UTM

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA

Chapter 7

Traditional Music and Dance

Traditional
Dance
 Introduction
Traditional Dance & Music Malaysia's multi-
cultural and multi-racial heritage is most
prominently exhibited in its diverse music and
dance forms.
The dances of the indigenous Malay, Orang Asli
and different ethnic peoples of Sabah and
Sarawak are truly exotic and enchanting.
As the Chinese, Indians and Portuguese settled
in Malaysia, the traditional dances of their
homelands became a part of Malaysia's culture
and heritage.

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 Introduction
Dance, of any nation state, doesn't only
characterize the culture, but also make an
inseparable part of entertainment.
As regards the dances of Malaysia, there are
many traditional dance forms which are still
very much liked and performed in the
country.
The rich dance culture of Malaysia includes
skipping folk dances, martial arts-based
movements, and even a costumed lion
dance.
 MALAY
Mak Yong
Originating from Patani in Southern Thailand, Mak
Yong was conceived to entertain female royalty,
queens and princesses, when their men were away at
war.
Combining romantic drama, dance and operatic
singing, tales of the golden age of the Malay kingdoms
are dramatised in enchanting performances.

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 MALAY
Kuda Kepang
Kuda Kepang is a traditional dance brought to the
state of Johor by Javanese immigrants.
Dramatising the tales of victorious Islamic holy wars,
dancers sit astride mock horses moving to the
hypnotic beats of a percussion ensemble usually
consisting of drums, gongs and angklungs.

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 MALAY
Zapin
Islamic influence on Malaysian traditional dance is
perhaps most evident in Zapin; a popular dance in the
state of Johor.
Introduced by Muslim missionaries from the Middle
East, the original dance was performed to Islamic
devotional chanting to spread knowledge about the
history of the Islamic civilisation.

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 MALAY
Joget
Malaysia's most popular traditional dance, is a lively
dance with an upbeat tempo.
Performed by couples who combine fast, graceful
movements with playful humour, the Joget has its
origins in Portuguese folk dance, which was
introduced to Melaka during the era of the spice
trade.

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 MALAY
Tarian Lilin
Also known as Candle Dance, it is performed by
women who do a delicate dance while balancing
candles in small dishes.

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 MALAY
Silat
One of the oldest Malay traditions and a deadly
martial art, Silat is also a danceable art form.
With its flowery body movements, a Silat performance
is spellbinding and intriguing.

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 1-Bolak-bolak
1-Bangsawan 1-Asyik 2-Datun ulud
1-Chinese
2-Jikey 2-Gamelan 3-Kuda pasu
dance
3-Mek mulung (joget 4-Limbai
2-Indian
4-Mak yong gamelan) 5-Magunatip
dance
5-Menorah 3-Layang mas 6-Ngajat iban
3-Portuguese
6-Randai puti 4-Mangadap 7-Sumazau
dance
nilam sari rebab 8-Zapin
5-Terinai sindang
 CHINESE
Lion Dance
Usually performed during the Chinese New Year
festival, Lion Dance is energetic and entertaining.
According to the legend, in ancient times, the lion was
the only animal that could ward off a mythological
creature known as Nian that terrorised China and
devoured people on the eve of the New Year.
Usually requiring perfect co-ordination, elegance and
nerves of steel, the dance is almost always performed
to the beat of the tagu, the Chinese drum, and the
clanging of cymbals.

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 CHINESE
Dragon Dance
The dragon is a mythical creature that represents
supernatural power, goodness, fertility, vigilance and
dignity in Chinese culture.
Typically performed to usher in the Chinese New
Year, the Dragon Dance is said to bring good luck and
prosperity for the year to come.
Usually requiring a team of over 60 people, this
fantastic performance is a dazzling display of perfect
co-ordination, skill and grace.

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 INDIAN
Bharata Natyam
This classical Indian dance is poetry in motion.
Based on ancient Indian epics, this highly intense and
dramatic dance form uses over 100 dance steps and
gestures.
As mastery requires many years of practice, some
children begin learning the dance form at the age of
five.

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 INDIAN
Bhangra
Bhangra is a lively folk music and dance form of the
Sikh community.
Originally a harvest dance, it is now part of many
social celebrations such as weddings and New Year
festivities.
Typically centred around romantic themes with
singing and dancing driven by heavy beats of the dhol,
a double-barreled drum, the bhangra is engagingly
entertaining.

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 SABAH & SARAWAK
Ngajat
The Warrior Dance is a traditional dance of Sarawak's
Iban people.
This dance is usually performed during Gawai
Kenyalang or 'Hornbill Festival'.
Reputedly the most fearsome of Sarawak's
headhunters, the tribe's victorious warriors were
traditionally celebrated in this elaborate festival.
Wearing an elaborate headdress and holding an ornate
long shield, the male warrior dancer performs
dramatic jumps throughout this spellbinding dance.

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 SABAH & SARAWAK
Datun Julud
The Hornbill Dance is a traditional dance of Sarawak's
Kenyah women.
Created by a Kenyah prince called Nyik Selong to
symbolise happiness and gratitude, it was once
performed during communal celebrations that greeted
warriors returning from headhunting raids or during
the annual celebrations that marked the end of each
rice harvest season.
Performed by a solo woman dancer to the sounds of
the sape, beautiful fans made out of hornbill feathers
are used to represent the wings of the sacred bird.

