Musical instruments
The musical identity of Indonesia as we know it today began as the
Bronze Age culture migrated to the Indonesian archipelago in the 2nd-3rd century BC.
[3] Traditional musics of Indonesian tribes often uses percussion instruments, especially
gendang (
drums) and
gongs. 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.
Gamelan
The most popular and famous form of Indonesian music is probably
gamelan, an ensemble of tuned
percussion instruments that include
metallophones,
drums,
gongs and
spike fiddles along with
bamboo flutes. Similar ensembles are prevalent throughout Indonesia and
Malaysia, however gamelan is originated from Java, Bali, and
Lombok.
In Central Java, gamelan is intricate and meticulously laid out. The
central melody is played on a metallophone in the center 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
slenthem,
demung,
saron panerus and
balungan. The soul of the gamelan is believed to reside in the large gong, or
gong ageng. Other gongs are tuned to each note of the scale and include
ketuk,
kenong and
kempul. The front section of the orchestra is diverse, and includes
rebab,
suling,
siter,
bonang and
gambang. Male choruses (
gerong) and female (
pesindhen)
solo vocalists are common.
With the arrival of the
Dutch colonizers, a number system called
kepatihan
was developed to record the music. Music and dance at the time was
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
Sunda, has several types of gamelan.
Gamelan Degung,
gamelan salendro and
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.
Kecapi suling
Main article:
Kacapi suling
Kecapi suling is a type of
instrumental music that is highly improvisational and popular in parts of
West Java that employs two instruments,
kecapi (zither) and
suling (bamboo flute). It is related to
tembang sunda.
Angklung
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.
Kulintang
Kolintang or kulintang is a bronze and wooden percussion instrument
native to eastern Indonesia and also The Philippines. In Indonesia it is
particularly associated with
Minahasa people of North Sulawesi, however it also popular in
Maluku and
Timor.
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 leafs (Borassus flabellifer), functioned as the resonator of the instrument.
Tapanuli ogong
Musical performance from Tapanuli area of
Batak of
North Sumatra.
Tapanuli ogong is a form of
dance music played with a type of
lute,
trumpet and
flute.
Genres
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 musics
Indonesian regional folk pop musics reflects the diversity of
Indonesian culture and
Indonesian ethnicity, mostly use
local languages
and a mix of western and regional style music and instruments.
Indonesian folk music is quite diverse, and today embraces pop, rock,
house,
hip hop
and other genres, as well as distinct Indonesian forms. There are
several kinds of "ethnic" pop music, generally grouped together as
Pop Daerah (regional pop). These include
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
Tembang sunda, also called
seni mamaos cianjuran, or just cianjuran, is a form of sung poetry which arose in the colonial-era of
Cianjur.
It was first known as an aristocratic art; one cianjuran composer was
R.A.A. Kusumahningrat (Dalem Pancaniti), ruler of Cianjur (1834–1862).
The instruments of Cianjuran are kacapi indung, kacapi rincik and
suling or bamboo flute, and
rebab for
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 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 '60s.
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 is an ancient
Arabic
word for religious poetry accompanied by chanting and percussion.
Qasidah modern adapts this for pop audiences. It is used to denote a
type of orchestra and the music it plays, believed to be introduced by
Muslim settlers from
Yemen.
Qasidah modern were derived from Islamic pop, adding local dialects and
lyrics that address Indonesian contemporary issues. Though popular
among Arabs in Indonesia, it has gained little popularity elsewhere.
The contemporary form of Islamic Middle eastern influenced musics in Indonesia is
Debu, that featuring
sufism approach on music to spread their message.
Kroncong
Kroncong (alternative spelling:
Keroncong) has been evolving since the arrival of the
Portuguese, who brought with them
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
song in the kroncong style is
Bengawan Solo, written in 1940 by
Gesang Martohartono, a
Solonese musician. Written during the
Japanese Imperial Army occupation of the island in
World War II, the song (about the
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 the 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 or Tembang 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
Early in the 20th century, kroncong was used in a type of theater called
Komedi Stambul; adapted for this purpose, the music was called gambang kromong. Gambang kromong is quite prevalent in
Betawi culture of Jakarta.
Dangdut
Dangdut 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 Muslim 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
Rhoma Irama and
Elvy Sukaesih (the King and Queen of Dangdut),
Mansyur S.,
A. Rafiq,
Camelia Malik and
Fahmy Shahab; along with
Cici Paramida,
Evie Tamala,
Inul Daratista,
Julia Perez and
Dewi Perssik from younger generation.
Campursari
A musical fusion style of traditional Javanese music and
dangdut that prevalent in
Javanese cultural sphere, mainly
Central Java,
Yogyakarta and
East Java. There is also Sundanese version of campursari prevalent in
Bandung region of
West Java. Perhaps its greatest current artist is
Didi Kempot.
Contemporary music
The contemporary music of Indonesia is diverse and vibrant.
Throughout its history, Indonesian musicians were open to foreign
influences of various music genres of the world. American jazz were
heavily marketed in Asia, and foxtrots, tangos, rumbas, blues and
Hawaiian guitar styles were all imitated by Indonesian musicians.
