| Malay music has a persistent rhythm that comes
from a wide variety of percussion instruments, including the double-headed
gendang, the geduk and the gedombak. The rebana
is a huge drum made from a hollowed-out log. It was traditionally used
for communicating from one village to another. Drumming festivals are often
held after rice harvesting, in May and June. Drummers compete in teams
of 12 and judges award prizes for timing, tone and rhythm. |
| Did
you know? |
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Joseph Conrad's novels Lord Jim
(1900), Victory (1915) and The Rescue (1920) are all set
in Malaysia. |
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| Malaysian dance draws on many different traditions.
The Joget is the most popular dance. It is lively and fast, performed
by couples. The Joget has its origins in Portuguese folk dance,
which was introduced to Melaka during the era of the spice trade. A favourite
dance in Sabah and Sarawak requires the dancers to perform while others
move bamboo poles back and forth in between the dancers' feet. The dancers
require great agility to prevent their feet being trapped between the bamboo
poles. |
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| Mak Yong is a dance-drama, traditionally
performed in the courts of the sultans. This ancient entertainment combines
romantic stories, operatic singing and humour. The performers are backed
by a traditional orchestra of gongs, drums and a type of violin called
a rebab. Bangara is Punjabi folk dance with colourful costumes
and lively music. |
| Did
you know? |
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Chinese opera
is traditionally performed by men. Good and evil characters are identified
by different kinds of face paint. |
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| Malay arts and crafts include batik, silk weaving
and silver filigree. Batik is a traditional technique for dyeing
fabric, using wax to make designs. The designs are either hand-painted
or printed with carved wooden blocks. Silver filigree jewellery is created
with delicate silver wires that are tightly rolled by hand and soldered
onto frames. In Sabah and Sarawak, people create woodcarvings and Iban
pua kumbu, intricately woven ceremonial hangings. The designs are passed
from one generation to the next, and may feature stylized birds, animals
or plants, or motifs representing mythical subjects that have spiritual
significance.
Malaysia's Chinese community creates beautiful
porcelain. The huge blue and green glazed dragon jars are the most prized
pieces.
Beadwork is another traditional art form
in Sabah and Sarawak. Beads are woven into clothes, hats and caps and threaded
into long necklaces. |
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