While You Stay at Home". indonesia.travel (in Indonesian). 13 April 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  6. ^ Asia Sound Archived 4 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ For a discussion of dance in Central Java in Surakarta, see Ganug Nugroho Adi, 'Dancing at the Mangkunegara', The Jakarta Post, 30 May 2012.
  8. . Page 419–420.
  9. ^ a b Broughton, 420
  10. ^ Lindsay, 45
  11. ^ Canave-Dioquino, Corazon (2007). "Philippine Music Instruments". Articles on Culture & Arts. National Commission For Culture and the Arts. Archived from the original on 17 January 2006. Retrieved 22 February 2007.
  12. ^ Butocan, Aga M. (2006). "Palabunibunyan". Kulintang and the Maguindanaos. Archived from the original on 18 January 2008. Retrieved 22 February 2007.
  13. ^ Otto, Steven W.. "Repertorial Nomenclature in Muranao Kolintang Music." Asian Music Vol. 27, No. 2. (Spring – Summer, 1996), pp. 123-130.
  14. ^ Cadar, Usopay Hamdag. "Maranao Kolintang Music and Its Journey in America." Asian Music 27(1996): 131-146.
  15. ^ Kalanduyan, Danongan S. "Maguindanaon Kulintang Music: Instruments, Repertoire, Performance, Contexts, and Social Functions." Asian Music XXVII.2 (1996): 3-18.
  16. ^ Cadar, Usopay H.. "The Role of Kolintang Music in Maranao Society." Asian Music Vol. 27, No. 2. (Spring – Summer, 1996), pp. 80-103.
  17. ^ Gaerlan, Barbara. Philippine Muslim Kulintang: Music of Modernization. 1991.
  18. . Angklung has become a veritable symbol of Sundanese culture
  19. ^ "Unesco to Declare Indonesia's Angklung World Heritage". The Jakarta Globe. 8 October 2018.
  20. ^ Salam, Solichin (1992). Lombok pulau perawan: sejarah dan masa depannya. Kuning Mas. p. 85.
  21. ^ Nursanti, Ida (20 August 2004). "Grup Kasidah Nasida Ria Tetap Eksis" [Nasida Ria group still exists]. Suara Merdeka (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
  22. ^ "From religious rituals to festive attractions: Indonesians prepare to celebrate Chinese New Year". The Jakarta Post. 24 January 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  23. ^ a b Media, Kompas Cyber (11 September 2009). "Mayor Jantje dan Tanjidor". KOMPAS.com (in Indonesian). Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  24. ^ "Grup Tanjidor yang Diperkuat Para Pemain Muda". Pontianak Post (in Indonesian). 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  25. ^ a b National Geographic Indonesian Pop Music Archived 4 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ Malaysian music industry wants Indonesian songs restricted Archived 24 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  27. ^ Jakarta Symphony Orchestra returns
  28. ^ Orchestra Archived 4 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine

Sources

External links