Appendix : Interview with Ananda Sukarlan

“An Indigo person (a person who has supernatural abilities) tweeted me two weeks before, asking me to meet, saying that he had something to tell me. I was confused at first, but after having some conversations with him through Twitter, we finally met each other. He told me I was also a musician in my past life. At first, I didn’t believe, but if I come to think of things that have happened in my life, I can do many things naturally without learning, especially in music. “ -Ananda Sukarlan .............................................................................................................................................. Below are some selected questions and answers from my interview with Ananda Sukarlan (both orally and written). .............................................................................................................................................. (1) Why do you call your music literature music? .............................................................................................................................................. AS: Because the tradition will be too classical if it is called classical music. But the impression of classical music in Indonesia seems to be too formidable and boring. Literature music is music that is written like a creation of literature. My music is different from jazz music. My music is written, thus if you want to play my music, there are always music scores and the notes will always be the same. Actually i made this term in Indonesia. Now in Europe there is a term “Western Concert Music”, which I am against it, because ‘concert music’ are not only for Western, and Takemitsu is not a Western. Therefore when I am in Europe I always propose “literature music”, but they prefer to call Western concert music, as they said that the music originated from the West. Then what about my work, Rapsodia Nusantara? It is not ethnic music, and it is written like literature. Shakespeare was often inspired by folktales and had created it into literature –because it is written. Thus I think the comparison is the same. It is written, whether if it is art music or not, that is a different thing. However, in fact Indonesian musicians do not like to use the term “literature music”, as they prefer Western music. But for me who live in the West, I don’t think I am Western. .............................................................................................................................................. (2) Why do you write a blog? Is there any particular reason? .............................................................................................................................................. AS: Because I like it, I try to explain my music and ideas so that people won’t misunderstand why my music, and I hope that it could help people who want to interpret my music . .............................................................................................................................................. (3) You are recognized as a pianist, a composer, a music teacher, as well as a musician. Which of them do you want to be recognized best? .............................................................................................................................................. AS: I don’t know. I want to be a hundred percent composer, but both in Europe and Indonesia, I still can not live as a composer. The payment that I earn from playing piano is still much more than being a composer. To arrange a concert I need three days, but to compose an orchestral work I need two to three months, and just a week to prepare to perform one piano concerto. They are much different. I want to be a composer, but due to financial reasons, I am a performer for now. .............................................................................................................................................. (4) Why did you come to think of composing Tembang Puitik (poetic songs)? Who inspires you? .............................................................................................................................................. AS: I have been a literature lover since I was little! Before 2005 my poetic songs were all inspired by English and Spanish poems, but since 2005 I had the chance to visit Indonesia quite often. That time, internet, yahoo messenger, etc., had also come to existence, that I became familiar again with bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language). About my status as a successor of Tembang Puitik after Mochtar Embut (who has died in 1970s), I actually didn’t know about it. I have been living in Europe since 1987, and it is common in Europe to compose songs inspired by poetry, that I just composed without intentionally thinking of being a successor. I love works by Schubert, Britten, Mahler based on existing poems, and learned a lot from them, and because I am an Indonesian, well, it's inevitable that I do it with my own mother language! .............................................................................................................................................. (5) What do you think about music in Indonesia? .............................................................................................................................................. AS: I can say that Indonesian classical music still barely exists. Most of them (Indonesians) demand for something Western, and the classical music lovers here love to watch concerts in 114 Singapore. They will watch if it is in Singapore, although the artists performing are Indonesians. Whereas, in the contrary, they don’t watch Indonesian artists perform in their own country. Music here means the composer should be Western and should be dead, if they are still alive and are Indonesians, they don’t want to know anything. This also reflects from the classical musicians in Indonesia themselves. They have their own systems, saying “I am Western”, wanting to be somebody else, and they don’t want to be themselves. We have an identity, and Indonesia is the richest country in cultural aspect, but they think that it is nothing. Korean pop and Justin Bieber are much more “keren (cool)”, and classical music has to be Beethoven. .............................................................................................................................................. (6) What is your goal in the future? .............................................................................................................................................. AS: I want to write some opera or maybe some orchestra works. I just like to live in both Spain and Indonesia. I just want to be as Indonesian as possible.

V. Conclusion

The arrival of the Europeans in the sixteenth century has marked the start of Western music dissemination in Indonesia. Keroncong, an Indonesian popular music genre, is believed to be influenced by the Portuguese. The Dutch and other European traders introduced Western music through performances at the courts. In the twentieth century, it spread to the general public through the improvement of education. As a result, the first generation of Indonesian composers came to existence in the 1920s, and has led to the development of modern music (classical as well as popular) in Indonesia. The radio singing contest at RRI, “Bintang Radio (Radio Star)”, played an important role in triggering the occurrence of Indonesian composers, and also in the increasing number of vocal works composed in Indonesian language. Musik seriosa –the term for Indonesian classical music used to differentiate its style from musik keroncong (keroncong music) and musik hiburan (entertainment music) –became recognized in a wider range of Indonesian society through the contest in 1950s. The term “Tembang Puitik (poetic songs)” was used for the first time in the year 2000, for it was considered more appropriate than the previous term “musik seriosa”. .............................................................................................................................................. A cycle of six songs “Senyap Dalam Derai (Silence in Noise)” composed and compiled by Ananda Sukarlan was analyzed in this research, in order to figure out his style of composing, as well as the grounds for his proposal for his music to be called “Musik Sastra ”. .............................................................................................................................................. The study found out two points regarding his style of composing: .............................................................................................................................................. 1) Generally, the piano accompaniment depicts the whole atmosphere of the poem. He portrays the scenes of nature, such as rain and lake by utilizing consecutive descending sixteenth notes, sixtuplets of the sixteenth notes, and triplets. When he uses arpeggio chords, unembellished chords, and flowing notes, it is the description of human emotions in certain situations. Ninth, eleventh, and thirteenth chords are frequently used, particularly as the last chords of the pieces, which create somewhat “warm” endings. Musical terms which indicate the ways of playing the piano, such as melodia marcato et molto espressivo, misterioso, molto preciso, lontano, and “like drops of water”, are written detailedly in the score by Sukarlan. The use of pedal and una corda is also noted intricately. Here we notice that his distinguished musicianship in piano playing has influenced on his composing style, especially in the piano part. By using the piano, he can create the appropriate sound for particular scenes. .............................................................................................................................................. 2) In contrast to the romantic style of the piano accompaniment, the melody line is established by the unique intervals, such sixth, seventh, and octave, which create the specific mood of his works. If the melody line is sung without piano accompaniment (‘Kugenggam Erat (I Hold Tightly)’for instance), the tonality of the piece often become obscure. Nevertheless, if the melody and the piano accompaniment are combined together, the result is very picturesque and harmonious. The whole tone and major pentatonic scales are sometimes used, which create mysterious and melancholic atmosphere. Changes of the time signature are frequently found, because there is no regular syllables are found in the poem. .............................................................................................................................................. Hence, his compositions could give the impression of both romantic and contemporary. He combines contemporary elements with romantic styles. An Indonesian soprano, Bernadeta Astari, commented about his works, as follows: “Personally what I think the most difficult thing from his work is his musical genre. It feels like crossover music to me, but at the same time not. So, I must say it is in between. Therefore I have to combine between Classical way of singing and some kind of 'pop' feeling into it.”303 .............................................................................................................................................. Here we notice that Sukarlan’s unique combination has resulted on a unique outcome. He has set up his own style. Sukarlan described his own music as “eclectic”, and added: “It will always have elements of rhythm and certain chords that reflect my musical characteristics. If you notice, my music and singing always separate in order to create a different texture. It’s like a mini opera where they have recitative, interlude, instruments and the aria. It’s different to usual songs where the lyrics and music are all together.” 304 .............................................................................................................................................. Also, unlike some of other Indonesian contemporary composers, he does not use the phonetic elements outside the poem. He wrote: “I never use a phonetic element outside the poem: for example, the words "dang" and "dut" do exist IN the poem itself! I just take it out and establish it as an independent element, treating it purely as sound and not as a word that has a meaning.”305 .............................................................................................................................................. At times he repeats the first line of the verse in the very last part of the piece. However he never intrudes the melody by using largely irrelevant elements. He focuses on delivering the genuine message of the poem. .............................................................................................................................................. As for the term “musik kontemporer (contemporary music)” mentioned in the introduction of this research, Sukarlan does not use the word “avant-garde” or “modernism”. He uses particular elements found in contemporary compositions, such as glances of whole tone and major pentatonic scales, time signature changes, and unique intervals in a classical way of writing. As a result, he has created a particular style of his own. .............................................................................................................................................. Through this study, we found out that Sukarlan portrayed scenes of every poem intricately. He produced sound effects which described the atmosphere (rain, lake, tranquility) utilizing the piano, and created unique yet lyrical melody lines by using particular intervals. Sukarlan expressed his creative process in one of his blogs: “I am not just reading the poems word by word and make a melody out of it. I concentrate on the mood of the poem as a whole. Once I get the music, the words (or phrases) become (a little bit) less important. I always consider a great poet as a great painter: they know how to choose the exact words for the "paint" as a material to create their picture. So, don't get me wrong: individual words are of primary importance for me in the beginning of the creative process, but they become secondary in the RESULT of the musical work. A great painting is not made with only primary colours, right? Its greatness lies in how the painter mixes the colours, and how the result could express what he would like to communicate with the observer ”306 .............................................................................................................................................. Here we notice that instead of dividing a piece (poem) into diminutive parts (like focusing on how each word sounds), Sukarlan takes a wider approach to depict the poem. He concentrates on evaluating the intrinsic values of each poem, transforms them into diverse scenes, and unites them into a harmonious entity. .............................................................................................................................................. Sukarlan proposes his music to be called “musik sastra”, for they are written in the notes. “Musik sastra” means “literature music” in English translation, and is often linked to compositions with words. Nevertheless, he calls “Musik sastra” for all of his music, including the instrumental works. The study proves that “musik sastra” is the term for music which is not merely written, but for the music that contains artistic and intrinsic values. That is, “musik sastra” is the music in which the composer expresses his inner perception, which he gained from his experiences in the nature and in his everyday life. For Sukarlan, music as a whole is the medium for elucidating his ideas and messages. When he composes Tembang Puitik, the songs with words, he places himself really as the poet of his compositions. He tells his story by establishing the settings and the plots of the poems, penning notes by notes, and compiling them into a written score. That is to say, Sukarlan considers his music as his “literature”. .............................................................................................................................................. Sukarlan is a composer of eminent senses, perceptions, and skills. It is hoped that this study will prompt greater acknowledgement of his music, particularly of his Tembang Puitik.

