An Exploration of the Malay Kompang

AN EXPLORATION OF THE MALAY KOMPANG Name Chan Tsui Sze Dora Matriculation Number U1210644K Seminar sort Time 1330 1530 Seminar Group Instructor Cikgu Zubir Assignment Research Paper in Malayananan harmony Date 10 April 2013 Word Count 2245 confine Chapter 1 An Introduction to the Kompang3 1. 1 Features of the Kompang4 1. 2 Features of Kompang Music4 1. 3 Per solveance Context6 Chapter 2 Influences on the Malay Kompang 7 2. 1 Arabic Influences7 2. 2 Lusitanian Influences9 2. 3 Thai Influences11 2. 4 Afri derriere Influences12Chapter 3 Future Changes in the Malay Kompang14 3. 1 Pop and Media Influences14 3. 2 Western Influences15 Chapter 4 Conclusion16 Bibliography 17 Discography/ Videography 19 Chapter 1 An Introduction to the Kompang The Malay Kompang supporting players refers to a Malay beat out ensemble that ranges between three performers in a keen chamber or accompaniment setting, to a large group of 30 gussy upmers. As an instrument, the Malay Kompang is so familiar to most Singaporeans, yet it encompasses a rich history spanning more than than than 700 years that would astound and intrigue many.Kompang is oecumenicly an oral tradition (Abdullah, 2005). Like all other non- preeminenceal symphony forms, it is inescapably highly characterized by change, self-improvisation and influences from other finishs. While Kompang medicine at once is admittedly not so frequently heard nor performed as before, in that respect experience been efforts to assimilate this traditional music literary genre into at onces fashionable culture. This paper volition address the diverse cultural influences on Malay Kompang from Arabic, Lusitanian, Thai and African sources.Through the main melodious particles of instrumentation, rhythm, form, and execution context, a omnibus(prenominal) musical comedy analysis of the influence of the diametrical cultures on Kompang music will be do. This paper will in addition examine how elements of cut downular cu lture can be inf wasting diseased into the traditional Malay Kompang music genre, and discuss the general developmental direction that Kompang music is taking. 1. 1 Features of the Kompang The Malay Kompang is adjourn of the drum family.It is a wooden-framed, circular, one-sided reachheld drum with a skin made up of animal hide and compete using the free elapse (Abdullah, 2012). on that point atomic number 18 two main types of greenbacks on the Kompang the lentong beat compete by bang the side of the drum with closed(a) fingers, and the cerang compete by slapping the center of the drum with the palm (Abdullah, 2012). The lentong typically produces a lower-pitched, ro under(a) wholesome while the cerang typically produces a higher-pitched slapping effect. One of the unique shoot a lines of the Kompang is its wet and mutter timbre ascribable to the strong effects of reverberation.Another special feature of the Kompang is its interlock technique and the unique musica l texture heard from this effect. 1. 2 Features of Kompang Music Even though most musical repertoire of the Kompang is oral in personality and neither notated nor formally defined, there is undeniably a grand range of repertoire in the Kompang genre. There is purely instrumental sound as strong as Kompang used to accompany vocal dower, corresponding zikir. The variety in form the organization of musical elements in sequence to create structure (Kamien, 2013) used in Kompang music is very wide.There is the use of Pukulan, which the first section is called Pukulan Mula (introduction beat), the second is called Pukulan Asas (basic beat) and the third is Pukulan Naik (ascending beat), followed by a conclave of other sections including Pukulan Turun (descending beat) and Pukulan Naik. Finally the last section is identified as Pukulan Mati (ending beat). (Abdullah, 2005) There is no rule as to how many times each Pukulan has to be played the conclave of Pukulan sections is de termined by the length as well as the function of the entire performance.Also, the form of Kompang pieces is also specific to the friendship that is performing the pieces. For example, the Kompang music performed by the Kompang Ezhar society in Malaysia typically begins with a call-and-response recitation of the Selawat, a reading of a holy scripture, and then continues with the divers(a) Pukulan sections. Additionally, there be even more types of Pukulan found in unhomogeneous forms of dance music (Abdullah, 2005). A summary of the diametric Pukulan specific to the Kompang Ezhar community is shown in bit 1 below routine 1 A summary of the various types of Pukulan found in the Kompang Ezhar (Abdullah, 2005)In Kompang, rhythm is mainly characterized by the meshing of different parts divided within the Kompang ensemble. Interlocking is fundamentally done with two or more Kompangs play simultaneously, with one part playing the Basic beat which is usually the downbeats anoth er part playing the Rhythm beat which is usually the off beats and an additional part(s) playing the Leading beat which is usually characterized by triplets or a shorten rhythm that creates a unique interlocking texture specific to the Malay Kompang musical genre (Hahril, 2010).In addition, instrumentation is a musical element that is relatively fixed in Kompang there is usually a group of Kompangs playing together, and occasionally, consequent voice. 