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Song in the Sumatran Highlands

Minangkabau Musical Genres

'The Minangkabau have one of the richest traditions of performing arts to be found in Indonesia." (Yampolsky & Hanefi, 1994: 4)

There is a rich array of musical genres and styles found throughout the Minangkabau homeland, both in the darek and the rantau. There are those genres that are indigenous and those that have been imported from elsewhere and made local. Many of the indigenous genres are deeply place-based, that is they are tied to specific places from the most localized (found in only one nagari) to those found in broader regions, such as the darek. There are only a few indigenous genres that are found throughout the homeland, such as talempong, but the expression of them is deeply localized. For talempong, this means different instruments, tuning, instrumental roles and names, repertoire, and even gender affiliations from place to place (see chapter 2 in Fraser 2015). There is no single vocal tradition found throughout the homeland, but rather a range of regional variants that use some kind of flute or fiddle for accompaniment.

Saluang, as discussed in this site, is one of those genres that has strong place-based affiliations--to the darek in general but also to specific places through repertoire choices. It has spread far beyond the borders, eclipsing and replacing some of the more localized flute traditions while absorbing and integrating some of the localized repertoire into the saluang mainstream. Because so many localized Minangkabau genres are absorbed into the saluang repertoire, they are laid out here.

Indigenous Minangkabau Genres

In the Minangkabau vocabulary there is no singular word for “music.” Rather, sounds are divided into two broad categories: dendang (literally “song”) and buni-bunian (literally “sounds” but refers here to instrumental music). Most of the genres classified as dendang involve instrumental accompaniment, usually just a solo flute or fiddle of some kind. The genres are often named for that instrument. Below we lay out some of those genres.

Dendang

There are a rich array of indigenous Minangkabau vocal genres involving oral literary traditions. There are two primary forms of text employed in these genres: those that are based on pantun (a verse from found throughout the Malay region) and those that use kaba (a kind of epic story telling tradition). Most of these genres use some form of instrumental accompaniment, often some kind of flute or fiddle.

Genres from the Darek

Some of these genres are widespread and found throughout the whole of the darek, like saluang and rebab darek (the pins provided on the google map were chosen for central locality). Others are more localized, like saluang sirompak and sijobang, found in the areas surrounding the pin provided on the map.

Genres from the Rantau

Buni-Bunian

Other Local Genres

Modernist, Cosmopolitan Genres

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Introduction to Performances 2 This page explains the basics of a saluang performance image_header 2021-03-29T16:51:47+00:00
Context
When organizers of an event choose saluang for their celebration they are choosing one musical genre out of a number of other choices of regional Minangkabau genres. The choice of saluang is guided in part by location, in part by an investment in a more "traditional" style that is strongly connected with core Minangkabau values, and in part by the options appropriate for night time entertainment. In the darek, saluang is probably the most popular regional style for entertainment at night. When people in the rantau, especially those further from the Minang homeland, choose saluang they are making a statement about how they connect with their Minangkabau identity. People who choose saluang klasik rather than more popular styles, like saluang orgen or orgen, or religious styles, like dikia rabano or salawat dulang, are making a statement about their personal values and stylistic preferences, or they are prioritizing the desires and needs of local community, respected guests, and desired audience.

The contexts for saluang performance are myriad, ranging from life-cycle celebrations like weddings to private listening parties, institutional events, or fundraisers. Weddings are a key context. There are a couple of specially commissioned recording sessions included in the list of performances here. They are specialized contexts, where standard conventions of performances, like time frame, stage set up, and so on do not hold true. But I list them because I think it is interesting to see what songs were performed and how long they lasted.
Time Frame
Saluang is a night music.
- In 2003-4, performances would start around 9p.m. and last until about 4a.m.
- In 2015-16, performances would start around 10p.m. and last until 3a.m.
  - there has been an increasing shift to performances start later, finishing earlier, and collectively lasting shorter
Style
Most organizers interested in hosting a saluang performance choose saluang klasik, but they might choose a mix of styles if they want to project a sense of cosmopolitanism and/or display their wealth.
Line Up
- Padendang: most often 2, occasionally 3, rarely more
- Tukang Saluang: usually just one
- Tukang Rabab: historically might be included, but I have never seen one present
- Janang: optional, depending on the context. They are never present at weddings and always present at functions requiring the collection of money.
Physical Space
Most typically saluang performances happen outside on make-shift, covered open-air stages, like the one seen above. Sometimes the stage is on the front porch of a house, like the performance at Harau. Seats may or may not be provided for guests, depending on the occasion and the host's budget. More often that not, there are chairs or at least mats on the ground or floor.

Advertising of events
Events are primarily advertised by word of mouth, whether that be within the local community or the community of saluang lovers. Typically, there is no official billing, public announcement in print, or electronic list. Sometimes a local community event, especially those designed as fundraisers, will issue a printed announcement that is distributed locally, and back in 2003-04, people would send in notice of saluang performances to be read aloud at Bagurau di Udaro or by the janang at an event. Otherwise, knowledge of a performance is largely circulated amongst individuals, who pass on news of who is singing where (generally a very generic description, like a nagari, not a specific street address). The most devoted fans have the cell phone numbers of their favorite singers and will text for news of performances, either in advance or during the course of an evening.
Audience
Saluang performances are considered open events, even those held in the yards of private homes. Anyone is welcome to attend and anyone who shows up is welcomed, even if they have absolutely no personal connection with the hosts of an event or the hosting community. The audience very much ranges depending on context, location, and relative appeal of the style and singers. At a malam masak, the evening of cooking before the main celebration, saluang is organized to give samangek (enthusiasm) to those preparing the food, though they are too busy to sit, watch, and listen. Not even the wedding hosts or happy couple are present--rather the event contributes to the festivities of the occasion, to mark the celebration, and is primarily design for the entertainment of guests. These guests will include first and foremost the local community; neighbors, kin, and other people living nearby. Then audiences are constituted by the pacandu, devotees of the genre or particular singers, who are willing to travel for the performance. The best singers will encourage fans to travel on the back of a motorbike for a couple of hours, one way, to reach the destination. Many of the regular pagurau on the circuit have stage names. Some belong to a group that have a name and travel together.
Requests
Whether or not pagurau can make requests and how they are conveyed to the performers depends on the context. At weddings and circumcisions, where a host has contracted the performers for the duration of the evening, pagurau may make their requests discreetly, whispering them to the performers on stage or handing them a small slip of paper. The only request permissible is a particular song. Typically, it is not clear who made the request nor why, but the requester will know that his request has been honored when the singers deliver the song. If a song has already been performed, perhaps before the requester appeared, then the singers might respond verbally and say "already," i.e. it has already been performed. I noticed that people were verbally delivering their requests later at night or over the years, speaking to a shift in values.

At events designed as fundraisers or bagurau lapiak where singers are working for tips, the nature of requests is very different. Here, pagurau pay for the privilege of making requests, usually a nominal amount, and a janang is included to mediate the requests. In 2003-04, the nominal fee was 5,000-10,000 rupiah. In 2015-16, 10,000 rupiah (less than $1 USD) was the standard. The most common request was for a specific song or extension of a song, but I have also heard requests for the extension of an ornament, response to a particular pantun, asking for personal information about a singer, asking a singer to move to provide a better view or to take off her jacket.
Interactions
The nature of the interactions between performers and audiences depends on the time frame and the context. Historically, there was virtually none, but that has changed over the years, so that even at weddings, I have seen singers converse with specific members of the audience over the course of the evening and/or address them through song texts.