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)