Zeitgenossische Musik in Indonesien: Zwischen lokalen Traditionen, nationalen Verplichtungen und internationalen Einflussen

Abstract

This is the first comprehensive book on the historical background and development of the music scene in Indonesia from the early twentieth century to 2004. As its author argues, the development of classical/traditional ‘local’ or ethnic music, new music, jazz, world music, and popular music scenes may be explained through examining the contradictions that exist between local traditions, national expectations, and international influences. Dieter Mack’s claim that this particular dialectical mix is unique to Indonesia is well argued, though to advance a convincing case he would need to make it thoroughly cross-cultural, a task which he does not attempt. The concept of individual composers creating new music as part of a worldwide movement is relatively recent in Indonesia. From the 1950s, composers such as Narto Sabdho and Ki Wasitodipuro created new compositions based on popular gamelan styles (see Judith Becker, Traditional Music in Modern Java: Gamelan in a Changing Society (Honolulu, 1980)), but they were not intended to be part of an international vanguard. New music began to be composed in score or improvised and established in rehearsal in the 1970s, when Gendon Humardani (head of the Arts Academy ASKI in Surakarta until he died in 1983) encouraged students not only to exploit a frozen view of the various regional traditional musics but also experimentally to explore regional musical sounds to create new musical styles in accord with the changing times and to write compositions that demonstrated originality; some pursued careers as composers, and some are mentioned in this book. The story of this development has been referred to but never told in detail before Mack’s volume.