[4] 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, especially as the
soundtracks or theme songs of
Indonesian cinema and
sinetrons (Indonesian TV drama). Indonesian popular film
Badai Pasti Berlalu (1977) were also produced successful soundtrack hit with same title in the same year, the soundtrack was remaked in 1999 with
Chrisye as the main singer and rendered by
Erwin Gutawa
in orchestra style. In 2007 the film also being remaked again with new
soundtrack that still featuring same songs performed by younger
generation artist. Another popular Indonesian coming of age teen movie
Ada Apa Dengan Cinta (2002) also produced successful soundtrack hits with most songs written and performed by
Melly Goeslaw.
Today Indonesian music industry enjoyed 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.
[5]
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. 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 specialized in
Indonesian pieces. In 2010 Jakarta Symphony Orchestra staged a comeback
after a fairly long absence.
[6]
In 1960s to 1980s classical music in Indonesia aired mainly by the
national radio broadcasting service Radio Republik Indonesia (
RRI) and the national TV station Televisi Republik Indonesia (
TVRI)
through their programs. During these decade, the classical orchestra
mainly developed in Universities as extracurricular activity for
students which include
choir. In 1990s the group of professional symphony orchestra start to took form, notably The
Twilite Orchestra
led by Adie MS, was founded in June 1991, initially an ensemble with 20
musicians. The ensemble has developed since then into a full symphonic
orchestra with 70 musicians, a 63-member Twilite Chorus, and a
repertoire that ranges from
Beethoven to
The Beatles.
[7]
The orchestra has played a role in promoting Indonesian music,
especially in the preservation of national songs by Indonesian composers
and traditional songs. Aided by the Victorian Philharmonic Orchestra
with the Twilite Chorus,
Addie MS re-recorded the Indonesian national anthem,
Indonesia Raya, by
WR Supratman in its original orchestral arrangement by
Jos Cleber, as well as other Indonesian popular national songs in the album
Simfoni Negeriku.
Today, major cities like Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta and Surabaya
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.
Pop
Indonesian pop music today is known simply as "pop Indonesia" is heavily influenced by trends and recordings from America.
[8] Although influences ranging from
Bollywood soundtracks to
Hollywood
pop acts 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 as one of the pioneer of Indonesian pop and rock 'n roll
music in 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
pop and ballad singers were survived through decades and become
Indonesian music legends, such as
Iwan Fals, Franky Sahilatua and
Chrisye.
Today, the popular bands include
Peterpan,
Radja,
Gigi,
Dewa 19,
Sheila on 7,
D'Masiv and
Nidji, all of which tour regularly in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia and are featured on
MTV Asia.
Some of Indonesian pop bands are rekindle with their
Malay
roots and revived a genre called "Band Pop Melayu" (Pop Malay Band) and
popular in late 2000s. The pop Malay bands are Kangen Band, WALI, Hijau
Daun, Armada, Angkasa, and
ST 12. This genre is the contemporary form of old Orkes Melayu style, once popular in the region across Indonesia and Malaysia.
The most recent foreign influences on Indonesian pop musics are the style and genre of
J-pop and
K-pop. Several bands such as
J-Rocks, Geisha, Daishi and SM*SH boyband are imitating the style of
Japan and
Korea pop culture. And also sperading new generation of Girl Band, side effect while boyband founded in Indonesia, such a
7icons,
Cherry Belle, and also
JKT48.
Rock
Just like pop music, Indonesian rock scene also heavily influenced by
the development of rock music in America. The most influential
Indonesian rock bands was probably
Panbers
and God Bless that popular in 1970s and 1980s. In late 1980s to mid
1990s several female rock singers popularly known as "Lady Rockers" were
famous in Indonesia, such as
Nicky Astria, Inka Christie, and
Anggun
that started her career in as a pop-rock singer in Indonesia before
moving to France and pursue her international career. Other notable rock
bands include
Slank, Netral, /rif and
Jamrud.
Jazz fusion
Some of Indonesian musicians and bands were exploring the
jazz music. Notable Indonesian jazz musicians are; Modulus band, Karimata band, Barry Likumahua, Indra Lesmana, Syaharani,
Maliq & D'Essentials and Trisum (Tohpati, Dewa Budjana, and Balawan). Various other groups fuse contemporary westernized
jazz fusion music with the traditional
ethnic music traditions of their hometown. In the case of
Krakatau and
SambaSunda,
the bands from West Java, the traditional Sundanese kacapi suling and
gamelan orchestra is performed alongside drum set, keyboard and guitars.
Other bands such as Bossanova Java were fused Javanese music with
bossanova, while Kulkul fuse jazz with Balinese gamelan. The
Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival
is performed annually, featuring famous International as well as
Indonesian jazz musicians. It has become one of the most important Jazz
event in the region. Many kind of jazz hang on in Indonesian Indie's
project, such as
Ecoutez,
Sandy Sandoro and many more "non-label" band or singer. And those music quality are not inferior and compete world class jazz.
Indonesian music legends
From
Gesang, Koes Bersaudara/Koes Plus, Dara Puspita, Alfian,
Titiek Puspa,
Guruh Gipsy,
Gombloh,
Bing Slamet,
Benyamin Sueb, Godbless,
Chrisye, DARSO (Calung X),
Harry Roesli(50's-70's) till
Fariz RM,
Iwan Fals, and many more. There is also
The Tielman Brothers,
Eurasians who are originally from Indonesia but they gained popularity in
Europe, especially The
Netherlands. There style is called
Indorock (after the colonial term used for Eurasians:
Indo-Europeaan, shortened
Indo)
(original source:
wikipedia.org)
