Arsenio Nicolas
Mahasarakham University, College of Music, Department Member
- Music History, Music Archaeology, Ethnomusicology, Southeast Asian Archaeology, Austronesian Languages, Anthropology of Music, and 165 moreBalinese and Old Javanese Manuscripts, Gamelan, Historical Ethnomusicology, Thailand, Music and Genetics, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Archaeology of Buddhism, Archaeometallurgy, Mineralogy, Archaeometry, Archaeological Method & Theory, Biomusicology, Music Perception and Cognition, Musicology, Colonial Philippines, Indonesian Studies, Maritime Trade Ceramics (Archaeology), Bioarchaeology, Ancient Shipwrecks, Population Genetics, Endangered Musics, Bali (Anthropology), Classical Java, Asian Studies, Jetset Ethnomusicology, Sastra Indonesia, Budaya, Malay-Indonesian Studies, Orang Asli, Thai Studies, Burma Studies, Thai Literature, Thai music, Early Music, Religion and Colonialism, Southeast Asian Studies, Maritime Archaeology, Sanskrit Philology, Minangkabau Oral Epic, Chinese Music, Myanmar, South Asian Archaeology, Asie du Sud-Est, Island Southeast Asia, Neolithic, Paleoenvironment, Trade Networks, Seascapes, Archaeology of Music, Archaeoacoustics, Experimental Archaeology, South East Asian Archaeology, Ancient Javanese reliefs, Malay Studies, Sanskrit language and literature, Southeast Asian history, Culture and People of Vietnam, Thai History, Laos and Cambodia, Cambodia, Laos (Lao PDR), East Asian Studies, Dong Son, Bronze Drum, Austronesian Studies, Melanesia (Anthropology), Oceania (Anthropology), Pacific Island Studies, Music of Pacific, Malaysian Music, Malay Nobat, Medieval Music, Philosophy of Time, Epigraphy (Archaeology), Theravada Buddhism, Old Javanese, Javanese studies, Old Javanese literature, Classical Malay Literature, Etnik Orang Asli Di Malaysia, Cambodian inscriptions, Sanskrit and Old Khmer Epigraphy, Champa, Angkor, Cambodian Archaeology, Dvāravatī Period, Animism, Indo-Pacific area Prehistory and Rock Art, Burmese Studies, Taiwan Archaeology, Minangkabau, History of Taiwan, Javanese language, Dvaravati Period, Thailand archaeology, Metallography of Ancient Metals, Sanskrit epigraphy, Trong Dong Son, Java, Indonesia, Javanese Gamelan, Music and Politics, Megalithic Monuments, Malay literature, Malaysian history, Javanese, Malay Music, Siam Kingdom, Kalimantan, Borneo, Sarawak, Sabah, Kadazan, Jose Maceda, Ancient Chinese Music, Japanese music history, Japanese Music, Thai Traditional Music, Indology, Vietnamese History, Vietnamese studies, Cham Culture, Temiar, Soundscape Studies, Ming Dynasty, South Asia, Vietnam, Vietnamese Music, Philippe Descola, Chinese archaeology, Chinese and Southeast Asian Art History and Archaeology, Chinese Religions, Chinese minorities, Music Perception, Music Psychology, Hinduism, Tantric Studies, Shaiva Tantra, Historical Archaeology, Tai-Kadai Linguistics, Musical acoustics, Archaeomusicology, Historical Musicology, Musicarchaeology, Musikarchäologie, Malay Language and Literature, Southeast Asian Linguistics, Sanskrit, Music, Austroasiatic languages, Burma, Burmese/Myanmar history, Majapahit Studies, Kamus Bahasa Jawa-Indonesia, Headhunting, Chinese Studies, Sinology, China, Twentieth-century Music, Sound studies, Aboriginal Studies - Taiwan, Anthropology of Taiwan, Frank Goddio and Gilbert Fournier, Archaeology, Dance, and Music Theoryedit
- Arsenio Nicolas currently teaches graduate courses at the College of Music, Mahasarakham University, Mahasarakham, Thailand,edit
The first part of this book was written in Indonesian language, and was translated into Malaysian language for publication in Malaysia. My thanks to ATMA (Institut Alam dan Tamadun Melayu) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (National... more
The first part of this book was written in Indonesian language, and was translated into Malaysian language for publication in Malaysia.
My thanks to ATMA (Institut Alam dan Tamadun Melayu) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (National University of Malaysia) in Bangi, Selangor, for providing this new scanned copy of the book done in July 2018..
This book was published by the Institut Bahasa, Kesusasteraan, dan Kebudayaan Melayu (IBKKM) that was established in December 1, 1972.. In 1992, IKKBM was renamed as ATMA.
My thanks to ATMA (Institut Alam dan Tamadun Melayu) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (National University of Malaysia) in Bangi, Selangor, for providing this new scanned copy of the book done in July 2018..
This book was published by the Institut Bahasa, Kesusasteraan, dan Kebudayaan Melayu (IBKKM) that was established in December 1, 1972.. In 1992, IKKBM was renamed as ATMA.
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The traditional music and performing arts in the ASEAN have found new powerful conduits of transmission with the advent of the digital age. Although claims of cultural ownership over music and dance occasionally appear on social networks... more
The traditional music and performing arts in the ASEAN have found new powerful conduits of transmission with the advent of the digital age. Although claims of cultural ownership over music and dance occasionally appear on social networks and media platforms, the ubiquity of the Internet has in fact benefitted the general public, allowing them access to images and sounds hitherto unknown. Modernisation has taken its toll on the region’s musical heritage. Ancient elements of indigenous music have faded away. The influx of popular and Western music has increasingly eroded the space and demand for traditional music. Many orchestras in the region feature diverse musical instruments tuned to a common Western tuning system, thus relinquishing their Asian musical roots. The fusion of Asian musical ensembles with Western musical instruments has forced the tuning of gongs, xylophones, metallophones, and singing to the Western diatonic scale, losing their indigenous resonances, sonorities, and...
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The occurrence of gongs in the archaeological and written records of Java span over several centuries. This study surveys the various archaeological data on temple bas reliefs, literary texts, written documents and inscriptions that refer... more
The occurrence of gongs in the archaeological and written records of Java span over several centuries. This study surveys the various archaeological data on temple bas reliefs, literary texts, written documents and inscriptions that refer mainly to bossed gongs, that is, gongs with a central boss. Surveying these sets of data certainly has produced diverse results with various interpretations and contestations on the occurrence of gongs in Java and in other regions in Southeast Asia. Two types of bossed gongs are illustrated on five temples in Java dated from the 13 th to the 15 th century. The first type is the reyong type, where two small, bossed gongs are attached or mounted on the two ends of a wooden pole, the player beating on each gong with two mallets. The second type are the suspended or hanging bossed gongs. The discussion of terms for gong in this study revolves around the identification proposed by Kunst for the following-brekuk and bungkuk-as gongs. Likewise, musical terms in Old Javanese and Old Balinese literary works and inscriptions that have been rendered as 'gong' presents several problems. For literary texts-dating, provenance, authorship and multiple copies over time, with problems in interpolation, require a long-term study. For both literary texts and inscriptions, several terms had also been rendered as 'gong' within the context of the text. Beyond Java, gongs have been documented in travel documents and dictionaries dating from the 16 th century in the Philippines and China. These sets of data then allow for the early dating of 'gong' to the 13th and 14th century, based on evidence from temple reliefs in Java, excavated bossed gongs in three shipwrecks in Butuan, Java and Thailand, and literary texts in Middle Javanese and Classical Malay literature. It is during this period that the gong had assumed its position as an important musical instrument, if not the most important musical instrument in the gong music cultures of Southeast Asia.
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Paper read at the Symposium of the 12th Borobudur Writers and Cultural Festival (BWCF) Malang State University (Universitas Negeri Malang), Java, Indonesia, November 23th - 27th 2023 Gongs in Java, 13th to 16th Century : A Survey of... more
Paper read at the Symposium of the 12th Borobudur Writers and Cultural Festival (BWCF) Malang State University (Universitas Negeri Malang), Java, Indonesia, November 23th - 27th 2023
Gongs in Java, 13th to 16th Century :
A Survey of Temple Bas-reliefs, Inscriptions and Literary Texts
Arsenio Nicolas
College of Music
Mahasarakham University
Abstract
The occurrence of gongs in the archaeological and written records of Java span over several centuries. This study surveys the various archaeological data on temple bas reliefs, literary texts, written documents and inscriptions that refer mainly to bossed gongs, that is, gongs with a central boss. Surveying these sets of data certainly has produced diverse results with various interpretations and contestations on the occurrence of gongs in Java and in other regions in Southeast Asia. Two types of bossed gongs are illustrated on five temples in Java dated from the 13th to the 15th century. The first type is the reyong type, where two small, bossed gongs are attached or mounted on the two ends of a wooden pole, the player beating on each gong with two mallets. The second type are the suspended or hanging bossed gongs. The discussion of terms for gong in this study revolves around the identification proposed by Kunst for the following --- brekuk and bungkuk --- as gongs. Likewise, musical terms in Old Javanese and Old Balinese literary works and inscriptions that have been rendered as ‘gong’ presents several problems. For literary texts --- dating, provenance, authorship and multiple copies over time, with problems in interpolation, require a long-term study. For both literary texts and inscriptions, several terms had also been rendered as ‘gong’ within the context of the text. Beyond Java, gongs have been documented in travel documents and dictionaries dating from the 16th century in the Philippines and China. These sets of data then allow for the early dating of ‘gong’ to the 13th and 14th century, based on evidence from temple reliefs in Java, excavated bossed gongs in three shipwrecks in Butuan, Java and Thailand, and literary texts in Middle Javanese and Classical Malay literature. It is during this period that the gong had assumed its position as an important musical instrument, if not the most important musical instrument in the gong music cultures of Southeast Asia.
Gongs in Java, 13th to 16th Century :
A Survey of Temple Bas-reliefs, Inscriptions and Literary Texts
Arsenio Nicolas
College of Music
Mahasarakham University
Abstract
The occurrence of gongs in the archaeological and written records of Java span over several centuries. This study surveys the various archaeological data on temple bas reliefs, literary texts, written documents and inscriptions that refer mainly to bossed gongs, that is, gongs with a central boss. Surveying these sets of data certainly has produced diverse results with various interpretations and contestations on the occurrence of gongs in Java and in other regions in Southeast Asia. Two types of bossed gongs are illustrated on five temples in Java dated from the 13th to the 15th century. The first type is the reyong type, where two small, bossed gongs are attached or mounted on the two ends of a wooden pole, the player beating on each gong with two mallets. The second type are the suspended or hanging bossed gongs. The discussion of terms for gong in this study revolves around the identification proposed by Kunst for the following --- brekuk and bungkuk --- as gongs. Likewise, musical terms in Old Javanese and Old Balinese literary works and inscriptions that have been rendered as ‘gong’ presents several problems. For literary texts --- dating, provenance, authorship and multiple copies over time, with problems in interpolation, require a long-term study. For both literary texts and inscriptions, several terms had also been rendered as ‘gong’ within the context of the text. Beyond Java, gongs have been documented in travel documents and dictionaries dating from the 16th century in the Philippines and China. These sets of data then allow for the early dating of ‘gong’ to the 13th and 14th century, based on evidence from temple reliefs in Java, excavated bossed gongs in three shipwrecks in Butuan, Java and Thailand, and literary texts in Middle Javanese and Classical Malay literature. It is during this period that the gong had assumed its position as an important musical instrument, if not the most important musical instrument in the gong music cultures of Southeast Asia.
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This paper deals in some detail several aspects that relate the musical instruments of the Austronesian speaking communities on Island Southeast Asia and with several communities on Mainland Southeast Asia whose languages belong to the... more
This paper deals in some detail several aspects that relate the musical instruments of the Austronesian speaking communities on Island Southeast Asia and with several communities on Mainland Southeast Asia whose languages belong to the Austroasiatic, Tai-Kadai, Hmong Mien, and Sino-Tibetan languages. The first section discusses the concept of drone-and-melody in Philippine musical instruments as proposed by Jose Maceda (1974). A more detailed description and analysis of bamboo stamping tubes follows, illustrating the range of musical terms and contexts in which these instruments are played. Bamboo stamping tubes are found widespread in Southeast Asia – from the Yunnan region in South China down to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and West Malaysia, and in Island Southeast Asia, particularly in Java, Bali, Sarawak and northern Luzon, Philippines. It is also interesting to note that on MSEA, the general pattern of music playing is based on a steady single beat-pattern with some variations, while on ISEA, the playing technique is based on interlocking patterns of up to six or more musicians. Such differentiations in musical styles may provide a deeper basis for understanding the nature of the diffusion of musical instruments, of music structures and extra-musical phenomena, such as ritual use. The last section summarizes my studies on gongan and non-gongan structures in bamboo, wooden and bronze musical instruments and ensembles in the Philippines, Java, Bali and West Malaysia. These music structures in Southeast Asia may then provide a basis for exploring the implication of the Austric Hypothesis linking the Austronesian and Austroasiatic language families. What is important to note, however, is that all these structures may be found in several of the musics of peoples speaking Austronesian, Austroasiatic, Tai-Kadai, Hmong Mien, and Sino-Tibetan languages.
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Paper read at the SPAFACON2021 (The 4th SEAMEO SPAFA International Conference on Southeast Asian Archaeology and Fine Arts), held online from 13-17 December 2021. Abstract Based on the two inscriptions dated Wednesday 8 September 1546... more
Paper read at the SPAFACON2021 (The 4th SEAMEO SPAFA International Conference on Southeast Asian Archaeology and Fine Arts), held online from 13-17 December 2021.
