Song: "Singgalang Alai"
I am fascinated by this story. Just who was right? It doesn't matter as much to me as the idea that different performers have different practices and knowledge. To me that is the story. What it has complicated, however, is how to refer to the tune on this site. The best ethnographic process is to make sure to honor the titles used by the performers. Therefore, to clarify it's use on this site and to identify the different tunes I will use the terms "Singgalang Alai [Old]" for the version than Mak Ajis knows and "Singgalang Alai [New]" for the tune that many others identified as "Singgalang Alai."
Translation of Title: "Singgalang" in the title refers not just to place affiliation but to the category of songs called Singgalang. "Alai" is a neighborhood in Padang.
Explanation: The tune "Singgalang Alai [New]" or what others call "Singgalang Induak" is often the very first song of a saluang performance, following the Imbauan Saluang and Imbauan Singgalang. It is interesting that a song so key to saluang has such confusion surrounding its title.
Composer: Unknown.
Type of song: Singgalang.
Place affiliations: This whole category of song is named after the place, the nagari and mountain called Singgalang.
- Nagari: Singgalang.
- Kecamatan: X Koto.
- Luak: Tanah Data.
- Darek or Rantau: Darek.
Source: Mardjani's List of Songs (but it is unclear which tune was designated), Martis (who used the title refer to the tune marked here as "Singgalang Alai [New]").
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- Type of Song: Singgalang
- People: Ajis St. Sati
- Performance: Radio Republik Indonesia Bukittinggi, September 27, 2004
- Introductory Material: "Imbauan Singgalang"
- People: Mak Il St. Rajo Endah
- Performance: Recording Session, July 21, 2016
- Place: Singgalang
- People: Martis
- Song: "Singgalang Induak"
- Song: "Singgalang Gulai Rendang"
- Place: Padang
- Song: "Singgalang Alai [New]"
- Introductory Material: Imbauan Saluang
- People: Inyiak Harimau
- Song: "Singgalang Alai [Old]"