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