Abstract
Based on the two inscriptions dated Wednesday 8 September 1546 and Sunday 27 February 1564 on the walls of the North Gallery-East Wing and the East Gallery-North Wing of the 12th century Angkor Wat, George Coedes has dated the completion of the bas reliefs on these wings to the 16th century. This dating underscores that the bas reliefs on the walls of the galleries of the third enclosure of Angkor Wat were not all carved during the reign of a single Khmer monarch. More significantly is the presence of bossed gongs solely in the north gallery – east wing, where, in other galleries gongs are not illustrated. Two types of bossed gongs are carved – suspended bossed gongs, single or in pairs, and circle gongs with eight to nine bossed gongs. It was during the reign of Ang Chan (1528–1566) that the bas-reliefs of the North-East gallery and the East-North gallery were carved in the 16th century.. However, it remains unresolved why gongs were not carved on the two wings that have direct references to Khmer monarchs --- the west-south gallery, with the narrative of the battle of Kurukshetra and the south-west gallery depicts the war exploits of King Suryavarman II, presumably carved the earliest by the 12th century. Such grand narratives are usually accompanied by gongs. By the 12th-13th century also, bossed gongs had been circulating along the Gulf of Thailand, Sumatra, Java and Mindanao.
នៃវិចិត្រសាលខាងជើង-ខាងកើតស្លាប និងវិចិត្រសាលខាងកើត-ខាងជើងនៃប្រាសាទអង្គរវត្តសតវត្សទី 12 លោក George Coedes បានចុះកាលបរិច្ឆេទនៃការបញ្ចប់ចម្លាក់លៀននៅលើស្លាបទាំងនេះដល់សតវត្សទី 16 ។ . ការណាត់ជួបនេះបញ្ជាក់ជាចុងក្រោយថា ចម្លាក់លៀននៅលើជញ្ជាំងនៃថែវនៃប្រាសាទអង្គរវត្ត មិនមែនសុទ្ធតែឆ្លាក់ទាំងអស់ក្នុងរជ្ជកាលរបស់ព្រះមហាក្សត្រខ្មែរតែមួយនោះទេ។ សំខាន់ជាងនេះទៅទៀតគឺវត្តមានរបស់គងគងដែលមានតែនៅក្នុងវិចិត្រសាលភាគខាងជើង – ស្លាបខាងកើត ដែលនៅក្នុងវិចិត្រសាលផ្សេងទៀត ឃ្មោងមិនត្រូវបានបង្ហាញទេ។ គងគងពីរប្រភេទត្រូវបានឆ្លាក់ គឺគងគងដែលព្យួរជាគូទោល ឬជាគូ និងគងរង្វង់ដែលមានគងប្រាំបីទៅប្រាំបួន។
Abstract
Based on the two inscriptions dated Wednesday 8 September 1546 and Sunday 27 February 1564 on the walls of the North Gallery-East Wing and the East Gallery-North Wing of the 12th century Angkor Wat, George Coedes has dated the completion of the bas reliefs on these wings to the 16th century. This dating underscores that the bas reliefs on the walls of the galleries of the third enclosure of Angkor Wat were not all carved during the reign of a single Khmer monarch. More significantly is the presence of bossed gongs solely in the north gallery – east wing, where, in other galleries gongs are not illustrated. Two types of bossed gongs are carved – suspended bossed gongs, single or in pairs, and circle gongs with eight to nine bossed gongs. It was during the reign of Ang Chan (1528–1566) that the bas-reliefs of the North-East gallery and the East-North gallery were carved in the 16th century.. However, it remains unresolved why gongs were not carved on the two wings that have direct references to Khmer monarchs --- the west-south gallery, with the narrative of the battle of Kurukshetra and the south-west gallery depicts the war exploits of King Suryavarman II, presumably carved the earliest by the 12th century. Such grand narratives are usually accompanied by gongs. By the 12th-13th century also, bossed gongs had been circulating along the Gulf of Thailand, Sumatra, Java and Mindanao.
នៃវិចិត្រសាលខាងជើង-ខាងកើតស្លាប និងវិចិត្រសាលខាងកើត-ខាងជើងនៃប្រាសាទអង្គរវត្តសតវត្សទី 12 លោក George Coedes បានចុះកាលបរិច្ឆេទនៃការបញ្ចប់ចម្លាក់លៀននៅលើស្លាបទាំងនេះដល់សតវត្សទី 16 ។ . ការណាត់ជួបនេះបញ្ជាក់ជាចុងក្រោយថា ចម្លាក់លៀននៅលើជញ្ជាំងនៃថែវនៃប្រាសាទអង្គរវត្ត មិនមែនសុទ្ធតែឆ្លាក់ទាំងអស់ក្នុងរជ្ជកាលរបស់ព្រះមហាក្សត្រខ្មែរតែមួយនោះទេ។ សំខាន់ជាងនេះទៅទៀតគឺវត្តមានរបស់គងគងដែលមានតែនៅក្នុងវិចិត្រសាលភាគខាងជើង – ស្លាបខាងកើត ដែលនៅក្នុងវិចិត្រសាលផ្សេងទៀត ឃ្មោងមិនត្រូវបានបង្ហាញទេ។ គងគងពីរប្រភេទត្រូវបានឆ្លាក់ គឺគងគងដែលព្យួរជាគូទោល ឬជាគូ និងគងរង្វង់ដែលមានគងប្រាំបីទៅប្រាំបួន។
Research Interests: Archaeology, Music, Southeast Asian Studies, Ethnomusicology, Historical Ethnomusicology, and 12 moreSoutheast Asia, Cambodia, Laos (Lao PDR), Southeast Asian Archaeology, Gamelan, Angkor, Music Archaeology, Musical Instruments, Myanmar, Cambodian Archaeology, History of the Philippines, and Angkor Wat
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The Sanskrit term kangsa appears in dated inscriptions in Old Khmer in the seventh century; Old Cham in the ninth, tenth and twelfth centuries; and in Old Javanese from the ninth century, thereby establishing a firm reference for a... more
The Sanskrit term kangsa appears in dated inscriptions in Old Khmer in the seventh century; Old Cham in the ninth, tenth and twelfth centuries; and in Old Javanese from the ninth century, thereby establishing a firm reference for a historical sequence is Southeast Asia. A new 16th century dating of the bas-reliefs of musical instruments in the bas reliefs of the North gallery-East wing of the third enclosure of 12th century Angkor Wat, is proposed, based on studies on inscriptions and stylistic features of the reliefs.
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As the musical scene of Southeast Asia evolves and transforms with time, greater attention and resources should be directed to keeping alive the region’s music traditions in its myriad forms. Music loss is the loss of part of our history... more
As the musical scene of Southeast Asia evolves and transforms with time, greater attention and resources should be directed to keeping alive the region’s music traditions in its myriad forms. Music loss is the loss of part of our history and legacy.. Without adequate preservation efforts, the region’s musical heritage that is fading away will leave permanent lacuna in our historical memory. The sources for new musical thoughts and ideas are embedded in these ancient traditions from which one may draw inspiration. The musics of Southeast Asia has flourished as it is rooted in what music means for the people of the region --- its philosophy, spirituality, and symbols that evoke the sounds of peace and tolerance amidst a world of diversity and linkages.
The editors of ASEANFocus, the flagship bimonthly publication of the ISEAS ASEAN Studies Centre (Singapore) have requested me to address the following in this short article:
-Overview of prominent forms of traditional performing arts in Southeast Asia
-Decline – causes (modernity and urbanisation, Western influences, discontinuity in generational hand-over)
-The mixed impacts of globalisation and tourism on traditional performing arts
-Keeping young people interested and engaged through innovative integration of contemporary elements into traditional performing arts? What are the attractions and limitations of this hybrid?
-Efforts to preserve and revive traditional performing arts, including under ASEAN frameworks (some success stories and what are the biggest challenges).
https://www.iseas.edu.sg/articles-commentaries/aseanfocus
The editors of ASEANFocus, the flagship bimonthly publication of the ISEAS ASEAN Studies Centre (Singapore) have requested me to address the following in this short article:
-Overview of prominent forms of traditional performing arts in Southeast Asia
-Decline – causes (modernity and urbanisation, Western influences, discontinuity in generational hand-over)
-The mixed impacts of globalisation and tourism on traditional performing arts
-Keeping young people interested and engaged through innovative integration of contemporary elements into traditional performing arts? What are the attractions and limitations of this hybrid?
-Efforts to preserve and revive traditional performing arts, including under ASEAN frameworks (some success stories and what are the biggest challenges).
https://www.iseas.edu.sg/articles-commentaries/aseanfocus
Research Interests:
Paper read at The 9th International Conference of the Society for East Asian Music Archaeology at Busan National Gugak Center, South Korea. Organized by the Institute of North East Asian Music, The Society of Korean Music Culture and... more
Paper read at The 9th International Conference of the Society for East Asian Music Archaeology at Busan National Gugak Center, South Korea. Organized by the Institute of North East Asian Music, The Society of Korean Music Culture and Pusan National University. November 23-25, 2017
This article is an updated version of the first version published in the 2009 ICTM Yearbook for Traditional Music, with more pictures and data.
This article is an updated version of the first version published in the 2009 ICTM Yearbook for Traditional Music, with more pictures and data.
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Abstract From the late 14th century, Malay literati made use of musical references and imageries to illustrate the music of their time. These attestations of musical terms may be interpreted as either having been known for a period of... more
Abstract
From the late 14th century, Malay literati made use of musical references and imageries to illustrate the music of their time. These attestations of musical terms may be interpreted as either having been known for a period of time in musical circle or in elite courtly/literary culture, or as having been newly introduced into the literary language. This study highlights five linguistic sources of these musical terms: 1) Austronesian; 2) Indic- or Sanskrit-derived, appearing later than in Old Javanese, Old Balinese, Khmer and Cham; 3) Middle-Eastern; 4) Javanese (as a product of a long-term contact between Majapahit, Samudra-Pasai and Melaka); and 5) Austroasiatic (via the Orang Asli of the Malay Peninsula). Here I present and discuss various lists of musical terms mined from a pool of Classical Malay and Javanese sources, as well as European and Malay-Indonesian dictionaries. The lists are intended to provide new materials for the study of the musical history of the Malays and, in general, of Southeast Asia.
This study combines two methodologies that defined the conduct of research from the 1990s to the present. The first study in 1989-1991 was a text based research; reading and scanning published texts of more than 50 Malay literary classics and dictionaries available at the library of IBKKM-UKM. During the past decade, the appearance of digitized texts in online databases allowed for greater access and cross-referencing. This study primarily relied on the Malay Concordance Project at the National University of Australia, the sealang.net, and the Austronesian Comparative Dictionary which are
regularly updated.
From the late 14th century, Malay literati made use of musical references and imageries to illustrate the music of their time. These attestations of musical terms may be interpreted as either having been known for a period of time in musical circle or in elite courtly/literary culture, or as having been newly introduced into the literary language. This study highlights five linguistic sources of these musical terms: 1) Austronesian; 2) Indic- or Sanskrit-derived, appearing later than in Old Javanese, Old Balinese, Khmer and Cham; 3) Middle-Eastern; 4) Javanese (as a product of a long-term contact between Majapahit, Samudra-Pasai and Melaka); and 5) Austroasiatic (via the Orang Asli of the Malay Peninsula). Here I present and discuss various lists of musical terms mined from a pool of Classical Malay and Javanese sources, as well as European and Malay-Indonesian dictionaries. The lists are intended to provide new materials for the study of the musical history of the Malays and, in general, of Southeast Asia.
This study combines two methodologies that defined the conduct of research from the 1990s to the present. The first study in 1989-1991 was a text based research; reading and scanning published texts of more than 50 Malay literary classics and dictionaries available at the library of IBKKM-UKM. During the past decade, the appearance of digitized texts in online databases allowed for greater access and cross-referencing. This study primarily relied on the Malay Concordance Project at the National University of Australia, the sealang.net, and the Austronesian Comparative Dictionary which are
regularly updated.
Research Interests: Asian Studies, Music, Southeast Asian Studies, Ethnomusicology, Austronesian Languages, and 16 moreMalaysia, Sanskrit, Philippines, Southeast Asian Linguistics, Southeast Asian history, Musical Instruments, Classical Malay Literature, Javanese studies, Malay Language and Literature, Malaysian Music, Balinese and Old Javanese Manuscripts, Malay literature, Javanese, Malay Philology, Jawi Manuscripts, and Malay and Indonesian philology
The Music of Jose Maceda : Musical Ideas in New Music in Southeast Asia Arsenio Nicolas College of Music Mahasarakham University Indonesia Institute of the Arts Surakarta Postgraduate Program International Symposium on Local Aesthetics... more
The Music of Jose Maceda : Musical Ideas in New Music in Southeast Asia
Arsenio Nicolas
College of Music
Mahasarakham University
Indonesia Institute of the Arts Surakarta Postgraduate Program
International Symposium on Local Aesthetics
Tuesday, 26 July 2016
Teater Kecil, ISI Surakarta
Abstract:
In the 1960s, music composition in Asia reached new directions. The first stemmed from the tradition that developed from the musical encounter with Europe and America. The second germinated from this encounter but sought to explore the rich musical traditions of Asia and create new forms and structures, as well as new philosophies and ideas of composing and making music, based on ancient sources of musical thought in Asia.
