What are the Vocal Music and Musical Ensembles of South East Asia | Music 8

 Get to know Southeast Asian Music: Vocal and Instrumental Music

Vocal music is music made specifically for voices. It may be performed with or without instruments while Instrumental music is made solely for instruments.

Cambodia

          Cambodia is one of the most beautiful countries in Southeast Asia.  Cambodian court music is roughly similar to that of Java, Indonesia. They feature choruses with large orchestras based on struck keys and gongs.   Cambodian people also absorbed and adopted Indian, Chinese, European, and other cultures to suit their own traditions and tastes that resulted in a distinct Cambodian culture.  

          The Pinpeat is a Cambodian musical ensemble or an orchestra that usually accompanies ceremonial music of the royal courts and temples. Music is always part of their court dances, masked plays, shadow plays, and religious ceremonies. This group is similar to the Piphat ensemble of Thailand and usually consists of nine or ten instruments.

Indonesia

          Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous country and is the fourth biggest nation of the world. Through interaction with other cultures such as Indian, Arabic, Chinese and European, a wide range of musical styles has been developed. There are two basic kinds of Indonesian music scale:

Slendro – five (5) equidistant tones in octave

Peloq – heptatonic (7) tone scale with semi tone

Both vocal and instrumental music in Indonesia use slendro and peloq scales.

Irama – is an Indonesian term for tempo.

The Gamelan or Gamelan orchestra is the most popular form of music in Indonesia. It is use to accompany dance, songs, and Wayang Kulit performances. There are two types of Gamelan depending on the place of origins: Javanese Gamelan from the Java region and the Balinese Gamelan from the Bali region.

Myanmar

The music of Myanmar (or Burma) has similarities with many other musical traditions in the region, including Chinese music and Thai music.  The Hsaing Waing is Myanmar’s traditional folk music ensemble. It is made up mainly of different gongs and drums as well as other instruments depending on the nature of the performance. 

          Myanmar’s musical instruments are categorized into 2 types, the loud sounding and soft sounding. The loud sounding instruments are performed in open-air ensembles at ceremonies and festivals. Most of the Hsaing Waing instruments belong to the loud sounding category. 

For more formal and classical performances that are performed indoors, the ensemble may be accompanied by the saung gauk the national instrument of (13-string angular harp with soft sound) Myanmar, the pattala (Burmese xylophone), or the piano and violin, both introduced during colonial rule. 

Myanmar not only has musical ensembles but also an extensive collection of classical songs called the Mahagita. These songs are divided into different types like the oldest repertoires, royal court music, songs of longing, horses’ dance songs, worship songs for Burmese spirits, and songs of sorrow and music adapted from Ayutthaya and the Mon people.

Malaysia

Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy in Southeast Asia. It is divided into two regions:

1.       West Malaysia     –        also known as Peninsular Malaysia 

2.       East Malaysia consists of thirteen states and three federal territories. Chinese and Indian cultural influences made their mark when trade began in the country. Trading also increased when immigrants flocked to Malaysia.

          Musical instruments of Malaysia are greatly associated with their culture and roots. Due to colonization, the stages of development of Malaysian instruments are great. They share some common features with Indian musical instruments. After the colonization of Malaysia by the British, the musical development was influenced by Western music.

Musical ensembles and types of performances in Malaysia:

1.       Agung and Kulintang -this is a gong-based musical ensemble commonly used in funerals and weddings in East Malaysia. This type of ensemble is similar to the kulintang of the Philippines, Brunei, and Indonesia.

2.       Kertok -this is a musical ensemble from the Malay Peninsula that consists of xylophones played swiftly and rhythmically in traditional Malay functions.

3.       Dikir Barat -this is a type of musical form that is important to Malaysia’s national culture. It is performed by singing in groups and often in a competitive manner usually with percussion instrumental accompaniment or sometimes without instruments at all.   

4.       Silat Melayu -this is a form of martial art that is similar to t’ai chi. It originated in the Malay Peninsula since the Christian Era and is a mixture of martial arts, dance, and music usually accompanied by gongs, drums, and Indian oboes.

