Otto Syamsuddin Ishak^*

Assalaum alaikum he teungku bandum
Lon mubri saleuem ngon teungku dumna

(Greeting my good sirs, I convey to thee all)
(Source: the introductory greeting to the Seudati dance performance featuring a blend of verbal music and body movements)

Verbal music has always color the life of an Acehnese. Since infancy, whether in the embrace of the mother or in the cradle, an infant has been exposed to lullabies of historic tal