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 18th International Meeting
StubickeToplice
Croatia
13-17 April, 2011
at the
invitation of
Institut za etnologiju i folkloristiku
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Margaret Kartomi,
Australia
margaret.kartomi@monash.edu
Interaction between Violin (Biola) and Vocal Melody in Malay Sea Songs along Sumatra’s Coast
To this day, singers of emotional lagu sikambang laui’ (Sikambang sea songs), laments, lullabies and couples song-dances
on Sumatran’s western coast sing loud, high-pitched, elaborately ornamented tunes accompanied by harmonically generated melody
on a violin and cyclic rhythms on frame drums. This paper aims to explain the enigmatic origin of the genre in the Portuguese
colonial era, when Malay singing, frame drum and couples dance styles were combined with Portuguese violin techniques,
harmonically generated melody and folk dances, and it became the dominant form of artistic expression at the most intimate
of family weddings, baby thanksgivings, circumcisions, and the like. Political and social links with other coastal areas
of Sumatra and Malaya resulted in exchanges of repertory and stylistic characteristics. This paper examines a transcription
of Lagu Pulau Pinang (Penang Island Song), noting how the Malay vocal timbre and ornamentation interacts and contrasts
with the European-style triadic melody and modulations on the violin, and how the music of the ensemble relates to the style
and content of the Malay song lyrics and couples dancing.
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