A Reflection of the Middle Eastern Cultural Heritage in Southeast Asia through Musical Instruments

Abstract

         This academic article aims to present the knowledge of musical instruments from the Middle Eastern culture which become the cultural heritage in Southeast Asia. This study employed Sachs-Hornbostel style of musical instrument classification, namely the aerophone, the chordophone, the membranophone, and the idiophone, to further the investigation. The study proposed that the musical instruments from the Middle East’s musical culture become the cultural heritage in Southeast Asia in 2 categories. The first category is the chordophone: a plucked lute instrument with 5-6 pair of strings called Oud. This musical instrument is called Gambus in Southeast Asia and is found in 2 types: the arched-back type, called Gambus Hadhramaut; and the smaller one with pear-shaped, called Gambus Melayu. Today, the musical instrument plays important roles in the Malay Archipelago: Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Singapore especially for Malay descendants. Next, a fiddle instrument with 4 strings called rebab is found in Southeast Asia found in various sizes, from 42-54 inches in length in total. Its soundbox is about 6-8 inches in diameter, but a number of strings are cut off, from 4 strings to 2 or 3 strings. The 2-string rebab is found in Indonesia, while that with 2-3 strings is found in Malaysia, and southern Thailand. The final category is membranophone, consisting of a goblet drum with one head called Darbuka, and a frame drum with shallow body called Daff. The diffusion of these 2 types of drums across Southeast Asia resulting in their varying sizes, difference in playing techniques, and difference in names when adopted by each musical culture.