On reviving 'keroncong' music

On reviving 'keroncong' music

As a reader of The Jakarta Post, I appreciate and am grateful
to the editorial staff for translating and divulging Marah
Kamrin's letter published in the Warta Kota daily regarding the
fading away of traditional keroncong music (the Post, May 29).

During the Dutch colonial era, keroncong music was regarded as
unique for its rhythm, melody and lyrics composed in Malay. It
differed distinctly from other indigenous, ethnic music such as
Javanese, Sundanese or any other ethnic music.

Since Malay -- aside from Dutch -- was in vogue as the lingua
franca, keroncong songs were composed with Malay lyrics and thus
established its characteristically nationalistic tone.

But among the educated younger generation of the late Dutch
era of the 1930s, it was not keroncong, but rather Hawaiian songs
that were widely popular. The Hawaiian Syncopeters and the
Hawaiian Big Boys of Batavia were the idolized bands at the time.

In the 1950s, after Indonesia gained its independence,
keroncong music reached its height of popularity, with the rise
of vocalists Sam Saimun, Sal Saulius, Bing Slamet and others.

Recently, a most attractive performance appeared on a midnight
TV program featuring a blend of keroncong music with Brazilian
samba. In this version, the violin stood out in a solo, producing
a marvelous and exquisite musical novelty or innovation in
keroncong. This deserves to be applauded.

S. SUHAEDI
Jakarta