Malay Popular Songs of Deli, Minang and Minahasa: The Dynamism of Song Characteristics, the Identities of Linguistic, and Musical Expression

Abstract

One of the varieties of popular music of Indonesia is the so-called Nyanyian Populer Daerah (regional pop songs) which usually employs areal dialect, as well as characteristic melodic styles and expression. The number of these genres in Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula is countless, since there exist so many local dialects, and musical expression can be found in all of these regions. This research focuses only on three areal pop songs, two found on the Sumatra Islands and one found in North Sulawesi. The two genres found on the Sumatra islands (Deli and Minang) are exceptional as being the chief genres which received its influences from the characteristics of the original Malay songs, while the other one comes from Minahasa, the music of which has possesses its own peculiar different melodic styles, but provides the same type of expression in singing. This research employed fieldwork, as well as study of the selected recordings available on various types of social media, including Youtube, etc. During the fieldwork, informal interviews were taken from a number of selected local musicians and singers. The collected data from the fieldwork then was interpreted and analysed (in the form of object analysis) by means of musical theory perspectives and aesthetical criticism. As it is presented here, this research is not in the least comparative, but allows the readers to enjoy the similarities and the differences of the genres. It was discovered that all the genres shared similar Malay musical idioms in traditional narratives, as well as oral cultures which demonstrate the dynamism of changes and sustainability of the local dialects as linguistic expression. Suggestions for further research is quite vital, since there are still many musical and aesthetical values waiting their turn to undergo research for future documentation and enhancement of shared values.