IV. The Analysis of Ananda Sukarlan’s Tembang Puitik, “Senyap Dalam Derai”

Ananda Sukarlan came to know about Sapardi Djoko Damono from his friend, Chendra Panatan264, who is also his manager. Chendra Panatan is an Indonesian prominent dancer, choreographer, and dance activist. He founded the groups TARI Indonesia (literally Indonesia dance group) and METAdomus (a contemporary Indonesia music group), and has performed in many events overseas. He started to collaborate with Ananda Sukarlan in 2006. Panatan mailed Sukarlan on 10 January 2007, showing him some poems of Damono. Sukarlan was amazed and wrote: .............................................................................................................................................. “Oh, I am so ashamed, being an Indonesian and never have heard about him! His name only rang a bell because he wrote the closing essay for the book Complete Poems by another favorite Indonesian writer of mine, Goenawan Mohamad. That day I had a deja vú, like the first time I heard a Sibelius symphony or read a Whitman265 poem, you know that feeling? His poems trigger a kind of blue, melancholic feeling perhaps comparable to Vaughan Williams' most intimate music. But there is a certain majestic feeling in the way he expresses love. So luscious and broad and universal; perhaps it's Vaughan Williams mixed with Roy Harris Or Aaron Copland ....very contemporary and yet so elegantly ... baroque?” (Sukarlan, 2007:3) .............................................................................................................................................. Sukarlan then asked Damono for permission to set his poems into music, where Damono agreed pleasantly. Sukarlan planned to write a cantata entitled Ars Armatoria (The Art of Love) –borrowing the title of the famous Roman poet Publius Ovidius Naso (43 BC – AD 17/18), also known as Ovid’s book. Here, Sukarlan established leitmotifs during the writing process: rain, love and being far away from the loved ones –themes often used in Damono’s poems. Some of the songs were discarded from the cantata, which then became short independent songs. Six of those songs were compiled into the cycle “Senyap Dalam Derai (Silence in Noise)”. This cycle was dedicated to a young Indonesian soprano who won “Prinses Christina Concours” held in the Netherlands in 2007, Bernadeta Astari.266 .............................................................................................................................................. This study will explain the biography of Sapardi Djoko Damono and his works before proceeding to the music analysis of “Senyap Dalam Derai”. .............................................................................................................................................. 1. The Indonesian Leading Poet, Sapardi Djoko Damono, and His Works Born in Solo, central Java, 20 March 1940, Sapardi Djoko Damono has been an aficionado of literature since the time he was young.267 Damono liked to read Karl May’s novels –just like the other children, and he also read Komedi Manusia (Human Comedy) by William Saroyan and short stories’ collection translated by Mochtar Lubis.268 According to an interview done by Soemanto (an Indonesian writer), Damono still remembered that in 1957, he read collection of poems by Rendra entitled Ballada Orang-Orang Tertjinta (The Ballad of the Beloved Ones) and “Murder in the Cathedral” by T.S. Eliot.269 He found those books at a book rental shop, owned by Pak Amir (Mr. Amir), which was popular among teenagers who were fond of reading.270 At that time, Damono was in the second year of high school.271 .............................................................................................................................................. Damono started to write poems when he was in high school.272 He sent his first poems to literary magazines, and one of them was posted on Post Minggu (Sunday Post) in Semarang, December 1957.273 His poems were later posted on many magazines, in which one of them was Majalah Mimbar Indonesia (Mimbar Indonesia magazine). Majalah Mimbar Indonesia was a Jakarta based weekly political magazine (1947-1967), where one of the editors was the “the whale of Indonesian literature”, H.B. Jassin.274 Graduated from the faculty of Western literature studies (now English literature studies) at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, he has taught at a teachers’ college in Madiun (1964-1968), Diponegoro University in Semarang (1968-1974), and Indonesia University in Jakarta (from 1974).275 Since then, he has been involved with the editorship of major literary magazines Basis –a literary magazine based in Yogyakarta (1969-1975), and Horison (from 1973).276 .............................................................................................................................................. He published his first book of poems entitled duka-Mu abadi (a collection of poems written in 1967 and 1968) in 1969.277 The other books of poems published are Akuarium (Aquarium) in 1974, Mata Pisau (Knife Point) in 1982, Perahu Kertas (Paper Boat) in 1983, Sihir Hujan (Rain Spell) in 1984, and many more.278 Not only poems, Damono also wrote fiction books, such as Trilogi Soekram (The Soekram Trilogy), Novel Indonesia Sebelum Perang (Indonesian Novel before War), Sosiologi Sastra (Sociology of Literature), Puisi Indonesia Sebelum Kemerdekaan (Indonesian Poetry before Independence), and many more.279 His poems have been translated into Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Hindi, Malayalam, Portuguese, French, English, Dutch, German, Italian, Javanese, and Balinese. Sapardi Damono Shishyu (lit. Sapardi Damono collection of poems) was translated by Tetsuro Indo and was published in Japanese by Doyo Bijutsu Publishing Company in Tokyo in 1986.280 The English translated books of his collection of poems, such as Watercolor Poems, Suddenly the Night, and Before Dawn, were published successively during the period of 1998 to 2012. Instead of writing his own works, he has also translated other writers’ works, such as Ernest Hemingway’s The Old Man and The Sea, Henry James’ Daisy Miller, P.Lal’s Shakuntala, Henrik Ibsen’s Three Plays, T.S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral, John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, Wole Soyinka’s Lion and The Jewel, Tenessee Williams’ Summer and Smoke, Kahlil Gibran’s The Broken Wings, The Prophet, and Jesus, The Son of Man, Okotp’ Bitek’s Song of Ocol, and Eugene O’Neill’s The Great God Brown.281 One of his poems entitled “Pilgrimage” (Suddenly the Night, 1988: 13), which was a translation of “Ziarah” (duka-Mu abadi, 1975: 30-31), has been quoted by Narasima Rao, the prime minister of India, in one of the conferences of Heads of State or Government of the Non-Aligned Countries. (Soemanto, 2006: 17) He was awarded “Penghargaan Akademi Jakarta (lit. Jakarta academic award)” –an award for artists aged 50 above who have made big contribution to the country’s art and culture –in Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta, 13 December 2012.282 He was also awarded “Penghargaan Achmad Bakrie (Achmad Bakrie’s Award)” in 2003, Cultural Award from Australia government (1978), S.E.A Write Award in 1986, “Anugerah Puisi Putera II (Second Putera Poetry Prize)”283 in 1983 for his work “Sihir Hujan (Rain Spell)”, and has joined many international poetry festivals.284 The other awards are Anugerah Seni dari Pemerintah Indonesia (1990), Mataram Award (1985), Kalyana Kretya (1996) from Indonesian Minister of Research and Technology.285 .............................................................................................................................................. He is also the founder of Himpunan Sarjana Kesusastraan Indonesia/ Hiski (Indonesian Literature Graduates Society) –a society that holds seminars about literature throughout Indonesia annually, with the aim to create an active and initiative Indonesian literary society.286 With Umar Kayam, Subagio Sastrowardoyo, Goenawan Mohamad, and John McGlynn, he established Lontar foundation, a foundation which mostly translates and publishes Indonesian literary works into English.287 He was also the one who pioneered the establishment of Yayasan Puisi (Poetry Foundation) and published Jurnal Puisi (Poetic Journal).288 .............................................................................................................................................. 2. Music Analysis of The Cycle “Senyap Dalam Derai (Silence in Noise)” .............................................................................................................................................. In the earlier part of this paper, we have discussed that the cycle “Senyap Dalam Derai (Silence in Noise)” consists of six short independent songs. Below is the list of the poems, along with years written by Sapardi Djoko Damono, and the books which they belong to (if noted): .............................................................................................................................................. 1) Hujan Turun Sepanjang Jalan (Rain Falls Along The Road, 1967, DukaMu Abadi) .............................................................................................................................................. 2) Yang Fana Adalah Waktu ( Time is Transient, 1978, Sihir Hujan) .............................................................................................................................................. 3) Kugenggam Erat (I Hold Tightly, 1971, Sihir Hujan) .............................................................................................................................................. 4) Akulah Si Telaga (I am the Lake, 1980, Perahu Kertas) .............................................................................................................................................. 5) Di Kebun Binatang (At the Zoo, 1973) .............................................................................................................................................. 6) Ketika Kau Entah di Mana (When You are Somewhere, 1989) .............................................................................................................................................. Ananda Sukarlan composed and compiled them in 2007. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ (1) “Hujan Turun Sepanjang Jalan (Rain Falls Along The Road)” .............................................................................................................................................. The theme of this poem is rain and silence, which is typical of Damono’s poems. Damono depicts a very tranquil ambience by utilizing words such as “rinai (drizzle)”, “berdesik-desik (rustling)”, “pelan (slowly)”, “sunyi (silence)”, and “rahasia (secret)”. He also describes a very real reflection of the scene, where rain falls quietly, wind blows calmly, and trees are wet. The negative expression “tak (not, no)” is used three times in the second verse. The words “menolak (refuse, reject, turn down)”, “tiba-tiba (suddenly)”, and “diburu-buru (haste)” can also be found in the second verse. Presumably Damono wants to express something tempestuous from deep inside of the human emotion in the second verse. Verses in Indonesian poems often contain repetitive sequences of vowels. It is influenced by old Indonesian (Malay) poetry, such as Pantun and Syair.289 Due to the lack of the original manuscripts, the origin of Pantun and Syair is not certain, however they were believed to be sung orally in the past.290 Pantun (presumably derives from Javanese) usually consists of four lines per verse, in which the first two lines contain obscure literary allusion, whereas the last two lines resolve the poet’s intended message.291 On the other hand, Syair derives from Arabic word syi’r (poem) or sya’ir (poet).292 Syair is usually a part of a more lengthy poetry, such as a historical epic.293 Both Pantun and Syair have repetitive sequences of vowels in the end of each line. Nevertheless, many of Indonesian poetry nowadays do not employ this style anymore. Here we notice that there are two ways of pronouncing “e” in Indonesian. The pronunciation differs depending on the vocabulary. .............................................................................................................................................. As stated before, Indonesian verses often contain repetitive sequences of vowels. The poem “Hujan Turun Sepanjang Jalan” by Damono is one of them. In the first verse of the poem, the first line ends with the word “jalan” (vowel “a”, pronounced as /a/), whereas the second line ends with the word “pelan” (vowel “a”). (Only the very last vowel of each line is counted. Consonants after the last vowel are not counted when analyzing repetitive sequence of vowels.)294 The third line ends with the word “sunyi” (vowel “i”, pronounced as /i/), while the fourth line ends with the word “kembali” (vowel “i”). If we line them out in a row, it will be as follows: .............................................................................................................................................. …jalan→ a / …pelan→ a / …sunyi→ i / …kembali→ i / .............................................................................................................................................. To sing in Indonesian needs a particular way of singing. Bernadeta Astari, an Indonesian soprano to whom the cycle “Senyap Dalam Derai” Sukarlan dedicated to, said: “Bahasa Indonesia has pretty strong and percussive consonants which sometimes hold us back in making long (legato) lines in western style songs which has to be projected well acoustically. But I think Indonesians are quite musical in general, so we could easily adapt to some different styles.”296 There is no regular syllables used each line, but 15 syllables per line can be found in three lines of the complete poem. .............................................................................................................................................. The song “Hujan Turun Sepanjang Jalan” composed by Sukarlan is written for soprano and piano. Sukarlan depicts the falling rain by utilizing continuous descending sixteenth notes in the piano accompaniment. The tempo marking Larghissimo ♩=48 is written down in the beginning, and the notes descend quietly with the dynamic markings of pianissimo and una corda, as if it is drizzling lightly. The melody starts singing the lyric “hujan (rain)” in bar 4, with an interval of perfect octave, G4 to G5, and remains