Dondang Sayang

DondTHaEnAgRT OSFayang

by SHAFIQAH SHAHIRAH BINTI JAAFAR 285601

Content 01
02-03
Introduction
Origins 04
Form and Structure 05
Instruments 06
Dondang Sayang Society 07
Dondang Sayang & Ethnic Identity 08
Recegnition from UNESCO 09
Conclusion 10
References

Dondang Sayang is a

Introduction traditional poetic art form
mainly associated with the
Malay and Peranakan (Straits
Chinese) communities in
Singapore and Malaysia. The
term is derived from the Malay
words dondang or dendang,
meaning “to sing”, and sayang,
which encompasses a range of
meanings that include “love”,
“longing” and “dejection”.
Although dondang sayang has
declined in popularity since the
mid-20th century, the art form
is still loved and performed by
many.
01

Origins



The origins of Dondang Sayang are unclear. Some people believe it originated from
Riau, Indonesia, when it was introduced by Princess Wan Benai of Bintan island in
the 12th century. A more widely held belief is that it was created in the Malaccan
courts during the 14th and 15th centuries. In the Hikayat Hang Tuah – a record of
life during the time of the Malacca sultanate – the warrior Hang Jebat, who led an
uprising against the sultan of Malacca, was credited with the invention of Dondang
Sayang.

Regardless of its origins, Dondang Sayang was a popular form of entertainment in
the Malaccan courts where it was often accompanied by dancing. This courtly
pastime later spread to the common people who performed Dondang Sayang during
traditional festivals. After Malacca came under British rule in the 19th century,
Dondang Sayang gradually spread to the other parts of the Straits Settlements –
Singapore and Penang – and to other parts of Malaya.

02

Form and structure

In a typical Dondang Sayang session, two or ...
more singers pit their wits against each other Man:
through pantun – a Malay poetic form – based Tanam selasih di tepi perigi [Plant selasih (basil) next to a well]
on a theme or subject (tajuk). In public Lambat laun berbunga juga [Soon it will blossom]
performances, Dondang Sayang is usually sung Walaupun kasih bertukar ganti [Though I have many lovers]
as a duet between a male and female performer Ada masa terkenang jua [You are sometimes in my mind]
in a light-hearted and teasing manner. Some
common subjects for Dondang Sayang pantun Woman:
include good deeds (budi), love (kasih), flowers Buah selasih di atas bangku Selasih [fruit on a bench]
(bunga), fruit (buah-buahan) and the sea Di tanam orang di pangkal serai [It is planted next to lemon grass]
(lautan). Kalau rindu sebut namaku [Should you long for me, just say my name]
Air mata jangan berderai [It’s no use crying now]
Pantun have a basic structure of four lines, each
comprising four words. The first two lines
create suspense and foreshadow the message.
The third reveals the message of the theme,
while the fourth delivers the punch. In Dondang
Sayang, the pantun structure is modified to
include repetition and fillers. An example of a
dondang sayang pantun is as follows: -...

03

Form and structure

While Dondang Sayang practitioners typically know hundreds of pantun by heart, the more
talented ones can improvise pantun on the spot. To do this, singers need to be quick-witted and
have a good grasp of the Malay language as well as knowledge of Malay customs and culture.

Dondang Sayang singers are accompanied by a small band of musicians playing the violin, Malay
hand drums (rebana) and the gong. These core instruments may be accompanied by guitars, an
accordion, western drums, tambourine and a flute. The drums and gong play coordinated rhythms,
while the violin plays a melody independent of the singing.

Dondang Sayang can be simple compositions with a direct message, or contain verses with multiple
layers of meanings and allusions. The former have been described as “simple-language pantun” or
“plain-language pantun”. In these, the third and fourth lines of the pantun directly convey the
message of the subject under discussion. So-called “deep-meaning pantun” or “metaphorical
pantun”, on the other hand, involve a three-tier system: the use of a higher-level subject that is
interpreted or expressed through a metaphor, the middle-level subject, and then ending off with a
lower-level subject. For example, if love is the higher-level theme, it is expressed through the
middle-level metaphor, fruit, and finished off with lower-level themes like scorning the opponent,
giving advice, bragging or acting humbly. Deeper layers of meaning may allude to politics or
specific community references.

04

Instruments

Violin

Rebana

Gong Gendang Kompang
05

Dondang Sayang Society

Dondang Sayang has remained for the Peranakans a cultural bridge, at least to the Malay
community (although not to the Chinese). Malaysian government support for Dondang Sayang

has been ongoing since the formation of the Dondang Sayang Society by the Melaka State
government in 1973. Through the efforts of the Dondang Sayang Society, a considerable body

of historical analysis of the developments in Dondang Sayang since World War II has been
done, as outlined in Madulara. What is particularly relevant to the present study is the current
changeover from the more traditional style that prevailed throughout the 1950s and 1960s to
more innovative ways of presenting Dondang Sayang. Some champions of the older style are

still active in some performances, although most have retired or died. Recordings of this
earlier generation of Dondang Sayang masters are still sought out and occasionally reissued,
however, and their styles of Dondang Sayang are still emulated by modern performers. Two of
the more influential performers of this generation (now deceased) are Chik Bt. Mohd. Amin

and Baba Kim Teck (Chia Ah Chin is his Peranakan Chinese name), both past national
Dendang Rakyat champions (first and second place winners in 1974, the last year in which they

performed together). While the more traditional style of dondang sayang has remained
popular and is the most frequently performed and recorded, one particular sub-genre of
dondang sayang is especially associated with post-war cultural developments: Dondang Sayang

Mambo.

