Raden Machjar Angga Koesoemadinata
Encyclopedia
Raden Machjar Angga Koesoemadinata (often written as Kusumadinata, Kusumahdinata, Kusumah Dinata, Anggakusumadinata; known as Pak Machjar or Pak Mahyar ; b. Sumedang
, 7 December 1902, d. Bandung
, 9 April 1979) is a Sundanese
music composer and an Indonesia
n Musicologist, specializing in pelog
and salendro. He invented the Sundanese
solfage system da mi na ti la and the Sundanese 17-tone model.
, Pak Machjar is widely known as a Sundanese
composer. He wrote Sundanese traditional songs; Lemah Cai (Our Native Land), Dewi Sartika, Sinom Puspasari, among others. He was also a playwright and director of Sundanese
music-dramas called 'Rinenggasari'; Sarkam-Sarkim, Satan Mindo Wahyu Revelation (Satan Personification as Divine Revelation), among others.
As a music theorist, he formulated Sundanese
solfage system da mi na ti la, and he wrote many theorerical publications on Sundanese music; Ilmu Seni Raras (Our Musical Art) (1969), Ringkesan Pangawikan Rinenggaswara (An outline of music theory) (1950), among others.
His long life research and experiment on tone and scale system brought him with his 17 –tone model Sundanese
tuning and scale system (1950), in which one octave consists of 17 equal intervals of 70 10/17 cents. This model has a complete tones and can be used for all Sundanese
(and also Western) tuning-scales system. (In a footnote, Weintraub (2001) mentions it is highly probable that Pak Machjar was aware of theories of 17-tone systems which had been developed for Persian art music, but another source close to Pak Machjar is more certain if he was not aware of the presence of other tonal system in the world other than western monochromatic 12 tonal scale, as he had no access to world literature on ethno-musicology).
Pak Machjar’s knowledge on the Sundanese
pelog
and salendro music system had been acquired since his youth by learning to play the gamelan
, rebab
and by learning how to sing Sundanese
tunes from Sundanese
master musicians and singers (Pak Etjen Basara, Pak Sura, Pak Natadiredjo, Pak Sai, Pak Idi, Pak Oetje, among others). He was introduced to science and western music theory when he was at the school for teachers (Kweekschool and Hogere Kweekaschool) in Sumedang
West Java
, where he started his research on frequency measurement of sounds from gamelan
instruments and Sundanese
singings. In 1923, he created the Sundanese solfege system da mi na ti la and he wrote a book of Sundanese
music theory, entitled Elmuning Kawih Sunda (Science of Sundanese music). After completed HKS, he worked as a teacher (1924-1932) while he continued his research on the theory of Sundanese
music.
Among important periods in his career was his meeting with Mr. Jaap Kunst
, a Dutch ethnomusicologist, between 1927-1929, who was conducting research on musical instruments in Java
and Bali
. Some exchange of knowledge occurred here, where from their collaboration, they jointly wrote published articles. He was often cited in Jaap Kunst
’s famous publication, De Toonkunst van Java (1934). During this period he obtained a better understanding on the frequencies of gamelan
and of vocal sounds and he started to perform frequency measurements using a monochord
, and he converted these frequency intervals into a logarithmic musical scale, using the concept of interval cents from Ellis (1884) and Hornbostel (1920) and music rule from Reiner.
In 1933, he was commissioned by the colonial government to form a Sundanese
music education system for all-indigenous schools in West Java
. After the independence of Indonesia
, from 1945 until 1947, he taught science, history and English for high school teachers in Bandung
. Then, the rest of his professional career was mainly as an expert for Department of Culture West Java
in Bandung
. He was also an adjunct lecturer at the Conservatory Karawitan
Surakarta
, Central Java
(1953-1959). In 1958 (to 1959) he was appointed as the director of and Conservatory Karawitan
in Bandung
.
headed by RA Sjukur Kesuma Dharma, Pak Machjar created a gamelan
named Ki Pembayun (means the first-born), which is the biggest ever bronz gamelan
in Indonesia
. This gamelan
was devoted to demonstrate Pak Machjar’s theory of 17-tone model tuning and scale system. Ki Pembayun was prepared for a Ramayana
international festival in Pandaan, Central Java
in 1971, but it never been played out side the rehearsal because it was too difficult to play. Learning new ways of playing the instrument requires time and dedication. It is very unfortunate that subsequently Ki Pembayun disappeared (lost). The only few photographs and some recordings of the gamelan
that survived may only be those that was taken and recorded by Dr. Margaret Kartomi, professor of music at Monash University
, Australia
.