In this paper, I describe and illustrate the compositional processes leading to the creation of Ugnayan and Udlot-Udlot, two of Jose Maced’s monumental compositions. Ugnayan, originally named Atmospheres, was composed for broadcast in 20 radio stations and was premiered in Metro Manila, Philippines on January 1, 1974, aired via 33 radio stations. Udlot-Udlot (Hesitations, 1975) is a music piece for an open-air ritual for hundreds or thousands of performers.
Arsenio Nicolas
College of Music
Mahasarakham University
Indonesia Institute of the Arts Surakarta Postgraduate Program
International Symposium on Local Aesthetics
Tuesday, 26 July 2016
Teater Kecil, ISI Surakarta
Abstract:
In the 1960s, music composition in Asia reached new directions. The first stemmed from the tradition that developed from the musical encounter with Europe and America. The second germinated from this encounter but sought to explore the rich musical traditions of Asia and create new forms and structures, as well as new philosophies and ideas of composing and making music, based on ancient sources of musical thought in Asia.
In this paper, I describe and illustrate the compositional processes leading to the creation of Ugnayan and Udlot-Udlot, two of Jose Maced’s monumental compositions. Ugnayan, originally named Atmospheres, was composed for broadcast in 20 radio stations and was premiered in Metro Manila, Philippines on January 1, 1974, aired via 33 radio stations. Udlot-Udlot (Hesitations, 1975) is a music piece for an open-air ritual for hundreds or thousands of performers.
Research Interests:
Paper read at the SAC International Conference on Folk Performing Arts, September 4-6, 2015, Princess Maha Chakri Sirindorn Anthropology Centre. Talingchan, BAngkok.
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Paper read at the The First International Conference on Ethnics in Asia : Life, Power and Ethnics. On the Occasion of the 25th Anniversary of Naresuan University
August 20-21, 2015. Naresuan University, Pitsanulok
August 20-21, 2015. Naresuan University, Pitsanulok
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Paper read at Mahasarakham University Research Conference 11, Mahasarakham, Thailand, August 20-21, 2015
(แนวคิดทางดนตรีกับเพลงใหม่ในเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ จาก “Atmospheres”สู่ "Ugnayan": เพลงของโจ มาเซด้า (Jose Maceda)
(แนวคิดทางดนตรีกับเพลงใหม่ในเอเชียตะวันออกเฉียงใต้ จาก “Atmospheres”สู่ "Ugnayan": เพลงของโจ มาเซด้า (Jose Maceda)
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Thai Summary of Nicolas 2009 Gongs, Bells and Cymbals. In Janejira Benjapong, compiler and Sujit Wongthes, editor. 2012. Southeast Asia Music : Development of Southeast Asia Music Research Project for Southeast Asia Music Museum of... more
Thai Summary of Nicolas 2009 Gongs, Bells and Cymbals. In Janejira Benjapong, compiler and Sujit Wongthes, editor. 2012. Southeast Asia Music : Development of Southeast Asia Music Research Project for Southeast Asia Music Museum of College of Music, Mahidol University. Bangkok : College of Music, Mahidol University.
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Talasalitaan - A glossary music terms from culled from the articles in Musika Jornal 2 - 1978, the second issue of the music journal in Pilipino published by the Department of Music Research, College of Music, University of the Philippines.
Research Interests:
Talasalitaan - A glossary of music terms from culled from the articles in Musika Jornal 1 - 1977, the first issue of the music journal in Pilipino published by the Department of Music Research, College of Music, University of the... more
Talasalitaan - A glossary of music terms from culled from the articles in Musika Jornal 1 - 1977, the first issue of the music journal in Pilipino published by the Department of Music Research, College of Music, University of the Philippines.
Research Interests:
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ARKEOMUSIKOLOGI ASIA TENGGARA (Archaeomusicology in Southeast Asia) Zoom Seminar (in Indonesian Language) ᴄᴇɴᴛᴇʀ ꜰᴏʀ ᴘʀᴇʜɪꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴜꜱᴛʀᴏɴᴇꜱɪᴀɴ ꜱᴛᴜᴅɪᴇꜱ (CPAS) CPAS Online Public Talkshow Episode #24 28 March 2024, 13:00-15:00... more
ARKEOMUSIKOLOGI ASIA TENGGARA
(Archaeomusicology in Southeast Asia)
Zoom Seminar (in Indonesian Language)
ᴄᴇɴᴛᴇʀ ꜰᴏʀ ᴘʀᴇʜɪꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴜꜱᴛʀᴏɴᴇꜱɪᴀɴ ꜱᴛᴜᴅɪᴇꜱ (CPAS)
CPAS Online Public Talkshow Episode #24
28 March 2024, 13:00-15:00 (Jakarta/Bangkok)
👤 Prof. Dr. Arsenio Nicolas, speaker
(College of Music, Mahasarakham University, Thailand)
👤 Prof. Dr. Rustopo, closing remarks
(Institut Seni Indonesia Surakarta, ISI)
👤 Prof. Dr. Truman Simanjuntak, introduction
(Director, CPAS, Jakarta)
👤 Joshua A. Pasaribu, moderator
(Archaeologist, Kementerian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, dan Teknologi, Jakarta)
(Archaeomusicology in Southeast Asia)
Zoom Seminar (in Indonesian Language)
ᴄᴇɴᴛᴇʀ ꜰᴏʀ ᴘʀᴇʜɪꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴜꜱᴛʀᴏɴᴇꜱɪᴀɴ ꜱᴛᴜᴅɪᴇꜱ (CPAS)
CPAS Online Public Talkshow Episode #24
28 March 2024, 13:00-15:00 (Jakarta/Bangkok)
👤 Prof. Dr. Arsenio Nicolas, speaker
(College of Music, Mahasarakham University, Thailand)
👤 Prof. Dr. Rustopo, closing remarks
(Institut Seni Indonesia Surakarta, ISI)
👤 Prof. Dr. Truman Simanjuntak, introduction
(Director, CPAS, Jakarta)
👤 Joshua A. Pasaribu, moderator
(Archaeologist, Kementerian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, dan Teknologi, Jakarta)
Research Interests:
Pada malam pertama waktu saya datang di Surakarta, saya menyaksikan di Sitinggil apa yang akan saya kaji dan nikmati dalam empat setengah tahun selanjutnya di Solo dan Jawa. Pertunjukan ini adalah empat tari-tarian – gambyong, bedoyo,... more
Pada malam pertama waktu saya datang di Surakarta, saya menyaksikan di Sitinggil apa yang akan saya kaji dan nikmati dalam empat setengah tahun selanjutnya di Solo dan Jawa. Pertunjukan ini adalah empat tari-tarian – gambyong, bedoyo, bondoyodo, panji sekartaji dan diakhiri dengan wayang golek. Suasana malam itu sangat terkesan – bunyi gamelan, harum bunga melati yang tersembar di lantai yang telah terlempar dari kain para penari bedoyo dan dari kerisnya Panji dan Klana sewaktu mereka bertarung. Tidak saya dapat lupakan pula harumnya asap rokok kretek yang berbaur mengelili dengan harumnya bunga-bunga.
Selanjutnya, saya diberikan tempat tidur di suatu kamar bersebelahan dengan ndalem Sasonomulyo, yang pada malam itu seorang kerabat Keraton Surakarta telah disemayamkan – lagunya tahlilan yang sangat panjang dan harumnya menyan yang asapnya menusuk sampai kamar tidur saya.
Cukuplah bahwa dua peristiwa ini sepertinya memberi sebuah ramalan dan pertanda untuk saya bersiap-siap menghadapi tantangan dan tenggelam dalam mengkaji budaya, sejarah dan seni pertunjukan Jawa.
Selanjutnya, saya diberikan tempat tidur di suatu kamar bersebelahan dengan ndalem Sasonomulyo, yang pada malam itu seorang kerabat Keraton Surakarta telah disemayamkan – lagunya tahlilan yang sangat panjang dan harumnya menyan yang asapnya menusuk sampai kamar tidur saya.
Cukuplah bahwa dua peristiwa ini sepertinya memberi sebuah ramalan dan pertanda untuk saya bersiap-siap menghadapi tantangan dan tenggelam dalam mengkaji budaya, sejarah dan seni pertunjukan Jawa.
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Rentang waktu sekitar empat puluh empat tahun antara tahun 1979 dan 2023 telah banyak mengalami perubahan dalam musik Jawa dan Bali. Keadaan dan pengalaman lapangan berubah dalam dua periode ini, dan memberikan wawasan tentang cara... more
Rentang waktu sekitar empat puluh empat tahun antara tahun 1979 dan 2023 telah banyak mengalami perubahan dalam musik Jawa dan Bali. Keadaan dan pengalaman lapangan berubah dalam dua periode ini, dan memberikan wawasan tentang cara pendataan dan pengetahuan musik yang dapat diperoleh dan dikaji. Namun sepertinya, pertunjukan musik dan tari di desa-desa, pura, pusat keraton, dan pusat perkotaan saat ini, sama dinamis dan semangat seperti pada tahun 1980-an.
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Bamboo, Wood and Bronze : Archaeology and Performance Lecture-Performance Arsenio Nicolas College of Music Mahasarakham University International Symposium on Ancient Maritime Cross-Cultural Exchanges of Asia Department of Fine Arts,... more
Bamboo, Wood and Bronze : Archaeology and Performance
Lecture-Performance
Arsenio Nicolas
College of Music
Mahasarakham University
International Symposium on Ancient Maritime Cross-Cultural Exchanges of Asia
Department of Fine Arts, Ministry of Culture of Thailand
7 - 10 March 2019
Surat Thani – Phangnga - Krabi, Thailand
Abstract
This performance piece features five types of bamboo musical ensembles from the Kalinga of northern Luzon, Philippines --- tongatong (stamping tubes), patangguk (quill tube percussion), patatag (xylophone blades), and balingbing (buzzers). The music of these ensembles derives from the music of bronze flat gongs (gangsa). Each ensemble has 6 musicians, each playing a particular rhythmic pattern that interlocks with all the others to create ostinatos, short rhythmic phrases repeated with some variations, creating drones and melodies with indeterminate pitches. These instruments were formerly played in connection with agricultural rituals, headhunting feasts, peace pacts, and curing rituals. Contemporary practices have evolved recently employing musicians and dancers by the hundreds in festivals and celebrations in highland northern Luzon.
Bamboo musical instruments in Southeast Asia are not found in archaeological sites. Bronze flat gongs, however, have been excavated from shipwrecks from the 10th century on. Bronze bossed gongs have been found in shipwrecks from the 12th century on, are illustrated in temple bas reliefs in Angkor, Panataran, and Sukuh from the 12th century on and were already inscribed in classical literature beginning in the 14th century. Contemporary data, however, shows that bamboo and wooden musical instruments are found in many parts in India, China and Southeast Asia. This widespread distribution points to an older music culture of bamboo and wood that predates bronze, and which in contemporary musical practice highlight the continuity of an ancient musical tradition in Asia.
Description
At the invitation of Dr. Amara Srisuchat, former director of the Thailand National Museum in Bangkok, and now Senior Expert in Archaeology and Museum
Advisor to the Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture, for me to participate at the International Symposium on Ancient Maritime Cross-Cultural Exchanges of Asia held at Surat Thani, March 7-8, 2019, I organized a group of musicians who are students at the Surat Thani Rajabhat University, to play four bamboo musical ensembles of the Kalingga in Northern Luzon, Philippines -- tongatong (bamboo stamping tubes, patangguk (bamboo half tube percussion), balingbing (bamboo buzzers) and patatag (bamboo xylophone blades). We practiced for two days of about two hours each and a short 15 minute run through before the performance tonight on the occasion of the second day of the Symposium.
With much enthusiasm and interest, the young musicians became proficient in the basic rhythmic patterns of the music, and after some time, were able to create new rhythms based on these basic patterns --- a tribute to their musicality and the affinity to the basic drone and melodies that are common to the musics of Southeast Asia -- in this case, Kalingga and Thai music systems.
My deepest thanks and admiration to Narathip Jansri, Patipat Kawalairat, Nathapon Kittikun, Panudet Phetchara, Sittichat Phiyakan and Thanawan Chanking for their vibrant and lively playing that had an impact on the audience who were mostly archaeologists and historians, and who at the last piece, joined in playing basic rhythms with hand clapping. Dividing the audience into four groups, each group clapped on beats 1, 2, 3, 4, following the basic rhythmic pattern of the bamboo xylophone blades (patatag).
I wish to particularly thank with much gratitude Mr. Teerapan Chandracharoen, the director of the Office of Arts and Culture, Surat Thani Rajabhat University, who invited the students. Ajaarn Teerapan is an expert on Thai textiles and the musicians wore Thai Rattanakosin clothes from his own collection.
Lecture-Performance
Arsenio Nicolas
College of Music
Mahasarakham University
International Symposium on Ancient Maritime Cross-Cultural Exchanges of Asia
Department of Fine Arts, Ministry of Culture of Thailand
7 - 10 March 2019
Surat Thani – Phangnga - Krabi, Thailand
Abstract
This performance piece features five types of bamboo musical ensembles from the Kalinga of northern Luzon, Philippines --- tongatong (stamping tubes), patangguk (quill tube percussion), patatag (xylophone blades), and balingbing (buzzers). The music of these ensembles derives from the music of bronze flat gongs (gangsa). Each ensemble has 6 musicians, each playing a particular rhythmic pattern that interlocks with all the others to create ostinatos, short rhythmic phrases repeated with some variations, creating drones and melodies with indeterminate pitches. These instruments were formerly played in connection with agricultural rituals, headhunting feasts, peace pacts, and curing rituals. Contemporary practices have evolved recently employing musicians and dancers by the hundreds in festivals and celebrations in highland northern Luzon.
