Hybridity and harmony

Abstract

Nineteenth-century British writers made frequent observations on Malay music, which are preserved in multiple forms of ethnographic writings and travel accounts, as well as dictionaries and linguistic treatises. Although the cultural boundaries of Malay ethnicity remained a subject of debate, British writers distinguished Malay music from Chinese, Indian, and Javanese traditions. The types of musical practices they observed in the urban centres of Penang, Melaka, and Singapore were probably syncretic traditions, incorporating stylistic influences from several cultures. The melodies from some of these genres were considered analogous to European music, and some writers speculated on reasons for this, such as the earlier influence of Portuguese colonialism. Malay music was transcribed in European staff notation; James Low published a collection of 28 ‘Malayan melodies’ in 1837. The perceived affinities between Malay and European musics in melody and harmony led to comments on the adaptability of Malay melodies within European genres, and the production of exoticist works for pianoforte and other instruments. The earliest published ‘Malay Tune’ (1807) is discussed here, along with other examples from the 19th century.