on the high register until bar 6.297 A perfect octave appears again on the same bar, repeating the same word, “hujan (rain)”. The highest note on this piece A5 appears, also in bar 6. .............................................................................................................................................. Regarding high notes found in many of Sukarlan’s work, Bernadeta Astari commented: “The fact that he likes to write pieces for soprano in a rather high register (sometimes reaching C6, D6, or any notes in the 3rd octave) with the minor 7th interval jumps are definitely challenging. As a singer, you've got to have a good support and good muscle memory to train those particular tasks! Those might be the difficulties of his compositions, but it is also his 'trademark' at the same time.”298 .............................................................................................................................................. Thus we notice that the leaps of intervals and high melodies are not easy to sing, however they are the characterisitics of Sukarlan’s way of composing, to keep the atmosphere and tension of the song. .............................................................................................................................................. In bar 16, we notice that a set of thirty-second notes: C, D, E, F sharp, G sharp, A sharp, C, D are played with the right hand, whereas the left hand plays G sharp, A sharp, C, D, E, F, G sharp, A sharp successively. As we can see, they are consecutive notes of the whole-tone scale on C, which consists of: C-D-E-F sharp-G sharp-A sharp, just they are played starting from the tonic (C) with the right hand, and the dominant (G sharp) with the left hand. This causes the intervals between the right and left hand intriguing, which are as per shown below: diminished 4th –diminished 4th –major 3rd –major 3rd –major 3rd –major 3rd –perfect 4th –perfect 4th –minor 3rd. .............................................................................................................................................. The whole-tone scale is frequently used in Classical and Jazz music, even in non-western music, and it has the role to obscure the tonality. Olivier Messiaen in his book edited by Stephen Broad, “Olivier Messiaen: The Journalism 1935-1939”, praised Debussy’s work, Pellèas, as follows: “He gathers his honey from one and all, without forgetting to ask Beethoven to reveal the secrets of the amplifying variation. After digesting, shaping and transforming this honey, he presents us with a style that is composite in its sources, but highly personal in its realization. It is a vigorous style, rich and clear, of impeccable learning and form, ready to be used to spread beams of light or the thick steam of obscurity and darkness. He achieves this by two very simple procedures: tonality and the whole-tone scale. Tonality moves, is a living, active character. The whole-tone scale is by its very nature inert: it can be transposed chromatically twice only, the third transposition repeating the notes of the first, and the fourth repeating the notes of the second, etc.” (Broad, 2012: 81) .............................................................................................................................................. Thus it applies the same here in Sukarlan’s composition. This glance of consecutive notes of the whole-tone scale creates a distinctive yet mysterious moment on the piece. After the glance, it then changes into a completely new and different moment, where the last part of the first line of the second verse –which can also be regarded as the second section of this piece –begins. .............................................................................................................................................. The second section begins with an altered version of the first section’s piano accompaniment. Instead of utilizing the consecutive descending sixteenth notes, Sukarlan uses a more manoeuvring accompaniment, which has sixteenth notes triplets, with the tempo marking poco piu mosso ♩=66, The sixteenth notes of the piano accompaniment continue to descend until bar 10, and keep flowing until bar 14 –where the eighth and half notes close the first verse, calming the atmosphere down. The mood suddenly changes in bar 16, where a group of thirty-second notes of a whole-tone scale appears. Here the study will define bars 1-13 as the first section, and bars 14-16 as the intersection. Here, if we link the second verse’s lyric with the accompaniment, “tiba-tiba atas pesan yang rahasia (suddenly we comprehend the secret message)” portrays a slightly different atmosphere compared with the first section. High notes fairly appear in the melody part (the highest note is E5). Consecutive intervals of perfect 5th can also be seen. .............................................................................................................................................. In the second verse, instead of describing the situation of the nature (in this case, drizzle and the tranquil ambience in the first verse), Sukarlan seeks for a deeper thing inside human mind. Sukarlan wrote on the introduction of this cycle “Senyap Dalam Derai (Silence in Noise)” on his Tembang Puitik scores: “The title, which could roughly be translated as “Silence in Noise” should be taken more metaphorically than literally; it is like being alone -- or lonely -- among the crowd, or the absence of the person one really love among all our relations and friendships.” (Sukarlan, 2007:3) .............................................................................................................................................. Thus in the second section (bars 17-25), we can assume that Sukarlan wants to describe a person’s heart, whose feeling is fluctuate and instable. .............................................................................................................................................. The main melody line appears again –this time not sung by the vocalist, but played by the piano – from bar 26. It is the first time for the piano accompaniment to play with tre corde in this piece. Here the piano sings the main melody line expressively –like a bird flies through the rain –and continues until bar 29. .............................................................................................................................................. From bar 30 to bar 33 (the last bar), the last line of the first verse “Kita pandang: pohon pohon di luar basah kembali (We see: the trees outside are wet again)” is repeated once again. The melody ascends throughout the whole four bars, starting from the middle E and ends with an octave higher, however with a different piano accompaniment from that in the first verse. This time, they are not constantly moving consecutive sixteenth notes anymore, but slower ones, as if the rain is going to stop. The indication “like drops of water” is written at bar 31, under a group of descending fourth notes. Accents are also written under those notes, in which we can assume that Sukarlan wants to emphasize the notes and portray the sounds of drops of water (rain). This piece was closed with a tonic eleventh chord. .............................................................................................................................................. As stated before, Damono’s poem does not have particular sequences of the number of syllables used each line. That is why Sukarlan make significant changes of time signature in the piece. ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ (2) “Yang Fana adalah Waktu (Time is Transient)” .............................................................................................................................................. In the poem “Yang Fana adalah Waktu (Time is transient)”, Damono uses a figurative expression in the phrase “memungut detik demi detik, merangkainya seperti bunga (plucking seconds, one by one, arranging them like flowers)”, in which an abstract object –in this case “detik (second)” –is expressed as a concrete object, which can be plucked and arranged into flowers. The use of antithetical words such as “fana (transient)” –for “waktu (time)”, and “abadi (eternal)” –for “kita (we)”, is also intriguing. Through the poem, Damono lets the readers imagine and think of what the subject “kita (we)” refers to. The poem consists of only one verse with seven lines299, which is significantly different from the first song “Hujan Turun Sepanjang Jalan” which has two verses. .............................................................................................................................................. The piece starts with Andante amoroso q=66, with the key of D major and an upbeat lyrical melody line, continued with arpeggios by the piano for two bars. It is tranquil, like someone is thinking about or reflecting on a certain thing (situation) in his mind. It then changes into misterioso, molto preciso in bar 4, where the melody line sings with shorter notes (here sixteenth notes), and the piano accompaniment rings with very detached but soft chords (it can be seen from the musical terms written: molto staccato, ppp, and una corda). The phrase “memungut detik demi detik (to pluck second by second)” is described beautifully by Sukarlan, as if the thin “sweep” second hand of a clock face really ticks and plucks second by second. .............................................................................................................................................. From the second half of bar 5, the piece changes again into cantabile e legato, where two half note arpeggio chords appear, expressing the lyric “merangkainya seperti bunga (arranging them like flowers)” –creating a beautiful (in this case, “bunga (flower)” ) and a very lyrical scene. It lasts only for one bar, when the atmosphere changes right after non arpeggio chords appear in the second half of bar 6, portraying the rumination atmosphere of the lyric “pada suatu hari kita lupa untuk apa (until one day we forget what for)”. Then it comes meno mosso ♩=50 in the second half of bar 8, where consecutive sixteenth notes of the left hand of the piano accompaniment flow expressively, while the vocal sings “Tapi, yang fana adalah waktu, bukan? tanyamu (‘But time is transient, is it not?’ you ask)” as if it is confirming a query. Here, the intervals of major 7th and minor 7th are used successively in the melody line, which creates a typical sound of Sukarlan’s music. The piece is closed with an unembellished cadence, which is a perfect cadence, with tonic thirteenth and ninth chords. .............................................................................................................................................. Regarding the characteristics of Sukarlan’s composition, Bernadeta Astari commented by stating the differences between Sukarlan’s pieces and German lieder, as follows: “To me, most of German art songs are quite direct and very picturesque, but at the same time difficult to digest because of its highly romantic texts and complex chord progressions. Ananda's work in my opinion is much easier to listen and is more familiar to our ears nowadays. It matters of course with all the present musical influences around us. But obviously both German and Ananda’s songs have the same way of structure, since Ananda was also educated in European way. And we also should not forget how the texts and poems automatically affect the work itself. Europeans experience four seasons, while Indonesians don't. Basically the weather is always warm in Indonesia, whereas most of the time it is the opposite for Europeans. Thus, Ananda's work and also other Indonesian composers' work in general has this warm feeling, 'warm' colored chord with added 9th,11th,or 13th for example. This was also the remarks I got from the European audience here.”300 .............................................................................................................................................. Thus we notice that Sukarlan utilizes many chord extensions in his works. These chords are also found in the other songs of this cycle as well. Sukarlan also changes time signatures intricately. This makes the melody line flows and sounds lyrical. .............................................................................................................................................. From the analysis above, we can assume that “Yang Fana Adalah Waktu” is a piece full of portrays of contrasting scenes. Here we notice that Sukarlan transforms each line of the verse into diminutive different scenes but connects them into a unity (story). .............................................................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................................................. (3) “Kugenggam Erat (I Hold Tightly)”.............................................................................................................................................. Unlike the previous two poems employing vague subjects, such as “kita (we, us)” and “-mu (you)”, persons with clear status, such as “anak-anak (children)” and “suamiku (my husband)” come to existence in this poem. Figurative expressions are not used, but Damono has left the readers with some queries. No one knows what the poet means by “setangkai bunga (a spray of flowers)”, and the reason why the subject “Ku (I)” holds it tightly. .............................................................................................................................................. The poem “Kugenggam Erat” only consists of one verse with four lines. The formation of the piece is A cappella, without piano accompaniment. The consecutive leaps of intervals major and minor 2nd, also major and minor 3rd are significant in the beginning. Big leaps such as major 6th and minor 7th are also found from the middle until the end of the piece. Although it is not accompanied by the piano, the tonality of the piece can be sensed from the melody line. The piece starts with D major. In bar 8, the C natural appears. It is the only accidental on the piece, but its occurrence has made the piece sound as if it has flowed to another new tonality. Nevertheless, it goes back again and closes perfectly with D major. In this song, presumably Sukarlan wants to portray the scene of a lonely woman expressing her longing to meet her husband. .............................................................