Songs Performed
6
This page explains some of the factors that generate performance of specific songs
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2021-03-26T19:59:11+00:00
Each performance involves a unique collection of songs that are performed over the course of an evening. People told me that in one evening there are about 40 songs performed, but I've found this number varies according to
- the duration of the performance (in 2003-2004, performances lasted 7+ hours whereas in 2015-16 they lasted around 5hours),
- the duration of each individual song (songs are more extended when a janang is present),
- the kind of song,
- the nature of the interactions,
- the popularity of the song,
- and so on.
At the all-night performance I attended at Radio Republik Indonesia in 2004, there were 33 songs, ranging from 5.16 mins to 17.25 mins. Many of the songs lasted over 10 minutes and involved multiple interjections by the janang as audience members requested the song to be extended. The number of times a song is extended and its length is an indication of its popularity and that its delivery by the padendang is engaging the audience.
At another all-night performance I attended in 2016 in Sariak Laweh, there were 50 songs delivered. Even though the performance was a shorted duration, there were more songs than the performance I discuss above. I suspect this is for two reasons: 1) there was no janang participating who would encourage the extension of a song and 2) there was a mix of saluang and musical styles, so one song was traded for another more quickly than at evenings featuring just saluang klasik.
Which songs are delivered at any given performance vary widely, depending on
- the context,
- the musical style (the use of saluang orgen means more songs from gembira category or pop)
- mastery and ability of the singer (younger or less talented singers do not know all the "classics")
- the requests of the audience,
- the time of the evening, and
- the location (songs affiliated with the location of the performance are sure to be featured). For example, at a performance in Suayan at least 4 of the Suayan titles were delivered.
The number of songs in the active saluang repertoire is massive, easily numbering over 300. Singers need to be prepared to deliver on these requests. Some songs are more popular than others, some songs very rarely performed, and some predictable given location of the performance.
Some basic conventions guide the order of songs at performances.
- The Imbauan Singgalang always opens a performance, and is often performed right after each break
- The subsequent song is one of the many Singgalang titles, but often the tune known as either "Singgalang Alai" [new] or "Singgalang Induak"
- Songs performed in the talingkin category take place after a break, usually the first one around midnight.
- The performance always wraps up with songs from the Jalu-Jalu category.
What happens in between varies greatly. Typically, songs that are gembira are featured earlier on in the evening and there is a shift to ratok over the course of the evening. Some pagurau greatly prefer ratok and will request these, especially pagurau in and at performances in Suayan. These are conventions, however, and not strict formulas so there are exceptions, which is why it's worth mapping out the repertoire at individual performances.
Each performance I attended maps out the repertoire performed in a given evening, including duration of song where possible, the type of song, and in those instances with multiple styles incorporated an indication of the style. With the interactive timelines, you can scroll through to see the way a performance unfolded in real time.
For example,