Thailand

          Formerly known as Siam, Thailand is known for being the sole nation in Southeast Asia that has never been ruled by a Western power. It is for this reason that the country is also called “Muang Thai,” which means “Land of the Free.”  Thai folk music consists of simple songs with simple melodic lines. Its main focus in singing is the articulation of the text rather than the style or technique of execution. 

Thailand has three primary instrumental ensembles that are similar to the other ensembles in Southeast Asia.

1.       Piphat   - It is a mid-sized orchestra that is performed in either outdoor style with hard mallets or indoor style with padded mallets. This ensemble has different types but the highly ornate one is traditionally associated with funerals and cremation ceremonies. Other versions of the piphat ensemble are used to accompany specific forms of traditional Thai drama such as the large shadow puppet theatre (nang yai) and the khon dance drama.

2.       Khrueang Sai – It is an orchestra that combines some of the percussion and wind instruments of the Piphat with an expanded string section. This group is primarily used for indoor performances and for the accompaniment of stick puppet theater. 

3.       Mahori – This ensemble is traditionally played by women in the courts of Central Thailand and Cambodia. Because of this, instruments for this ensemble are historically smaller. However, regular-sized instruments are used today. A vocalist performing with the Mahori is usually accompanied by the so sam sai. 

Laos

          This country is an independent state of Southeast Asia and officially known as Lao People’s Democratic Republic. It is formerly part of the Indochinese Union, also known as French Indochina.  The classical music and dance of Laos is highly influences by India, Cambodia, and Thailand.  Themes are drawn from Hindu mythology, the Buddhist Jatakatales, and local legends. 

          The royal entourage of Lao kings traditionally included musicians, and a typical orchestra improvised songs with sets of tuned gongs, xylophones, a bamboo flute, and other wind instruments. The Lao orchestra can be divided into two categories:

1.       Sep Nyai - This is similar to the Piphat of Thailand with instruments that are strictly percussive but also integrates the use of an oboe.

2.       Sep Noi – This is also known as the Mahori of Thailand. However, it incorporates the use of several Khene which is a large bamboo mouth organ and is the most popular folk music instrument of Laos.

          Traditional music, called Mor lam, is largely based around the khene.

Vietnam

Vietnam is officially known as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.  Vietnamese music (nhạc Việt Nam) refers to the ethnic music that originated from the "Kinh" people of Vietnam. This term is also used to address the music of any of the numerous ethnic minorities including the Montagnard, Degar, Tay, Cham, and others.

Vietnamese traditional music can be separated into a few major categories, divided predominantly by the way in which were used in the people's cultural lives. 

Categories of Vietnamese Music:

1.       Imperial court music – The most popular of this kind is the Nha nhac that was popularly performed during the Tran Dynasty to the Nguyen Dynasty. This form of classical music is also performed in honour of the gods and scholars in temples. Other classical music falling into this category include the Dai Nhac (“great music”) and the Tieu Nhac (“small music”) which was performed as chamber music for the king.

2.  Folk music - This category is extremely diverse because it includes music performed both indoors and outdoors.  Performers of this category are also diverse. They may be professional musicians down to the blind artists in the streets who perform to earn their living. Vietnamese folk music are performed in different occasions depending on its sub-category. It may be performed in musical theaters, streets, courtship rituals, and ceremonies for invoking spirits. They are sometimes also influenced by Western elements. Some Vietnamese music only makes use of female singers and some have both male and female singers.

3.       Religious and Ceremonial music – This is music performed in religious rituals or at funerals.

Singapore

          Singapore’s cultural life reflects its colonization by the British Empire and its diverse population. Being the melting pot of different cultures in Asia, folk music of this country reflects the culture and traditions of specific groups. 

          Through the years, the music industry in Singapore grew having Western influenced performances by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra as well as ethnic music performances mainly by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. Other performing groups with Malay and Indian influence are still prevalent until today.

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Activity 1.1 Understanding Southeast Asian Folk Songs

Visit www.youtube.com and type in each of the following links. Watch/listen to some songs, identify their titles, their country of origins, and musical elements used. 

Write the answer on the spaces provided.

Southeast Asian Folksong	Song Title	Country of Origin	Musical Elements Used
1.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boUiiuFOCcA
2.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQnSM7_kssM
3.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PmAr9F4e7U
4.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H55oE5B-h-k
5.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EY4Gc0poMw
6.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-jXvHRzE68