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................................................. (4) “Akulah Si Telaga (I am the Lake)” .............................................................................................................................................. In this poem, Damono uses a personification of the subject “Aku (I)”, which is the lake. Words such as “menyibakkan (stir)” and “menggerakkan (move)” are used to create a lively scene. Although exclamation marks are not used, imperative sentences with words such as “berlayarlah (sail)” and “tinggalkan (leave)” make the poem brisk and bold. Presumably Damono wants to depict a grandiose yet picturesque lake in this poem. The poem “Akulah Si Telaga (I am The Lake)” consists of a verse with five lines. There are no regular syllables used per line. There are two lines which consist of 15 syllables, whereas the other three lines vary from 25, 23, and 9 syllables. .............................................................................................................................................. Similar to the first two songs, this song is written for a soprano with a piano accompaniment. It begins with Andante con moto ♩=76, B major, where the piano starts with sixtuplets of sixteenth notes on the right hand, along with triplets of eight notes on the left hand quietly (with the dynamic ppp), in the mid and high register. It produces the effect of the sound of water flowing dynamically, in which I assume Sukarlan wants to express the sound of water in the lake. Whereas for the melody, it starts with the note F, and keeps its high register for the rest three bars. .............................................................................................................................................. The use of the intervals minor 2nd and major 2nd are apparent. From bar 5 to bar 7, the melody descends per bar, where significant leap of the interval minor 7th can be found between bar 5 and bar 6. The tonality change briefly in bar 7, where the note F double sharp appears with the word “Padma (lotus)”. Moreover, the consecutive intervals of 3rd, 7th, and 2nd in bars 5- 6 can also be found in bars 11-12, which I will show in excerpt 28 later. The piano accompaniment continues its sixtuplets of sixteenth notes on the right hand and triplets of eight notes on the left hand until bar 7. In the second half of bar 7, the subdominant of the piece’s tonality (B major) modulates into the major chord of a semitone below (from E major into D sharp major) just by using an F double sharp, as per shown below. This glance of change produces a mysterious and magical moment, but only lasts for one bar long. .............................................................................................................................................. Starting from bar 8, the piano accompaniment transforms into a dialogue of triplets and duplets of the eighth notes, played in turn by both right and left hands. Playing the triplets and duplets, the left hand ascends consecutively, in which if it is combined with the right hand, the effect of the sound of water waves is produced. In bar 10, the intervals of perfect 4th between the melody and the highest part of the piano are significant, as here the piano accompaniment instead of only accompanying, it blends with the melody, creating a harmonious sound. A sequence of consecutive intervals major 6th and major/minor 3rd appears in bar 8, where I assume is part of improvisation of the main melody –a set of three descending notes: F sharp –E –D sharp (bars 8- 9). .............................................................................................................................................. Sukarlan pays very detailed attention to the phrasings of the melody line. It can be seen in bar 10, where the dotted rhythm is employed to indicate the end of a line in one verse, as well as to let the vocalist be able to take a breath. The intervals of major/minor 3rd and major 7th are apparent in bars 10 and 11. Whereas, here in bars 11-12 we can see the same set of consecutive intervals of 3rd, 7th and 2nd – which also occurs in bars 5-6. The last phrase of the melody is a quite long line of “perahumu biar aku saja yang menjaganya (I will watch the boat for you)” –the last two syllables are extended with two half notes, with the last one tied with a whole note. Considering the singer’s breath, Sukarlan separates it with a comma in bar 14. Consecutive intervals of major and minor 2nd can also be seen from bar 14 to the end. Whereas for the piano accompaniment for the last phrase, the piece slows down with the musical term a piacere and ritardando in bar 12, and continues to bar 13 and 14 with an imperfect cadence. It then ends with a tempo, repeating the style of the very first accompaniment (sixtuplets of sixteenth notes), as if the story still continues. .............................................................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................................................. (5) “Di Kebun Binatang (At the Zoo)” .............................................................................................................................................. Seorang wanita muda berdiri terpikat memandang ular yang melilit sebatang pohon sambil menjulurjulurkan lidahnya; katanya kepada suaminya, “Alangkah indahnya kulit ular itu untuk tas dan sepatu!” Lelaki muda itu seperti teringat sesuatu, cepat-cepat menarik lengan istrinya meninggalkan tempat terkutuk itu. (1973) .............................................................................................................................................. English translation is as follows: At the Zoo A young woman was standing, captivated, looking at a snake which is wrapping around a tree while sticking out its tongue; She told her husband, "How beautiful the snake skin is for bags and shoes!" That young man, like recalling something, quickly pulled her wife’s arm and left that cursed place. (translated by the writer of the thesis) .............................................................................................................................................. Unlike the previous four poems, it has only two but very long lines. The words used are words from daily conversations, and it is more like a prose than a poem. Regarding the poem “Di Kebun Binatang (At the Zoo)”, Soemanto says: “In this poem, Damono wanted to express a very old story about Adam, Eve, and snake. Damono wanted to express about a snake which has persuaded Eve to eat an apple, also has eventually persuaded Adam to do the same thing. The snake skin isn’t a symbol, but a temptation for the women to possess it, and use it for “bag and shoes”, which are nearly necessities of a career woman’s life. Here, Damono used an inter-textual presentation between ancient time and today. Damono presented it in a simple way, without using tone. Here, the poet didn’t express his emotion, instead placing himself as a medium, like a shaman who became a mediator of the spirits’ existence of the other world into this real life.” (Soemanto, 2006: 119) .............................................................................................................................................. Just like what Soemanto has asserted, in this poem, Damono placed himself as a medium, and let the readers interpret the poem willingly. Both the first and second lines end with vowels “u”, in which we notice that the sequence is u-u. As it only consists of two lines, no particular sequence of similar letters is found in the very beginning of each line. There are no regular syllables used every line. Vowel “a” is the most frequently used vowel in the poem, whereas vowels “i”, “u”, “e” are used almost equally in numbers. There are only three vowels “o” used, and no diphthong used at all. .............................................................................................................................................. The piece starts with scherzando ♩=112, with detached eighth notes which contain the leading tones of C major –the note B –as the piano accompaniment. Accidentals often occur throughout the piece, which produce humorous, lively and enjoyable sound. In bar 4, Sukarlan uses the note B flat, as if he is going to transpose the piece into the relative minor of the tonality. Nevertheless, it only lasts for less than half a bar, where it returns to the original key. However, it does not last more than two bars, when it suddenly changes into the relative minor of the key, and goes back again to the original key right after. Until bar 7, we can notice many changes of the tonality. Sukarlan also cut the long line of the verse into short phrases, so that it is possible to sing, also to make the piece more vibrant. .............................................................................................................................................. Starting from the last beat of bar 8, the second section begins with meno mosso e legato cantabile. This time, the melody line occurs with a different rhythmic pattern from that in the section one . This pattern appears twice. The lyric “Alangkah Indahnya (how beautiful)” is sung lyrically in bar 8-9, as if the young woman is imagining how beautiful “the bags and shoes” are in her mind. However it changes suddenly in bar 10, when the tonality changes into the relative minor key, expressing the words “kulit ular itu (that snake skin)”. It changes again in the next bar, saying –rather than singing –the lyric “untuk tas dan sepatu! (for bags and shoes!)”, and pauses for a while (as marked lunga). This marks the end of the second section. .............................................................................................................................................. At the last beat of bar 10, the tempo suddenly changes into subito molto vivace (q=160), where the second verse (the third section) begins. The use of the accidental D sharp in the piano part is frequently seen, whereas the melody sings almost all half notes until the last. The piano ends with broken chords of C major (E-G-C-E-G) and B major (D sharp-F sharp-B-D sharp-F sharp) simultaneously. .............................................................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................................................. (6) “Ketika Kau Entah di Mana (When You are Somewhere)” .............................................................................................................................................. In the poem “Ketika Kau Entah di Mana (When You are Somewhere)”, Damono uses metaphorical expressions, such as “kau (you)” –whose identity is unclear (whether it is human or inanimated objects) –which is able to get into (human or not human) veins. The same goes to “cuaca (weather)” which can become quiet (an adjective usually used to express human personalities, sound, and atmosphere). Damono employs many abstract languages in the poem, and makes the readers think of what the subjects –in this case, “kau (you)” and “ku (I)” –are. .............................................................................................................................................. The poem consists of two verses with four lines each. The first line “Ketika kau entah di mana dalam urat nadiku (when you are somewhere)” and the third line “seperti asing rasanya matahari senja (sunset seems unfamiliar)” of the first verse are being repeated on the second verse. Unlike the other poems of this cycle, it has several regular syllables used. .............................................................................................................................................. The piece starts with B flat major (but sounds D minor as well), Andante ♩=60, “Sotto Voce” misterioso, where the piano strikes a very soft arpeggio chord (ppp), with the musical marking quasi chittara (almost like a guitar or pizzicato). In this piece, Sukarlan establishes the overall melody only by using a set of three notes, which are D, A, and B flat –with the intervals of perfect 5th and minor 2nd. According to Sukarlan, this set of notes (leitmotif) expresses the feeling of being away from the loved ones, which is also used on another piece, entitled “Dalam Doaku (In My Prayer)” –also inspired from one of Damono’s poems.302 Just like stated in the page 63 of this study, Sukarlan utilizes perfect 5th to express “Love” which is perfect, whereas there are times when love is arduous (which is expressed by the interval minor 2nd). This set of three notes (D, A, and B flat) occurs many times throughout the piece. .............................................................................................................................................. Echoes of the vocal and piano melody line are significant, such as those which appear in bars 5-6, bars 11-12, and bars 24-25 (which I will show later in excerpt 37). In bar 11, the musical term lontano (as from a distance) is used, to depict that the melody line should be echoed by the piano from a far away. In bars 8-9, consecutive intervals of minor 3rd-minor 7th-minor 2nd, which also occur in the song “Akulah Si Telaga (I am The Lake)”, can be seen. Consecutive intervals of minor 3rd-major 9th-major 2nd occur in bars 10-11, in which I believe is the altered form of those in bars 8-9. The piano plays on its own from bar 12 to bar 19, where only a set of five notes are used. Those five notes are B flat, D, E flat, F, and A, or can be referred as B flat major pentatonic pelog scale –which makes these eight bars sound like a performance of gamelan. The first Indonesian Tembang Puitik which Sukarlan wrote, “Kama” (inspired by the poem of Ilham Malayu), also sounds like a set of gamelan. Sukarlan creates this sound by using his leitmotifs and modifies them with the addition of some notes. .............................................................................................................................................. The main melody of bars 1-4 with the line “Ketika kau entah di mana dalam urat nadiku (When you are somewhere inside my veins)” is repeated again in an altered version in bars 20-23. The same applies 108 to the melody line of “Seperti asing rasanya matahari senja (Sunset seems unfamiliar to me)” in bars 25-27, which is the exact repetition of that in bars 7-9. Here, Sukarlan uses the same melody line to describe the same repeated lyrics, but with a slightly different piano accompaniment. The echo of vocal and piano line can be seen in bars 24-25. Significant leaps of minor 7th and perfect 8th can also be found in the last part of the piece. This piece ends without tonality changes.

