JAVANESE POETRY
Javanese poetry (poetry in the Javanese
or especially the Kawi language; Low Javanese: tembang; High
Javanese: sekar) is traditionally recited in song form. The standard
forms are divided into three types, sekar ageng, sekar madya, and
tembang macapat. All three types follow strict rules of poetic construction.
These forms are highly influential in Javanese gamelan.
Sekar ageng
The most sacred are the sekar
ageng (Low Javanese: tembang gedhé; "great songs"). These
were traditionally held to be the most ancient of the forms, but Jaap Kunst
believed that the indigenous forms represented an older tradition. The ancient
forms of these, known as kakawin, use meters
from Indian poetry, specifying the number of syllables in
each line, their vowel length, and the location of caesurae. Exactly
how this ancient form sounded when sung is hard to know, as the modern form has
been influenced by gamelan structures. It may have resembled modern Indian or Balinese chant.
The modern form of sekar ageng
are always in stanzas of four lines, and the number of syllables in each (lampah)
is fixed and divided into parts (pedhotan) by caesurae. (Vowel length is
no longer distinguished.) These indications are ordinarily indicated with the
form; for example, sekar ageng Bongsa patra, lampah 17, pedhotan 4,6,7.
According to Padmasasustra, there are 44 types of sekar ageng used in Surakarta.[1]
A sekar ageng is sometimes used
as a type of buka (song introduction) known as a bawa. It is
sung solo, or may be supported by the gendér. Only
the first line is used in the introduction, and the rest may follow in the
actual gendhing.
Martopangrawit believes that
this began only in the late 19th century, at the time of Paku Buwana IX (r. 1861-93).[2]
Sekar madya and tembang macapat
Sekar madya (Low Javanese: Tembang tengahan;
"middle songs") are supposed to lie between the other two genres, but
there is no agreement about which genres are considered sekar madya and which
are tembang macapat (old orthography: machapat). Both of these,
in contrast to sekar ageng, use varying number of lines of varying length, but
always in a specific form. Furthermore, the vowel sound of the final syllable
must match a specific pattern (note that this is different from syllable
rime, as consonants that follow, if any, do not have to match). The pattern
of the length of lines is known as guru wilangan, guru pètungan,
or guru wichalan, while the pattern of vowels is known as dhongdhing
or guru lagu. In the schemes below, the number represents the guru
wilangan, while the letter is the guru lagu of the corresponding line.
In addition to these formal
structures, each of these forms has a specific mood. The typical use is
indicated after the form for many of the structures below.
Padmasoesastra listed 11 types of
sekar madya forms used in Surakarta.[3]
Many of them, however, are no longer used. The ones in modern use are:
- Juru demung: 8A, 8U, 8U, 8A, 8U, 8A, 8U
- Wirangrong: 8I, 8O, 10U, 6I, 7A, 8A
- Balabah: 12A, 3É, 12A, 3Á, 12A, 3Á
Two meters were classified as
macapat forms in the past, but are now considered sekar madya:
- Megatruh (or Duduk wuluh): 12U, 8I, 8U, 8I, 8O
- Gambuh: 7U, 10U, 12I, 8U, 8O (there are a number of variants of this form)
The common macapat forms are:
- Dhangdhang gula: 10I, 10A, 8É(O), 7U, 9I, 7A, 6U, 8A, 12I, 7A; neutral character, used especially for introducing another poem
- Sinom: 8A, 8I, 8A, 8I, 7I, 8U, 7A, 8I, 12A; didactic poems
- Asmarandana: 8I, 8A, 8O(É), 8A, 7A, 8U, 8A; love poems
- Kinanthi: 8U, 8I, 8A, 8I, 8A, 8I; love poems
- Pangkur: 8A, 11I, 8U, 7A, 12U, 8A, 8I; violent passions or fighting
- Durma: 12A, 7I, 6A, 7A, 8I, 5A, 7I; violent passions or fighting
- Mijil: 10I, 6O, 10É, 10I, 6I, 6U; love poems
- Mas kumambang: 12I, 6A, 8I, 8A; longing or homesickness
- Puchung: 12U, 6A, 8I, 12A; neutral character, used for riddles
As an example, consider the
following Kinanthi verse, a stanza from the Serat
Centhini:
Ki Jayèngraga agupuh
anggamel rebab respati
rebabé langkung prayoga
watangan pinonthang gadhing
kosok pinatra pinrada
batok jamangan balenggin[4]
These forms are the basis of kidung poetry.
The text for these songs is
frequently used in works for the gamelan, frequently sung by the gerong. Indeed,
many modern gendhing share common macapat texts, especially Kinanthi, fit into
their individual melodic pattern. Sumarsam
believes that the singing of these forms led to the development of the early
gendhing gerong, in the mid-19th century.[5]
Wayang performances make use of the Mahabharata
and Ramayana
in macapat form, created in the 18th and 19th centuries.[6]
Notes
1.
^ Padmasoesastra,
Tatatjara; publication no. 2 of Volkslectuur, 1891, page 249 et
seq. Cited in Kunst, 123.
3.
^ Padmasoesastra,
Tatatjara; publication no. 2 of Volkslectuur, 1891, page 251.
Cited in Kunst, 123.
References
- Kunst, Jaap. Music in Java: Its History, Its Theory and Its Technique. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1949. Pages 122-125 discuss the forms, and is the source for the article except when noted above.
- Sumarsam. Gamelan: Cultural Interaction and Musical Development in Central Java. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995.
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LISTEN TO THE FOLLOWING TEMBANG OF JAVA "MACAPAT"
This picture of Sinden is retrieved from Video Sangga Buana Gunung Kidul
This video is created by KISSThe original voice is taken from MP3 Sekar Macapat AsmaradanaSlendro Patetmanyura by SudartiTranscript:Sekar Macapat Asmaradana Slendro Patetmnayura bu SudartiPratikeling wong akramiDudu brono, dudu rupa,Amung ati pawitane,Keno pisan luput pisan,Yen gampang luwih gampang,Yen angel angel kelangkung,Tan kena tinambak arta…Loose Translation:The initial capital to get marriedNeither wealth, nor appearanceOnly inner heart is,When you find one, you lost one,If too easy, that easy,If too hard, that hard,It cannot be cured by moneySee more in Macapat: http://jv.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacapatSee more in Asmaradana: http://jv.wikipedia.org/wiki/AsmaradanaHAPPY LISTENINGAlways join us through this Blogspot:<Kediriinternationalschools.blogspot.com>E-mail: kediri.kiss@gmail.comFor further information please contact:Jocelyne & VanityJln. Wisma Podomoro A/3 no 1, 64114Kediri – East Java.Phone: 0354 – 7150570HP: 08563482742Motto:“WE’RE COMMITTED TO SERVE YOU BETTER”