Sumedang
Sumedang is a town in West Java, Indonesia, approximately 35 km northeast of Bandung.The town is famous for tahu Bungkeng, a local variety of deep fried tofu which was first made by a Chinese immigrant, Ong Kino....
, 7 December 1902, d. Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
, 9 April 1979) is a Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
music composer and an Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n Musicologist, specializing in pelog
Pelog
Pelog is one of the two essential scales of gamelan music native to Bali and Java, in Indonesia. The other scale commonly used is called slendro. Pelog has seven notes, but many gamelan ensembles only have keys for five of the pitches...
and salendro. He invented the Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
solfage system da mi na ti la and the Sundanese 17-tone model.
Biography
Among the Sundanese peopleSundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
, Pak Machjar is widely known as a Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
composer. He wrote Sundanese traditional songs; Lemah Cai (Our Native Land), Dewi Sartika, Sinom Puspasari, among others. He was also a playwright and director of Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
music-dramas called 'Rinenggasari'; Sarkam-Sarkim, Satan Mindo Wahyu Revelation (Satan Personification as Divine Revelation), among others.
As a music theorist, he formulated Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
solfage system da mi na ti la, and he wrote many theorerical publications on Sundanese music; Ilmu Seni Raras (Our Musical Art) (1969), Ringkesan Pangawikan Rinenggaswara (An outline of music theory) (1950), among others.
His long life research and experiment on tone and scale system brought him with his 17 –tone model Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
tuning and scale system (1950), in which one octave consists of 17 equal intervals of 70 10/17 cents. This model has a complete tones and can be used for all Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
(and also Western) tuning-scales system. (In a footnote, Weintraub (2001) mentions it is highly probable that Pak Machjar was aware of theories of 17-tone systems which had been developed for Persian art music, but another source close to Pak Machjar is more certain if he was not aware of the presence of other tonal system in the world other than western monochromatic 12 tonal scale, as he had no access to world literature on ethno-musicology).
Pak Machjar’s knowledge on the Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
pelog
Pelog
Pelog is one of the two essential scales of gamelan music native to Bali and Java, in Indonesia. The other scale commonly used is called slendro. Pelog has seven notes, but many gamelan ensembles only have keys for five of the pitches...
and salendro music system had been acquired since his youth by learning to play the gamelan
Gamelan
A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....
, rebab
Rebab
The rebab , also rebap, rabab, rebeb, rababah, or al-rababa) is a type of string instrument so named no later than the 8th century and spread via Islamic trading routes over much of North Africa, the Middle East, parts of Europe, and the Far East...
and by learning how to sing Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
tunes from Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
master musicians and singers (Pak Etjen Basara, Pak Sura, Pak Natadiredjo, Pak Sai, Pak Idi, Pak Oetje, among others). He was introduced to science and western music theory when he was at the school for teachers (Kweekschool and Hogere Kweekaschool) in Sumedang
Sumedang
Sumedang is a town in West Java, Indonesia, approximately 35 km northeast of Bandung.The town is famous for tahu Bungkeng, a local variety of deep fried tofu which was first made by a Chinese immigrant, Ong Kino....
West Java
West Java
West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
, where he started his research on frequency measurement of sounds from gamelan
Gamelan
A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....
instruments and Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
singings. In 1923, he created the Sundanese solfege system da mi na ti la and he wrote a book of Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
music theory, entitled Elmuning Kawih Sunda (Science of Sundanese music). After completed HKS, he worked as a teacher (1924-1932) while he continued his research on the theory of Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
music.
