The elements of world music in Malaysian Malay pop songs case study: Jentayu & Kurniaan dalam Samaran / Nur Adila Mohd Zuraidi

• Main Author: Mohd Zuraidi, Nur Adila
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: M Music; ML Literature of music
• Online Access: https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/45285/1/45285.pdf; https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/45285/

World Music is defined as music from cultures other than those of Europe and English-speaking North America, especially popular music from Latin America, Africa, and Asia (Webster's, 2005). In an elaborate manner, Dolmetsch.com an online dictionary defines World Music as Music where are influences from more than one cultural tradition intermingles first made popular in the 1980s. Originally, the term 'world music' was applied to one of the varieties of African light music, which combined elements from the indigenous culture with non-traditional types of instrumentation, melodic forms, and rhythms. Later on, the notion of world music was extended to music from any non-Western culture that possessed strong ethnic elements. Both definitions categorized Malaysian ethnic music as one of the World Music. Malaysia's multi-cultural and multi-racial heritage is most prominently exhibited in its diverse music and dance (www.tourism.gov.my, 2010). Multi-racial societies such as Malay, Chinese, Indian, Iban, Kadazan, and many other ethnic groups in Sabah and Sarawak have lived together in Malaysia for generations with their own music, dance, and cultural traditions. In general, music in Malaysian society may be categorized as classical, folk, syncretic, popular, and contemporary art music (Matusky & S.B Tan, 2004). All of the social cultures in Malaysia have assimilated and influenced each other, creating a unique Malaysian culture. Various aspects of the creative arts have been introduced and developed through time. In Malaysia, some popular music was fused with other elements of World Music to diversify the music genres. Some composers obtain the idea to write new songs by adding World Music elements to provide differences from the existing works. There are many elements in World Music that are interesting to be fused with other elements and create a better musical product. Popular music (Pop Music) for example, Sting in the song Desert Rose, is noted for Sting's duet performance with Algerian rai (modern popular music developed in Algeria with roots in Bedoui music that usually sung either unaccompanied or with rebab and various woodwinds) singer Cheb Mami, created a distinct World Music feel to the song. Steve Vai, a rock guitarist also blends his music with many elements of World Music such as Hungarian scale and sitar (Classical Indian instrument) in his composition Freak Show Excess. Guitarist, Paul Gilbert with his Koto Girl song from his Alligator Farm album, used a World Music instrument, Koto from the country of the rising sun, Japan. The new elements that have been used in each of these compositions created a new identity in popular music.