Wim van Zanten

Constructing New Terminology for Intangible Cultural Heritage

Wim van Zanten is an ethnomusicologist in the Department of Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies of Leiden University in the Netherlands. In 2002 he edited the Glossary of Intangible Cultural Heritage, for UNESCO, and in 2002–2003 he was government expert for the Netherlands at the three Intergovernmental Meetings of Experts on the preliminary draft convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.

Popular music in Indonesia since 1998, in particular fusion, Indie and Islamic music on video compact discs and the internet

The AA. analyse some developments in the popular music of Indonesia, especially those that have occurred during the last five years. The concept of popular music in present-day Indonesia is discussed briefly along with an analysis of how it is used in the negotiation of the identity of particular communities, playing a vital role in a dialogue of power at local, national and global levels. The AA. ask how the different pop scenes comment on and act to change society in an age of shifting identities and sensibilities. At the beginning of the 21st century, issues of copyright and intellectual property rights seem to have become even more important than they were in the 1990s. Examples are taken from both the national and regional pop musics with attention being paid particularly to the emergence of world music or fusion, Islamic music and the Indie music scene. The question of how these different types of pop music are represented in and shaped by the new forms of mass mediation, in particular the video compact discs and the Internet, is discussed. With the demand for political change (Reformasi) and fall of President Suharto, the figurehead of the New Order regime these developments seem to have accelerated more than ever before.

Musical Aspects of Popular Music and Pop Sunda in West Java

This chapter addresses the issue how the technology of enchantment works for creating different forms of popular music in West Java. One of the important points of discussion is the distinction between pop Sunda and the other kinds of popular music produced in West Java. The chapter discusses the concept of pop Sunda as it has been defined in the 1989 workshop in Bandung. Then, it gives some historical notes on popular music and musicians in West Java. This is followed by an analysis of the musical history of a few songs and critical remarks about the restriction of the term pop Sunda to only a limited number of popular musics. Different performances of the recorded songs Bajing luncat and Sorban palid in the last 30-40 years is the basis of the music-technical discussion. The chapter makes use of popular music disseminated via cassette tapes (MC), VCDs and some audio CDs. Keywords: Bajing luncat ; Bandung; cassette tapes; music-technical discussion; pop Sunda ; popular music; Sorban palid ; West Java

The Marriage Relationship between Player and Kacapi Zither in West Java

The kacapi zither is a significant instrument of West Java (Sunda). I elaborate on the relationship between player and instrument, described as a ‘marriage’, by looking at the way the instrument is described and played by Sundanese informants, and its associations as reflected in myth, ritual and poetry. The marriage metaphor emphasises the correct and harmonious relationship between the sexes—lawful union instead of incest—and between a ruler and his realm. I also expand on earlier formulated ideas that the Sundanese arts represent female aspects of human communication. I argue that gender issues cannot be reduced to fixed male-female dichotomies. This becomes clear if we look at gender-reversal issues like male performers performing female roles and vice versa, a common phenomenon in Indonesia. Similarly, musical instruments are not just ‘male’ or ‘female’, but may be classified as such by their relationship with players. Structuralists say that the element of structure is not a thing, but a relation. Studying these systems of relations may supply information on the issue of gender that is still not abundant in ethnomusicological works.The kacapi zither is a significant instrument of West Java (Sunda). I elaborate on the relationship between player and instrument, described as a ‘marriage’, by looking at the way the instrument is described and played by Sundanese informants, and its associations as reflected in myth, ritual and poetry. The marriage metaphor emphasises the correct and harmonious relationship between the sexes—lawful union instead of incest—and between a ruler and his realm. I also expand on earlier formulated ideas that the Sundanese arts represent female aspects of human communication. I argue that gender issues cannot be reduced to fixed male-female dichotomies. This becomes clear if we look at gender-reversal issues like male performers performing female roles and vice versa, a common phenomenon in Indonesia. Similarly, musical instruments are not just ‘male’ or ‘female’, but may be classified as such by their relationship with players. Structuralists say that the element of structure is not a thing, but a relation. S...