The Nobat of Perak: Musical analysis and its relation to the ceremonial structure of the palace
Nobat is an ancient Malay art form that binds together an amalgamation of different cultures and beliefs, which culminates into a sacrosanct musical entity symbolizing a Sultan's stature and sovereignty. This study examines the music of the Perak nobat and its uses and functions in relation to...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2009
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/38010/1/Raja%20Iskandar%20Raja%20Halid%20ft.pdf |
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| Summary: | Nobat is an ancient Malay art form that binds together an amalgamation of different cultures and beliefs, which culminates into a sacrosanct musical entity symbolizing a Sultan's stature and sovereignty. This study examines the music of the Perak nobat and its uses and functions in relation to the ceremonial structure of the palace. By utilizing a mixture of different qualitative methods, including a combination of various techniques of musical analysis with the methods of anthropology and social sciences, it also aims to understand the temporal and spiritual roles of the ensemble, its unrelenting adherence to age-old taboos and how the musical performance reflects the Malay social stratification.
Palace ceremonies were looked into and it was found that nobat pieces are classified according to their hierarchical importance vis-ä-vis the ceremonial structure of the palace.
Some pieces are more important than others and are assigned to particular ceremonies based on what the titles imply although they might not necessarily reflect their literal meanings.
This present thesis also demonstrated that although polyphonic and complex in its structure, the high level of monotony and static nature of the music is due to the manner the pieces are
played - without much dynamics and variations. It is further argued that this is not only due to the subservient nature of the orang kalur towards their environment, especially their master the Sultan; but also the musical functions of nobat itself - mainly to signal important events. |
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