'Unpopular' music gives Tony name

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

People often say like father like son. This would be particularly apt in the case of contemporary music composer Tony Prabowo. Seeing his father play a guitar every day unconsciously inspired him to be a musician.

"I remember watching my father skillfully playing his guitar in front of me. I was only seven. The music he played was neither classic nor pop ... Even now I have no idea what kind of music it was," he said in his small yet artistic studio in a narrow alley in the Tridarma area of South Jakarta.

Clad in casual attire, Tony showed off his studio along with his dog Bowie. "This is where I work," he said while sitting on a wooden chair, surrounded by books, on the studio's second floor.

The 45-year-old, who was born in Malang, East Java, has consciously chosen a field which is not popular with local audiences.

"Western-style contemporary music is less acceptable to local audiences. Perhaps they are not yet used to it," he said.

Tony, who founded the New Jakarta Ensemble, has composed numerous works for people such as renowned poet Goenawan Mohamad, dancers Linda Hoemar, Benny Krisnawardi and Boy G. Sakti, as well as experimental theater and films. The latter include Surat untuk Bidadari (A Letter to an Angel) and Puisi Tak Terkuburkan (Undying Poem), directed by Garin Nugroho.

Among his important works are Dongeng Sebelum Tidur (A bedtime story) in 1992, Autumnal Steps in 1996 and his 1998 Requiem for Strings.

He has participated in international festivals including the 1998 Art Summit in Jakarta and the 1999 Sacred Rhythm Millennial Percussion Festival in Bali. He also participated in festivals abroad, including festivals in Japan, the United States, Germany, Australia, Korea and the Netherlands.

Recently, together with ethnomusicologist Nyak Ina Raseuki (better known as Ubiet), Tony has been further exploring contemporary music in this country.

Despite his success, Tony had to push hard to persuade his parents to let him study music, especially the violin.

He begged his parents to allow him to enroll in the Yogyakarta Music School instead of regular junior high school, but to no avail.

"I couldn't stand it (junior high school). When I advanced to high school, I rebelled against my parents' decision and they finally allowed me to study music at the Yogyakarta Music School for two years," he recalled.

His love of music was boosted by the influence of his new hometown Yogyakarta, where his family moved when he was still in elementary school. Little Tony always watched musical performances like orchestras and piano recitals at the Indonesian Arts Institute in the city, which is famous as a center of arts and culture.

In 1975, he decided to move to Jakarta where he studied music composition with noted composer Slamet Abdul Syukur.

"Mas (older brother) Slamet enriched me with philosophy, but my friends and I believed that we obtained little in the way of composition techniques from him," he said.

"I must admit that I was strongly influenced by Mas Slamet but I learned a lot from Mas Juna," he said, referring to sculptor and composer Arjuna Hutagalung.

Tony is grateful to Arjuna for giving him endless support and guidance in his early career which, he said, had helped broaden his perspectives and understand the challenges of being a composer.

"Mas Juna opened my eyes. He reminded me not to be easily satisfied with personal achievements. He made me see that there's tough competition in Western contemporary music abroad and encouraged me to compete with composers from Western countries. His guidance and the experiences I had when I was abroad have further motivated me," Tony said, adding that he had to borrow money from friends and sponsors to go abroad.

"For 15 years, even until now, Mas Juna has enriched me with knowledge and principles and pushed me to master all aspects of composition. He made me ambitious in a positive way."

Tony's most memorable experience was in the mid-1980s when he composed five pieces of music for choreographer Laksmi Simanjuntak.

"It was the very first time my work was heard by the public. I was afraid to perform my own compositions. I had to find a secluded area because I was afraid people would listen or, even worse, that Mas Juna would hear them. But Laksmi helped me gain my self-confidence," he said.

Tony, who is also the Secretary General of the Association of Indonesian Composers, admitted contemporary music in Indonesia is in a deplorable state due to a lack of orientation, unsatisfactory education and little acceptance from local society, all of which have played a role in hampering its development.

"Contemporary music is left far behind other fields like sculpting, for example, where local sculptors managed to make meaningful progress," he said.

Should this situation prevail, Tony was concerned that it would discourage potential composers from participating in the development of contemporary music.

"I'm practically alone here and it's not easy to change the situation. My music is better appreciated abroad and I receive more invitations to perform abroad. That's why I perform more often in other countries," he said.

When working on a composition, Tony tries not to narrow his inspiration to a specific ethnic background. "I don't dare to represent a particular tradition."

And though he says that his music is Western in style, just like a painter Tony uses his feelings when creating compositions and this results in little Eastern nuances in his works.

"I'm an Easterner, a Javanese to be exact. I have a grand design in my head when composing my music and I may have unconsciously combined traditional elements in my works. It occurs without me knowing it," he said.

"But that's OK. I think it's in my blood."