In search of the roots: The interpretation of ancient and tribal Southeast Asian musical phenomena as sources of East and Southeast Asian music

• Autores: Wolfgang Laade
• Localización: Bulletin of the International Committee on Urgent Anthropological and Ethnological Research, ISSN 0538-5865, Nº. 34-35, 1992-1993, págs. 49-77
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • East and South-East Asia is an area which offers many possibilities for studying the question of stability and change in musical traditions over a long period of time. In musical terms, the author sees East as an area apart from West Asia. The heterophony is much more complex. He examines various musical instruments which are found in many of the cultures in the region. Particular attention is paid to the bronze "kettle drums", in reality a form of gong,which are either in the form of a kettle (Indo-China) or hourglass shape (mokko) in Indonesia. Following Hood, he sees these as a variant of the now usual round bossed gong used in Indonesia. Bronze bells are found among "hill tribes" in Vietnam and the Philippines. However, the Jew's harp is found throughout the whole area. The musical bow is less frequent, in South-East Asia being confined to New Guinea. On the other hand, the mouth or reed organ is found over a very wide area, but in Indonesia is confined to the Kayan and the Semputan in Kalimantan. Polyvocal singing is also a common phenomenon. Attention is also drawn to kolotomy or the division of musical forms into temporal units of equal length which are marked by specific instruments struck one after the other in a specific order. This is a characteristic of Indonesian gamelan and Japanese gagaku. The article ends with a detailed plan for further urgent research.