From: lhoei@fwi.uva.nl (Liang Hwie Oei (I90))
Subject: Buku lagu-lagu Indonesia kecil
Followup-To: idem dito
Summary: A small Indonesian songbook
Keywords: songs
Organization: FWI, University of Amsterdam
Distribution: alt.culture.indonesia
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1992 11:59:19 GMT
Expires: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 23:00:00 GMT


	(God, I have been waiting for this opportunity!)

	===============================================================

		  APAKAH ANDA MENGETAHUI ADA SESUATA ISTEMEWA

			  DALAM KEBUDAYAAN INDONESIA 

		YANG DITERIMAKAN DARI NEGERI P O R T U G A L ?

	===============================================================


	Have we forgotten how to welcome our guests? Since
	its creation, this newsgroup has been visited by
	numerous net travellers, especially from Portugal
	who seem to feel quite at home, (maybe even better
	than in their own group) notwithstanding our argu-
	mentative treatment of their interest for us.

	Let's look back at our mutual history and try to
	find an instance where our cultures met and the
	Indonesian culture has been fertilized and enriched
	by this old colonizer. Let's treat them with a
	song, altough this will not answer the remaining
	question whether the Portuguese have ever adopted
	something of the Indonesian culture.


	There is a Dutch expression that says that you
	can't argue about taste. However, no matter what
	how you feel about Indonesian music, it cannot be
	denied that the talent of Indonesians to absorb
	(some will say "to import") foreign cultures has
	enabeled them to EXPORT these with ADDITIONAL
	VALUE! 

	Don't forget that:

	      The country boundaries of Indonesia and major
	parts of its books of jurisdiction (->Visit Repu-
	blik Indonesia) is Dutch! import, that

	      Bahasa Melayu (->Pramoedya Ananta Toer) is
	Malaysian import, that

	      Arjuna (->wayang-kulit-golek-wong) is Indian
	import, that 

	      Buddha (->Borubudur) is Indian import, that 

	      Mohammed (->Haj Rhoma Irama) is Near Eastern
	import, that 

	      family planning (->Keluarga Berencana) is
	western import, that 

	      badminton (->Susi Susanti! medal mas pertama
	Barcelona 1992) is Indian/British(?) import and
	that last but not least 

	      kroncong (->Mbak Hetty Koes Endang, yang
	sangat kusayang) is Portuguese import that now has
	reached Japanese (and my whatever) ears as an
	export article every Indonesian should be proud of
	whether s/he likes the particular musical genre or
	not.

	+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

				   KRONCONG

	+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


	Excerpts from: MUSIC OF INDONESIA Volume II
	"Indonesian Popular Music: Kroncong, Dangdut, and
	Langgam Jawa. (series of compact disc recordings,
	three already issued, two more planned.)

	Research and publication sponsored jointly by the
	Office of Folklife Programs of the Smithsonian
	Institution and the Masyarakat Musikologi Indonesi-
	a, and funded by a grant from the Ford Foundation.

	      In the course of its long history, kroncong
	has undergone slow but radical changes in musical
	style and social position. The music's roots lie in
	Portuguese songs and instruments brought to Indone-
	sia in the sixteenth centuries. At first, these
	Portuguese musical elements were preserved mainly
	among the so-called "Black Portuguese" or Mardij-
	kers, many of whom were descended from Asian and
	African slaves freed by the Portuguese. The Mardij-
	kers remained visible, Portuguese-speaking communi-
	ty in Batavia until the nineteenth century, when
	they and their music blended into the larger commu-
	nity of Eurasians (primarily descendants of unions
	between Dutch men and Indonesian women). Precisely
	what the music of the Mardijkers was is difficult
	to determine: at the very least, it was harmonized
	melodies with one or ore guitars. And what, if
	anything, the Eurasians added to it is also un-
	clear. But in any case the result, toward the end
	of the nineteenth century, was a kind of music
	known as kroncong and associated with lower-class
	Eurasians in Batavia, those who worked as low-paid
	clerks and soldiers or had no steady job at all.