Bamboo musical instruments in Southeast Asia are not found in archaeological sites. Bronze flat gongs, however, have been excavated from shipwrecks from the 10th century on. Bronze bossed gongs have been found in shipwrecks from the 12th century on, are illustrated in temple bas reliefs in Angkor, Panataran, and Sukuh from the 12th century on and were already inscribed in classical literature beginning in the 14th century. Contemporary data, however, shows that bamboo and wooden musical instruments are found in many parts in India, China and Southeast Asia. This widespread distribution points to an older music culture of bamboo and wood that predates bronze, and which in contemporary musical practice highlight the continuity of an ancient musical tradition in Asia.
Description
At the invitation of Dr. Amara Srisuchat, former director of the Thailand National Museum in Bangkok, and now Senior Expert in Archaeology and Museum
Advisor to the Fine Arts Department, Ministry of Culture, for me to participate at the International Symposium on Ancient Maritime Cross-Cultural Exchanges of Asia held at Surat Thani, March 7-8, 2019, I organized a group of musicians who are students at the Surat Thani Rajabhat University, to play four bamboo musical ensembles of the Kalingga in Northern Luzon, Philippines -- tongatong (bamboo stamping tubes, patangguk (bamboo half tube percussion), balingbing (bamboo buzzers) and patatag (bamboo xylophone blades). We practiced for two days of about two hours each and a short 15 minute run through before the performance tonight on the occasion of the second day of the Symposium.
With much enthusiasm and interest, the young musicians became proficient in the basic rhythmic patterns of the music, and after some time, were able to create new rhythms based on these basic patterns --- a tribute to their musicality and the affinity to the basic drone and melodies that are common to the musics of Southeast Asia -- in this case, Kalingga and Thai music systems.
My deepest thanks and admiration to Narathip Jansri, Patipat Kawalairat, Nathapon Kittikun, Panudet Phetchara, Sittichat Phiyakan and Thanawan Chanking for their vibrant and lively playing that had an impact on the audience who were mostly archaeologists and historians, and who at the last piece, joined in playing basic rhythms with hand clapping. Dividing the audience into four groups, each group clapped on beats 1, 2, 3, 4, following the basic rhythmic pattern of the bamboo xylophone blades (patatag).
I wish to particularly thank with much gratitude Mr. Teerapan Chandracharoen, the director of the Office of Arts and Culture, Surat Thani Rajabhat University, who invited the students. Ajaarn Teerapan is an expert on Thai textiles and the musicians wore Thai Rattanakosin clothes from his own collection.
Research Interests:
Paper read at the 3rd SEAMEO SPAFA International Conference on Southeast Asian Archaeology (SPAFACON2019) June 17-21, 2019. Bangkok, Thailand. Twenty-three musical instruments in Old Javanese and Old Balinese inscriptions from the ninth... more
Paper read at the 3rd SEAMEO SPAFA International Conference on Southeast Asian Archaeology (SPAFACON2019)
June 17-21, 2019. Bangkok, Thailand.
Twenty-three musical instruments in Old Javanese and Old Balinese inscriptions from the ninth to the fourteenth century, covering the Central and East Javanese periods, are presented in this paper. Sixteen Old Javanese and Old Balinese musical terms and eight Sanskrit loan words are identified from this corpus. Musical data gathered from inscriptions, based on studies by Kunst, Zoetmulder, Casparis, Damais, Boechari, Sukarto K. Atmodjo, Sedyawati, Haryono and others, --- as well as literary works in Old Javanese and Old Balinese, not discussed in this paper --- comprise a unique set of musical data unique to this period. Inscriptions describe musical scenes, rituals, especially during the installation of a sima, and the general cultural setting of the period.
Sanskrit loan words referring to musical instruments in the paleographical literature of Java and Bali appeared during the Central Javanese Period, and have since then slowly fell out of use in the inscriptions during the East Javanese Period, the period when literary and architectural/monumental styles of temples in East Java depart from the Central Javanese models, as well as the emergence of kidung literature, alongside the continuity of kakawin and kawya literature from the Central Javanese period. Unlike literary works which are copied over time, inscriptions, singly inscribed on stone or metal, provide the only reliable dated evidence for musical data in Java and Bali for this period.
http://www.seameo-spafa.org/conference2019/S02.html
June 17-21, 2019. Bangkok, Thailand.
Twenty-three musical instruments in Old Javanese and Old Balinese inscriptions from the ninth to the fourteenth century, covering the Central and East Javanese periods, are presented in this paper. Sixteen Old Javanese and Old Balinese musical terms and eight Sanskrit loan words are identified from this corpus. Musical data gathered from inscriptions, based on studies by Kunst, Zoetmulder, Casparis, Damais, Boechari, Sukarto K. Atmodjo, Sedyawati, Haryono and others, --- as well as literary works in Old Javanese and Old Balinese, not discussed in this paper --- comprise a unique set of musical data unique to this period. Inscriptions describe musical scenes, rituals, especially during the installation of a sima, and the general cultural setting of the period.
Sanskrit loan words referring to musical instruments in the paleographical literature of Java and Bali appeared during the Central Javanese Period, and have since then slowly fell out of use in the inscriptions during the East Javanese Period, the period when literary and architectural/monumental styles of temples in East Java depart from the Central Javanese models, as well as the emergence of kidung literature, alongside the continuity of kakawin and kawya literature from the Central Javanese period. Unlike literary works which are copied over time, inscriptions, singly inscribed on stone or metal, provide the only reliable dated evidence for musical data in Java and Bali for this period.
http://www.seameo-spafa.org/conference2019/S02.html
Research Interests:
University of the Philippines Archaeological Studies Program Conference 2021 last August 24, 2021. Starts at 40:00. Arsenio Nicolas : Music, Ritual and Headhunting in Northern Luzon – Historical Resistance, Conformity and Transformation... more
University of the Philippines Archaeological Studies Program Conference 2021 last August 24, 2021. Starts at 40:00.
Arsenio Nicolas : Music, Ritual and Headhunting in Northern Luzon – Historical Resistance, Conformity and Transformation
All the other sessions are linked to this video on YouTube.
This presentation is adapted from my MA thesis entitled “Ritual Transformations and Musical Parameters. A Study of Selected Headhunting Rites on Southern Cordillera Northern Luzon.” (Arsenio Nicolas, University of the Philippines, 1989). It will feature pictures and videos which were not available then. Headhunting (also called headtaking, headcutting) in Northern Luzon, Philippines was a ritual act, and cosmological in nature. A head was required before rice planting began and after a successful harvest. It was also used to acquire a certain life force emanating from the victim's head, offered to a esteemed person before his death chair. The headhunting ritual complex was maintained by a complex system --- a dry rice and a wet rice agricultural system, trade relations with friendly villages and with the lowlands, kin and village alliances which defined the social units. Facets of an old megalithic culture, manifested in stone paved platforms in mens' houses where cut heads were buried and where ritual feasts and music-making were held, rice terracing, and buffalo sacrifice are evident, within a cosmology and a terrestial relationship with the dead, with the ancestors or the spirit of nature. In all these, a system of symbols is expressed in rituals, prayers, chanting, offerings, music making, singing, dancing, village revelry or a declaration of a village isolation to propitiate the death of a kin victim of the headhunt. After the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores and Catholic friars in the late sixteenth century and later American Protestant missionaries in early twentieth century, the gradual conversion to Christianity changed the ritual and musical landscape of highland northern Luzon, after and following the systematic prohibition and slow erosion of indigenous musical traditions in the lowlands. This paper outlines the various trajectories of resistance, conformity without acceptance, an eventual forgetting of the past, and the ritual transformation of the headhunting ritual complex in highland northern Luzon, utilizing a variety of sources -- colonial documents, contemporary ethnography and musical field data, and videos and pictures from the internet and social media.
Arsenio Nicolas : Music, Ritual and Headhunting in Northern Luzon – Historical Resistance, Conformity and Transformation
All the other sessions are linked to this video on YouTube.
This presentation is adapted from my MA thesis entitled “Ritual Transformations and Musical Parameters. A Study of Selected Headhunting Rites on Southern Cordillera Northern Luzon.” (Arsenio Nicolas, University of the Philippines, 1989). It will feature pictures and videos which were not available then. Headhunting (also called headtaking, headcutting) in Northern Luzon, Philippines was a ritual act, and cosmological in nature. A head was required before rice planting began and after a successful harvest. It was also used to acquire a certain life force emanating from the victim's head, offered to a esteemed person before his death chair. The headhunting ritual complex was maintained by a complex system --- a dry rice and a wet rice agricultural system, trade relations with friendly villages and with the lowlands, kin and village alliances which defined the social units. Facets of an old megalithic culture, manifested in stone paved platforms in mens' houses where cut heads were buried and where ritual feasts and music-making were held, rice terracing, and buffalo sacrifice are evident, within a cosmology and a terrestial relationship with the dead, with the ancestors or the spirit of nature. In all these, a system of symbols is expressed in rituals, prayers, chanting, offerings, music making, singing, dancing, village revelry or a declaration of a village isolation to propitiate the death of a kin victim of the headhunt. After the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores and Catholic friars in the late sixteenth century and later American Protestant missionaries in early twentieth century, the gradual conversion to Christianity changed the ritual and musical landscape of highland northern Luzon, after and following the systematic prohibition and slow erosion of indigenous musical traditions in the lowlands. This paper outlines the various trajectories of resistance, conformity without acceptance, an eventual forgetting of the past, and the ritual transformation of the headhunting ritual complex in highland northern Luzon, utilizing a variety of sources -- colonial documents, contemporary ethnography and musical field data, and videos and pictures from the internet and social media.
Research Interests:
Bronze Musical Instruments in the History of Music in Thailand and Southeast Asia Paper read at the 14th International Conference on Thai Studies, “Thailand at a Global Turning Point“. April 29 - May 1, 2022, Centre for Southeast Asian... more
Bronze Musical Instruments in the History of Music in Thailand and Southeast Asia
Paper read at the 14th International Conference on Thai Studies, “Thailand at a Global Turning Point“. April 29 - May 1, 2022, Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, Japan
Sources for the study on the history of music of Thailand and Southeast Asia provide a working chronology of bronze musical instruments and may be enumerated as follows : dated sites with pellet bells, cave paintings, excavated bronze drums, gongs, bells and cymbals in shipwrecks, temple bas reliefs and paintings, and references in inscriptions and literary works. These archaeological records document the successive changes in the musical life in Thailand in relation to Asia and the rise of new musical ideas, a legacy that is much shared across contemporary Asia today. Recent new data allows for a reinterpretation of the network of gong cultures in Southeast Asia.
This paper presents two problems in the study of gongs in shipwrecks in Southeast Asia.
The first refers to the distribution of shipwrecks with flat gongs, dated 10th to 13th centuries along the east coast of Borneo, the Java Sea and Sumatra. These ships are identified as originating from Guangdong, Fujian, and Quanzhou. So far, no flat gongs have been found on excavated shipwrecks along the coasts of Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand and West Malaysia, as well as beyond Java. After the 13th century, no shipwrecks have been found to carry flat gongs. However, from the 16th century on, Spanish dictionaries and documents in the Philippines have described flat gongs, and whose names are generally called gangsa, similar to the Isan term panghat today, both derived from the Sanskrit term kangsa. Flat gongs called luo are today widespread played in Chinese temples in Southeast Asia.
The second refers to the distribution of shipwrecks with bossed gongs dated 12th to 15th century Bossed gongs have been found in five shipwrecks in the Gulf of Thailand and the Riau Archipelago --- Rang Kwien (13th-14th CE), Dam Island (Phu Quoc, 14th-15th CE), Klang Aow (Sattahip, 16th CE)) --- dated 13th to the 16th centuries, Dam (Phu Quoc) off south Vietnam (14th-15th CE), and 15th century Riau-Lingga site. No shipwrecks with bossed gongs have been excavated on the eastern shores of Vietnam, West Malaysia, as well as beyond Java.
This presentation updates my article “Gongs, Bells and Cymbals. The Archaeological Record in Maritime Asia from the Ninth to the Seventeenth Century, CE” (2009)
Paper read at the 14th International Conference on Thai Studies, “Thailand at a Global Turning Point“. April 29 - May 1, 2022, Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, Japan
Sources for the study on the history of music of Thailand and Southeast Asia provide a working chronology of bronze musical instruments and may be enumerated as follows : dated sites with pellet bells, cave paintings, excavated bronze drums, gongs, bells and cymbals in shipwrecks, temple bas reliefs and paintings, and references in inscriptions and literary works. These archaeological records document the successive changes in the musical life in Thailand in relation to Asia and the rise of new musical ideas, a legacy that is much shared across contemporary Asia today. Recent new data allows for a reinterpretation of the network of gong cultures in Southeast Asia.
This paper presents two problems in the study of gongs in shipwrecks in Southeast Asia.
