The Music of Malaysia: The Classical, Folk, and Syncretic Traditions by Patricia Matusky and Tan Sooi Beng

Abstract

Reviewed by: The Music of Malaysia: The Classical, Folk, and Syncretic Traditions by Patricia Matusky and Tan Sooi Beng Raja Iskandar Bin Raja Halid (bio) The Music of Malaysia: The Classical, Folk, and Syncretic Traditions, second ed. Patricia Matusky and Tan Sooi Beng. SOAS Musicology Series. London: Routledge, 2017. xxii + 438 pp., 603 b&w illustrations, notes, bibliography, discography, videography, index + two CDs. ISBN: 9781472465047 (hardcover), $132.00; ISBN: 9781315223025 (e- book), $38.00. In the past five decades, efforts have been made by the Malaysian government to document, preserve, and promote the traditional performing arts as part of the nation’s plan to bridge the social and economic gap between the major populations. This led to the establishment of Kompleks Budaya Negara (National Cultural Complex) in 1972, after the National Cultural Congress a year earlier. The National Cultural Complex was later known as Istana Budaya (Palace of Culture), where traditional performers were employed as instructors, and performances were held. This was followed by the opening of Akademi Seni Kebangsaan (National Arts Academy) in 1994. Now known as ASWARA, the academy offers tertiary education in traditional performing arts including makyung and wayang kulit. Since music was included in the national school curriculum, there have been demands for more music school-teachers and instructors. Students are also taught traditional performing arts in many schools and universities as part of extracurricular activities. Publications and teaching materials for traditional music and performing arts have still been lacking, however. Matusky and Tan’s original publication The Music of Malaysia was an important contribution at a time when there was a dire need for source books on Malaysian music. It was written especially for music teachers, university lecturers, researchers, and the general public with some understanding in music. This book was first published in Malay in 1997 and followed by an English version in 2004. It was a culmination of years of work by the two ethnomusicologists, with additional materials by a number of scholars in Malaysian music. This new edition, published by Routledge in 2017, has been fully revised and includes two audio CDs of field recordings. The Music of Malaysia is now accessible to a much wider readership and is available in both print and e- book versions. The book is stunning in its scope and coverage. It is divided into six chapters, preceded by an introduction that provides an overview of Malaysia’s history, society, politics, and economy. Here the authors provide a historical timeline of Malaysia’s musical development and outline five musical categories that encompass the major ethnic groups of the country. This inclusivity shows the ethnic diversity and multicultural nature of the country. The music performed in these societies is categorized as classical, folk, syncretic, and contemporary art music. Although some of the performances may overlap, [End Page 150] this categorization greatly facilitates the research and documentation of Malaysian music and performing arts. The first chapter looks into the music of major theatrical forms, which comprise shadow puppetry, dance and opera, and musical theater. It gives an overview of the Malay shadow puppet play wayang kulit; Chinese po- te- hi glove puppet theater; makyung, menora, mekmulung, and randai dance dramas; the Malay opera Bangsawan; boria musical theatre; and Chinese opera. Drawing from Matusky’s own research, the wayang kulit is well explained here, together with transcriptions and analysis of the music. Samples of wayang kulit music taken from her field recordings in the 1970s are also provided on the accompanying CDs. Makyung, an ancient Malay theater from Kelantan that uses the same tetawak and gendang instruments as the wayang kulit with an addition of the rebab (or bowed lute), also receives lengthy coverage with examples of its music. After a brief look at mekmulung from Kedah and randai from Negri Sembilan, the chapter moves to the Malay opera Bangsawan, which appeared as a result of British colonization of the Malay Peninsula. Its music comprises songs that have a combination of Malay and Western musical elements. This can be heard through recordings of two 1930s Bangsawan songs found on the CDs. The chapter ends with a look at menora folk dance theater found in the states of Penang, Kedah, and...