Abstract
The chapter begins with a recap of seriosa music, emphasizing the changes in text to reflect the circumstances under which the composers were working and the incorporation of folk music to undergird the genre’s promotion of national identity. The genre also showcased the innovation of Indonesian composers in incorporating these new elements in their works. Influencing the genre were not only RRI-TVRI and its subsidiaries but also print media, such as Zenith, discourses among artists in the sanggar throughout the country, and Soekarno’s endorsement of the music and its singing style. Seriosa also stood in counterpoint to popular Western music, now considered imperialistic, a reflection of moral decadence. As members of the gatekeepers took prominent positions within the government, they promoted the political role of musicians and artists, embracing the creation of artistic works to advance Indonesian nationalism. Musicians who did not conform were, at best, confused and, at worst, traitors. Those who most fervently supported the government’s efforts were heroes, role models of the unfinished revolution. Politicization, however, also meant reversals when those in control were no longer in power. Such reversals contributed to the decline of the genre.
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Notes
- 1.
Dr. Liberti Manik was a violinist, choir organizer and conductor, music teacher, and ethnomusicologist. Binsar Sitompul was a musician, coach, and author.
- 2.
Under the Orde Lama (Old Order), music groups such as the Beatles were banned from the airwaves because they represented the culture of the imperialists. Members of a local group, Koes Bersaudara, were even imprisoned in 1965 for singing one of the Beatles’ songs during a private event.
- 3.
Radio Malaysia broadcast Suara Malaysia (Voice of Malaysia) internationally in 1963 and was accused of provoking Indonesians to go against Soekarno’s administration (Rastam 2014).
- 4.
In 1952, RRI honored Simandjuntak’s patriotism a week after the Bintang Radio finals as part of its Hari Radio celebration (R. R. I. Herdenkt Componist Cornel Simandjuntak 1952).
- 5.
Ismail Marzuki’s most famous piece is “Rayuan Pulau Kelapa.” Others include “Melati di Tapal Batas,” “Selendang Sutera,” “Sepasang Mata Bola,” “Gugur Bunga,” and “Sapu Tangan dari Bandung Selata.” All have romantic themes with patriotic sentiments of sacrifice and struggle.
- 6.
In a sanggar or art studio, the master adopted his disciples into his home to live communally and share the master’s ideology.
- 7.
In a reversal of power, others lost their positions for actions deemed unsupportive of the Soeharto government’s position. One such musician was Slamet Sjukur, who was dismissed from his job as the head of music in Institut Kesenian Jakarta for being honored and accepting an award from the Hungarian government.
- 8.
October 28–November 4, 1964.
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Mohammed, S.F.S. (2021). A Reflection of the Nation. In: Musical Nationalism in Indonesia. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6950-4_11
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