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.