The first refers to the distribution of shipwrecks with flat gongs, dated 10th to 13th centuries along the east coast of Borneo, the Java Sea and Sumatra. These ships are identified as originating from Guangdong, Fujian, and Quanzhou. So far, no flat gongs have been found on excavated shipwrecks along the coasts of Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand and West Malaysia, as well as beyond Java. After the 13th century, no shipwrecks have been found to carry flat gongs. However, from the 16th century on, Spanish dictionaries and documents in the Philippines have described flat gongs, and whose names are generally called gangsa, similar to the Isan term panghat today, both derived from the Sanskrit term kangsa. Flat gongs called luo are today widespread played in Chinese temples in Southeast Asia.
The second refers to the distribution of shipwrecks with bossed gongs dated 12th to 15th century Bossed gongs have been found in five shipwrecks in the Gulf of Thailand and the Riau Archipelago --- Rang Kwien (13th-14th CE), Dam Island (Phu Quoc, 14th-15th CE), Klang Aow (Sattahip, 16th CE)) --- dated 13th to the 16th centuries, Dam (Phu Quoc) off south Vietnam (14th-15th CE), and 15th century Riau-Lingga site. No shipwrecks with bossed gongs have been excavated on the eastern shores of Vietnam, West Malaysia, as well as beyond Java.
This presentation updates my article “Gongs, Bells and Cymbals. The Archaeological Record in Maritime Asia from the Ninth to the Seventeenth Century, CE” (2009)
Research Interests:
Papre read at the 10th International Conference of East Asian Music Archaeology, East Asia Music Archaeology Academy, South China Normal University, Guang Zhou, PROC, October 11-14, 2018 Chronologically, three bronze music cultures may... more
Papre read at the 10th International Conference of East Asian Music Archaeology, East Asia Music Archaeology Academy, South China Normal University, Guang Zhou, PROC, October 11-14, 2018
Chronologically, three bronze music cultures may be identified in Asia. The present scholarship describes these three as having distinct and separate histories, metallurgy, and cultural contexts.
Chronologically, three bronze music cultures may be identified in Asia. The present scholarship describes these three as having distinct and separate histories, metallurgy, and cultural contexts.
Research Interests:
Bells, Bronze Drums and Gongs : Exploring links between three bronze music cultures in Asia China-ASEAN Music and Dance Education Forum International Conference GuiZhou Education University Guiyang, GuiZhou, China December 22, 2022... more
Bells, Bronze Drums and Gongs :
Exploring links between three bronze music cultures in Asia
China-ASEAN Music and Dance Education Forum
International Conference
GuiZhou Education University
Guiyang, GuiZhou, China
December 22, 2022
Arsenio Nicolas
College of Music, Mahasarakham University, Thailand
Abstract
Chronologically, three bronze music cultures may be identified in Asia. The present scholarship identifies these three as having distinct and separate histories, metallurgy, and cultural contexts. The first is the earliest bronze bells in China that reached its peak during the Zhou Dynasty as evidenced by the bronze bell chimes excavated from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng in Leigudun, Suizhou, Hubei province, dated ca. 433 BCE. The second is the appearance of bronze drums dated to around 7th to 5th century BCE in Dong Son and south China, and thereafter, around the third century BCE to mid-first millennium CE in Indonesia. The third is the appearance of flat and bossed gongs in shipwrecks in maritime Asia. Flat gongs started to appear in shipwrecks by the 10th century in Borneo. The earliest bossed gongs are excavated in shipwrecks in 12th-13th century in Thailand, Java and Mindanao, but these also are carved in the bas-reliefs of the14th century Panataran temple in east Java, and in the 16th century north-east gallery of the 12th century Angkor Wat. Several studies point to China as the source of metal production in Southeast Asia, although there are sites in Thailand that point to indigenous manufacture and later, possible links with India. There are identified several centers in India, Thailand, Vietnam and China and several proposed strategies to advance the development in the history of metallurgy, and singles out Thailand as the early site of bronze production in Southeast Asia with links to India, and in Vietnam with China, based on techniques in alloying and production. The sources of bronze technology for casting musical instruments, whether these are made by using moulds, or cire-a-perdue or lost wax casting are varied, as well as the types of alloys for making bells, bronze drums and gongs. Lastly, the variations in tuning systems for bronze musical instruments in Asia produced a rich heritage of music that continues to the present. This paper will outline these three bronze music cultures and explore ways to find their links, intersections and connections in terms of techniques of manufacture, sources of metals and music structure.
Exploring links between three bronze music cultures in Asia
China-ASEAN Music and Dance Education Forum
International Conference
GuiZhou Education University
Guiyang, GuiZhou, China
December 22, 2022
Arsenio Nicolas
College of Music, Mahasarakham University, Thailand
Abstract
Chronologically, three bronze music cultures may be identified in Asia. The present scholarship identifies these three as having distinct and separate histories, metallurgy, and cultural contexts. The first is the earliest bronze bells in China that reached its peak during the Zhou Dynasty as evidenced by the bronze bell chimes excavated from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng in Leigudun, Suizhou, Hubei province, dated ca. 433 BCE. The second is the appearance of bronze drums dated to around 7th to 5th century BCE in Dong Son and south China, and thereafter, around the third century BCE to mid-first millennium CE in Indonesia. The third is the appearance of flat and bossed gongs in shipwrecks in maritime Asia. Flat gongs started to appear in shipwrecks by the 10th century in Borneo. The earliest bossed gongs are excavated in shipwrecks in 12th-13th century in Thailand, Java and Mindanao, but these also are carved in the bas-reliefs of the14th century Panataran temple in east Java, and in the 16th century north-east gallery of the 12th century Angkor Wat. Several studies point to China as the source of metal production in Southeast Asia, although there are sites in Thailand that point to indigenous manufacture and later, possible links with India. There are identified several centers in India, Thailand, Vietnam and China and several proposed strategies to advance the development in the history of metallurgy, and singles out Thailand as the early site of bronze production in Southeast Asia with links to India, and in Vietnam with China, based on techniques in alloying and production. The sources of bronze technology for casting musical instruments, whether these are made by using moulds, or cire-a-perdue or lost wax casting are varied, as well as the types of alloys for making bells, bronze drums and gongs. Lastly, the variations in tuning systems for bronze musical instruments in Asia produced a rich heritage of music that continues to the present. This paper will outline these three bronze music cultures and explore ways to find their links, intersections and connections in terms of techniques of manufacture, sources of metals and music structure.
Research Interests:
A webinar presentation at the "Indigenous Responses to Colonial Incursions Conference," sponsored by the University of the Philippines Archaeology Studies Program, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines. Tuesday, August 24, 2021, 1:30 pm to... more
A webinar presentation at the "Indigenous Responses to Colonial Incursions Conference," sponsored by the University of the Philippines Archaeology Studies Program, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines.
Tuesday, August 24, 2021, 1:30 pm to 2:50pm (Manila time)
Music, Ritual and Headhunting in Northern Luzon – Historical Resistance, Conformity and Transformation
by Arsenio Nicolas.
Facebook Live -- https://www.facebook.com/UPASP
Zoom Registration : bit.ly/IndigenousResponses
This presentation is adapted from my MA thesis entitled “Ritual Transformations and Musical Parameters. A Study of Selected Headhunting Rites on Southern Cordillera Northern Luzon.” (Arsenio Nicolas, University of the Philippines, 1989). It features pictures and videos which were not available then.
Headhunting (also called headtaking, headcutting) in Northern Luzon, Philippines was a ritual act, and cosmological in nature. A head was required before rice planting began and after a successful harvest. It was also used to acquire a certain life force emanating from the victim's head, offered to a esteemed person before his death chair. The headhunting ritual complex was maintained by a complex system --- a dry rice and a wet rice agricultural system, trade relations with friendly villages and with the lowlands, kin and village alliances which defined the social units. Facets of an old megalithic culture, manifested in stone paved platforms in mens' houses where cut heads were buried and where ritual feasts and music-making were held, rice terracing, and buffalo sacrifice are evident, within a cosmology and a terrestial relationship with the dead, with the ancestors or the spirit of nature. In all these, a system of symbols is expressed in rituals, prayers, chanting, offerings, music making, singing, dancing, village revelry or a declaration of a village isolation to propitiate the death of a kin victim of the headhunt. After the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores and Catholic friars in the late sixteenth century and later American Protestant missionaries in early twentieth century, the gradual conversion to Christianity changed the ritual and musical landscape of highland northern Luzon, after and following the systematic prohibition and slow erosion of indigenous musical traditions in the lowlands. This paper outlines the various trajectories of resistance, conformity without acceptance, an eventual forgetting of the past, and the ritual transformation of the headhunting ritual complex in highland northern Luzon, utilizing a variety of sources -- colonial documents, contemporary ethnography and musical field data, and videos and pictures from the internet and social media.
Tuesday, August 24, 2021, 1:30 pm to 2:50pm (Manila time)
Music, Ritual and Headhunting in Northern Luzon – Historical Resistance, Conformity and Transformation
by Arsenio Nicolas.
Facebook Live -- https://www.facebook.com/UPASP
Zoom Registration : bit.ly/IndigenousResponses
This presentation is adapted from my MA thesis entitled “Ritual Transformations and Musical Parameters. A Study of Selected Headhunting Rites on Southern Cordillera Northern Luzon.” (Arsenio Nicolas, University of the Philippines, 1989). It features pictures and videos which were not available then.
Headhunting (also called headtaking, headcutting) in Northern Luzon, Philippines was a ritual act, and cosmological in nature. A head was required before rice planting began and after a successful harvest. It was also used to acquire a certain life force emanating from the victim's head, offered to a esteemed person before his death chair. The headhunting ritual complex was maintained by a complex system --- a dry rice and a wet rice agricultural system, trade relations with friendly villages and with the lowlands, kin and village alliances which defined the social units. Facets of an old megalithic culture, manifested in stone paved platforms in mens' houses where cut heads were buried and where ritual feasts and music-making were held, rice terracing, and buffalo sacrifice are evident, within a cosmology and a terrestial relationship with the dead, with the ancestors or the spirit of nature. In all these, a system of symbols is expressed in rituals, prayers, chanting, offerings, music making, singing, dancing, village revelry or a declaration of a village isolation to propitiate the death of a kin victim of the headhunt. After the arrival of the Spanish conquistadores and Catholic friars in the late sixteenth century and later American Protestant missionaries in early twentieth century, the gradual conversion to Christianity changed the ritual and musical landscape of highland northern Luzon, after and following the systematic prohibition and slow erosion of indigenous musical traditions in the lowlands. This paper outlines the various trajectories of resistance, conformity without acceptance, an eventual forgetting of the past, and the ritual transformation of the headhunting ritual complex in highland northern Luzon, utilizing a variety of sources -- colonial documents, contemporary ethnography and musical field data, and videos and pictures from the internet and social media.
Research Interests: Music, Ethnomusicology, Ritual, Bamboo, Philippine Music, and 5 moreKalinga, Headhunting, Bontoc, Ibaloi, and Northern Luzon
Paper read at the International Seminar on Art and Sustainable Development
Institut Seni Indonesia Padangpanjang (ISI)
Program Pascasarjana
Padangpanjang, Sumatera Barat, Indonesia
5 September 2018
Institut Seni Indonesia Padangpanjang (ISI)
Program Pascasarjana
Padangpanjang, Sumatera Barat, Indonesia
5 September 2018
Research Interests:
Lecture delivered at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Shanghai, PROC, December 8, 2017
Research Interests:
Lecture delivered at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music
Shanghai PROC
8 December 2017
Shanghai PROC
8 December 2017
Research Interests:
Paper read at the The 10th International Study Group on Music Archaeology 2016
Music Archeology from the Perspective of Anthropology
Wuhan Provincial Museum
Wuhan Conservatory of Music
Wuhan, China
21-25 October 2016
Music Archeology from the Perspective of Anthropology
Wuhan Provincial Museum
Wuhan Conservatory of Music
Wuhan, China
21-25 October 2016
Research Interests:
Paper presented at the International Symposium on Austronesian Diaspora
The National Research Center of Archaeology, Indonesia
The Directorate Cultural Heritage and Museums
18-23 July 2016
Ayodya Resort, Nusa Dua, Bali
The National Research Center of Archaeology, Indonesia
The Directorate Cultural Heritage and Museums
18-23 July 2016
Ayodya Resort, Nusa Dua, Bali
Research Interests:
Paper read at the SEAMEO-SPAFA Second International Conference on Southeast Asian Archaeology. Bangkok, 30 May-June 2, 2105 A continuity of archaeological records of bossed gongs from the bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat, and bossed gongs... more
Paper read at the SEAMEO-SPAFA Second International Conference on Southeast Asian Archaeology. Bangkok, 30 May-June 2, 2105
A continuity of archaeological records of bossed gongs from the bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat, and bossed gongs found in three shipwrecks along the shores of Thailand from the 13th to the 16th centuries, C.E., signalled the provenance of a new gong music tradition on mainland Southeast Asia. Two types of gongs are illustrated on the walls of Angkor Wat --- suspended gongs with a central boss, and small bossed gongs-in-rows in semi-circular frames. The three shipwrecks in Rang Kwien (13th c), Phu Quoc (15th c), and Sattahip (16th c) yielded bossed gongs of the first type. This paper will discuss the relationship between these two sets of data from the Angkor and Ayutthaya periods from a historical perspective, and relate these to contemporary practices in Cambodia and Thailand.
