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Musical Nationalism in Indonesia

The Rise and Fall of Lagu Seriosa

  • Book
  • © 2021

Overview

Authors:
  1. Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed

    1. Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia

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  • Provides a new perspective on Lagu Seriosa in relation to the development of Indonesian nationalism in the postcolonial period
  • Proposes constructive ideas on how to preserve this genre of Indonesian music for it to endure in the contemporary imagination
  • Presents a unique interdisciplinary intersection between Indonesian history, politics, arts, and cultural studies

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Table of contents (15 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxxi
    Download chapter PDF

  2. The Rise and Fall of Lagu Seriosa

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
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    2. The Importance of Lagu Seriosa

      • Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed
      Pages 3-19

    3. The Evolution of the Genre

      • Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed
      Pages 21-39

    4. Gatekeepers, Singers, and Ansambel Gembira

      • Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed
      Pages 41-55

    5. The Decline of the Genre

      • Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed
      Pages 57-65

  3. A New Song: Exemplars of the Lagu Seriosa Genre

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 67-68
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    2. “Kisah Mawar Di Malam Hari” (1953)

      • Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed
      Pages 69-82

    3. “Kabut” (1960)

      • Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed
      Pages 83-95

    4. “Bukit Kemenangan” (Circa 1960)

      • Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed
      Pages 97-111

    5. “Puisi Rumah Bambu” (Circa 1962)

      • Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed
      Pages 113-123

    6. “Lukisan Tanah Air” (1985)

      • Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed
      Pages 125-134

    7. Reflections

      • Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed
      Pages 135-141

  4. Lagu Seriosa as the National Genre of Indonesia

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 143-146
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    2. A Reflection of the Nation

      • Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed
      Pages 147-158

    3. Choirs and the Revolution

      • Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed
      Pages 159-166

    4. The Role of Music in the Revolution

      • Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed
      Pages 167-182

    5. Threats to the Art World

      • Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed
      Pages 183-191

    6. Conclusion

      • Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed
      Pages 193-204

  5. Back Matter

    Pages 205-234
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Keywords

About this book

This book charts the growth of the Indonesian nationalistic musical genre of lagu seriosa in relation to the archipelago's history in the 1950s and 1960s, examining how folk songs were implemented as a valuable tool for promoting government propaganda. The author reveals how the genre was shaped to fit state ideologies and agendas in the Sukarno and Soeharto eras. It also reveals the very significant role played by Radio Republik Indonesia in the genre’s development and dissemination. Little research has been done to investigate how Indonesian music contributed to nation-building during Indonesia’s immediate post-colonial period. Emulating the European art song, the genre was adapted to compose songs with the purpose of promoting a strengthened collective Indonesian identity, fostered by a group of musicians who functioned as gatekeepers, monitoring and devising various mechanisms for songs to conform to the propagandistic needs of the Indonesian government at the time. The result wasthe development of classical style of singing and the cultivation of a patriotic collection of music during the Guided Democracy period (1959–1965), which peaked at the height of the Konfrontasi (1963–1966). Lagu seriosa lost popularity as popular music infiltrated Indonesia in the 1970s, but it remains an iconic yet understudied aspect of the nationalistic agenda in Indonesia. The case studies of selected songs reflected continuity and change in musical style and over time. This book is of interest to scholars studying the intersection between history, politics, identity, arts and cultural studies in Indonesia. It is also of interest to researchers investigating the role of music in identity formation and nation-building more widely.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Malaysia

    Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed

About the author

Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed is Associate Professor of Music at Universiti Teknologi MARA in Malaysia. She completed her Ph.D. at Monash University. She holds a Master of Arts in Performance Studies from City University, London, and The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music (Hons.) from Bath Spa University.  Her research focuses on performance practice, performativity, the politics of song,  music, identity and nationalism, specifically relating to the Malay and Indonesian Archipelago, and Southeast Asia more widely. 

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Musical Nationalism in Indonesia

  • Book Subtitle: The Rise and Fall of Lagu Seriosa

  • Authors: Sharifah Faizah Syed Mohammed

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6950-4

  • Publisher: Springer Singapore

  • eBook Packages: History, History (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-33-6949-8Published: 21 March 2021

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-981-33-6952-8Published: 21 March 2022

  • eBook ISBN: 978-981-33-6950-4Published: 20 March 2021

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXXI, 234

  • Number of Illustrations: 25 b/w illustrations, 7 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Asian History, Music, Political Science, Asian Culture, Anthropology

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