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 SABAH & SARAWAK
Sumazau
Sumazau is a traditional dance of Sabah's Kadazan
people.
Usually performed at religious ceremonies and social
events, it is traditionally used to honour spirits for
bountiful paddy harvests, ward off evil spirits and
cure illnesses.
Male and female dancers perform this steady hypnotic
dance with soft and slow movements imitating birds in
flight.

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 SABAH & SARAWAK
Bamboo Dance
Another highly popular and entertaining traditional
dance is Bamboo Dance.
Two long bamboo poles are held horizontally above
the ground at ankle-height.
They are clapped together to a high-tempo drumbeat.
Requiring great agility, dancers are required to jump
over or between the poles without getting their feet
caught.

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 is very much alive in the Eastern
Malaysian States of Sabah and Sarawak
There is an uncountable number of
dances that are performed
The uniqueness of the dances from
Sabah and Sarawak can also be seen in
the beautiful costumes of both the
dancers and the musicians
1- Bolak-bolak :
accompanied by the quick rhythms of the
kulintangan ensemble
charaterised by the hand-held pieces of
wood
2- Datum julud :
popular with the Kenyak tribe of
Kabupaten, Balungan, Kutai Berau and Pasir
in Sarawak
thanksgiving to the gods for blessing that
the dance became accepted among the
Kenyah tribe
3- Kuda pasu :
The horse serves as inspiration for this dance
The female dancers use a pair of scarves that the
swing in a vertical circle beside their body
the most interesting features of the dances of the
Bajau tribe is the intricacy and relationship
between the music and dance
4- Limbai :
is performed by the Bajau tribe of
Bundusan in Papar, Sabah
6 to 8 dancers dancing in pairs
This dance symbolises the life of
the traditional Bajau
5- Magunaitp :
very strongly influenced by the
Philippines
Performed by the young men and
women of the Kwijau
a display of the skill of the dancers that
maneuver their feet in and out so as not
to get their feet trapped by the bamboo
6- Ngajat iban :
performed to celebrate the most
important harvest festival called
Gawai
The male dancers wear large
feathers
The female dancers have an
elaborate headdress, chains,
beads and a dress
7- Sumazau :
considered the state dance of
Sabah
The arm gestures are likened to
that of a
The music is provided by gongs of
different size.
8- Zapin sindang:
the Zapin family was created by
Mr. Nawi from the Sindang Village
Using music in the Zapin flavour
It has only a few patterns and
sequences
 OTHERS
Orang Asli
The traditional dances of the Peninsular Malaysia's
Orang Asli are strongly rooted in their spiritual
beliefs.
Dances are commonly used by witch-doctors as rituals
to communicate with the spirit world.
Such dances include Genggulang of the Mahmeri tribe,
Berjerom of the Jah-Hut tribe and the Sewang of the
Semai and Temiar tribes.

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 OTHERS
The Portuguese of Melaka Farapeira
The Farapeira is a fast, cheerful dance usually
accompanied by guitars and tambourines, performed
by couples dressed in traditional Portuguese
costumes.
The Portuguese of Melaka Branyo
Favoured mainly by the older Portuguese generation,
compared to the Farapeira the Branyo is a more staid
dance.
Male dancers dressed in cowboy-like costumes and
female dancers dressed in traditional baju kebayas
with batik sarongs sway to the steady rhythm of drums
and violins.
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 the Dances of the minority Communities
of the Country that also have a vibrant
and colourful tradition and culture
They are primarily the Chinese, Indians
and the Portoguese
1- Chinese dance :
Most of Chinese dances originated in
the mainland of China
the more popular are the Dragon Dance
2- Indian dance :
In Indian Culture, dance is a form
of worship and an expression of
the human emotion
the more popular forms are the
Odissi and Bharathanatyam
3- Portuguese dance :
traced to the arrival of the merchants
and soldiers in the 16th Century
Two of the most popular dances are the
Branyo and Farapeirra
The Branyo Dance is mainly favoured
by the older generation of the
Portuguese descendants
The Farapeira is for the youngsters
Traditional Music
Introduction

The Malays usually

use music to
accompany
dances, plays and
ceremonies.
The number of
musicians and
musical
instruments vary,
depending on the
purpose of the
performance.
 Basic Melody

Malay traditional music do not have tuning

standards.
Usually, the heptatonic (7 pitches) or pentatonic
(5 pitches) musical scale is used.
The pure pentatonic scale, also known as slendro,
is only found in gamelan dances in Terengganu,
Malaysia. On the other hand, Javanese wayang
kulit (shadow play) makes use of the pure
heptatonic scale, or pelog.
Most Malay traditional music makes use of
variations of these scales
 Musical Instrument

Percussion instruments are the

largest and most important
instruments in Malay traditional
music. They can be divided into two
main sections - tuned and untuned
instruments.
 Musical Instrument

