Name : Fadial Jamaludin

Matrix No : JEB 120708

Course Module : JFEA2310 Seni Muzik (Semester 2, 2013-14)
Discussion Topic :
a. Chopyak. 1986. Music in modern Malaysia. A survey of the musics affecting the
development of Malaysian popular music.
b. Tan. 1997. The 78rpm Record Industry in Malaya Prior to World War II.

1.0 Introduction
Malaysia music dates back to at least 1000 years ago (Andaya and Andaya 1982:14).
Certainly this length of time would have certain impact on the music scene in Malaysia.
History as we know it Malacca, Penang and Singapore was once a port of call for many
traders. Many traders came from all over the world to get a piece of the trading pie. This fact
has certainly a role to play in the music scene in Malaysia. As quoted from Andaya and
Andaya (1982:299) that Malaysia was exposed to to a continuing progression of ideas from
abroad" as it has been in direct contact and influence from all over the world. The rich history
of Malaysia which was once a colony of the British and the Japanese invasion too played its
role in the music development of Malaysia.
2.0 Music In Malaysia
The two articles by James Chopyak and Tan Sooi Beng, discusses on the topic of music in
Malaysia. Though music is the focus but what seemingly is different is the approach towards
development of music in Malaysia. This will be discussed in the following parts of this essay.
2.1 Music in Modern Malaysia by James Chopyak
James Chopyak in his article gave an insight on the origins and the present status of the
genres of music in Malaysia that have had some influences on or interactions with the
development or performance of Malaysian popular music. Malaysia has the potential as a
music hub for Malay music as it has the largest number of Malays in terms of its population.
In fact the number of Malays residing in Malaysia is the highest in the world. Chopyak
dwelled into the subject matter by classifying and mentioning all music genres that can be
found in Malaysia. Music in Malaysia can be divided into traditional and western types.
Traditional music is usually associated with the traditional theatre forms such as Mak Yong,
Wayang Kulit, Kuda Kepang and many more. This music genre is popular amongst the rural
dwellers that consider these as minor entertainment activities in their spare time.
Basically this type of music performed mainly by percussion-dominated ensembles
which include combinations of three types of instruments, namely the:
a. wind instruments, such as the serunai, pinai, seruling and selumprit flutes.
b. drum-sounds instruments such as the gendang, geduk, gedombak, rebana,
kompang and jidor drums.
c. percussion instruments such as gong, kesi, kenong, gambang kayu, bonang,
d. string instruments such as the rebab.
In Chopyaks article, it can be deduced that many of the traditional music in Malaysia
is a variation from the asli music. The name asli itself means original. (Coope 1976:13).
Being original, there is a higher chance that the asli music is the basic essence of all
traditional music in Malaysia namely Joget, Inang, Langgam and many more. This is
strengthen by the fact that most of the other music genres uses the same type of instruments
as the asli with one or two varitations. In the early development of music in Malaysia, it was
dominated by the beat of the rebana, sound of the gongs and the wind instrument like flute.
The influence of Arab (rebana) and Europe (windpipe) can be seen in the early stages of the
music scene in Malaysia.
A little tweak to the rhythm and tempo to the original asli music gave birth to new
genre of traditional music in Malaysia. For example, the Zapin music tempo is always fast
and upbeat. The influence of Arabian music is notable in Zapin music with a flavor of
Malaysia traditional music. The instruments used is standard with the instruments used in asli
music with an addition of one or two more, like the gambus and maracas (of which are
Arabic music instruments).
2.2 The 78RPM Record Industry by Tan Sooi Beng
Tan Sooi Beng in his article gave a very detailed development of the gramaphone industry
leading up to just before World War II in late 1930s. The 78 rpm disc reigned supreme as the
accepted recording medium for many years being the only medium used to record songs and
its ability to bring songs into homes. This was an important development to the music
industry in the world. The invention of the gramaphone as a form of mass media would later
bring an added impetus to the music industry and the formation of new and various music
genre. Focusing in Malaysia, the development of the gramaphone industry was some how
responsible for bringing the music scene to a higher level and it was responsible for
producing many singers and entertainers. This was achieved through its singing and its talent
search competitions.
3.0 Transformations to Media
Both the articles are products of the ever expanding music industry in Malaysia. The papers
would not have been produced if the music industry in Malaysia was not as vibrant or that
music development in Malaysia was stagnant. Malaysia with its rich historical background
and its contact with outside influences like Arab, India and British adds colours to its music
scene in Malaysia. Having said that, there are some other factors that brought about the
vibrant music scene in Malaysia. This will be discussed in the parts that follows.

3.1 Malacca as the Port of Call
The people that came to Malacca brought along their culture and tradition. This has some
bearings to the emergence of new culture in Malaysia and the marrying of cultures blending
into the Malay culture. The very marked example that is worth mentioning is the Zapin.
Zapin was wholly brought in from Yemen by the Arab traders who settled in Johor, however
with time and values, Zapin in Malaysia, has undergone certain transformations and moulded
into an art form with some Malay essence.
3.2 British Invasion
The invasion of Malaya by the British brought with them many cultures and influences into
Malysia. One of the culture that has a direct influence in the music culture is the cabaret
culture. The presence of British troops in Malaya brought the need and demands for many
night clubs and joget clubs in Malaysia. This notably adds colour and vibrancy to the
nightlife in Malaysia. Western influence was considered new and up to date in urban cities
like Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. The Malays in order to be considered modern, patronise
these clubs wearing western suits. This can be visible in P Ramlee films in the late 70s.
Indirectly, the nightclub culture too paved the way and emergence for the new singers and
entertainers into the arts scene in Malaysia. Clubs with new and upcoming singers were able
to draw large crowds and became very popular. The domino effect of this is that the music
scene in Malaysia bloomed as well.
The Japanese came after the British but it can be said that not much progress in the
music scene was recorded during that time. The Japanese occupation period was recorded as
a time of much hardship and atrocities for Malaya and the people suffered much.
3.3 The Introduction of Radio
The history of radio in Malaya began in the year 1921 when an electrical engineer from the
Johor Government, A.L. Birch, brought the first radio set into the country. In 1921 A.L Birch,
the chief electrical engineer of the Johore state government, experimented with a Peto Scott
type of wireless set obtained from overseas (Malay Mail July 30 1921). The introduction of
the radio marks a further boost to the music industry in Malaysia. Radio stations requires
music to be played as their main source of entertainment for the masses. This paved way for
the requisiton for singers and songs. Amicably the music industry grew steadily and healthily
in Malaysia. The radio became a new media for singers to air their songs and soon music and
radio grew into an industry. Until today the lucrative radio industry is worth millions of
dollars and is providing people with livelihood.
4.0 Summary
Singers like Siti Nurhalizah, Noranizah Idris, S M Salim and composers like Pak Ngah have
taken the opportunity to revamp the traditional music into contemporary ones and hitting it on
the charts. For example the song Cindai by Siti Nurhaliza is categorised as an ethnic song
and the song was a hit in 1997. Nuranizah Idris too made the dikir barat song Dikir Puteri a
hit in 1997 and her ever popular song Awallah Dongdang in 1997 was a major hit. Both
singers jumped on the traditional genre to produce fantastic and hit songs. This are evidences
that music in Malaysia are never stagnant and it is constantly moving. This too is an
indication that traditional genre music still has its place in Malaysia.




Bibliography
Andaya, Barbara Watson and Leonard Y.Andaya, 1982. A history of Malaysia. London:
The Macmillan Press Ltd.
Coope, A.E. 1976. Macmillans Malay-English, English-Malay Dictionary. London:
Macmillan Education Ltd.