A continuity of archaeological records of bossed gongs from the bas-reliefs of Angkor Wat, and bossed gongs found in three shipwrecks along the shores of Thailand from the 13th to the 16th centuries, C.E., signalled the provenance of a new gong music tradition on mainland Southeast Asia. Two types of gongs are illustrated on the walls of Angkor Wat --- suspended gongs with a central boss, and small bossed gongs-in-rows in semi-circular frames. The three shipwrecks in Rang Kwien (13th c), Phu Quoc (15th c), and Sattahip (16th c) yielded bossed gongs of the first type. This paper will discuss the relationship between these two sets of data from the Angkor and Ayutthaya periods from a historical perspective, and relate these to contemporary practices in Cambodia and Thailand.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
International Conference on Architecture in Thailand and Southeast Asia
December 19, 2015
Institute of Thai Art and Architecture and
Faculty of Architecture, Silpakorn University
Bangkok
December 19, 2015
Institute of Thai Art and Architecture and
Faculty of Architecture, Silpakorn University
Bangkok
Research Interests:
Paper read at the 20th Anniversary Conference of Southeast Asia Regional Exchange Program (SEASREP), University of Gajah Mada, Jogyakarta, Indonesia. November 4-5, 2015 and Lectures delivered for Ethnomusicology and Music Graduate... more
Paper read at the 20th Anniversary Conference of Southeast Asia Regional Exchange Program (SEASREP), University of Gajah Mada, Jogyakarta, Indonesia.
November 4-5, 2015
and
Lectures delivered for Ethnomusicology and Music Graduate Students
Insitut Seni Indonesia (ISI, Institute of Indonesia Arts), Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. November 12, 2015
November 4-5, 2015
and
Lectures delivered for Ethnomusicology and Music Graduate Students
Insitut Seni Indonesia (ISI, Institute of Indonesia Arts), Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia. November 12, 2015
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Peringatan 30 Tahun Meninggalnya Gendhon Humardani. This short paper is a homage to Gendhon Humardani, director of the Akademi Seni Karawitan Indonesia at Surakarta, Central Java, from 1975 to 1983, (ASKI Surakarta, Academy of... more
Peringatan 30 Tahun Meninggalnya Gendhon Humardani.
This short paper is a homage to Gendhon Humardani, director of the Akademi Seni Karawitan Indonesia at Surakarta, Central Java, from 1975 to 1983, (ASKI Surakarta, Academy of Indonesian Musical Arts ). Recently, to commemorate the 30-year anniversary of his death, a three-day event was held at the Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI Surakarta, Institute of Indonesian Arts, formerly ASKI), with performances of some of the masterpieces of music, dance and wayang produced during that period, along with exhibits and seminars. In this short essay, I recall the broad spectrum of ideas in the creation of new forms of Javanese music, dance and wayang, that were critically debated in symposia, and festivals in the 70s and 80s. I draw parallels in the way languages and musics evolve over the long-duree, where semantic shifts and musical shifts mark the beginning of a new period in linguistic and music history. Javanese terms referring to aesthetics, music, dance, and wayang are keys to the understanding of this phenomena.
This short paper is a homage to Gendhon Humardani, director of the Akademi Seni Karawitan Indonesia at Surakarta, Central Java, from 1975 to 1983, (ASKI Surakarta, Academy of Indonesian Musical Arts ). Recently, to commemorate the 30-year anniversary of his death, a three-day event was held at the Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI Surakarta, Institute of Indonesian Arts, formerly ASKI), with performances of some of the masterpieces of music, dance and wayang produced during that period, along with exhibits and seminars. In this short essay, I recall the broad spectrum of ideas in the creation of new forms of Javanese music, dance and wayang, that were critically debated in symposia, and festivals in the 70s and 80s. I draw parallels in the way languages and musics evolve over the long-duree, where semantic shifts and musical shifts mark the beginning of a new period in linguistic and music history. Javanese terms referring to aesthetics, music, dance, and wayang are keys to the understanding of this phenomena.
Research Interests: Music, Indonesia, Gamelan, Java, Javanese studies, and 3 moreJavanese, Javanese Music, and Polemik Kebudayaan
Paper read at the 6th China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week 16-22 September 2013, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, P. R. China. Sponsored by the People's Republic of China Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, and... more
Paper read at the 6th China-ASEAN Education Cooperation Week
16-22 September 2013, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, P. R. China.
Sponsored by the People's Republic of China Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, and the People's Government of Guizhou Province, and the Southeast Asia Ministries of Education Organization (SEAMEO), Special Projects on Archaeology and Fine Arts (SPAFA), Bangkok.
16-22 September 2013, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, P. R. China.
Sponsored by the People's Republic of China Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, and the People's Government of Guizhou Province, and the Southeast Asia Ministries of Education Organization (SEAMEO), Special Projects on Archaeology and Fine Arts (SPAFA), Bangkok.
Research Interests:
This presentation outlines the three PhD programs in Music at the College of Music, Mahasarakham University (Thailand), College of Music, University of the Philippines, Institute of Indonesian Arts (Institut Seni Indonesia), Surakarta... more
This presentation outlines the three PhD programs in Music at the College of Music, Mahasarakham University (Thailand), College of Music, University of the Philippines, Institute of Indonesian Arts (Institut Seni Indonesia), Surakarta (Indonesia), and Institute Of Indonesian Arts (Institut Seni Indonesia), Jogyakarta (Indonesia). The different curricular programs are presented for Musicology/Ethnomusicology, Music Education, Music Management and Creative Arts. The presentation further examines the different orientation each program has taken, as can be seen in the courses offered, reflecting the specific needs of each institution, and the academic interests of the graduate faculty. Special reference is made for the two institutes in Surakarta and Jogyakarta, which offer the doctoral degree in Creative Arts, Composition and Performance. The history of this program is related to the celebrated "Polemik Kebudayaan" (Polemics of Culture) debate in the 1930s in Indonesia which tackled the question of Tradition and Modernity in Indonesian arts.
The conference is sponsored by the Thailand University Art and Culture Network, composed of the following : Phranakhon Rajabhat University (Bangkok), Rambhai Barni Rajabhat University (Chantaburi), Mahasarakham University (Mahasarakham), Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (Nanthaburi) and Khon Kaen University (Khon Kaen).
The conference is sponsored by the Thailand University Art and Culture Network, composed of the following : Phranakhon Rajabhat University (Bangkok), Rambhai Barni Rajabhat University (Chantaburi), Mahasarakham University (Mahasarakham), Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (Nanthaburi) and Khon Kaen University (Khon Kaen).
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Abstract From the spread of bronze drums during the mid-first millennium BCE, within a wide geographical loci emanating from Sipsongpanna and Dongson, spreading southwards to Burma and India to the west, and to the Indonesian Islands... more
Abstract
From the spread of bronze drums during the mid-first millennium BCE, within a wide geographical loci emanating from Sipsongpanna and Dongson, spreading southwards to Burma and India to the west, and to the Indonesian Islands to the south east – this region became the site of a similar subsequent spread of high-tin bronze gongs from at least the 10th century to the present. Based on current research in Thailand, this paper will review archaeological records of this musical exchange, at best fragmentary, that brought about the rise of a new music in Asia after the introduction of bronze drums and gongs, a legacy and heritage that is much shared across contemporary Asia today. The discussion will focus on bossed gongs found in three shipwrecks in the gulf of Thailand and one in Java Sea, dated 13th to the 16th centuries, in relation to 16 other maritime and inland sites across Southeast Asia. The paper will conclude with some observations into the nature of historical and musical exchanges between the mainland and island Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
From the spread of bronze drums during the mid-first millennium BCE, within a wide geographical loci emanating from Sipsongpanna and Dongson, spreading southwards to Burma and India to the west, and to the Indonesian Islands to the south east – this region became the site of a similar subsequent spread of high-tin bronze gongs from at least the 10th century to the present. Based on current research in Thailand, this paper will review archaeological records of this musical exchange, at best fragmentary, that brought about the rise of a new music in Asia after the introduction of bronze drums and gongs, a legacy and heritage that is much shared across contemporary Asia today. The discussion will focus on bossed gongs found in three shipwrecks in the gulf of Thailand and one in Java Sea, dated 13th to the 16th centuries, in relation to 16 other maritime and inland sites across Southeast Asia. The paper will conclude with some observations into the nature of historical and musical exchanges between the mainland and island Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Lectures given at the following venues: 2012a Music in the ASEAN Community. Lecture delivered at the ASEAN Music Seminar. Roi-Et Dramatic Arts College, Roi-et, Thailand. September 21, 2012. 2012b Music in the ASEAN Commnuity.... more
Lectures given at the following venues:
2012a Music in the ASEAN Community. Lecture delivered at the ASEAN Music Seminar. Roi-Et Dramatic Arts College, Roi-et, Thailand. September 21, 2012.
2012b Music in the ASEAN Commnuity. Lecture delivered at the International Conference of Art and Culture on Creative Economy. August 27-28, 2012. Thailand University Art and Culture Network. Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Thailand.
2012c Introduction to Indonesian and Malay Languages. Lecture delivered at the Seminar on ASEAN 2015. Roi-Et MahaMokut Buddhist University. July 6, 2012. Roi-Et, Thailand.
2012d The Music of Brunei. Lecture delivcred at the Forum on ASEAN Traditional Music and Dance for Music Teachers. Small Hall, Thailand Cultural Center, Bangkok. Sponsored by the Thailand Music Educators Association and SEAMEO SPAFA. May 7-12, 2012.
2012a Music in the ASEAN Community. Lecture delivered at the ASEAN Music Seminar. Roi-Et Dramatic Arts College, Roi-et, Thailand. September 21, 2012.
2012b Music in the ASEAN Commnuity. Lecture delivered at the International Conference of Art and Culture on Creative Economy. August 27-28, 2012. Thailand University Art and Culture Network. Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University. Nonthaburi, Bangkok, Thailand.
2012c Introduction to Indonesian and Malay Languages. Lecture delivered at the Seminar on ASEAN 2015. Roi-Et MahaMokut Buddhist University. July 6, 2012. Roi-Et, Thailand.
2012d The Music of Brunei. Lecture delivcred at the Forum on ASEAN Traditional Music and Dance for Music Teachers. Small Hall, Thailand Cultural Center, Bangkok. Sponsored by the Thailand Music Educators Association and SEAMEO SPAFA. May 7-12, 2012.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
From “Atmospheres” to “Ugnayan” : The Music of Jose Maceda A Lecture by Arsenio Nicolas, Ph. D. June 9, 2010 Urban Research Plaza, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan In the 1960s, music composition in Asia reached new... more
From “Atmospheres” to “Ugnayan” : The Music of Jose Maceda
A Lecture by Arsenio Nicolas, Ph. D.
June 9, 2010
Urban Research Plaza, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
In the 1960s, music composition in Asia reached new directions. The first stemmed from the tradition that developed from the musical encounter with Europe and America. The second germinated from this encounter but sought to explore the rich musical traditions of Asia and create new forms and structures, as well as new philosophies and ideas of composing and making music, based on ancient sources of musical thought in Asia.
Jose Maceda pioneered in the research of the musics in Asia from 1952, and directed the survey of music in the Philippines, now housed at the University of the Philippines, recording about 2000 hours of music and thousands of photographs. From his studies of music in Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia, Maceda began to compose a new music and a new musical language from 1963 to 2003.
In this lecture, I will describe and illustrate the compositional processes leading to the creation of “Atmospheres”, which was later named “Ugnayan”. The music is originally composed for broadcast in 20 radio stations and was premiered in Manila, Philippines on January 1, 1984, aired via 33 radio stations. The piece runs for 60 minutes, written in a score with twenty parts originally recorded on full track magnetic tapes. Each part has five lines for five performers invariably playing kolitong (zithers), bungbung (bamboo blowing horns), ongiyung (whistle Flutes), bangibang (yoked-shaped wooden bars with beaters), balingbing (bamboo buzzers), agung (wide-rimmed bossed gongs), Chinese cymbals and gongs, with a vocal part in the second half. In the recording, I played as performer no. 1 for all twenty tapes, while the other four performers came from a mixed group.
The preparation lasted for three months. We started notating the music in October, 1973, with Professor Maceda working on the basic structural parts of the work, while I and Ruben Federizon notated parts that used number combinations and formulas. The recording was held at Radio Veritas, which lasted for about a week, producing three to four tapes a day. After completing the twenty tapes, we played all twenty tapes in the ten studios linked by a long hallway.
In “Ugnayan”, the musical experience “is a departure from the usual way of listening to music as emanating from one source – the concert stage or loudspeaker… the idea that only large groups of people can put together sounds spread out over a big area is paralleled by the cooperation necessary for large numbers of people to achieve a certain purpose. A spiritual consciousness for change can be aroused by a new rather than a worn-out musical language…”
The lecture will trace some of the compositional techniques employed in Ugnayan to Maceda’s earlier works, especially Pagsamba (1968) music for 231 players, for a circular church or auditorium, Cassettes 100 (1971), music for 100 tape recorders, and Udlot-Udlot (1975), open air ritual music for 1000 or more players and vocalists."
A Lecture by Arsenio Nicolas, Ph. D.
June 9, 2010
Urban Research Plaza, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
In the 1960s, music composition in Asia reached new directions. The first stemmed from the tradition that developed from the musical encounter with Europe and America. The second germinated from this encounter but sought to explore the rich musical traditions of Asia and create new forms and structures, as well as new philosophies and ideas of composing and making music, based on ancient sources of musical thought in Asia.
Jose Maceda pioneered in the research of the musics in Asia from 1952, and directed the survey of music in the Philippines, now housed at the University of the Philippines, recording about 2000 hours of music and thousands of photographs. From his studies of music in Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia, Maceda began to compose a new music and a new musical language from 1963 to 2003.