III. Ananda Sukarlan and His Music

1. The Biography of Ananda Sukarlan Being the first Indonesian to be listed in “International Who’s Who in Music” and “2000 Outstanding Musicians of the 20th Century”, it is undeniable that Ananda Sukarlan is internationally acclaimed.167He has recorded the complete piano works of David del Puerto, Santiago Lanchares and Toru Takemitsu.168 He has also recorded numerous works by Jesús Rueda, Per Nørgaard, Peter Sculthorpe, Gareth Farr, John McLeod, Amir Pasaribu, Trisutji Kamal, and his own.169 His works include music for ballet, orchestral works, chamber music and solo instruments, choral and theatre works, Tembang Puitik, and many more.170 .............................................................................................................................................. Ananda Sukarlan is a composer who utilizes Western elements (forms, techniques, ideas, etc.) into his compositions, and is partly educated overseas (partly because he spent his youth in his home country, Indonesia). The same goes for other Indonesian notable composers, such as Amir Pasaribu, Trisutji Kamal, Paul Goetama Soegijo, Trisutji Kamal, and the others, as most of them have partly gained their musical education abroad. Due to this fact, Henoch Kristianto in his thesis “An Eastern Infusion: Indonesian and Western Elements in Ananda Sukarlan’s Rapsodia Nusantara 1-5”, (Master Thesis of Sydney Conservatory of Music, 2012) divided Ananda Sukarlan’s biography into two sections: his life during living in Indonesia, and his life after his residence in Europe.171 Taking the same approach as that of Kristianto, as scholarships regarding Sukarlan and his works are very limited, the sources of information about Sukarlan’s life and his music come mostly from my interview with the composer, Kristianto’s writing, Sukarlan’s personal blog172, along with some printed and online articles. .............................................................................................................................................. (1) Sukarlan’s Early Years in Indonesia .............................................................................................................................................. Born in Jakarta, 10 June 1968, Sukarlan is the last child of seven siblings. His father, Mr. Sukarlan, was a lieutenant colonel, while his mother, Ms. Poppy Kumudastuti, was an English teacher at a university. Both of his parents came from modest families, and they raised their seven children in a strict way. Residing in the center of Jakarta, his family was not a particularly musical family. However his parents enjoyed watching Wayang Orang (a Javanese theatre performed by men) and listening to gamelan.173 Since Sukarlan was little, he had already much interest in music. He liked to make sounds on a worn upright piano in his house left by a former Dutch family who had returned to the Netherlands. The Dutch family also gave over some vinyl recordings of Western classical composers, such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Rachmaninoff, which had resulted on Sukarlan’s encounter with Western classical music. He started his music lessons at the age of five from his older sister, Martani Widjajanti, who has learned the piano for several years at a music school.174 Sukarlan was taught piano pieces by Beyer, Duvernoy, Burgmueller, also Sonatines by Clementi and Kuhlau. At the age of nine, he started to enroll at Yayasan Pendidikan Musik (YPM)175, but was claimed untalented and somehow expelled. He then had piano lessons privately with Laura Susanti Himawan and Rudy Laban. .............................................................................................................................................. Sukarlan convinced himself that he wanted a musical career since his teenage years, but his parents disapproved as they thought music as a career was not promising. During that time, having music as a career was unimaginable for Indonesians. Even in the present time, a lot of Indonesian musicians think of their profession “musicians” as part-time jobs or mere hobbies, while having other full time profession.176 Only some of them become full time musicians, in which many of them are either really outstanding or overseas graduates. Moreover, Sukarlan’s parents could not afford him to study in Europe, so that he struggled to seek for the scholarships by himself. 177 .............................................................................................................................................. In 1985, the young talented Sukarlan performed in a piano solo recital at Taman Ismail Marzuki, where the head of Petrof Piano178 distribution in Indonesia and Minister of Education Dr. Fuad Hassan also attended.179 Astounded by his performance, Sukarlan was granted a summer course scholarship from Petrof Piano for around four months to study with Walter Hautzig180 at University of Hartford in Connecticut.181 In 1986, He was then sent by his parents to Kenya to stay with his uncle, who was an Indonesian ambassador there, and had visited a number of African countries, such as Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, and many more. His uncle escorted him to visit the embassies there, for his family hoped that he would attain interest in a diplomatic career. Nevertheless, his parents’ aim was unsuccessful as his goal to be a musician did not fade away. .............................................................................................................................................. Sukarlan came back to Indonesia six months later, and was then invited by Dr. Fuad Hassan to perform at Yayasan Adam Malik, a museum located in Jakarta which used to be the third Indonesian vice president’s residence.182 Their relationships culminated in a surprising outcome. Dr. Fuad Hassan was the person who had assisted and penned a recommendation letter for Sukarlan when applying for the Dutch government scholarship.183 Sukarlan passed the tests and was given the chance to pursue his piano studies at Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag (The Royal Conservatory of the Hague), the oldest conservatory in the Netherlands.184 Sukarlan was so grateful to Dr. Fuad Hassan, that later he even composed a piano solo piece dedicated to him, Etude no. 3 “This Boy’s Had a Dream”, who had made his dreams come true.185 .............................................................................................................................................. (2) Life in Europe .............................................................................................................................................. Under the scholarship of the Dutch government, Sukarlan began his life in Europe in 1987. At Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag, he studied with Naum Grubert186, Ellen Corver and Geoffrey Douglas Madge successively. 187 It was all well-ordered until his third year of studies, when his scholarship was cancelled due to intergovernmental problems.188 Sukarlan needed to survive on his own that he started to perform in bars and clubs to earn living and finance his education.189 Realizing that winning competitions would get better rewards, he borrowed money from his friends in order to join a number of competitions held in Europe.190 In an article written by Bruce Emond in the Jakarta Post, Sukarlan even rode a train without paying from Amsterdam to Bordeaux in order to participate in the Blanquefort piano competition, where he kept going and hiding himself in the toilet every time he saw the officer.191 Nevertheless, he managed to buy a ticket on his way back, for he won the first prize.192 A winner of the Eduard Flipse Award in the 1988 Netherlands National Music Competition in Amsterdam, Sukarlan has won first prizes at the “Nadia Boulanger” –Concours International d’Orleans in France, the “Xavier Monsalvatge” –Concurso de Musica del Siglo XX Xavier Montsalvatge in Spain, the Blanquefort piano competition in Bordeaux, and the third prize of the Gourdeamus Competition of Contemporary Music in Rotterdam, during the period of 1993-1994.193 He graduated with summa cum laude in 1993, and after winning numerous competitions, he was able to continue to the post graduate studies by his own finance, and successfully graduated in 1995.194 Still joining the competitions, in the same year, he won the City of Ferrol Piano Competition in Spain, the Sweelinck-Postbank in Amsterdam, and the Fundacion Guerrero Competition in Madrid.195 Moreover, in 1996 he won the Vienna Modern Masters Performers Recording Award.196 .............................................................................................................................................. (3) Music as a Profession .............................................................................................................................................. After graduation, Sukarlan decided to stay in Europe in order to maintain his career as both a composer and a performing artist.197 In 1994, he married Raquel Gomez –a Spanish whom he met while concertizing in Spain, and resided in the Netherlands for four years.198 During his stay in the Netherlands, he has collaborated with many Spanish musicians and felt their passion in music, so that he decided to move to Spain.199 Currently residing with her wife and her daughter in Santander of Cantabria region situated on the north coast of Spain, he has worked with many local composers in Spain. Together with Jesús Rueda200, they founded Música Presente, a Spanish association for musicians and composers.201 In Europe, Sukarlan was an active performer of more than fifty concerts per year.202 He has performed many new contemporary compositions, in which one of them was Eduardo Soutullo’s “That scream called silence –piano concerto” which won the second prize of XXVI Queen Sofia Prize in 2009.203 In his performances, he consistently introduced his identity as an Indonesian by including compositions written by Indonesian composers, such as Amir Pasaribu and Trisutji Kamal –which he has also recorded –in his programs.204 Astonished at Sukarlan’s musicality and his ethnical elements, a number of composers dedicated their works to him. Santiago Lanchares composed “Anandamania” –a piano solo piece, Jesús Rueda composed “Sonata Kecak”, whereas David del Puerto dedicated “Symphony No.2, Nusantara” to him.205 .............................................................................................................................................. In 2000, Sukarlan was invited to perform with Orquestra Sinfonica Portuguesa (the Portuguese National Symphony Orchestra) in Portugal in an event that marked the re-establishment of diplomatic ties between Indonesia and Portugal. In the same year, he was invited to perform for the fourth president of Indonesia, Abdurrahman Wahid, at Istana Merdeka (the president’s official residence), and was also invited to perform in front of Queen Sofia of Spain in Madrid.206 He was awarded “Musician of the month” from Radio Nacional de Espana (Spanish national radio), and was featured on the magazine cover of Radio Clasica in 2005. 207 In 10 November 2013, he invited a number of Indonesian students currently studying in Europe conservatories, and performed compositions by Santiago Lanchares, Jesús Rueda, David del Puerto, and his compositions in Conservatorio Profesional de Musica Amaniel in Madrid.208 He is the recipient of Diaspora Award 2013 for Cultural Understanding category from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia.209 .............................................................................................................................................. Apart from music performances, Sukarlan is currently one of the contributing composers at Fundacion Musica Abierta (The Open Music Foundation, established in 2009 in Spain, to promote musical involvements for people with impairments), and has published works for the disabilities.210 He has been involving in many contributing acts for years in Spain, as well as in Indonesia. In 2001, Sukarlan set up Cipta Award national piano competition, which was renamed “Ananda Sukarlan Award” in 2008, to trigger music enthusiasm among young Indonesian pianists.211 Almost similar to it, although it was not Sukarlan’s initiative, a vocal competition “Kompetisi Tembang Puitik Ananda Sukarlan (Ananda Sukarlan’s Tembang Puitik competition)” with him as one of the juries, has also been held biennially since 2011. “The Jakarta New-year concert”, has been produced annually until today in order to introduce both Western classical music and his music to Jakarta citizens. In 2002, he founded Konservatorium Musik Jakarta (the Jakarta Conservatory of Music) along with some notable musicians, in order to improve classical music education in Indonesia. He is also one of the founders of Yayasan Musik Sastra Indonesia (Indonesian Classical foundation), a non-profit organization that provides music scholarships to underprivileged students.212 The program called “Charm (Children in Harmony)” has sponsored around a hundred students to learn instruments for free in 2013.213 They were taught basic instruments skills and Western classical music, along with Sukarlan’s compositions which blended Indonesian folk tunes and Western elements. .............................................................................................................................................. Sukarlan also acts as a conductor. Currently he is a conductor of Ananda Sukarlan Orchestra –a full orchestra developed from Ananda Sukarlan Chamber Orchestra, and has premiered his latest orchestral piece, "ERSTWHILE - A Communion of Time" in 2013.214 Holding a permanent resident of Spain, he returns to Indonesia twice a year. .............................................................................................................................................. 