1. 3 Performance Context In the Singaporean context, the Malay Kompang is usually seen performed at weddings and celebratory ceremonies, or at traditional showcases. As the Kompang is usually performed in large, open spaces, it is important that it produces loud, penetrating and thundering sounds. Kompang performances atomic number 18 also popular at social functions like cultural festivals, dinner shows and events, as well as for the royalty (Abdullah, 2005).All these factors underscore the importance and essentialness of this u nique instrument in the entire Malay community. Chapter 2 Influences on the Malay Kompang The Malay Kompang is influenced by many cultures, especially from those cultures that introduced the musical genre into the Malay community in the early 13th century. As malacca cane was ruled by different cultural groups throughout its history, the performance of Malay Kompang was also inevitably influenced by these cultures that took over the land at different points in its history. 2. 1 Arabic Influences One main influence on Kompang music is the Arabic culture and its music.In this context, it is of relevance to discuss the main hand drum that is greatly symbolic of Arabic music the chalice drum, a large single-headed drum introduced in 1100 BCE (Sadie, 1980). human body 2 African goblet drum The goblet drum is played either with the drum held under the players arm, or with the player sitting down and placing it sidelong on his lap, or with the drum strapped around his neck. Similar to t he Malay Kompang, it is played using only the hands. There are three main tones used. The doum (bass) tone is produced by hitting the center of the drum head with the palm.The tek (higher-pitched) is produced by hitting the edge of the drum head. The pa is a percussive effect produced by hitting the drumhead and then muting it with the palm to create a closed sound. Figure 3 Doum tone on the Arabic goblet drum Figure 4 Tek tone on the Arabic goblet drum Thus, it can be seen that the playing techniques of the Malay Kompang is somewhat evoked from the playing techniques of the Arabic goblet drum such that a higher-pitched sound is heard by tapping the side of the drum and letting the sound ring, and a lower-pitched sound is produced by hitting the middle of the drum using the palm.Although the muting percussive tone is not as established in Kompang performance techniques, this is probably due to the limitations of the Kompang in that it can only be hit with one hand and held with th e other, fashioning it hard to execute a muting effect. 2. 2 Lusitanian Influences Portuguese musical elements are also evident in the music of Kompang, particularly in its repertoire. This is not unexpected, as the Portuguese took over Malacca after its productive assault on the city in July 1511 (Leo, 2013) leading to infiltration of Portuguese elements into the Malay culture and practices then.The main hand drum in the Portuguese tradition is the Tabor. It is a double-headed snare drum made of cylindrical wood, played with one hand. The skin heads are tightened with leather straps and rope tension (Harms, 1989). Figure 5 The Portuguese Tabor The repertoire of the Tabor is by and large armament in character and is used frequently in marching fortune processions. Additionally, the Tabor is unremarkably played together with the Portuguese pipe. The player commonly plays the pipe with his left hand and hits the drum with a wooden aim in his right hand.Portuguese pipe music is folk in nature and the rhythms played on the Tabor are accompanimental and characterized by dotted rhythm. As the musical repertoire of the Tabor is not extensive, there is little notation available. Hence a short transcription of the Tabor parts from a Portuguese Pipe and Tabor ensemble has been attempted Figure 6 Transcription of Pipe and Tabor ensemble recording As seen from Figure 6, each of the three Tabor parts plays different rhythms, but the performance culminates in an interlocking effect such that the three different parts compliment each others beats of emphasis.Hence we can derive two insights regarding the Portuguese influence on the Malay Kompang firstly, the use of the Kompang in Malay processions and weddings could be influenced by the use of the Tabor in Portuguese marching processions. Secondly, the interlocking feature in Kompang music could be taken from Portuguese Tabor ensembles and then developed to the several complex interlocking parts of today, which inc ludes triplets and more complicated syncopation parts. 2. 3 Thai Influences provided another cultural influence on Kompang music is Thai music.The Malays and the Thai have had long, diplomatic contact for over half a hug drug during the siamese connection empire of 1403 1909. This allowed the Malays to adapt to the Thai culture and music. Two Siamese musical forms that were of great influence to the Malay Kompang were the Wayang Siam and the Makyong (Abdullah, 2012). The Wayang Siam is essentially accompaniment to keister puppet theatre. The form of Wayang Siam music is mostly free in nature and depends on the theatrics and drama of the performance. Characters are free to move onstage in more or less than the traditional eight-bar phrases (Baier, 1995).The Makyong musical form was primarily performed by a small ensemble of instruments used to accompany mental representation acts, and included improvised monologues and dialogues (UNESCO, 2005), underscoring the flexibility of t he form. Similarly, Kompang ensembles accompany dances, weddings and processions and require a sure amount of flexibility to suit the occasion. Despite the flexibility in combination and number of repetitions of Pukulan sections played, it is not as free as the form in Wayang Siam. Nevertheless, the flexibility in form can be seen as a main influence of Wayang Siam on Kompang music. . 