In this lecture, I will describe and illustrate the compositional processes leading to the creation of “Atmospheres”, which was later named “Ugnayan”. The music is originally composed for broadcast in 20 radio stations and was premiered in Manila, Philippines on January 1, 1984, aired via 33 radio stations. The piece runs for 60 minutes, written in a score with twenty parts originally recorded on full track magnetic tapes. Each part has five lines for five performers invariably playing kolitong (zithers), bungbung (bamboo blowing horns), ongiyung (whistle Flutes), bangibang (yoked-shaped wooden bars with beaters), balingbing (bamboo buzzers), agung (wide-rimmed bossed gongs), Chinese cymbals and gongs, with a vocal part in the second half. In the recording, I played as performer no. 1 for all twenty tapes, while the other four performers came from a mixed group.
The preparation lasted for three months. We started notating the music in October, 1973, with Professor Maceda working on the basic structural parts of the work, while I and Ruben Federizon notated parts that used number combinations and formulas. The recording was held at Radio Veritas, which lasted for about a week, producing three to four tapes a day. After completing the twenty tapes, we played all twenty tapes in the ten studios linked by a long hallway.
In “Ugnayan”, the musical experience “is a departure from the usual way of listening to music as emanating from one source – the concert stage or loudspeaker… the idea that only large groups of people can put together sounds spread out over a big area is paralleled by the cooperation necessary for large numbers of people to achieve a certain purpose. A spiritual consciousness for change can be aroused by a new rather than a worn-out musical language…”
The lecture will trace some of the compositional techniques employed in Ugnayan to Maceda’s earlier works, especially Pagsamba (1968) music for 231 players, for a circular church or auditorium, Cassettes 100 (1971), music for 100 tape recorders, and Udlot-Udlot (1975), open air ritual music for 1000 or more players and vocalists."
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
From “Atmospheres” to “Ugnayan” : The Music of Jose Maceda A Lecture by Arsenio Nicolas, Ph. D. Friday, December 25, 2009 College of Music, Mahidol University, Salaya, Thailand In the 1960s, music composition in Asia reached new... more
From “Atmospheres” to “Ugnayan” : The Music of Jose Maceda
A Lecture by Arsenio Nicolas, Ph. D.
Friday, December 25, 2009
College of Music, Mahidol University, Salaya, Thailand
In the 1960s, music composition in Asia reached new directions. The first stemmed from the tradition that developed from the musical encounter with Europe and America. The second germinated from this encounter but sought to explore the rich musical traditions of Asia and create new forms and structures, as well as new philosophies and ideas of composing and making music, based on ancient sources of musical thought in Asia.
Jose Maceda pioneered in the research of the musics in Asia from 1952, and directed the survey of music in the Philippines, now housed at the University of the Philippines, recording about 2000 hours of music and thousands of photographs. From his studies of music in Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia, Maceda began to compose a new music and a new musical language from 1963 to 2003.
In this lecture, I will describe and illustrate the compositional processes leading to the creation of “Atmospheres”, which was later named “Ugnayan”. The music is originally composed for broadcast in 20 radio stations and was premiered in Manila, Philippines on January 1, 1984, aired via 33 radio stations. The piece runs for 60 minutes, written in a score with twenty parts originally recorded on full track magnetic tapes. Each part has five lines for five performers invariably playing kolitong (zithers), bungbung (bamboo blowing horns), ongiyung (whistle Flutes), bangibang (yoked-shaped wooden bars with beaters), balingbing (bamboo buzzers), agung (wide-rimmed bossed gongs), Chinese cymbals and gongs, with a vocal part in the second half. In the recording, I played as performer no. 1 for all twenty tapes, while the other four performers came from a mixed group.
The preparation lasted for three months. We started notating the music in October, 1973, with Professor Maceda working on the basic structural parts of the work, while I and Ruben Federizon notated parts that used number combinations and formulas. The recording was held at Radio Veritas, which lasted for about a week, producing three to four tapes a day. After completing the twenty tapes, we played all twenty tapes in the ten studios linked by a long hallway.
In “Ugnayan”, the musical experience “is a departure from the usual way of listening to music as emanating from one source – the concert stage or loudspeaker… the idea that only large groups of people can put together sounds spread out over a big area is paralleled by the cooperation necessary for large numbers of people to achieve a certain purpose. A spiritual consciousness for change can be aroused by a new rather than a worn-out musical language…”
The lecture will trace some of the compositional techniques employed in Ugnayan to Maceda’s earlier works, especially Pagsamba (1968) music for 231 players, for a circular church or auditorium, Cassettes 100 (1971), music for 100 tape recorders, and Udlot-Udlot (1975), open air ritual music for 1000 or more players and vocalists.
A Lecture by Arsenio Nicolas, Ph. D.
Friday, December 25, 2009
College of Music, Mahidol University, Salaya, Thailand
In the 1960s, music composition in Asia reached new directions. The first stemmed from the tradition that developed from the musical encounter with Europe and America. The second germinated from this encounter but sought to explore the rich musical traditions of Asia and create new forms and structures, as well as new philosophies and ideas of composing and making music, based on ancient sources of musical thought in Asia.
Jose Maceda pioneered in the research of the musics in Asia from 1952, and directed the survey of music in the Philippines, now housed at the University of the Philippines, recording about 2000 hours of music and thousands of photographs. From his studies of music in Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia, Maceda began to compose a new music and a new musical language from 1963 to 2003.
In this lecture, I will describe and illustrate the compositional processes leading to the creation of “Atmospheres”, which was later named “Ugnayan”. The music is originally composed for broadcast in 20 radio stations and was premiered in Manila, Philippines on January 1, 1984, aired via 33 radio stations. The piece runs for 60 minutes, written in a score with twenty parts originally recorded on full track magnetic tapes. Each part has five lines for five performers invariably playing kolitong (zithers), bungbung (bamboo blowing horns), ongiyung (whistle Flutes), bangibang (yoked-shaped wooden bars with beaters), balingbing (bamboo buzzers), agung (wide-rimmed bossed gongs), Chinese cymbals and gongs, with a vocal part in the second half. In the recording, I played as performer no. 1 for all twenty tapes, while the other four performers came from a mixed group.
The preparation lasted for three months. We started notating the music in October, 1973, with Professor Maceda working on the basic structural parts of the work, while I and Ruben Federizon notated parts that used number combinations and formulas. The recording was held at Radio Veritas, which lasted for about a week, producing three to four tapes a day. After completing the twenty tapes, we played all twenty tapes in the ten studios linked by a long hallway.
In “Ugnayan”, the musical experience “is a departure from the usual way of listening to music as emanating from one source – the concert stage or loudspeaker… the idea that only large groups of people can put together sounds spread out over a big area is paralleled by the cooperation necessary for large numbers of people to achieve a certain purpose. A spiritual consciousness for change can be aroused by a new rather than a worn-out musical language…”
The lecture will trace some of the compositional techniques employed in Ugnayan to Maceda’s earlier works, especially Pagsamba (1968) music for 231 players, for a circular church or auditorium, Cassettes 100 (1971), music for 100 tape recorders, and Udlot-Udlot (1975), open air ritual music for 1000 or more players and vocalists.
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23 October 2009
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"Several bamboo musical ensembles in Java imitate the gongan structures of the bronze gamelan. In this paper, several examples are discussed -- calung and angklung for lengger banyumasan, angklung and bende ensembles for jaran kepang,... more
"Several bamboo musical ensembles in Java imitate the gongan structures of the bronze gamelan. In this paper, several examples are discussed -- calung and angklung for lengger banyumasan, angklung and bende ensembles for jaran kepang, jamjaneng (round frame drum ensembles), and others.
While there had been a tendency for bamboo musical ensembles and frame drum ensembles to imitate the gongan structures, as well as gending forms in Javanese gamelan, are there non-gongan music structures in Java? "
While there had been a tendency for bamboo musical ensembles and frame drum ensembles to imitate the gongan structures, as well as gending forms in Javanese gamelan, are there non-gongan music structures in Java? "
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Southeast Asian Ministers Of Education Organization (SPAFA)
SEAMEO Regional Centre For Archaeology And Fine Arts
SEAMEO Regional Centre For Archaeology And Fine Arts
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"Peer" reviewing: In some instances, it is flawless, some needs revision, or it is rejected. The most extreme case, it is plagiarized.. And if there is only one reviewer, a structure of power and dominance prevails...
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"Armchair Ethnomusicology, Jetset Ethnomusicology, Virtual Ethnomusicology In the days of exploration and colonization, writing about music was the enterprise of travelers, colonizers and administrators, which sparked the interest of... more
"Armchair Ethnomusicology, Jetset Ethnomusicology, Virtual Ethnomusicology
In the days of exploration and colonization, writing about music was the enterprise of travelers, colonizers and administrators, which sparked the interest of musicologists in Europe to write about music of the rest of the world, and which then led to the rise of ethnomusicology as a discipline.
As it emerged as a separate area of study, fieldwork, as in anthropology, became the mark of an ethnomusicologist. But as the world has changed for the past hundred years, the world of the "exotique" is gone, the field itself became narrow.
Today, with the onset of global mobility and the spread of the internet, the mapping of the world's music cultures drastically turned digital and virtual. This has led to easy, short and prompt encounters with the musics of the world – with the laptop or tablet, the cellphone and portable digital recording machines in tow.
In some cases, with one's position, power and influence, one need not go to the field – one needs only to convene a conference, invite potential informants, record the performances and then produce a book, cd, dvd or webpage to document the event. One may also spend a few days, a week or two in a site, with translators and interpreters, record all, then return to the office and write and then publish.
Recent changes in the life styles in urban centres and in the academe have changed the way ethnomusicology is conducted all over the world. Increasingly, many tourists, travellers, academicians and bureaucrats are finding less time to engage in field work while such fascination for the "exotic" has not really disappeared. Even local enthusiasts who have become jet setters are drawn into the virtual environment afforded by the internet and jet travel --- spending a few days in one place, make recordings, videos and interviews and returning to their home countries, write detailed description and analysis of the experience in an exotic place, other than their own.
How can one aptly describe this condition? Many are today are burdened by old age, and late interest in the field of music research. But they are equipped with power, influence and money... hence they can fly to any part of the world, access archives, hire assistants and easily publish.
This type of work affords almost anyone to gain information by accessing the internet, with millions of web pages, some carefully worked out, the rest are amateurish and mundane. In many ways, the world wide web is helpful... similar to the travelogues that were written in the age of colonialism, materials from which scholars have drawn some vital information and link or clue to future studies. Armchair ethnomusicologists are no different from the colonial administrators in the nineteenth century, who interviewed their "informants" in the comfort of their offices, without going to the field itself.
Today on the web, we find travel blogs, complete with pictures and videos that were taken in situ but without the "ethnographic detail" that goes with long term field studies. These are easily accessed by students in many universities and colleges today... Students have easily turn away from serious books and articles and find it easier and more comfortable to work with online materials, encyclopedias and blogs.
Hence, the field of ethnomusicology itself has turned away from the classic concerns, as new generations of students and scholars are more adapted to the contemporary world of virtuality and the computer.
This paradigm shift has left the field with little expansion of the knowledge of the music and music cultures of the world. More and more texts about music are written to make the reader understand the phenomena of music in their own terms and seldom would they be understood in the context of the culture of the subject.
The decline in extended field studies of months and years is now substituted with quick three-four-day sorties, accompanied by local researchers, and sometimes equipped with sophisticated recording machines. Internet sites are now more accessible, hence data derived from these sites remain unverified and validated.
This work in progress seeks to explore the varieties of new representations of music in the twenty-first century. What epistemological questions can arise as music is now apprehended in a much more drastic alteration of the field – as “ethnomusicologists” and the “natives” now both interact in virtual and digital space. This question further implicates the nature of musical knowledge --- what can validate knowledge in an era of information technology.
February 3, 2013"
A recent post on a forthcoming conference on "Mundane Mapping and Grounded Truths: Ethnographies of Geographic Labor in Conservation" introduced a similar phenomena, saying "many scholars have begun to explore the positionality and practices of “bench” laboratory scientists, ecological field workers, and geographers themselves"
In the days of exploration and colonization, writing about music was the enterprise of travelers, colonizers and administrators, which sparked the interest of musicologists in Europe to write about music of the rest of the world, and which then led to the rise of ethnomusicology as a discipline.
As it emerged as a separate area of study, fieldwork, as in anthropology, became the mark of an ethnomusicologist. But as the world has changed for the past hundred years, the world of the "exotique" is gone, the field itself became narrow.
Today, with the onset of global mobility and the spread of the internet, the mapping of the world's music cultures drastically turned digital and virtual. This has led to easy, short and prompt encounters with the musics of the world – with the laptop or tablet, the cellphone and portable digital recording machines in tow.
In some cases, with one's position, power and influence, one need not go to the field – one needs only to convene a conference, invite potential informants, record the performances and then produce a book, cd, dvd or webpage to document the event. One may also spend a few days, a week or two in a site, with translators and interpreters, record all, then return to the office and write and then publish.
Recent changes in the life styles in urban centres and in the academe have changed the way ethnomusicology is conducted all over the world. Increasingly, many tourists, travellers, academicians and bureaucrats are finding less time to engage in field work while such fascination for the "exotic" has not really disappeared. Even local enthusiasts who have become jet setters are drawn into the virtual environment afforded by the internet and jet travel --- spending a few days in one place, make recordings, videos and interviews and returning to their home countries, write detailed description and analysis of the experience in an exotic place, other than their own.
