''Bangsawan'' ( Jawi: بڠساون) is a type of traditional Malay

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

or theatre performed by a troupe, and accompanied by music and sometimes dances. The ''bangsawan'' theatrical performance encompasses music, dance and

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

. It is widely spread in the Malay cultural realm in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

and

Brunei Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by th ...

. The artform is indigenous in

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula ( Malay: ''Semenanjung Tanah Melayu'') is a peninsula in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The ar ...

Riau Islands The Riau Islands ( id, Kepulauan Riau) is a province of Indonesia. It comprises a total of 1,796 islands scattered between Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and Borneo including the Riau Archipelago. Situated on one of the world's busiest shipping lan ...

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

and coastal

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and e ...

Etymology

In the

Malay language Malay (; ms, Bahasa Melayu, links=no, Jawi: , Rencong: ) is an Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and that is also spoken in East Timor and parts of the Philippines an ...

, ''bangsawan'' means "nobleman". ''Bangsa'' means "nation", "race", from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

word ''vamsa'' which means "family", "dynasty". The suffix -''wan'' comes from the Sanskrit suffix -''vant''. A person is called bangsawan if he is descended from royal family (kings, princes, etc.). The theatre is called ''bangsawan'' because it is most often depicting the legends and stories of Malay nobles that took place in ''

istana ''Istana'' is an Indonesian and Malay word meaning " palace". Notable Istanas *Istana Alam Shah, the official palace of the Sultan of Selangor *Istana Besar, 19th- and early 20th-century residence of the Sultan of Johor *Istana Bogor, one of the p ...

'' (Malay palaces and courts). There was another category of noblemen in Indonesia, precisely in

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mo ...

, called '' priyayi'', who were not members of royal or princely families but formed a sort of nobles of the Robe, exerting administrative functions, including that of '' adipati'' (governor).

Theme

The ''bangsawan'' theatre usually centered on ''

'' or Malay palace. The main theme of ''bangsawan'' theatre is usually based upon the adventure, romance and conquest of Malay

sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...

s, kings, heroes, nobles, princes and princesses, that took place in various Malay courts in the archipelago. The fertile local Malay legends and epics such as the " Sulalatus Salatin" provides storylines and theme for the story to develop. The Malay King such as Seri Tri Buana and the popular Malay heroes such as the adventure of Hang Tuah of

Malacca Malacca ( ms, Melaka) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, next to the Strait of Malacca. Its capital is Malacca City, dubbed the Historic City, which has bee ...

are the popular ''bangsawan'' themes. Another themes such as "Seulas Nangka" story about the history of Siak Sri Indrapura Sultanate.

Form

The ''bangsawan'' theatre is quite similar to western

, where the stories are presented through acting and singing, and certain characters are played during performance. The stories are drawn from diverse sources, such as local Malay, Indonesian, Indian, Arabic, Chinese and Western sources. Music, dance and costumes are used depending on the story being told. The performance is accompanied by music consists of '' gendang'', ''rebana'', drum and violin, playing Malay music and chanting ''dendang'' or Malay songs.

History

Bangsawan first developed in Penang, Malaysia, from the South Asian Parsi theatre performed by companies from the Bombay region. The ''bangsawan'' theatre troupes reached their peak of popularity in the 19th to mid 20th century prior to the great war. In colonial

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, whic ...

the ''bangsawan'' theatre has inspired and influenced other form of theatrical performances, such as '' Komedie Stamboel'' and '' toneel''. Prior to the development and the spread of radio and television entertainment in the region, travelling live theatres and drama such as ''bangsawan'', was the main source of entertainment for local Malays in the villages and cities alike, and was held in high anticipation and excitement. In Lingga,

, ''bangsawan'' show enjoyed its popularity among locals until around 1960s to 1970s. However, today in Indonesia, only a handful of ''bangsawan'' troupes survive. Nowadays, it is difficult, if not impossible to find any ''bangsawan'' troupes in Malaysia. A bangsawan troupe still operates in Singapore.

References

External links