Reviving Lost Music
In many parts of Indonesia, traditional music is slowly but surely vanishing. In Tual, Maluku traditional music is rarely heard these days. The sinrilik of South Sulawesi, once-popular music, sounds strange to its local youths. And in Rote-Ndao, East Nusa Tenggara, the traditional instrument sasando—whose sound is as musical as an orchestra—seems to have vanished from its birthplace. Nevertheless, a number of motivated pioneers and masters of traditional music are showing their concern. They play with those traditional instruments, they compose and they dream of a time when they can share this valuable cultural legacy to all parts of the country and beyond, if necessary. A special report by Tempo English Edition from Sulawesi, Maluku and East Nusa Tenggara.
October 6, 2010
IT was afternoon. On the porch, a middle-aged man was busily tuning the key of a musical instrument. At a glance, it looked like a violin but slimmer. When played, beautiful natural notes fill the air. Made of a long tube with a hole in the middle, connected with a long handle, the instrument has four strings.
The man on the porch was Eky Talaut, 55, a resident of Taar village, Tual Town, Maluku province. He created several Kei tribe traditiona
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