06

Dondang Sayang and ethnic identity

The identity functions of Malay musical, poetic, and choreographic forms, including Dondang
Sayang, have remained almost the same among Malay and non-Malay cultures in Melaka since the
fifteenth century. Perhaps because of this, the changes in musical style and in performance that
have occurred in these forms appear to assume greater importance to the outside observer than to
the indigenous people. The examination of such changes on the basis of tradition(s) versus
modernity provides a basis for subsequent observation and speculation on how Dondang Sayang
functions as a musical and poetic earner of ethnic meaning in Melaka, both within and between (in
the present discussion) the local Malay and Baba cultures. Language often functions as a border
(boundary) between the two cultures considered in the present chapter. Much of what was
emphasized by my consultants about where connections and discontinuities occurred between the
two groups was presented to me in terms of how language plays a pivotal role in the experience and
transmission of music in Melaka, both within the ensembles that play the music and in the broader
social confines that provide the audiences (and thereby the aesthetic values) within which the music
occurs. For instance, according to my consultants Dondang Sayang Melayu and Dondang Sayang
Baba are musically identical , except for the all-important factor of language, and language is also
the main element that separates Peranakans from “pure” Chinese.
This phenomenon also ties in to the problem of just what the languages are that are expressing
something in the musics of Melaka. The working definition for this is that a language is any system
of communication that uses symbolic structures to psychic states (for the totality of such inner
states the term “noetic environment” is used synonymously). My consultants, as might be expected,
do not observe such hairsplitting for defining “language” — for them the term refers only to spoken
and sometimes written language in the conventional sense.

07

Recognition from UNESCO

Dondang Sayang received international recognition by the
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization (UNESCO) which listed it in the intangible
cultural heritage category on November 29, 2018

08

Conclusion

This is a study of relationships between music and identity in Melaka, a major urban center on the west
coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Two of the important smaller groups mentioned in the course of this
study are the Peranakan Chinese, also known as Babas and Nyonyas, and the Portuguese, descendants
of unions between local Malay women and the Portuguese sailors who conquered Melaka in 1511. In
particular, this study focuses on individuals and groups who are involved with Dondang Sayang, a genre
of sung poetry improvised to a fixed melodic formula with ensemble instrumental accompaniment, in a
professional capacity, and relates their musical activities to the underlying social, psychological,
economic, cultural, and political forces that determine identity in the city of Melaka. The tension
between Dondang Sayang's former function as social custom and its present government-appropriated
role as a performance genre emblematic of Melakan/Malay/Malaysian identity is of special concern
Dondang sayang is discussed extensively as music in conjunction with its special relationship with the
poetic quatrain form of pantun, a form of Malay poetry with a musical tradition dating back to the first
royal Malay court of Melaka; through this association it represents an important identity marker of
“traditional” Malay identity. It also connects to the Peranakan Chinese people, because of their
adoption and adaptation of Dondang Sayang for their own purposes and occasions, a prime example of
the “catalyst” function of music in identity. For these reasons, dondang sayang serves as a “border”
(separator) and as a “bridge” (connector) between Melakan communities. Perhaps most importantly,
the genre’s continued existence as a “stereotypical” art form dependent on government sponsorship is
discussed as of primary concern for both the musicians and the audiences who experience it.

09

References

1. Yusnor Ef. (1994). A brief on Malay asli and dondang sayang. In J. E. E. Peters (Ed.), Forum papers: Presentations at the 2nd ASEAN
composers forum on traditional music. Singapore: National Arts Council on behalf of the ASEAN COCI, p. 58. (Call no.: RSING
784.0959 ASE)
2. Faithful 60 who keep the dondang sayang swinging. (1977, January 25). The Straits Times, p. 13. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
3. Jeman Sulaiman. (1988, June 7). Courteous, thoughtful dondang sayang. The Straits Times, p. 7. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
4. Amend, J. M. (1998). Negotiation of identity as theme and variation: The musical art of dondang sayang in Melaka, Malaysia. Ann
Arbor, MI: UMI, pp. 39–40. (Call no.: RSEA 305.895105951 AME); Nurhani Hajar; (1987, May 14). The philosophical values of
legends. The Straits Times, p. 8. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
5. Amend, J. M. (1998). Negotiation of identity as theme and variation: The musical art of dondang sayang in Melaka, Malaysia. Ann
Arbor, MI: UMI, p. 46. (Call no.: RSEA 305.895105951 AME)
6. The dondang sayang has its origin in Malacca. (1985, June 18). The Straits Times, p. 6. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
7. Thomas, P. L. (1986). Like tigers around a piece of meat: The Baba style of dondang sayang. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian
Studies, p. 13. (Call no.: RSING 780.89 THO)
8. Ning Juita. (1988, May 25). Back to the days of tender tussle of the pantun. The Straits Times, p. 22. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
9. Thomas, P. L. (1986). Like tigers around a piece of meat: The Baba style of sdondang sayang. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian
Studies, p. 4. (Call no.: RSING 780.89 THO)
10. Yusnor Ef. (1994). A brief on Malay asli and dondang sayang. In J. E. E. Peters (Ed.), Forum papers: Presentations at the 2nd
ASEAN composers forum on traditional music. Singapore: National Arts Council on behalf of the ASEAN COCI, p. 59. (Call no.: RSING
784.0959 ASE)
11. Muhamad bin Zakaria & Mustafa Ali Mohd. (1994). Traditional Malay medicinal plants. Kuala Lumpur; Shah Alam, Selangor Darul
Ehsan: Fajar Bakti, p. 89. (Call no.: RSING 581.634 MUH)
12. Ning Juita. (1988, May 25). Back to the days of tender tussle of the pantun. The Straits Times, p. 22. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.

10

THE ART OF

Dondang Sayang