Angklung Soars More

From the Land of Sunda, the Indonesian Republic Government is fighting for the declaration of angklung instrument as the global heritage.

TEKS by Doddi Ahmad Fauji dan Devi Apriani

The area is beautiful and flourished by trees, located in the eastern part of Bandung. When evening sets in, it becomes crowded. Tens of children are dropped off by their parents, and there are those who come in cars of tour buses. What’s going on in there?

There; concerts of angklung music are constantly held. It is Sundanese people’s traditional music, and it is the angklung concert that has become the attraction of the place namely the Saung Angklung UJO (SAU). SAU is one of the many numbers of musical groups that concentrate on angklung music in West Java. It can be said that SAU is the one most active and tirelessly preserves the angklung and makes the angklung music a favorite, and even copycatted by musicians from the Neighboring Land of Malaysia.

In that country even, there is an area where angklung is frequently played, with a poster that mentions that angklung is Malaysian traditional music that is also recognized by artists from East Java. This is a misleading poster, because in Indonesia, angklung is commonly played by musicians from West Java.
Besides SAU, the art group that introduces angklung to foreign lands is the Kabumi fron Indonesian Educational University. There is also the choir from Pasundan University or Bandung Technology University that plays the angklung.

Although in Indonesia angklung is identified more as the possession of Sundanese artists, but those who play the angklung and instruments of sort are not just Sundanese artists. One of the references on the Samanyata bulletin Edition II/2009 published by the Department of Culture and Tourism mentioned that according to Dr. Groneman, angklung had already been a favorite of the entire Nation even before the Hindu era.

In Bali, for example, angklung is played also, especially in the events of ngaben (cremation ceremony). The Baduy Kanekes of South Banten also plays the angklung at time of cropping or yielding paddy fields. In Jati Village of Serang, the term angklung gubrag is known as the instrument that is played at times of village collective clearout, and as for the commencement of field cultivation, the Kulonprogo calls it the angklung krumpyung.

According to Yaap Kunst in Music in Java, angklung is also mentioned to exist in South Sumatra and Kalimantan (Soetigna in Sumarsono and Pirous, 2007: 2008). According to several info, angklung is also known in West Kalimantan, which item is kept in the Indische Institute Museum in Holland, listed in the catalogue No. 1297/1-2 dan 1767/1-3.

According to catalogue No. 40/58, traditional angklung is also played in Lampung. While in the Land of Sunda alone, angklung has various names such as the Angklung Badeng, Angklung Buncis, Angklung Dogdog lojor, Angklung Badud, Angklung Gubrag, Angklung Bungko.

The map of angklung expansion above shows that the musical instrument for the same sort of angklung is actually not only known by the people of West Java. It could well be too that the artists of our neighboring country knows angklung beforehand, remembering the existence of bamboo there. However, the type of angklung as we know it now is assured as the modification made by Daeng Soetigna, one of the angklung artists from West Java who was the most persistent in preserving angklung.

In the Samanya bulletin, it is said that in the year 1938, Daeng Soetigna who was a teacher at the Hollandsch Inlandsche School (HIS) of Kuningan District, West Java; was successful in developing modern angklung, that was only in pentatonic tones, to be made in diatonic. This angklung is commonly called the Angklung Daeng or Angklung Padaeng.In 1968, Daeng received the honor of “Cultural Satyalencana Honors” from the Republic of Indonesia. Since then Daeng mentioned the motto for angklung as the cheap, simple, educating, and attractive musical instrument.

In 1950, Daeng Soetigna developed the diatonic angklung in the City of Bandung. It was here that Daeng found a highly talented and eager student namely Udjo Ngalagena. After Daeng Soetigna departed, Udjo loyally concentrated on angklung to date. It is the place where he developed the angklung that stands in the beautiful and flourished area of East Bandung.

Taufik Hidayat, SAU operational Director explained that, Daeng Soetigna is an inseparable part of the Saung angklung Udjo's establishment, for it was from the said artist that Udjo’s interest in angklung grew stronger. Located in Padasuka 188 Street of East Bandung, at the beginning Saung angklung Udjo was only a common residence.

However, due to the interest that Udjo Ngalagena and his wife Uum sumiati have towards angklung, their house was finally turned into an angklung manufacturer. With time, the angklung manufacturer spot became known and started to get visits from foreign tourists. From there, Saung Angklung Udjo began its development into the sundanese culture art tourism destination as it is now.

The Indonesian Republic Government, through the Directorate General of Art Culture and Film Value (NSBF) of the Tourism and Culture Department, is fighting for angklung to be enlisted the global heritage. All of the requirements for that fight has been fulfilled and gone through. And now, we are all in wait for the juror that was assembled by Unesco to decide. Best of Luck.

Why should angklung be fought for as a global heritage? It is because angklung music is not only entertainment, but also guidance. In angklung music, there are values of discipline, awareness of duty and obligation, democratic, tolerance, confidence, collective work, precision, swift, and responsibility. Angklung cannot be played alone. That is why, cooperation is the important key in an angklung musical concert.

Source: arti special edition 2010