Among important periods in his career was his meeting with Mr. Jaap Kunst
Jaap Kunst
Jaap Kunst was a Dutch ethnomusicologist, particularly associated with the study of gamelan music of Indonesia...
, a Dutch ethnomusicologist, between 1927-1929, who was conducting research on musical instruments in Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
and Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
. Some exchange of knowledge occurred here, where from their collaboration, they jointly wrote published articles. He was often cited in Jaap Kunst
Jaap Kunst
Jaap Kunst was a Dutch ethnomusicologist, particularly associated with the study of gamelan music of Indonesia...
’s famous publication, De Toonkunst van Java (1934). During this period he obtained a better understanding on the frequencies of gamelan
Gamelan
A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....
and of vocal sounds and he started to perform frequency measurements using a monochord
Monochord
A monochord is an ancient musical and scientific laboratory instrument. The word "monochord" comes from the Greek and means literally "one string." A misconception of the term lies within its name. Often a monochord has more than one string, most of the time two, one open string and a second string...
, and he converted these frequency intervals into a logarithmic musical scale, using the concept of interval cents from Ellis (1884) and Hornbostel (1920) and music rule from Reiner.
In 1933, he was commissioned by the colonial government to form a Sundanese
Sundanese people
The Sundanese are an ethnic group native to the western part of the Indonesian island of Java. They number approximately 31 million, and are the second most populous of all the nation's ethncities. The Sundanese are predominantly Muslim...
music education system for all-indigenous schools in West Java
West Java
West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
. After the independence of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, from 1945 until 1947, he taught science, history and English for high school teachers in Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
. Then, the rest of his professional career was mainly as an expert for Department of Culture West Java
West Java
West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
in Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
. He was also an adjunct lecturer at the Conservatory Karawitan
Karawitan
Karawitan is a general term for music and singing associated with the gamelan of Java.The word derives from the Javanese word of Sanskrit origin, rawit, which refers to the smooth, elegant sense idealised in Javanese music. Another word from this root, pangrawit, means a person with that sense, and...
Surakarta
Surakarta
Surakarta, also called Solo or Sala, is a city in Central Java, Indonesia of more than 520,061 people with a population density of 11,811.5 people/km2. The 44 km2 city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and Sukoharjo Regency to the east and...
, Central Java
Central Java
Central Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...
(1953-1959). In 1958 (to 1959) he was appointed as the director of and Conservatory Karawitan
Karawitan
Karawitan is a general term for music and singing associated with the gamelan of Java.The word derives from the Javanese word of Sanskrit origin, rawit, which refers to the smooth, elegant sense idealised in Javanese music. Another word from this root, pangrawit, means a person with that sense, and...
in Bandung
Bandung
Bandung is the capital of West Java province in Indonesia, and the country's third largest city, and 2nd largest metropolitan area in Indonesia, with a population of 7.4 million in 2007. Located 768 metres above sea level, approximately 140 km southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler...
.
Gamelan Ki Pembayun
In 1969 sponsored by the Government Tourism Industry in West JavaWest Java
West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...
headed by RA Sjukur Kesuma Dharma, Pak Machjar created a gamelan
Gamelan
A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....
named Ki Pembayun (means the first-born), which is the biggest ever bronz gamelan
Gamelan
A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....
in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. This gamelan
Gamelan
A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....
was devoted to demonstrate Pak Machjar’s theory of 17-tone model tuning and scale system. Ki Pembayun was prepared for a Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
international festival in Pandaan, Central Java
Central Java
Central Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...
in 1971, but it never been played out side the rehearsal because it was too difficult to play. Learning new ways of playing the instrument requires time and dedication. It is very unfortunate that subsequently Ki Pembayun disappeared (lost). The only few photographs and some recordings of the gamelan
Gamelan
A gamelan is a musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Bali or Java, featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs; bamboo flutes, bowed and plucked strings. Vocalists may also be included....
that survived may only be those that was taken and recorded by Dr. Margaret Kartomi, professor of music at Monash University
Monash University
Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.