Bongai also known as Rentak Kuda, is a traditional folk music genre from the Malaysian state of
Negeri Sembilan
Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan'') is a state in Malaysia which lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the s ...
. It can be sung as a solo, a duet or in a group with or without musical accompaniment.
History
Bongai reached its peak of fame in the 1950s where it was considered a must in any ceremony held especially wedding ceremonies in Negeri Sembilan. It is also performed for specific purposes, especially as entertainment during the evenings, after work. Bongai simply refers to the ceremony of reciting a poem through song, it is sometimes accompanied by instrumentation. It was historically performed at night.
Instruments
The musical instruments used in Bongai include:
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
,
rebana
The rebana or terbangan is a tambourine that is used in Islamic devotional music in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore. The sound of the rebana often accompany Islamic ritual such as the zikir. The name ' ...
,
gong
A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...
,
gendang
Kendang or Gendang ( jv, ꦏꦼꦤ꧀ꦝꦁ, translit=Kendhang, su, ᮊᮨᮔ᮪ᮓᮀ, translit=Kendang, ban, ᬓᬾᬦ᭄ᬤᬂ, translit=Kendang, Tausug/Bajau Maranao: ''Gandang'', Bugis: ''Gendrang'' and Makassar: ''Gandrang'' or ''Ganra ...
,
salung and tumbuk kalang. Besides these basic instruments, other instruments such as
caklempong, bangsi,
accordion
Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...
and others can also be used.
Example of songs sung as part of Bongai include:
*"Anak Bocek"
*"Budu Landai"
*"Cantik Manis"
*"Donak Donai"
*"Kapeh"
See also
*
Gamelan
Gamelan () ( jv, ꦒꦩꦼꦭꦤ꧀, su, ᮌᮙᮨᮜᮔ᮪, ban, ᬕᬫᭂᬮᬦ᭄) is the traditional ensemble music of the Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments. T ...
*
Kulintang
Kulintang ( id, kolintang, ms, kulintangan)
is a modern term for an ancient instrumental form of music composed on a row of small, horizontally laid gongs that function melodically, accompanied by larger, suspended gongs and drums. As part of ...
an
References
{{Reflist
Malay culture
Malaysian culture
Malaysian music