2. What is “Musik Sastra”? .............................................................................................................................................. Sukarlan had polyphony classes in the conservatory, but found them not challenging, as he could compose many fugues in a short period of time. He was even asked by the teacher if he had learned composing before from other teachers, but actually he had not –it just came out naturally in Sukarlan’s mind. Possessing an IQ of more than 150 and was just a few points to join MENSA –an international high IQ society, composing academically is effortless for him.215 Sukarlan claimed that he did not like the idea of music as a too academic subject. Often in his classes of composing (which he occasionally gives during his stay in Indonesia), the students would bring books such as “basic theory of composition” or books regarding composition techniques, but he will ask them to discard all those books. He prefers compositions from composers without a “too” academic background, such as Sir Michael Tippett –who devoted himself in composing and earned a little secondary income from radio talks216, and Toru Takemitsu –an autodidact composer who employed visual arts, such as “ma (distance)” in his music.217 Sukarlan was offered composing classes for free by Sir Michael Tippett, and took his classes three to four times.218 Even though only once, he has also met Toru Takemitsu and talked about composing.219 He has also collaborated with numerous composers, such as David del Puerto, Santiago Lanchares, and Theo Loevendie, and discussed about composing while Sukarlan performed their works. Also an admirer of Benjamin Britten, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, and Gustav Mahler, he added, “Composition is a freedom of expression. If it is limited, why do you have to compose?” .............................................................................................................................................. Sukarlan did not concur with the avant-garde music. He asserted that to compose avant-garde music could just use the brain, but to compose “real music” could not.220 Adding that the commonly conceptual avant-garde music was not sufficient and should be appended with the depth of “real music”, Sukarlan developed his own way to keep his Indonesian artistic identity in his compositions.221 Sukarlan’s first composition was a string quartet in 1991. It was influenced by the strings quartets by Alexander Borodin –a Russian romantic composer –which he enjoyed listening. He composed many more compositions in 1990s, but unfortunately disposed most of those written prior to 1998, as he found them too imitative, not original, and too avant-garde.222 Being a composer who prefers composing in a quiet place than being surrounded by instruments, Sukarlan’s music is much influenced by visual arts, especially Spanish arts by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973).223 He was inspired by the creative process of Picasso in his painting, Demoiselles d’Avignon (The Young Ladies of Avignon, created in 1907), which represented solid objects as fragments, and composed “Jokpiniana no. 1”, “Jokpiniana no. 2”, “Rapsodia Nusantara (lit. Rhapsodies of Indonesian archipelago)”, and many more.224 He employs Picasso’s Cubism in a number of his songs, which are particularly apparent in “Rapsodia Nusantara” 225, by mixing and distorting two elements (tunes, folk songs) into a different unique new element (tune).226 Being an admirer of the tunes of music boxes since he was little, he employs and distorts some of them in many of his piano works. .............................................................................................................................................. As an internationally acclaimed concert pianist, works for piano were numerously composed, and he has employed various themes in each of them. In his piano work for four pianos, “Vivaldi’s Winter of Discontent”, Sukarlan embedded the rhythm found in Michael Jackson’s renowned song “Thriller” into Vivaldi’s “Winter” (from the notable composition “Four Seasons”), and created a contemporary yet lyrical hybridized sound.227 He composed this piece to describe winter in the global warming era, which was different from that in Vivaldi’s era. His “Rapsodia Nusantara (Nusantara rhapsodies)” were groundbreaking, for eventually Indonesia possessed its own rhapsodies. He blended two different folk tunes and created a new melodic line, in which according to Kristianto, the method was presumably comparable to the thematic transformation technique used in Hungarian Rhapsodies written by Liszt.228 Sukarlan also wrote piano pieces for young learners, and compiled them into “Alicia’s Piano Book” with three volumes published up to 2013. He dedicated this to his daughter, Alicia, to assist her in her piano learning, and also to spread the fun of piano playing to other young piano students.229 His collaboration with his manager, Chendra Panatan, who is also a prominent Indonesian dance choreographer, has produced various works for ballet.230 Those works for ballet are “Bibirku Bersujud di Bibirmu (My lips kneel on your lips)” and “Vega and Altair”.231 Sukarlan’s compositions which have featured Panatan’s choreographies are “You Had me Hello”, “The Humiliation of Drupadi”, “Schumann’s Psychosis”, and many more. Panatan is also in charge of some choreographies and movements at Sukarlan’s operas. .............................................................................................................................................. Sukarlan wrote a total of four operas up to year 2013. He proposed the idea to produce “pocket operas” or chamber operas, which can be transported and toured easily. It is due to the fact that they were practical and did not squander enormous amount of money.232 Under the commission of Indonesia Opera Society233, Sukarlan composed his first opera “Satria” in 2008, based on Seno Gumira Ajidarma’s script “Mengapa Kau Culik Anak Kami? (Why did you kidnap our son?)”.234 The script was based on a true story where Ibu (mother) and Bapak (father) engaged in a dialogue regarding his kidnapped son, Satria, during the dictatorship of Indonesian second president, Soeharto.235 The opera was designed for a soprano and a baritone, a string quartet, a woodwind trio, a keyboard, a percussion, and three dancers (choreographed by Chendra Panatan), with the total length of seventy minutes.236 The following year, also commissioned by Indonesia Opera Society, Sukarlan wrote an opera based on a monologue by Seno Gumira Ajidarma, “Ibu, yang anaknya diculik itu (Mother, whose son was kidnapped)” as a sequel of the first opera. This opera was composed just for one singer (a soprano), accompanied by piano, flute, and percussion. The total length of the opera was forty minutes –which was longer than Poulenc’s opera for one female singer “La Voix Humaine (The Human Voice)”.237 It was premiered by the soprano Aning Katamsi, in June 2009.238 In this opera, Sukarlan employed rap rhythms found in Michael Jackson’s notorious song “Smooth Criminal”, inspired by Sir Michael Tippett’s last opera entitled “New Year” which also utilized rap music.239 .............................................................................................................................................. His third opera “Laki-laki Sejati (a real man)” was sketched for a soprano and a mezzosoprano, accompanied by one piano, with the duration of thirty minutes. Premiered in 2011, the comedy opera was based on a short story by Putu Wijaya240, describing a conversation between a mother and a teenage daughter about how a real man should be.241 Again inspired by Tippett’s “New Year”, Sukarlan employed rap music rhythmic techniques in his fourth opera “Mendadak Kaya (Suddenly Rich)”, based on a short story written by Putu Wijaya.242 Premiered in January 2012, Sukarlan also put some elements influenced by Stravinsky, Ligeti, and Philip Glass, a mix of Lydian and Mixolydian modes, also a virtuosic section in the piano part. 243 .............................................................................................................................................. In this world of hybridized music, Ananda Sukarlan is a composer who does not employ ethnic instruments in his music. He includes ethnic elements in his works, such as the pentatonic scales, but never uses the real ethnic instruments. He merely employs Western instruments, vocal, chorus, and dance (choreographed by Chendra Panatan). Also, he does not distort strings on the piano to produce special sound effects. He produces sounds only by using the appropriate way of playing the instruments. Sukarlan prefers his music not to be called musik klasik (classical music), which is usually used for Western classical music. He also states that the term “serious music” is not appropriate for his music, as this term tends to exclude other kinds of music which are serious. Also, he opposes to use the term “Western concert music” because there are a number of composers (musicians as well) who are not Western today, Toru Takemitsu for instance. Instead, he proposes his music to be named “musik sastra”. Sukarlan proposes the term “musik sastra” for it is written down in the notes.244 He juxtaposes the term “musik etnik (ethnic music)” with“musik sastra” that they are different: ethnic music is not written in scores, whereas “musik sastra” is. In English, “musik sastra” literally means “literature music”. The word “sastra (literature)” usually refers to works linked to “words”. However it is intriguing that Sukarlan refers this term not only to name his works which are related to words, but also for his other compositions.245 His compositions which do not contain words, such as instrumental works, are also regarded as “musik sastra”. .............................................................................................................................................. Sukarlan always focuses on the way to elaborate his messages and perception through every work he composes. In his Tembang Puitik (which this study focuses on), he concentrates on the intrinsic values of the poems and depict them picturesquely. In his instrumental works, such as his “Vivaldi’s Winter of Discontent” for four pianos, he tries to deliver his message: he modifies the melody line of Vivaldi’s renowned “Winter” and combines it with contemporary rhythms, to describe the different “Winter” from that of Vivaldi’s in today’s global warming era. His solo piano works “Rapsodia Nusantara (Nusantara rhapsodies)” which combine two Indonesian folk tunes are his expression of showing his love and pride to Indonesia, as well as his nature to be Indonesian. .............................................................................................................................................. The “sastra” that Sukarlan refers to is presumably his emphasis on the importance of the meaning and messages in his music. He prioritizes the intrinsic values of his perception than the music itself. Moreover, he often composes new things as an appreciation to the “literature” he respects, such as the poems, other composers’ works, and folk tunes. .............................................................................................................................................. 3. Ananda Sukarlan’s Tembang Puitik .............................................................................................................................................. “I realized that the piano is not my favorite instrument when I was in my thirties. My favorite instrument is the human voice. It’s very expressive, very versatile, very personal. If you play two pianos from the same producer, they sound practically the same but you can’t get two people singing exactly the same.” –Ananda Sukarlan.246 .............................................................................................................................................. Sukarlan wrote his first Indonesian art song entitled “Kama” for soprano and piano in 2005. He has composed art songs before, just they were not written in Indonesian, but English and Spanish.247 He was inspired by the poem “Kama” written by Ilham Malayu (1954-2012), who was a drug addict and had to spend fifteen years in a prison in Bangkok for carrying drugs, but then became a counselor in a rehabilitation center after his release.248 Ilham Malayu wrote poems during imprisonment, and “Kama” was his poem, also the name of his son, whom he was longing to meet. Sukarlan found his poems very powerful, and were deeply touched by his expressions about loss, loneliness, desperation, hope, and sadness in them. He then created a cycle of songs “Ilham di Penjara (Ilham in the prison, or Inspiration in the prison –“Ilham” in Indonesian means inspiration)” which consists of “Kama”, “Setelah Penjara (After Prison)”, and “Spider’s Ballad”.249 Here, Sukarlan for the first time pondered on the accents used in bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language), which were apparently different from English or Spanish, and its relevant phrase, structure, and sound. His first song “Kama” utilizes a pentatonic scale of Bb-BDb- F-Gb, which is a pelog scale in B, which makes it sound like a set of gamelan.250 .............................................................................................................................................. He asserted that he had already had many “leitmotifs” in his mind during 1990s. In his song, “Dalam Doaku (in my prayer)” inspired by Sapardi