4 African Influences The way that the drummers in an African djembe ensemble interact musically is also of influence to the Malay Kompang. One main feature of African djembe ensemble playing is polyrhythm, in which each djembe player plays a repetitive cycle of its own accompanying rhythm which is in a different measure from the other djembe players. This creates a very unique jazzy texture as there are different downbeats heard simultaneously with the playing of two different measures. This can be seen in the example below, depicting a polyrhythmic effect Figure 7 Example of polyrhythmIn addition, t here is usually also a solo, virtuosic part heard above all the different accompanying parts, which gives even more rhythmic variety to the music. The influence that this has on Kompang is clear in the different parts that are taken on by the different players in the ensemble. However, the interlocking effect in Kompang is not as complex in that it is not as texturally thick as djembe as all the ensemble players are still playing in the same measure. Nevertheless, it still shows a very important influence that African drum music had on the Malay Kompang.In the 13th century in the Malay Archipelago, little polyrhythmic or even contrapuntal music could be found. Hence the interlocking feature of Kompang music was drawn from the polyrhythms in African djembe. Chapter 3 Future Changes in the Malay Kompang In the 21st century today when most lot including those in the Southeast Asia region are exposed to popular music due to factors like technical advances and the strong wave of social media, there is inevitably a strong inclination towards fusing traditional music with pop elements.In addition, due to the increased westernization of Asian cultures, many traditional musical forms are gradually evolving into a more Westernized structure. Besides this, the culture where Kompang is performed today also has an effect on how it is performed. For example, Kompang Melayu is a modern style of playing Kompang, specifically found in Singapore (Hahrill, 2010). Based on my research and analysis, there is a strong possibility of two main directions that musical developments in Malay Kompang can take the pop-infused style and the westernized style. 3. Pop and Media Influences Pop music is a main influence on Kompang music today. Since the 21st century, engineering has allowed a growing number of people to be connected to the Internet. With todays wireless connectivity and infiltration of social media, the immense volume of technological information sharing inevitably causes pe ople to be influenced by songs that are literally popular those that are accessible to the widest audience (Lamb, 2013). Elements of rock, R&B, country, disco, punk, and tap have been integrated into pop music for the past few decades.The rhythmic elements in these styles have the potential to be incorporated into Kompang. In addition, the form of pop music verse and chorus could be another element that could possibly influence Kompang music in the future. 3. 2 Western Influences collectable to increasing westernization of Southeast-Asian cultures today as well as the flourish in Western Music education that uses mainly western notation, Kompang music is more frequently notated these days. This is evident from the difficulty that cross-cultural ensembles face in rehearsing due to differences in notational practices. Ross, 2011) Western orchestras, bands and ensembles have also been introduced to the Malay culture in recent years. There could potentially be new compositions that incorporate the Kompang into the scored music. For example, pleximetry ensembles with Kompang as one of the instruments, or even Kompang concertos could be written in the near future as part of efforts to popularize traditional instruments. Chapter 4 Conclusion In conclusion, the Malay Kompang, although a considerably specific musical genre, is still influenced by a myriad of elements from other cultures.This is especially so with globalization today, causing homogenization of culture throughout many countries. As discussed above, Kompang music was initially influenced by Arabic, Portuguese, Thai and African musical elements. In recent years, it has started to be influenced by pop and western elements, which are mostly caused by the infiltration of media and technology, and the slow but definite westernization of Asian cultures. As such, the growth of Kompang music in ways that are characterized by todays era can be witnessed. Bibliography Abdullah, M. H. (2005).An Organological a nd Ethnomusicological Study of A Malay Frame Drum. Retrieved from https//theses. ncl. ac. uk/dspace/bitstream/10443/869/1/Abdullah05. pdf Abdullah, M. H. (2005). ENCHANTING THE CULTURE AN INTRODUCTION TO THE AUTHENTIC KOMPANG PLAYING. 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