“Gambang Semarang”, Acculturation of Two Nations

Name: “Gambang Semarang”, Acculturation of Two Nations
Uploaded: 2021-02-13T05:36:04Z
Duration: 20 min 32 s
Description: There are a number of initiatives to promote Gambang Semarang as a cultural identity of Semarang City.

There are a number of initiatives to promote Gambang Semarang as a cultural identity of Semarang City.

Aditya Putra Perdana

· 6 minutes read

There are a number of initiatives to promote Gambang Semarang as a cultural identity of Semarang City. The xylophone-like instrument has become a bowl of Chinese and Indonesian acculturation on the northern coast of Java.

A set of bronze gamelan welcomes visitors on the south side of the Building D of the Ronggowarsito Museum in Semarang, Central Java. On the gong frame is written "Sentra Gambang Semarang" (Gambang Semarang Center). The shiny gamelan is placed on a wooden frame, in striking red. It has become a witness in the struggle for the preservation of the Semarang xylophone art.

From the physical appearance, compared to gamelan in general, there is a clear difference in the red color that represents the Chinese culture.

The set of the gamelans was inherited by the late Dimyanto Jayadi, an art figure and founder of the Gambang Semarang Center. The equipment has been in the collection of the Ronggowarsito Museum since 2008.

"From the physical appearance, compared to gamelan in general, there is a clear difference in the red color that represents the Chinese culture. There is also a Chinese symbol, ” Leila Nurhayati Dewi, the head of the Conservation Section of the Ronggowarsito Museum said in Semarang on Thursday afternoon (11/2/2021).

The Xylophone equipment inherited by Jayadi consists of peking, bonang and drums, which differentiates it from Javanese gamelan in general. As for the Gambang Semarang , as a whole, is actually a type of art that combines music, vocals, dance, and comedy. The presentation pattern is similar to lenong in Jakarta. The roots of this art are influenced by the Betawi gambang keromong, a traditional Betawi orchestra.

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However, so far the Gambang Semarang is more widely known as a combination of singing and dancing, even by residents of Semarang.

This is inseparable from the popularity of the song "Gambang Semarang", which is also known as “Ampat Penari", composed by Oey Yok Siang, with lyrics by Sidik Pramono, in the 1940s. The song is usually played in the xylophone art and has been sung by legendary artists such as Benyamin Sueb, Mus Mulyadi, to Ernie Djohan.

In Semarang, the song\'s melody has long been used at Semarang Tawang and Poncol Stations, as a sign of the arrival of the train. In a number of events, the song is played to accompany the typical Semarang dance, which generally consists of four dancers dressed in encim kebaya (Betawi style traditional woman cloth).

Rising concern about the people’s lack of understanding on the art of the Gembang Semarang has encouraged a number of young people to establish the Gambang Semarang Art Company (GSAC) in 2012. The establishment of the group was initiated by students of the Javanese arts department at the Diponegoro University (Undip).

The GSAC’s chairman, Tri Subekso, said that after the death of the gambang maestro Jayadi in Semarang in 2012, the regeneration of the arts had to be carried out to be able to preserve the arts. "We want the Gambang Semarang is used as an icon of the Semarang city and identified as performing arts, which do not only comprise of four dancers, ”he said.

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The GSAC did not only perform typical Semarang songs, but also several western songs, with additional musical instruments such as percussion and clarinet. Elements of Chinese string and wind music were also included like during its early development of the arts. The Chinese musical instrument players who used to practice at Tay Kak Sie Temple, Semarang, were also involved. GSAC, which usually involves about 40 people in each performance, initially performed twice a month. Now, they are targeting a large performance once a year.

In 2020, GSAC did not train or perform at all due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, GSAC is preparing virtual performances, which will be uploaded to YouTube. The virtual performances, according to the plan, will be released in several series.

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The preservation of the Gembang Semarang was also carried out by the Semarang Greget Dance Studio. Even though there is debate about whether the arts belong to Semarang or Betawi, Yoyok B. Priyambodo, caretaker of the Greget Dance Studio, does not care, because they are all ethnic coastal cultures.

The Gembang Semarang has been recognized by the Education and Culture Ministry. On the ministry’s website kemdikbud.g o.id, the Betawi gambang keromong from Jakarta was listed as an intangible cultural heritage in 2015 with registration number 201500224, while the Semarang gambang from Central Java was listed as an intangible cultural heritage in 2018 with registration number 201800726.

Acculturation

The Gambang Semarang was quite popular in the past. Starting in the 1930s, a member of the Semarang volksraad (people\'s council), Lie Hoo Soen, took the initiative to adopt the gambang keromong from Batavia, which combines gamelan and Chinese musical instruments. At that time, Semarang was deemed necessary to have similar distinctive arts. The initiative was approved by the burgemeester (mayor). Then, he bought a gembong keromong musical instrument and brought it to Semarang as well as the trainers.

Jayadi once said that in the 1930s, two of his aunts, Mpok Neni and Mpok Royom, came to Semarang to become gambang and keroncong singers. Meanwhile, Jayadi\'s father, Subadi, later followed them. The presence of the two singers was warmly welcomed, especially among Chinese descendants in the Chinatown area. "In 1939, my fathers’ sisters (mpok) formed the Semarang gambang group. They often play at the Gang Pinggir (Chinatown) Temple, ”said Jayadi (Kompas, 7/8/2004).

During the Japanese occupation (1941-1945), the sad tragedy occurred. The Gambang Semarang group established by Lie Hoo Soen was playing at a night market in Magelang when the Japanese army attacked. All the musical instruments were destroyed. Both singers disappeared. Since then, the Gambang Semarang group was led by Subadi and then Jayadi.

The condition for art to live and develop is that there should be artists and fans.

The head of the department of History, School of Cultural Sciences at Undip, Dhanang Respati Puguh, said that at the beginning of its development, the Gambang Semarang group used gambang keromong players from outside the town who were mostly of Chinese descent. "Some of them are Javanese and some are engaged in keroncong (local folk music). That\'s a form of acculturation, "he said.

A historical observer in Semarang, Jongkie Tio, in the book “The City of Semarang in Memories”, said that the Gambang Semarang arts was quite popular and liked by the public. However, in the 1960s, it began to be forgotten.