By: Selamat Walmanto Hia

History of Angklung

The Angklung is an Indonesian original musical instrument. The region most famous for the Angklung is West Java. It is made of bamboo, from the main body of the Angklung to its stand. Most Angklungs play a single note. An Angklung is played simply by shaking it and it will produce sound with a certain note. When someone shakes the instrument, the bamboo tube is being "hit" and produces sound. When angklung is shaken continuously, the impression of bamboo tube being hit disappears and what materializes is actually a sound that is similar to that of a wind instrument like the flute. Angklung in the Balinese mythology, consist of two words, angka which mean is tone, and lung which mean is broken, incomplete, or gone.

Angklung has its special functions related to religious and ritual matters. Angklung played to honor the Dewi Sri as the Goddess of Fertility in Indonesian’s ancient believe. Beside functioned as religious and ritual matters, it also used for the entertainment purposes. In this function, Angklung played along with other Sundanese traditional arts and culture, and later played as musical background in traditional dancing or traditional plays.

Popularization of Angklung

Modernization and arrangement of Angklung into diatonic tone scale, has made it popularized and be known and also could be played many international and popular songs. It makes Angklung developing and spreading not only in West Java region, it becomes popular even out of Indonesia. In the early 20th century, the Angklung was adopted in Thailand, where it is called Angkalung. The Thai Angklung are typically tuned in the Thai tuning system of seven equidistant steps per octave, and each angklung has three bamboo tubes tuned in three separate octaves rather than two, as is typical in Indonesia.

Angklung had also been adopted by its Andonesian neighbours, inparticularly Malaysia and the Philippines, where they are rather played as part of bamboo xylophone orchestras. Formally introduced into Malaysia sometime after the end of confrontation, it found immediate popularity. It makes Malaysia tried to make Angklung as their patent as a claim that Angklung is originated from Malaysia, it makes many of Indonesian protest this issue. Popularization of Angklung also had been spread in some country in Europe and some student who study abroad and love Angklung has helped to popularize Angklung.

Popularization of Angklung in Taiwan

Angklung as traditional musical ensemble introduced by some of Indonesian students in National Taiwan University of Science and Technology (NTUST-ISA), who love to play Angklung. The group performed for the first time in the Indonesian Culture Exhibition (ICE) 2006 as part of Indonesian Student Association - NTUST participation in introducing of Indonesian culture among the campus society, and another group performed again in ICE 2007.

Several performances have been done since our firs performance in 2006. We have performed in many events, such as NTUST International Student Welcoming Party Fall 2007, where various student from different nationalities participated in this event. Beside that Angklung performance has actively participate in some International cultural events, like International Cultural Exhibition in NTUST. In that event we teached a group of local student to play Angklung, and happily they have performed two songs in that event.

NTUST-ISA tried to broaden Angklung group activities by participating in some cultural events in and outside kampus. Angklung did take part in Indonesian Day in Daan Park which arranged by Taiwan Government. Angklung performer also has invited by Chinese Hydraulic and Construction Engineer Society to perform in their dinner meeting, in November 2007. We also performed in the International Cultural Exhibition – National Taiwan Normal University, the most popular language center in Taiwan.

Besides giving performances in several cultural activities and university events, we also hold a workshop. The workshop is designed as part of Indonesian Cultural Exhibition 2008. We designed one day for workshop to introduce what is Angklung, and how to play it. The workshop's participants get an exercise on how play the instrument and if one of them is qualified than will get a chance to play it together with the ISA angklung group at the third/last day of Exhibition.

To strengthen our Angklung group and broadening popularization of Angklung in Taiwan, we planned to buy new Angklung about 2 set which will be provided by Indonesian Representative Office in Taipei. And it is as part of our culture exchange program and our participation to popularize and globalize Angklung as Indonesian tradisional music instrument through entire Taiwan. And we hope in next future the dream comes true that Taiwan Angklung Tour will be held as well.

References:

http://www.angklung-udjo.co.id/content/view/19/37/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angklung

www.lancs.ac.uk/postgrad/syuhada/angklung/

www.thai-blogs.com/index.php?blog=5&p=937...

www.kbriwina.at/.../03411c991812bf006/index.php

Laporan Kegiatan NTUST-ISA 2006

Laporan Kegiatan NTUST-ISA 2007

FTP NTUST-ISA