Djoko Damono’s poem251, he uses a set of notes (he calls them “leitmotif”) of D, A, and B flat. According to Sukarlan, he chose the consonant interval of perfect 5th (D-A) to express love –which created the most beautiful and happiest moment in life. Whereas the dissonant interval of minor 2nd (A-B flat) meant that love could sometimes be ardous (he mentioned “Romeo and Juliet” as an example).252 This “leitmotif” can be seen in his other songs, such as “Ketika Kau Entah di Mana (When you are somewhere)” and his piano piece “Falling in Love”. He employed this in most of his compositions which have the theme of love. The other “leitmotifs” that he had in mind are “rain” (a favorite theme of Sapardi Djoko Damono), “sunset”, and many more. Sukarlan asserted that most of his harmony also came from those set of notes he had already established. Below are the excerpts of “Ketika Kau Entah di Mana” and “Dalam Doaku”, both of them utilized the “leitmotif” of D-A-B flat. .............................................................................................................................................. In a cycle of four songs for baritone and piano based on Goenawan Mohamad’s poems “Gemuruhnya Malam (lit. a rumbling night)”253, Sukarlan created repetitive notes, which established hypnotizing effects.254 One of Mohamad’s poems entitled “Perjalanan Malam (Journey of the Night)” was inspired by Goethe’s poem “Der Erlkönig (lit. the alder king) ” –a poem that has attracted a number of composers, in which the notable one was Franz Schubert.255 In translating the poem into music, Sukarlan studied Schubert’s song.256 He incorporated his original repetitive notes to produce a new take on a classical sound. .............................................................................................................................................. Sukarlan composes Tembang Puitik with a variety of approaches. He wrote his first song for tenor voice “Dalam Sakit (inside the pain)” –poem written by Sapardi Djoko Damono –with high notes, in order to express his deep feeling towards AIDS victims. He even wrote down in his score, which is also called “Ananda’s Aids song”, that it should not be transposed to another kind of voice257, in order to maintain the tension and atmosphere of the song. .............................................................................................................................................. In his score Tembang Puitik Volume 3, Sukarlan did many experimental works. He composed two “retweeting” songs, entitled “Retweeting @aanmansyur” and “Retweeting @jlmejia (in Spanish)” to “retweet” the poets M. Aan Mansyur and Jose Luis Mejia on Twitter.258 He also challenged himself in writing songs based on very short poems, such as “Dalam Diam (lit. in silence)” –a poem by Nanang Suryadi, which was only ten bars long. Three of the poets mentioned above posted their poems into their blogs or Twitter accounts. .............................................................................................................................................. He has published a total of three volumes of Tembang Puitik in 2013. Tembang Puitik volume 1 (published in 2007) consists of twenty five songs based on poems by Sapardi Djoko Damono, Ilham Malayu, Goenawan Mohamad, Joko Pinurbo, and Chendra Panatan. Whereas Tembang Puitik volume 2 (published in 2010), which is the most voluminous among all, consists of thirty eight songs based on the poems of Walt Whitman, Sapardi Djoko Damono, Eka Budianta, W.S. Rendra, Hasan Aspahani, Abang Edwin S.A., Chendra Panatan, Medy Loekito, Nirwan Dewanto, Ook Nugroho, S.Yoga, and M. Aan Mansyur. Tembang Puitik volume 3 (published in 2012, but actually the works were mostly composed in 2010) consists of thirty four songs based on the poems by Sapardi Djoko Damono, Walt Whitman, Robert Browning, Henry Longfellow, Joko Pinurbo, Medy Loekito, Sitok Srengenge, M. Aan Mansyur, Jose Luis Mejia, and many more. Sukarlan does not particularly strain to write Tembang Puitik only in Indonesian. He composes music based on poems which can give him inspirations, whatever the languages are. Moreover, many of his pieces were dedicated to his fellow musicians or friends, as their performances or relationships can give inspiration to him.259 .............................................................................................................................................. He recorded his twenty four Tembang Puitik with Bernadeta Astari (a soprano) and Joseph Kristianto (a baritone), and compiled them into a CD entitled “Tembang Puitik (Vocal Works) of Ananda Sukarlan” which was released in 2008. The works recorded are “Dalam Doaku (in my prayer)” by Sapardi Djoko Damono, “I Sit and Look Out” by Walt Whitman, “Tidurlah Intan (lit. please sleep, diamond)” by Chendra Panatan, also other songs inspired by W.S. Rendra, Goenawan Mohamad, Hasan Aspahani, Nirwan Dewanto, Eka Budianta, and Ook Nugroho.260 .............................................................................................................................................. His publications of scores and CD succeed in bringing classical vocal into popularity. Nine hundred copies of his first volume of Tembang Puitik were sold in four months’ time, which was quite a number of sales for a classical music score in Indonesia.261 Kompetisi Tembang Puitik Ananda Sukarlan (TPAS, Ananda Sukarlan’s Tembang Puitik Competition), commissioned by Amadeus Performing Arts, an organizer in Surabaya, was held for the first time in 2011. It has two big categories, which are professional and non-professional categories.262The second TPAS was held in September 2013, and would be held biennially.263

II. Modern Music Development in Indonesia

Although the arrival of the Europeans brought influence on western music dissemination in Indonesian archipelago, western classical music was only spread among the upper-class Dutch and mestizo communities in several primary cities.107 Western music came to be known by common Indonesians in late nineteenth and early twentieth century, with the establishment of muziek societeit (music society) and muziek ring(music association), also with the introduction of music through public schools for upper class native Indonesians.108 Concert halls such as Gedung Kesenian Jakarta (Jakarta Art Center), Wisma Nusantara (Nusantara’s public building), and Gedung Kesenian Yogyakarta (Yogyakarta Art Center) were also built during the colonial era, and have gained the interest of wider range of Indonesians who were interested in Western music.109 Early twentieth century was the era of technological revolution from the aspects of communication and information. Radio systems reached throughout the principal areas of Indonesia, and as a result, music began to become one of the most important media of communication.110 .............................................................................................................................................. On top of their use for political and cultural propaganda (by the Netherlands in 1930s, the Japanese in 1940s, and Indonesian government after independence), the radio broadcasts had also managed to popularize music in Indonesia.111 Professional musicians were employed in radio stations and other entertainment spots.112 Radio stations located overseas, such as BBC Radio London, ABC Radio Melbourne, Hilversum Radio (Netherlands), Radio VOA Washington, Moscow Radio, Beijing Radio, were also transmitted in Indonesia, so that Indonesians became more familiar with Western music (both popular and classical).113 .............................................................................................................................................. Bintang Radio (Radio Star)114 and Top 10 Music Charts became regular programs broadcasted on Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI, Radio of the Republic of Indonesia), which was the only radio station in Indonesia at that time.115 In 1950s, a number of recordings produced at some newly established recording studios were also broadcasted.116 Bintang Radio played an important role for the development of Indonesian modern music (popular as well as classical).117 It has triggered the existence of the first generation of Indonesian composers influenced by the West, such as Ismail Marzuki, RAJ Soedjasmin, Cornel Simanjuntak, Binsar Sitompul, Amir Pasaribu, Iskandar, Koesbini, Syaiful Bachri, Mochtar Embut, F.X. Sutopo, and many more.118 .............................................................................................................................................. 1. Composers and their compositions .............................................................................................................................................. Suka Hardjana119, in his book “Corat- coret Musik Kontemporer Dulu dan Kini (Sketches: musik kontemporer before and today)”, divides Indonesian composers into four divisions, which are the first generation composers (1930s-1940s), the second generation composers or Bintang Radio generation (1950s-1960s), the post Bintang Radio generation (1960s-1970s), and the composers educated overseas (1930s-now). 120 .............................................................................................................................................. (1) The First Generation Composers (1930s-1940s) .............................................................................................................................................. These first generation composers gained their musical knowledge at missionary schools or teachers’ training schools, such as H.I.S., M.U.L.O., and H.I.K. They were taught the basics of Western music theory, solfeggio, music history, singing, instruments playing, and choir.121 According to Hardjana, the music education at these schools was better than that in today’s public schools.122 The notable composers from this era were Wage Rudolf Supratman, Liberty Manik, Cornel Simandjoentak, and Ismail Marzuki.123 Wage Rudolf Supratman is the composer of the national anthem of Indonesia entitled “Indonesia Raya (lit. Great Indonesia)” and other songs, which have become lagu nasional (national songs). Lagu nasional are songs that represent the country in general. Liberty Manik’s “Satu Nusa Satu Bangsa (lit. one homeland one nation)”, Cornel Simandjoentak’s “Maju Tak Gentar (lit. moving forward without fear)”, and Ismail Marzuki’s “Gugur Bunga (lit. the fallen flower (hero))”, are all included as lagu nasional. As we can see from the title of the songs, all of them are patriotic songs, for these songs were composed in the era of struggling for independence. .............................................................................................................................................. They are usually played with simple chords (I-V-I), if accompanied by instruments. The melody is simple and easy to sing, quite similar to the melody of march music in other countries. This also applies for the other first generation composers’ compositions, which many of them have become lagu nasional. .............................................................................................................................................. (2) The Second Generation Composers or Bintang Radio Generation (1950s-1960s) .............................................................................................................................................. Most of the second generation composers are composers who were recognized by the public by being arrangers, composers, conductors, and accompanists at the famous radio program, Bintang Radio. The notable composers of this generation were Amir Pasaribu, Binsar Sitoempul, R.A.J. Sudjasmin, Ismail Marzuki, Koesbini, Soebronto K. Atmodjo, Soedharnoto, Syaiful Bachri, and Iskandar.125 During this period, vocal songs were numerously composed, which linked to the Tembang Puitik (poetic songs) which I will refer later on the next chapter. Unlike the first generation composers’ works, songs written by the Bintang Radio generation and by the post Bintang Radio generation, are not patriotic anymore, as Indonesia has proclaimed its independence in 1945. Most of them are ballads. .............................................................................................................................................. “Awan (cloud)” is an example of Tembang Puitik which Binsar Sitompul composed inspired by Sanusi Pane’s poem. Here, we notice that the melody and accompaniment are written in modern staff notation, just like the art songs in the West. The poem written by Sanusi Pane described about nature and human emotions. .............................................................................................................................................. Most of the composers in this generation only wrote vocal works. Hardjana excluded Amir Pasaribu, F.A. Warsono, and Mochtar Embut (which I will state later in the post Bintang Radio generation) who had written not only vocal works but also other instrumental works, from the other composers. According to him, the other composers who only wrote vocal works should rather be called “song writers or arrangers” than “composers”. (Hardjana, 2003: 287) .............................................................................................................................................. (3) The Post Bintang Radio Generation (1960s-1970s) .............................................................................................................................................. The composers included in this generation are F.A. Warsono, Mochtar Embut, F.X. Soetopo, and many more.127 The styles of this generation’s compositions