Indonesian music hard to define, musician says
Indonesian music hard to define, musician says
JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian music is in currently in a state of flux, making it difficult to characterize, prominent musician and composer Sukahardjana says.
Speaking at a discussion on Indonesian contemporary music entitled Indonesian modern music -- its development over the past 50 years at the Indoor Theater of the Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center last week, Sukahardjana said that, at present, Indonesian music is very diverse. It represents both international and ethnic musical genres, he said.
"We cannot make a precise definition regarding modern Indonesian music," Sukahardjana said. Local composers may blend their music with elements of foreign musical styles, he said, while foreign composers may produce a mixture of foreign and traditional music. One American composer, Jody Diamond, has composed music which includes Javanese traditional Karawitan music, he said, adding that Indonesian musicians, such as Tony Prabowo, Otto Sidharta and Harry Roesli, often utilize foreign musical idioms in their compositions.
"They all represent the Indonesian contemporary music pattern, so it's very difficult to define a 'real Indonesian music'," he said.
Friday's discussion was part of Sukahardjana's Indonesian Music Tour l995, which includes seminars, music recitals, discussions, and the screening of films. The tour is jointly organized by Sukahardjana, the Indonesian Composers Association, Cantus Studio and the Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts Center. Sukahardjana held similar discussions and musical performances earlier this month in Bandung, Yogyakarta and Surakarta. He will be continuing his tour, which began in early April and is scheduled to continue until July, to Semarang and Surabaya.
The music tour is aimed at the sharing of experiences and expertise among Indonesian musicians and Indonesian music lovers regarding the development of music in the country in the period between l955 and l995, Sukahardjana said.
"Local music is undergoing rapid development because of globalization and, therefore, there is a lot of new musical knowledge that should be shared and studied," the musician said. (raw)