𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗼𝗽| Minang music is one of the streams of Indonesian music, both traditional and modern, which grows and develops in the Minangkabau cultural area.
Minang pop is the most well-known musical genre on the island of Sumatra and one of the most well-known in Indonesia, Minang Pop is also well known to neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.
Minang songs, or better known today as Minang pop , have a long history. The forerunners of Minang pop had emerged since the late 19th century, as can be seen from Bart Barendregt's article, “ The sound of ' longing for home ' ; Redefining a sense of community through Minang popular music ” ( BKI 158-3, 2002: 411-50).
There were at least two interrelated factors driving the emergence of pop Minang at that time: 1) the growth of 'urban culture' in Padang due to the 'modernization' of the capital of Sumatra's Westkust by the Dutch with the construction of modern infrastructure such as railways and the Port of Emmahaven (Teluk Bayur); 2) the socialization and consumption of the first 'modern' recording media, namely the phonograph or gramophone with vinyl records ( disc [b. English]; plaat [b. Dutch]) which in our society at that time was known as the 'bitjara machine'.
However, since the previous decade, as noted by Ch. EP van Kerckhoff in " Het Maleisch Toneel ter Westuskust van Sumatra " [Malay plays in West Sumatra] ( TBG 31,1886:302-14), in Padang there has been a process of mutual adoption between indigenous art forms, regional art (especially came from the Malay Peninsula and Java such as the Bangsawan theater and Comedy Stamboel ), and European art by local artists, which in turn gave rise to the forerunners of hybrid arts (such as Gamaik [' Gamad' ]) which led to the formation of Minang pop.
Introduction and consumption of 'Bitjara Machine'.
Phonograph / gramophone was first introduced in Padang in 1898 ( Sumatra-Courant, 30/8/1898). It wasn't long before this 'modern' media immediately became a trend among the wealthy Minangkabau, as witnessed by an adventurous American woman who went to darek in 1914. Carrie Chapman Catt, as she was called, was quite surprised by the fact that at home the gadang house belongs to the haves, the gramophone has become a display material, a sign of modernity and success (see: Harper's Magazine 128, 1914:738-42).
ONE OF THE ADVERTISEMENTS FOR RECORDING MINANG SONGS ON GRAMOPHONE BY TOKO ANTI MAHAL, FORT DE KOCK (SINAR SUMARTA, 1-8-1940)
Shops selling 'talking machines' soon sprang up in Padang and Bukittinggi. They sell machines as well as equipment, such as records and needles. The pioneers were the Europeans, followed by the Chinese and the Minang people themselves.
Thus, for example, in Padang there are Tuinenburg shops (in Alang Lawas), NV Warenhuis-Tokra and City Magazine shops (in Pondok), Siauw Beng Tjoan shops (in Tionghowa Village – Pondok and in Jawa Village), Public Stores, Lie Sam Tjoen Stores , and Toko Madju (in Kampung Jawa). In Fort de Kock (Bukittinggi) two shops that sell a lot of 'bitjara machines' and gramophone records are the Anti Mahal Shop and the Minangkabau Shop, both owned by crew members (bumiputra Minangkabau).
The presence of the 'bitjara machine' technology has in fact encouraged this European who is engaged in the media industry to go to Asia, including the Dutch East Indies, to make recordings of local folk songs. At that time the process of duplicating the recordings had to be carried out in Europe. But in the 1920s, several vinyl record factories appeared in several Asian countries, such as in India, Singapore and Japan. Then native entrepreneurs also involved in this field. This is what started the process of transferring knowledge of recording media technology to indigenous peoples, including in Indonesia.
Initial recording for commercial purposes
The presence of gramophone and vinyl records technology has encouraged the development of Minang pop due to the emergence of a recording culture for commercial purposes. In the early decades of the 20th century several recordings of Minang songs were sold in the form of vinyl labels such as 'Angsa Minangkabau', 'Koedo-koedo', 'Polau Air', 'Odeon Minangkabau', 'Tjap Singa', 'Tjap Angsa'. ', and 'Tjap Kutjing'. This started happening around the 1930s which also marked the emergence of a regional recording industry in West Sumatra and in fact it has continued until now.
Initially, gramophone advertisements were mostly found in Dutch-language newspapers published in the Dutch East Indies, including in Padang. But then, into the first decade of the 20th century, Malay-language newspapers in Padang increasingly advertised 'machine bitjara' and recordings of Minang music on vinyl. This indicates that consumption of this media is increasing among indigenous peoples.
This early recording culture succeeded in producing several Minang artists.
Like today's artists, they became the idols of the people. The names of these Minang pop pioneers included Oedin from Kayu Putih, Rapioen from Mandiangin, and Si Gallia from Batu Palano. At that time a very well-known gambus group appeared in Bukittingi, namely Gambus 'Boestanoel Ichsan' with two of its artists who were very popular: Hadji Moein from Lintau and singer Roekiah (no village of origin mentioned).
The forerunner of the West Sumatra regional recording industry
At the end of 1939 the Anti Mahal Shop in Fort de Kock (Bukittinggi), as mentioned above, produced its own recordings of Minang songs with the label 'Tjap Angsa'. Sinar Sumatra daily (22/11/1939 and its following editions) reported: “ Don't forget to look for the TAP TAP ANGSA plate that was issued specifically by and used the shop name ' ANTI MAHAL ' Fort de Kock ”. Unlike other labeled LPs, “ Tjap Angsa's plate is intentionally marked inside so that it is durable and the pattern can last a long time ”, the ad was written to attract people to buy the 'Tjap Angsa' LP.
Meanwhile, Toko Minangkabau, which is also located in Bukittingi, seems to be trying to compete with Toko Anti Mahal. Toko Minangkabau became the biggest dealer for LPs labeled 'Odeon Gadjah', as reported in its advertisement in Sinar Sumatra (7/7/1939).
According to Philip Yampolsky in a conversation with the author in 1998, the LP 'Tjap Angsa' ('Cap Anso' in Minang language) was only circulated in Sumatra. It is very likely that this is related to the producer and distributor, Toko Anti Mahal, which is located in Bukittinggi. It can be assumed that at that time the production of 'Tjap Angsa' was certainly not mass-produced because the mastery of this recording technology by the indigenous people at that time was only in its infancy. Therefore, the distribution of their products has not been able to reach remote places.
not been able to reach remote places.
Historical data show that before independence several traditional Minangkabau genres, such as saluang and kaba , were also recorded on gramophone records for commercial purposes. It seems that the recording of the kaba on gramophone records was circulated as far as Java. One of its distributors in Batavia (Jakarta) is Toko Delima, Postbox 92, Batavia-C(entrum) (see: H. Agus Salim 1941: back cover).
Such is the brief description of the early history of the growth of pop Minang. At the beginning of the independence era, the development of Minang pop was getting better: the presence of several bands such as Taruna Ria and Kumbang Tjari succeeded in raising the prestige of Minang music, which later gave birth to a generation of Minang artists Elly Kasim et al.
In the late 1960s gramophone and vinyl record technology became obsolete and was replaced by tape recorder and cassette technology. Along with that, a new momentum emerged in the history of the development of Minang pop. But this requires a separate discussion, which God willing, I will try to present in another article.
Suryadi , dosen dan peneliti pada Education Languages and Cultures of Indonesia, Leiden University, Belanda
Published at Padang Express , Sunday, March 15, 2009
Source :
http://niadilova.blogdetik.com/