ETHN 100

Minangkabau 1 (from BlackBoard) Before Reading: The instruments sound like hollow bells being struck like gongs or glockenspiels– I will assume these are Talempongs, as that seems to be the Indonesian instrument of favor in our studies. It sounds like there is a large ensemble of these Talempongs, with several playing each specific part in the music (rhythm, melody, harmony, bass, etc.) The arrangement sounds much more westernized than most indigenous music we’ve listened to in the past– it follows a melodically simple chord progression that is recognizable in most cheesy western music. I also hear some harmony in melody, from the highest-pitched talempongs; there are either two sets playing homphonically in thirds, or the resonance of the talempong simply picks up the overtones of thirds. Regardless, this piece certainly evokes the “island vibe” that chintzy four-star hotels utilize by their pool bars– “Indigenous Indonesian Music For Dummies”, if you will. After Reading: I couldn’t help but laugh as I saw the chart on the instrumentation of ‘orkes talempong’– the four functions outlined (melody, harmony, bass, rhythm) were the exact four I hypothesized earlier! The instruments were, naturally, Talempongs, and a large ensemble of them as well (orkes talempong, akin to an orchestra.) The piece sounded so Western to me because it is a Talempong Kreasi– a genre that essentially creates ‘new style’ music with indigenous instruments, like the Talempong, in order to appeal to a broader national (and international) audience. Talempong Kreasi utilizes a diatonic scale and typical harmonic structure, all Western devices, to “remix” classic indigenous Minangkabau music.  It is the epitome of cultural reformation to suit the cosmopolitan audience.