Islamic touch in Trisutji's music<\/p>\n
Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
As a child, she knew she was blessed with music talent, a prowess
\nthat she sharpened during her teenage years.<\/p>\n
Her toil and determination paid. Now, Trisutji Kamal has made
\na name for herself as a pianist and composer of both national and
\ninternational classical music scenes.<\/p>\n
"I have composed music since I was seven. I remembered playing
\nmy own compositions for my mother.<\/p>\n
"It was a long time ago. Now, those compositions were lost
\nbecause I didn't write them down. I was just a child and didn't
\nknow how to write," Trisutji recalled, smiling.<\/p>\n
She inherited the talent from her father, Djulham
\nSurjowidjojo, a medical doctor and a violinist but it was her
\nmother, BRE Nedima Kusmarkiah, who taught her discipline in
\npursuing music.<\/p>\n
"My strict father often criticized me. As a little girl, I
\nwould take the criticism as a verbal attack. So when I played for
\nmy mother I didn't even want my father to hear it. It was she who
\nencouraged me to practice and practice," Trisutji said.<\/p>\n
Trisutji was raised in Javanese tradition and her mother often
\nmade her wear traditional Javanese attire, kebaya. "She wanted me
\nto get used to wearing kebaya... and never forget the (Javanese
\nculture) root," she said.<\/p>\n
Trisutji spent most of her childhood in North Sumatra, where
\nshe lived in a heterogeneous culture but mainly Islamic society.
\nThe way she was brought up was deeply internalized in her and it
\nwas often reflected in her works, in the form of pentatonic
\nJavanese and Islamic influence.<\/p>\n
"I was also fascinated with Italian Bel Canto (a style of
\nsinging characterized by brilliant vocal and purity of tone). In
\nmy operas, the Bel Canto style shows ... but the pentatonic
\nJavanese also exists."<\/p>\n
Apart from music, she also loves to paint and cook, which she
\ndoes in her spare time. Both cooking and painting, she said, are
\nvery much like composing music.<\/p>\n
"When I was studying music abroad, I also hoped I could learn
\npainting but it wasn't possible so I concentrated on music," she
\nlaughed.<\/p>\n
She feels lucky to have the opportunity to have had Leurene
\nRemmert as her piano teacher. It was Remmert who advised her to
\nstudy music at Amsterdam Conservatory where she was taught by
\nwell-known composer Henk Badings.<\/p>\n
Several months after finishing her study there, she went to
\nFrance to further study at Ecole Normale de Musique, in Paris,
\njust when the city was hit by the worst winter in 50 years.<\/p>\n
"In the first few days of winter, I remembered opening my
\nwindow and saw Paris all white, covered in snow. It was beautiful
\nbut I could not stand the cold and got sick all the time," she
\nrecalled.<\/p>\n
The cold and the poor health, though, failed to dampen her
\nspirits. She looked for a piano rental to pursue her study but it
\ndid not last long as she could not stand the cold. So she
\nreturned to Holland and eventually moved to Rome where she
\nfinished her studies at Conservatory of Santa Cecilia, in 1967.<\/p>\n
During her studies in Europe, Trisutji performed some of her
\ncompositions, such as Hujan (Rain) in Vienna, 1964, Sungai
\n(River) in Moscow, 1963 and Api (Fire) in Praha 1964. Her opera
\nLoro Jonggrang (Folk songs) was performed at the Castel Saint
\nAngelo, Rome, in 1957.<\/p>\n
After returning to Indonesia, Trisutji created songs for radio
\nstations and compositions for noted writers and film directors
\nlike among other Sjuman Djaja, Asrul Sani, Motinggo Busye and
\nSoekarno M. Noor.<\/p>\n
"My first film was directed by Asrul Sani. I didn't have any
\nexperience (writing soundtracks) but had to work with famous
\nwriters. I was later introduced to people in the film industry,"
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
"Back then, the national music scene was not as developed as
\nit is now so the government encouraged its development," said the
\ncomposer.<\/p>\n
Just recently, Trisutji launched three books on her
\ncompositions, namely Younger Years Selected Compositions (a
\ncompilation of 10 compositions created between 1950 and 1955),
\nincluding Tarian Fantasi (Fantasy Dance), Nyanyian (Song), and
\nSerenada Seorang Pengemis (Beggar's Serenade); Indonesian Folk
\nMelodies (consisting of 26 compositions) and Sunda Seascapes
\n(comprises seven compositions, inspired by the beauty of nature
\nin Anyer on the western tip of Java, where she spent much of her
\ntime in 1990).<\/p>\n
Upon realizing that Indonesia still lacked groups to represent
\nIndonesia in international forums she then established the
\nTrisutji Kamal Ensemble in 1994.<\/p>\n
"I wanted to introduce the country to the world through music.
\nThat's why I formed the ensemble, which is also a vehicle to
\nenable me to create unique compositions to be performed abroad,"
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
Financial limitations did not stop her to develop the ensemble
\nand seized every opportunity to perform abroad. One of those
\nopportunities was the meeting of Indonesian Ambassadors in
\nJakarta, March, 1994. Trisutji introduced the ensemble to some of
\nthe Indonesian Ambassadors and they were interested in helping.
\nNow the ensemble has performed in several European countries.<\/p>\n
Each performance is memorable for Trisutji, but the most was
\nher solo performance in Hungary, 1993, playing her Islam-inspired
\ncompositions, Penghayatan Bulan Suci (Treasuring the Holy Month),
\nconsisting of Ramadhan, Malam Takbir (Idul Fitri Eve) and Idul
\nFitri compositions. "It was nice to know that the audience could
\nfeel and appreciate the spiritual nuance in them," she explained.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/islamic-touch-in-trisutjis-music-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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