How can one aptly describe this condition? Many are today are burdened by old age, and late interest in the field of music research. But they are equipped with power, influence and money... hence they can fly to any part of the world, access archives, hire assistants and easily publish.
This type of work affords almost anyone to gain information by accessing the internet, with millions of web pages, some carefully worked out, the rest are amateurish and mundane. In many ways, the world wide web is helpful... similar to the travelogues that were written in the age of colonialism, materials from which scholars have drawn some vital information and link or clue to future studies. Armchair ethnomusicologists are no different from the colonial administrators in the nineteenth century, who interviewed their "informants" in the comfort of their offices, without going to the field itself.
Today on the web, we find travel blogs, complete with pictures and videos that were taken in situ but without the "ethnographic detail" that goes with long term field studies. These are easily accessed by students in many universities and colleges today... Students have easily turn away from serious books and articles and find it easier and more comfortable to work with online materials, encyclopedias and blogs.
Hence, the field of ethnomusicology itself has turned away from the classic concerns, as new generations of students and scholars are more adapted to the contemporary world of virtuality and the computer.
This paradigm shift has left the field with little expansion of the knowledge of the music and music cultures of the world. More and more texts about music are written to make the reader understand the phenomena of music in their own terms and seldom would they be understood in the context of the culture of the subject.
The decline in extended field studies of months and years is now substituted with quick three-four-day sorties, accompanied by local researchers, and sometimes equipped with sophisticated recording machines. Internet sites are now more accessible, hence data derived from these sites remain unverified and validated.
This work in progress seeks to explore the varieties of new representations of music in the twenty-first century. What epistemological questions can arise as music is now apprehended in a much more drastic alteration of the field – as “ethnomusicologists” and the “natives” now both interact in virtual and digital space. This question further implicates the nature of musical knowledge --- what can validate knowledge in an era of information technology.
February 3, 2013"
A recent post on a forthcoming conference on "Mundane Mapping and Grounded Truths: Ethnographies of Geographic Labor in Conservation" introduced a similar phenomena, saying "many scholars have begun to explore the positionality and practices of “bench” laboratory scientists, ecological field workers, and geographers themselves"
Research Interests:
This study documents the making of one of Jose Maceda's seminal music compositions, Ugnayan. Originally titled "Atmospheres", it was later changed to "Ugnayan." The work, preserved in notation, analog and digital recordings, was written... more
This study documents the making of one of Jose Maceda's seminal music compositions, Ugnayan. Originally titled "Atmospheres", it was later changed to "Ugnayan." The work, preserved in notation, analog and digital recordings, was written for broadcast in all radio stations in Manila on January 1, 1974.
The preparations took three months from October to December, 1973. We started procuring musical instruments in October, and began notating a huge 120 page score. Using tracing paper, Maceda started notating in October. He later invited me and Ruben Federizon to notate some of the sections, primarily those which were formulaic. The tracing papers (numbering more than 60, including the title page).were then printed on blueprint paper and were bound. The recording of the music took place in the studios of Radio Veritas. We spent 5 days recording the 20 tapes, where I performed as player #1, together with several others who alternated for the 4 other parts per tape. Maceda played in tape # 1, beating bangibang (Ifugao wooden sticks). Three scores were used for the recording - two for the performers and one for Maceda. As in his other compositions, Pagsamba (1967), Cassettes 100 (1969), and Udlot-Udlot (1974), one person held pieces of paper indicating the time, divided in minutes.
The first performance of the work was held during the late hours of the fifth day, after finishing the twenty tapes. The ten broadcast studios spinned two tapes each. All those who participated lingered along the long corridor of the ten studios, as we listened, mesmerised, to the premiere of this work.
The radio broadcast was held on January 1, 1974, where some 33 radio stations in Metro Manila aired the music (13 radio stations were airing duplicates of 13 tapes).
Maceda composed seven works from 1963 to 1975, which can be considered as the first period -- Ugma-Ugma (1963), Agungan (1965), Kubing (1966), Pagsamba (1968), Cassettes 100 (1971). The progression in the use of music structures (drones, melodies, sound cells, sound textures) can be traced through all these five works, leading to Ugnayan (1974), and finally Udlot-Udlot (1975).
The preparations took three months from October to December, 1973. We started procuring musical instruments in October, and began notating a huge 120 page score. Using tracing paper, Maceda started notating in October. He later invited me and Ruben Federizon to notate some of the sections, primarily those which were formulaic. The tracing papers (numbering more than 60, including the title page).were then printed on blueprint paper and were bound. The recording of the music took place in the studios of Radio Veritas. We spent 5 days recording the 20 tapes, where I performed as player #1, together with several others who alternated for the 4 other parts per tape. Maceda played in tape # 1, beating bangibang (Ifugao wooden sticks). Three scores were used for the recording - two for the performers and one for Maceda. As in his other compositions, Pagsamba (1967), Cassettes 100 (1969), and Udlot-Udlot (1974), one person held pieces of paper indicating the time, divided in minutes.
The first performance of the work was held during the late hours of the fifth day, after finishing the twenty tapes. The ten broadcast studios spinned two tapes each. All those who participated lingered along the long corridor of the ten studios, as we listened, mesmerised, to the premiere of this work.
The radio broadcast was held on January 1, 1974, where some 33 radio stations in Metro Manila aired the music (13 radio stations were airing duplicates of 13 tapes).
Maceda composed seven works from 1963 to 1975, which can be considered as the first period -- Ugma-Ugma (1963), Agungan (1965), Kubing (1966), Pagsamba (1968), Cassettes 100 (1971). The progression in the use of music structures (drones, melodies, sound cells, sound textures) can be traced through all these five works, leading to Ugnayan (1974), and finally Udlot-Udlot (1975).
Research Interests:
"Final draft submitted to the editors of Musika Jornal 4 2008, University of the Philippines Ethnomusicology Center.Bamboo, Bronze Drums and Gongs. A Musical Exchange in Maritime Asia. A Review Essay of Jose Maceda. Gongs and Bamboo. A... more
"Final draft submitted to the editors of Musika Jornal 4 2008, University of the Philippines Ethnomusicology Center.Bamboo, Bronze Drums and Gongs. A Musical Exchange in Maritime Asia. A Review Essay of Jose Maceda. Gongs and Bamboo. A Panorama of Philippine Music Instruments. Quezon City: University of the Philippines (1998). In Musika Jornal 4, pp. 198-215. Quezon City: University of the Philippines Ethnomusicology Center."
The printed article was substantially revised by the editors, with incomplete sentences, deleted keywords, rearranged paragraphs with changed headings, missing citations, and the bibliography reduced to half. A fine example how editorial practices censor ideas, and do not inform the author.
The printed article was substantially revised by the editors, with incomplete sentences, deleted keywords, rearranged paragraphs with changed headings, missing citations, and the bibliography reduced to half. A fine example how editorial practices censor ideas, and do not inform the author.
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Nicolas 2008 review Maceda Gongs and Bamboo, Musika Jornal 4 2008 print copy. This print copy was substantially revised by the editors, with incomplete sentences, deleted keywords like biomusicology, rearranged paragraphs with changed... more
Nicolas 2008 review Maceda Gongs and Bamboo, Musika Jornal 4 2008 print copy. This print copy was substantially revised by the editors, with incomplete sentences, deleted keywords like biomusicology, rearranged paragraphs with changed headings, missing citations, and the bibliography reduced to half. To compare how editorial practices censor ideas, see original version submitted to the editors, appended to the print copy.
Research Interests:
Writing a good review requires expertise in the field, an intimate knowledge of research methods, a critical mind, the ability to give fair and constructive feedback, and sensitivity to the feelings of authors on the receiving end.
The comparative study of bronze music cultures in Asia can be generally examined in terms of three types of musical instruments --- bells, bronze drums and gongs --- the three having distinct, separate chronologies, histories and contexts... more
The comparative study of bronze music cultures in Asia can be generally examined in terms of three types of musical instruments --- bells, bronze drums and gongs --- the three having distinct, separate chronologies, histories and contexts but may have links in metallurgy, techniques in manufacture and music structures.
Several studies point to China as the source of metal production in Southeast Asia, although there are sites in Thailand that point to indigenous manufacture with possible links with India and Vietnam. The sources of bronze technology for casting musical instruments, alloying and production, whether these are made by using moulds, or lost wax casting are varied.
The music of bronze musical instruments in Asia can be best characterized with the elements of drone and melody, beats of four and gong structures.
The bronze bells in China reached its peak during the Zhou Dynasty in the bronze bell chimes of Marquis Yi of Zeng in Hubei (ca. 433 BCE).
Bronze drums appeared around the 4th to early 3rd century BCE in Wanjiaba, south China, in Dong Son from the mid 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE, and in Indonesia, around the 3rd century BCE to mid-first millennium CE. No bronze drums have been found so far in the Philippines.
Flat gongs and bossed gongs have been found in shipwrecks in maritime Asia. Flat gongs first appear in the 10th century Tanjung Simpang shipwreck, north Borneo.
Bossed gongs were already found in the 10th century Butuan (Mindanao) shipwreck,12th-13th century Java Sea wreck, and 13th century Rang Kwien (Thailand).
The new dating of the bossed gong at the Butuan Shipwreck to the 10th century is therefore contemporaneous with the 10th century flat gongs in the Tanjung Simpang shipwreck of the coast of notth Borneo. By the 10th century then, flat gongs and bossed gongs were already in circulation along Mindanao (possibly up to Luzon in the north) and north Borneo.
Bossed gongs are carved in bas reliefs in the 14th century Panataran temple, east Java, and in the 16th century north gallery-east wing of the 12th century Angkor Wat.
Metal analyses of selected bells and bronze drums in Asia show high copper (Cu) content between 97 to 45 percent, while bossed gongs between 85 to 70 percent, and flat gongs 77 to 60 percent. Flat gongs, bossed gongs and bronze drums contain about 23 percent tin (Sn), while bells have only 17 percent tin content.
A subsequent study of tuning systems for ensembles of bells, bronze drums and gongs will show further relationships in musical concepts and performance.
Several studies point to China as the source of metal production in Southeast Asia, although there are sites in Thailand that point to indigenous manufacture with possible links with India and Vietnam. The sources of bronze technology for casting musical instruments, alloying and production, whether these are made by using moulds, or lost wax casting are varied.
The music of bronze musical instruments in Asia can be best characterized with the elements of drone and melody, beats of four and gong structures.
The bronze bells in China reached its peak during the Zhou Dynasty in the bronze bell chimes of Marquis Yi of Zeng in Hubei (ca. 433 BCE).
Bronze drums appeared around the 4th to early 3rd century BCE in Wanjiaba, south China, in Dong Son from the mid 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE, and in Indonesia, around the 3rd century BCE to mid-first millennium CE. No bronze drums have been found so far in the Philippines.
Flat gongs and bossed gongs have been found in shipwrecks in maritime Asia. Flat gongs first appear in the 10th century Tanjung Simpang shipwreck, north Borneo.
Bossed gongs were already found in the 10th century Butuan (Mindanao) shipwreck,12th-13th century Java Sea wreck, and 13th century Rang Kwien (Thailand).
The new dating of the bossed gong at the Butuan Shipwreck to the 10th century is therefore contemporaneous with the 10th century flat gongs in the Tanjung Simpang shipwreck of the coast of notth Borneo. By the 10th century then, flat gongs and bossed gongs were already in circulation along Mindanao (possibly up to Luzon in the north) and north Borneo.
Bossed gongs are carved in bas reliefs in the 14th century Panataran temple, east Java, and in the 16th century north gallery-east wing of the 12th century Angkor Wat.
Metal analyses of selected bells and bronze drums in Asia show high copper (Cu) content between 97 to 45 percent, while bossed gongs between 85 to 70 percent, and flat gongs 77 to 60 percent. Flat gongs, bossed gongs and bronze drums contain about 23 percent tin (Sn), while bells have only 17 percent tin content.
A subsequent study of tuning systems for ensembles of bells, bronze drums and gongs will show further relationships in musical concepts and performance.
Research Interests:
This online presentation is a survey and description of gongs in the bas reliefs in several temples in Java, dating from the 13 th to the 15 th century CE, and in the north gallery-east wing, dated 16 th century, in the 12 th century... more
This online presentation is a survey and description of gongs in the bas reliefs in several temples in Java, dating from the 13 th to the 15 th century CE, and in the north gallery-east wing, dated 16 th century, in the 12 th century Angkor Wat in Cambodia. It raises the question of presence of representation of gongs in temple bas-reliefs in Java and Angkor, and their absence in earlier temples in Champa (7 th century onwards), Kedah, Malaysia (7 th century onwards), Sukhothai (13 th century) and Ayutthaya (14 th century), Thailand.
Research Interests:
Ang Mga Kulintang at Sulu is a long playing record produced by the Department of Music Research, College of Music, University of the Philippines in 1977. The recordings are selected from the archives of DMR, with notes taken from the... more
Ang Mga Kulintang at Sulu is a long playing record produced by the Department of Music Research, College of Music, University of the Philippines in 1977. The recordings are selected from the archives of DMR, with notes taken from the field data and recordings by Jose Maceda, Luis Lacar, Usopay Cadar, Robert Garfias, Ma. Elenita Paulate, Ricardo Trimillos Thomas Kiefer, Alain Martenot, Verna Mamicpic and Arsenio NIcolas (1953-1976).