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Song in the Sumatran Highlands

Style: Saluang Dangdut

Definition: "Saluang dangdut" means saluang with dangdut. Some people suggest it has been around since the 1970s. I witnessed a couple of performances in 2004, but have not seen any with this combination since.

Performer line up: The most conventional line-up involves:

multiple padendang
tukang saluang
gendang dangdut
rabano, or drum known as gendang oyak
giriang, or tambourine
a janang depending on context.

Economics: These groups are contracted.

Context: Saluang dangdut was mostly found at life cycle celebrations, including weddings, circumcisions, and the such.

Performance Space:

Outside the house at family events
In the street, indoor halls, or other communal spaces for community events

Amplification: Typically amplified through massive speaker systems.

Repertoire: The songs covered are

metered songs from saluang repertoire, including singgalang, gembira, and some satangah tiang. The ratok are not appropriate for saluang dangdut treatment
songs from dangdut Minang, dangdut Indonesia, pop Minang and other genres that can be adapted to the saluang

Time frame: I've heard that people have been experimenting with this style from the 1970s. My sense is that this style has morphed into saluang orgen.

Region: The style originates in the darek, though I did witness one performance in Padang. It's unclear how frequently it was performed in the rantau.

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Performance: Padang Panjang, April 10, 2004 14 Saluang dangdut for baralek image_header 2021-09-03T20:41:55+00:00 -0.466270, 100.407174 04/10/2004
Date: April 10, 2004
Time: around noon
Place: Padang Panjang
Style: Saluang Dangdut
Occasion: Wedding. This performance took place at a wedding during the main celebration during the day. As Martis told me in advance of the event, it is "entertainment to greet the guests." The hosts for this particular event were related to famous padendang, Syamsimar. This might help explain why the hosts chose saluang dangdut for the daytime celebration rather than more common popular styles.

Set up: A full stage was erected in the yard of a house across the street from the host's house. A canopy was also erected stretching across the two spaces. Part of it housed the team welcoming guests. The other part covered tables and chairs where guests would sit to eat.

Performers:
- Padendang:
  - Invited participants (those on stage for the duration)
    An (Adrial), who is now a professional singer by the name of Lepai
    Yeli Indriati
    Nengsih
    Ati
    Len, who was also playing tambourine
    Fera (who had just started learning and did not participate much)
  - Guest participants (those on stage for a few songs)
    Syamsimar
    Asnah, daughter from Syamsimar's older sibling
    Hutmawati, daughter from Syamsimar's younger sibling
- Tukang Saluang
  - Martis
  - Mak Indo
- Other Instrumentalists
  - An (Adrial): he played the gendang dangdut in addition to singing
  - As: who played the rabano, or drum known as gendang oyak
- Janang
  - Nobody officially filled this role, meaning it was their sole duty, but some of the singers participated to make announcements.
Audience: Nobody attended just to listen to the music. They were there as wedding guests: the music was the entertainment.
Ethnographers: Jennifer
Attendance:
Notes:
Song: "Arek-Arek Lungga" 12 The song called Arek-Arek Lungga plain 2021-06-30T21:58:00+00:00
Composer: Unknown.
Type of song: Gembira.
Genre of origin: Saluang dangdut.
Place affiliations:
- City: Payokumbuah.
- Luak: Limopuluah Koto.
- Darek or Rantau: Darek.
Context: Weddings and Circumcisions 11 Weddings and Circumcisions are contexts for the performance of saluang image_header 2021-03-24T19:28:27+00:00
Lifecycle events, primarily weddings and circumcisions, are occasions that might be celebrated with the performance of saluang. Typically, the main ceremonial event--the baralek--takes place during the day time. This is when guests invited specifically by the host stop by the event to convey their wishes and share in a meal. The images directly above and below are from baralek. In the one above, guests are mostly seated outside to eat. In the one below, guests came inside to eat, sitting on the floor around the spread.

Saluang performances take place during the evening, either the night before the main baralek when people are up late cooking food all night, or the night at the end of the main baralek. In the case of the former, the performance helps provide samangek (enthusiasm) for the folks cooking. In the case of the latter, it's a continuation of the celebration. I have only witnessed saluang once during the main baralek--see Performance: Padang Panjang, April 10, 2004, and that involved saluang dangdut, a more upbeat form of entertainment appropriate for celebration than the sad, contemplative songs that are delivered late at night. Based on the performances I attended, saluang was more likely to happen in coordination with a wedding than a circumcision. The only circumcision event where I encountered saluang was Performance: Batu Balang, July 17, 2016.

Economics: The performers for all these occasions are contracted and paid a fixed fee. Pagurau do not pay for requests.

Space: These performances usually take place in the yards of private homes or perhaps on the street, where a temporary stage has been erected. Seating may or may not be provided for the pagurau. In my experience, seating is provided when wedding guests are likely to sit outside When guests enter the house to eat, smaller more modest weddings, then no seating is provided, like at a wedding Performance: Suayan, August 2, 2015. Note the audience standing in the background of this image.

Audience: In both cases, those attending are not limited to those individuals formally invited. Anyone in the neighborhood or who has heard about the performance is welcome to come witness. Typically hosts will provide refreshments to these guests, including coffee, tea, and snacks.

Musical Style: The context does not circumscribe the musical style, though saluang klasik is the most common. The host family choses their favorites, including
- saluang klasik
- saluang orgen
- saluang dangdut
- orgen
They might even chose a mix of styles, like at Performance: Sariak Laweh, July 25, 2016.

Behavior: Most of these performances followed mainstream Minangkabau standards of decorum. The behavior of the pagurau is at its most respectable on these occasions, out of deference for the hosts. If they make requests for specific songs, they usually do so discreetly, whispering to someone on stage or slipping them a piece of paper. There is not the same interactive back and fro for the most part with the audience. People attend for sociality, as much as the music. Sometimes the pagurau play games, like jeki or dominoes, during the performance.
Song: "Mayang Taurai" 10 The song called Mayang Taurai plain 2021-07-02T18:00:04+00:00
Translation of Title: "Mayang Taurai" translates as the part of a fruit on a palm hanging down, whether that's from a coconut, betel, or palm oil tree. I suspect there is a metaphor behind this title.
Composer: Unknown.
Type of song: Gembira.
Genre of origin: Saluang Dangdut.

Place affiliations: The song is affiliated with the place, Solok, which is a town and a kabupaten.
- Kabupaten: Solok.
- Darek or Rantau: Rantau.
Song: "Muaro Cinto" Translation of Title: "Muaro" means "mouth (of a river) or "opening," "cinto" means "love." The title is translated as "the mouth of love."
Composer: Unknown.
Type of song: Gembira.
Genre of origin: Saluang dangdut.
Place affiliations: Unknown.
Source: Pak Ketua.
Song: "Angin Malam" 5 This title translates as "wind at night." plain 2021-06-30T21:55:37+00:00
Translation of Title: The title of this song translates as "wind at night."
Composer: Unknown.
Type of song: Unknown.
Genre of origin: Saluang dangdut.
Place affiliations:
- City: Payokumbuah.
- Luak: Agam.
- Darek or Rantau: Darek.
Source: Martis.

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