Abstract
ABSTRACT Indonesia’s new music, alive in some parts of the archipelago from Sumatra in the west to Papua in the east, can be seen as a musical expression, both in verbal and abstract sound form, resulting from cultural refraction through individual composers. Nevertheless, the centre of attention for musical culture is still Java and Bali, two main islands in the cultural politics of the archipelago. Outside the two, new music works and sources of creation for the respective composers in several regions in Indonesia are still less noticed, even ignored. This article explores the new musical expression in Papua, the easternmost part of Indonesia, especially in works based on the so-called indigenous music but still using western musical precepts in a very selective way possible. By extracting or being inspired by various forms of ritual in the areas, a young woman composer named Septina Rosalina Layan shapes the very characteristics of Papuan new music and differentiates her works from those of new music composers from other parts of Indonesia. The approach in this narrative inquiry is based on several paths, namely tracing her endeavour in combining oral and written processes and her faithfulness towards oral traditions so rich in vocal music. This essay proves that the boldness of Papuan new music is an idiosyncratic reopening of the musical treasures from the ancestral past.
Published Version
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