	      /* ... */

	      There is no longer much live kroncong perfor-
	mance. Some street musicians still play kroncong,
	and it may also be heard at weddings where the host
	has a nostalgic attachment to the music, or where a
	deliberate attempt is made to be "traditional".
	Government and military bodies sometimes sponsor
	their own kroncong groups, which perform at offici-
	al functions and at the weddings of people attached
	to those organizations;  and the government minis-
	try of culture sponsors kroncong competitions in
	hope of stimulating the interest of youth. But most
	Indonesians' primary exposure to kroncong is
	through the media, and as younger people take over
	the controlling positions in government and media,
	we can expect that the amount of broadcast time and
	other support that kroncong receives will diminish.
	This is surely regrettable, for the style has both
	musical energy and (nowadays) a rather surprising
	dignity; but for popular music it has alredy enjoy-
	ed a remarkably long career. (P.Y.)

	      Philip Yampolsky is a musicologist who has
	      been studying Indonesia since 1970. His disco-
	      graphy of Lokananta, the Indonesian national
	      recording company, is the initial product of
	      his long-term research on the recording indus-
	      try in Indonesia and Malaysia.

	===================================================

				 BIRU RINDUKU 

			NYANYKANLAH AKU UNTUK MENGHIBUR

		      HATIKU DAN MENGHAPUSKAN AIR MATAKU

	===================================================


	The following song was the first Indonesian song I
	have learnt by heart. It was then that I realized
	why I have never heard an Indonesian performing the
	Negro Blues. Indonesians have their own blues. I
	suspect that every isle has its own blues genre.
	(e.g. the Mollucan isles: "Batu Dunia Telankan
	Beta".)

	My tears started to flow when I discerned the mea-
	ning of the lyrics. Doesn't it give you a kick that
	non Indonesians (e.g. Japanese), who presumably
	don't understand the words, actually like this
	stuff?

	One evening, I was watching "Stray Dog" in a Dutch
	student film house, a motion picture directed by
	one of the best film makers of this world: Akira
	Kurosawa. The story was about a policeman looking
	for his stolen gun. The gun was used for a crime.
	One of the most obvious areas to do the search was
	of course the protitution quarters. You see this
	man incognito wandering between these ladies and I
	suddenly recognized the first metra of the most
	famous kroncong song of Indonesia: "Bengawan Solo".
	I cannot describe what I felt that time and will
	not even try it. Maybe you should watch the movie.
	It's in black and white though.


ANTARA HITAM DAN PUTIH


ciptaan: Obbie Messakh
penyanyi: Hetty Koes Endang
jenis: pop kroncong Indonesia
direkam: 25 Apil 1985


Bergulung ombak laut biru           Run over by an ocean of waves blue
Mendengar kau memutus cinta         Hearing that you have cut our love
Bergetar kilat diangkasa            Trembling with the sky lightning
Sedangkan tiada hujan               While there is no rain at all

Lihatlah terlanjur sesat            Look at me lost and astray
Langkah diri karena janji           Cheating myself since I promised
Ibarat tangkai aku telah patah      Like a twig I have been broken
Ibarat gurun aku tandus             Like a dessert I am barren
Ibarat sungai aku kering            Like a river I am dried out

Kini musnah harapanku               My hopes have been destroyed
Cinta terputus ditengah jalanan     The route of my love you cut midway
Woow... kau tinggalkan noda cinta   You have left a spot on my love
Buah cinta kasih nan putih          A fruit that was pure and endearing

Ingin kumati bila tak ingat dosa    I wish to die as not to remember my sin
Ingin rasanya kupulang kerahim ibu  I wish to return to my mother's womb
Dan tak pernah terlahir lagi        And never to be born again
Dan tak pernah terlahir lagi        And never to be born again
Dan tak pernah terlahir lagi        And never to be born again


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                           SO THE GENERAL TENET OF THIS POSTER IS:

                                        INDONESIANS, 

               BE PROUD OF THE BUILT IN IMPORT AND EXPORT FACILITIES OF YOUR 

                                          CULTURE !

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Newsgroups: alt.culture.indonesia