are very much similar to the ones of Bintang Radio generation. Instead of vocal works, F.A. Warsono, who was a band leader and saxophonist, wrote compositions for instruments, such as “Melody in C major”, “Melody in F major”, “Seeking the Truth”, “Fiesta (Festival)”, and “Jubileum Fantasi (lit. Anniversary fantasy)”.128 Mochtar Embut, a pianist, also a notable composer of Tembang Puitik (I will refer details about him later in the next chapter), composed “Varia Ibu Kota (lit. the capital city variation)”, “Suite untuk Piano (A suite for piano)”, “Suite untuk Biola dan Piano (A suite for violin and piano)”, “Sangkuriang”, “Sonatina”, and many more.129 Suka Hardjana extracted Amir Pasaribu130, F.A. Warsono, and Mochtar Embut from the other composers, claiming that these three composers were the “real” first generation composers in Indonesia, as they had written instrumental works.131 Hardjana added that the other composers should be called the composers of musik seriosa, or light classical music.132 .............................................................................................................................................. (4) The Composers educated overseas .............................................................................................................................................. In early 1900s, especially in Java, professional musicians from Europe (Italy, Russia, the Netherlands) and America came, for there were many demands on music and theatre performances.133 Many of the first generation of Indonesian musicians as well as composers (Amir Pasaribu was one of them), learned music directly from them.134 Nevertheless, there were also composers who went overseas to study Western classical music. The notable pioneers are Paul Goetama Soegiyo, Slamet Abdul Sjukur, and Trisutji Kamal.135 They are regarded as the composers of “musik kontemporer”. Paul Goetama Soegijo (b.1934) was a student of Amsterdam Conservatory (1957), and studied composition at Hochschule für Musik in Berlin with Boris Blacher.136 A permanent resident of Germany, he established Banjar Gruppe Berlin (an experimental ensemble) in 1973.137 His idea, Musik der Neuen Urspruenglickeit (music for the new ancestor) creates works that employ Javanese gamelan and world music.138 His published works are “Piano study 1”, “Saih I”, “Landschaften”, and many more.139 Trisutji Kamal (b. 28 November 1936) was a student of Henk Badings143 in Amsterdam conservatory. .............................................................................................................................................. She is also a graduate of Ecole Normale de Musique in Paris and Concervatorio Santa Cecilia in Rome. Kamal returned to Indonesia in 1967 and was one of the leading musik kontemporer composers. She utilized conventional “classical” music composition technique in some of her works, such as “Karunia (lit. bless)”, “Panorama Bumi Persada (lit. panorama of the earth)”, “Rhapsodietta”, and some of her piano compositions like “Sunda Seascapes” and “Indonesian Folk Melodies”.144 However in her later works, she employed a hybridized approach in her works which employ ethnic instruments and Islamic elements.145 The most representative composition of Kamal employing indigenous instruments and Islamic musico-religious elements is the large scale work entitled “Persembahan (A Worship)”, written for a Western flute, two poetry reciters (“Dekl” in the notation), two Qori (Quranic chanters), solo soprano, mixed choir (SATB), percussion (“Perk”), a set of Sundanese kendang (double-headed drums), a set of rebana (frame drums), a piano, a bass guitar (“B.Git”), an acoustic guitar (“A.Git”), and a violincello. (Harnish and Rasmussen 2011:299) .............................................................................................................................................. Slamet Abdul Sjukur (b. 30 June, 1935) learned composition from Olivier Messiaen in Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique (1962), Henry Dutilleuux in Ecole Normale de Musique (1967), and Paul Schaeffer in Groupe de Recherches Musicales l’ORTIF (1968). Educated in France, many of his works such as “Parenthesis I-II-III-IV-V-VI” and “Ces Oiseaux (the birds)” were influenced by the French.140 His works “Uwek-uwek” (a composition made for people who don’t understand music, played by mouth, tables, etc.), “Jawara”, “Ji-La-La Ji”, and “Om” were performed in Art Summit Indonesia 1995.142 .............................................................................................................................................. From these three composers’ brief biographies, we can notice that they learned compositions directly in Europe, and have brought a new hybridized musik kontemporer to Indonesia. Regarding musik kontemporer, Suka Hardjana wrote in an article in Kompas Minggu (Sunday Kompas)146: “In specific, musik kontemporer can only be understood by linking it with the development of western music history in Europe and America. Although it can lead to a specific understanding, actually the label “kontemporer (contemporary)” which is appended to art and music doesn’t refer to a normative definition. That is why, especially for people in general, contemporary art or music tends to lead to a misunderstanding.” .............................................................................................................................................. In the world of globalization today, musik kontemporer has no limit or frame. Asian Fantasy Orchestra with their slogan “World Friendship” has performed many hybridized music (with mixed instruments of India, Japan, China, Korea, Vietnam, etc.) in their world tour in Asia and Europe in 1998.147 Qua Etnika led by Djadug Ferianto or the music ensemble of I Wayan Dasra Sono Seni have also performed hybridized music by mixing Western and Eastern instruments.148 A.L. Suwardi in his piece “Swara Gentha” even made his own set of gamelan which consists of all new handmade instruments and a torn piano with only its framework and strings left.149 An association of Indonesian composers, Asosiasi Komponis Indonesia (AKI) was founded in 1994, by Slamet Abdul Sjukur. .............................................................................................................................................. 2. The Origin of Tembang Puitik and Its Definition .............................................................................................................................................. Musik seriosa was a popular genre among the upper-class Dutch and mestizos in the early twentieth century.150 It reached its acme of popularity in 1950s when a singing contest of RRI, “Bintang Radio (Radio Star)”was aired. The term “seriosa” on “A Comprehensive English-Indonesian dictionary” edited by Alan M. Stevens is defined as “semiclassical (music)”.151 Weintraub also concurred by defining musik seriosa as a European-influenced semi-classical vocal genre accompanied by Western instruments.152 However, some accounts refer that the term “seriosa” derives from the English adjective “serious”, in which they should be regarded not as semi-classical music, but the same stance as that of classical music.153 Bintang Radio, a singing contest of RRI, was held annually since 1951, and consisted of three categories: Musik Seriosa, Musik Hiburan (Music for Entertainment), and Musik Keroncong (Keroncong music). Musik seriosa was noted on the third edition of Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI, The Great dictionary of Indonesian language), “musik seriosa is a genre of music which is regarded “serious” and requires high techniques. The term is created to differ it from musik keroncong and musik hiburan.” .............................................................................................................................................. In Bintang Radio, musik seriosa was sub-categorized again into seriosa Indonesia and seriosa Barat (Western seriosa).154 The compositions sung in sub-category seriosa Indonesia were works by Indonesian composers, such as Mochtar Embut, Cornel Simanjuntak, Binsar Sitompul, and many more. While on the contrary, in the sub-category of seriosa Barat, lieder (art songs) in foreign languages, such as German and Italian, were sung.155 Numerous vocal works (musik seriosa) were composed during this era, as there were also contests of musik seriosa compositions, in which the works of the winners would be sung by the vocal contestants.156 Binsar Sitompul (b.1923-d.1991)157 composed “Awan (the cloud)”, “Bagi Kekasih (for the beloved one)”, “Tempat Bahagia (a happy place)”, and many more with the lyrics from Sanusi Pane, also the lyrics by himself.158 F.X. Soetopo (b.1937-d.2006) is also a notable composer for his vocal works. His works are “Cintaku Jauh di Pulau (my love is far away in the island)” by the lyrics from Chairil Anwar, “Elegie (Elegy)” and “Puisi Rumah Bambu (the bamboo house poem)” by Kirdjomoeljo, “Lebur (melt)” by J.B. Moerdopo, and many works by his own lyrics.159 Mochtar Embut (1934-1973), a composer notable for his ballads, composed “Hidup (Alive)”, “Jika Kau Tahu (If you know)”, “Cita-Cita (Ambition)”, inspired by Usmar Ismail’s collection of poems “Puntung Berasap (the smokey stump)”, and many other works, such as “Setitik Embun (a drop of dew)”, “Segala Puji (the entire praise)”, and “Sandiwara (a play)”. 160 .............................................................................................................................................. Mochtar Embut is an autodidact Indonesian composer who is famous for his ballads. His song, “With the Deepest Love from Djakarta” was asked to perform in World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo (with “Love” as the festival’s theme), in 1971, with Elly Sri Kudus as the singer. For further information about the festival, please refer to the link ... http://www.yamaha-mf.or.jp/history/e-history/wpsf/wpsf2.html . (In Japanese, accessed 5 January 2014). His ballads, “Di Wajahku Kulihat Bulan (In your face I see Moon)”, “Di Sudut Bibirmu (In the corner of your lips)”, and many more are popular among Indonesians. He was one of the accompanist (piano) in Bintang Radio during 1950s (Hardjana, 2003:224)............................................................................................................................................... Mochtar Embut utilized a completely Western classical music style in his song. It can be noticed from the use of dynamic markings, tempo markings, and ornamentation. It is also very lyrical, just like the art songs by the Western composers in the Romantic period, such as Schumann and Schubert. ............................................................................................................................................... In year 2000, Binu Sukaman –an Indonesian soprano, along with other musicians, hosted a concert series of Art songs.161 As more concerts were to be held, the hosts came to think of a more appropriate term to call Indonesian art songs.162 Aning Katamsi asserted that it was presumably those musicians who were in charge of hosting a series of art songs concerts, who had come with the new term “Tembang Puitik (poetic songs)”.163 ............................................................................................................................................... According to the first edition of Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia (KBBI, The Great dictionary of Indonesian Language), “tembang” means “song, verse to be sung” or “poem”. In Java literature, there are poems called Tembang Cilik, Tembang Gede, Tembang Kawi, depending on the number of lines and syllables per verse, also the last vowels used each line. “Tembang” can also serve as a verb, where it alters into “me-nembang”, meaning “to sing a song”. On the contrary, there is no Puitik found in the KBBI volume I. Only “puitis” was included, which means “poetic”.164 In Indonesian, words that end with “-is” such as sistematis (systematic), kritis (critical), teknis (technical), serve as adjectives. While words which end with “-ik” such as sistematik (system), kritik (critic), teknik (technique), usually serve as nouns. Nevertheless, there are some words such as karismatik (charismatic), fanatik (fanatic), autentik (authentic), unik (unique), which serve as adjectives. As we can see, all the words mentioned above are mostly originated from and sound very similar to English. It is indisputable that Indonesian language employed many foreign languages’ words. Russell Jones compiled Indonesian 20,000 loan-words from other languages into the book “Loan-Words in Indonesian and Malay” in 2007. 165 The fact that Indonesian language is new, continuing developing and growing, cannot be denied. Russell stated that the occurrence of the words on the book he edited did not imply that they were used in current Indonesian, but they were found in those spellings in some variety of Malay or Indonesian.166 Thus it can be assumed that puitis and puitik may have the same meaning. As a result, in KBBI volume III, published in 2000, the word “puitik” came to occurrence as a synonym of the word “puitis”. Thus, Tembang Puitik can be translated as poetic songs or songs that are lyrical like poetry. ............................................................................................................................................... The term “Tembang Puitik” is a new term to replace the term musik seriosa. In the present time (2013), the composer with the most numerous number of Tembang Puitik is Ananda Sukarlan. Other composers of Tembang Puitik in the present time (2013) are Trisutji Kamal, Guruh Sukarno Putera, Johannes Sebastian Nugroho, and many more.