Tuned instruments can be divided into two

types - instruments which have a basic
structure of a set of different sized gongs
and instruments which resemble the
xylophone. These two types of instruments
are classified as idiophones, in which
sound is produced as a result of the
vibrations made by the instruments itself.
There are also idiophones which are
classified as untuned
e.g. cing, a type of cymbal.
 Musical Intrument
On the other hand,
untuned instruments
are made up of drums
which come in different
sizes and shapes, and
are classified as
membranophones.
Membranophones are
instruments which
produce sound as a
result of the vibration
of skin which is
mounted on the frame
of the drum.
 Musical Intrument
Actually, the
classification of
idiophones and
membranophones is not
very important because it
is only a classification of
the instrument structure.
For a normal listener, the
classification based on
the sound which is heard
when an instrument is
played is more relevant.
Therefore, we will use
the classification of tuned
and untuned instruments.
 MUSIC
MUSIC Orchestra
Malaysia has two traditional orchestras: the gamelan
and the nobat.
Originally from Indonesia, the gamelan is a traditional
orchestra that plays ethereal lilting melodies using an
ensemble of gong percussion and stringed
instruments.
The nobat is a royal orchestra that plays more solemn
music for the courts using serunai and nafiri wind
instruments.

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 MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Rebana Ubi
In the days of the ancient Malay kingdoms, the
resounding rhythmic beats of the giant rebana ubi
drums conveyed various messages from warnings of
danger to wedding announcements.
Later, they were used as musical instruments in an
assortment of social performances.

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 MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Kompang
Arguably the most popular Malay traditional
instrument, the kompang is widely used in a variety of
social occasions such as the National Day parades,
official functions and weddings.
Similar to the tambourine but without the jingling
metal discs, this hand drum is most commonly played
in large ensembles, where various rhythmic composite
patterns are produced by overlapping multiple layers
of different rhythms.

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 MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Gambus
Brought to Malaysia by Persian and Middle Eastern
traders, the gambus or Arabian oud is played in a
variety of styles in Malay folk music, primarily as the
lead instrument in Ghazal music.
Carefully crafted with combinations of different
woods, this instrument produces a gentle tone that is
similar to that of the harpsichord.

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 MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
Sape
The sape is the traditional flute of the Orang Ulu
community or upriver people of Sarawak.
A woodcarving masterpiece with colourful motifs, the
sape is made by hollowing a length of wood.
Once played solely during healing ceremonies within
longhouses, it gradually became a social instrument of
entertainment.
Typically, its thematic music is used to accompany
dances such as the Ngajat and Datun Julud.

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Gamelan

Please be aware that

gamelan is a kind of
Malay musical
ensemble and not a
musical instrument.
Tuned percussion
instruments which are
found in a gamelan
ensemble is made up
of xylophone and gong-
like instruments.
 Saron

SARON A steel
xylophone with 6 steel
keys which are placed
on a wooden
resonator. There are
two sizes, saron
barong, which plays
the main melody, and
saron pekin which is
smaller and has a high
pitch. A wooden
version of this is called
a gambang kayu.
Bonang

BONANG A set of
gongs which is
usually used to
play the
accompaniment of
the main melody.
 Gender

GENDER A type
of steel xylophone
which is also used
to accompany the
main melody.
Gong Set

GONG SET This

group of gongs
include kempul
and gong agung
which are used
to mark the
phrase of the
melody.
Gendang
GENDANG This
percussion
instrument plays an
important role in
keeping the tempo
of the music.
Usually, the gendang
player is the one
who gives a signal to
the other musicians
to show the start and
the end of song and
also the change in
tempo.
 Serunai
SERUNAI This is a
Malay reed wind
instrument, with a
quadruple reed
made from rice
stalk. The body has
7 front finger holes
and 1 at the back.
Circular breathing
technique is used so
that once a melody
is started it does
not stop until the
tune ends.
Seruling
SERULING This is a type
of flute which is usually
made of bamboo. It
either plays the melody
or the accompaniment.
This instrument comes
in a few types of
designs and shapes and
has different numbers
of holes. This
instrument is said to be
an indigenous
instrument of this
region. It exists
everywhere in
Southeast Asia.
 Nafiri

NAFIRI The nafiri is

kind of trumpet
found in Malay folk
music. It is found
only in the nobat
orchestras of
Malaysia. and is
related to a similar
instrument known
as the naifr from
the Middle East.
(Matusky 1985).
Gambus
GAMBUS The gambus
is the most common
lute found in a variety
of styles in Malay folk
music as well as
syncretic music such
as Ghazal. It is also
used to accompany
song and dance in
Sabah. Originating
from the Middle East,
the Malaysian version
uses 9 to 12 wire
strings which are
plucked. There are
two types of gambus
in use, the Gambus
Hadramaut and
Gambus Hijaz.
 Rebab
REBAB The rebab is the most important bowed lute in Malays
folk music. It is the main melodic instrument in the mak yong and
is used to accompany storytelling in Kelantan. It has 2 or 3
strings, running over a movable bridge. The rebab is held upright
on a short spike and played using a wooden bow with nylon
strings. The 2 stringed rebab is found only in the context of the
wayang kulit (shadow theatre).