7/20/2016

gambusMelayuGrinnellCollegeMusicalInstrumentCollection

(http://www.grinnell.edu/)

GrinnellCollegeMusicalInstrumentCollection
(https://omeka1.grinnell.edu/MusicalInstruments)
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gambusMelayu
also:gambusLampung,gambusHijaz

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Title:MusicofIndonesiav.11:MelayuMusicofSumatraandtheRiauIslandsDayungDuabelasN.SaniBurhan,gambus(field
recordingbyPhilipYampolskyseeBibliography)
Label:Smithsonian/Folkways
Format:CD
Catalogue#:SFW40427
Track:2
audio#1

Overview
ContextualAssociations
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ThegambusMelayuisapluckedbowllutechordophoneofcentralandsouthernSumatra,Indonesia.Itcanbeplayedsolo,usedto
accompanysinging,orplayedininstrumentalensemblestoaccompanydancingatMuslimdomesticandcommunitycelebrations.It
carriesastrongassociationwithMuslimidentityintheMalayworld.
Description
Thepearshapedbodyofthisluteiscarvedfromasinglepieceofjackfruitwood.Itshollowedoutresonatorisbellyshaped,theopen
faceofwhichiscoveredwithasoundboardmadeofstretchedgoatskinthatisattachedwithtacks.Theinstrument'sshortneckisalso
hollowedout.Itisroundedinthebackanditsfrontcoveredwithathinflatpieceofhardwoodthatservesasafretlessfingerboard.
ThepegboxatthetophasaCshapedprofilewithaflatrectangularface.Itsfrontandbackareopenwithsevendiamondshaped
frictiontuningpegspassingthroughitssidesfourfromoneside,threefromtheother(itappearstheinstrumentcouldhaveatone
timebeenoutfittedwithoneadditionalstring).Itsfourcoursesofstrings(threedouble,onesingle)areanchoredatthebaseofthe
resonatortoawoodenrodonthebacksideoftheprotrudingsquarefoot,passoveralowwoodbridgethatrestsonthesoundboard,
continueupthelengthoftheinstrumentandoveranutatthetopoftheneckbeforebeingwoundaroundthetuningpegs,with
whichtheperformersetstheirindividualtension.
PlayerInstrumentInterfaceandSoundProduction
Theinstrumentisheldnearlyhorizontalacrossthechestoftheperformerwhoplucksthestringswithhisrighthandfingernailsor
withafeatherquill.Thefingertipsofthelefthandareusedtodepressthestringsagainstthefretlessfingerboard.Stringsina
doublecoursearetunedtounison.Kartomireportsthatthecoursesarecalled,indescendingorderofpitch,kuwin,genda,goro,and
tala(p.10).Hilariangivesthefollowingopenstringtuning(inascendingorder)ascommonforbothIndonesianandMalaysian
gambusMelayu:A3D4G4C5(p.76).
Origins/History/Evolution
AllsourcesagreethatthegambusMelayuisderivedfromArabicprecursorssuchastheYemeniqanbus.Whenandinwhosehands
theqanbusandothersimilarArabiclutesarrivedinwhatisnowMalaysiaandthewesternregionofIndonesiaisfarlesscertain.It
mayhavebeenintroducedanytimebetweenthe9thcentury,whenPersianandArabictradersstartedoperatinginandaround
Malaysia,tothe15thcentury,aperiodduringwhichthepowerfultradingstateofMalakawasundergoingIslamization.Regardlessof
whenitwasintroduced,theinstrumentbecameindigenizedlocallyasitwasfurtherdistributedthroughouttheMalayspeaking
worldofinsularSoutheastAsia.ThecentralandsouthernpartsoftheislandofSumatra,fromwheretheinstrumentdescribedhere
originated,isonelocalrealizationofthisvariedandwidespreadinstrument.

BibliographicCitations
Hilarian,Larry.2005."TheStructureandDevelopmentoftheGambus(MalayLutes),"GalpinSocietyJournal58:6682,215216.
Kartomi,Margaret.1984.GambusNGDMIv.1:910.
Kunst,Jaap.1973.MusicinJava.3 rded.TheHague:MartinusNijhoff.
Poche,Christian.1984."Qanbus"NGDMIv.3:168169.
Yampolsky,Philip.1996.MusicofIndonesiav.11:MelayuMusicofSumatraandtheRiauIslands.CDwithlinernotes.
Smithsonian/FolkwaysSFW40427.

InstrumentDetails
Origins
continentAsia(/MusicalInstruments/solrsearch?q=%2A&facet=81_s%3A%22Asia%22)
regionSoutheastAsia(/MusicalInstruments/solrsearch?q=%2A&facet=48_s%3A%22Southeast+Asia%22)
nationIndonesia(/MusicalInstruments/solrsearch?q=%2A&facet=38_s%3A%22Indonesia%22)
formationMalay(Malayu) (/MusicalInstruments/solrsearch?q=%2A&facet=51_s%3A%22Malay+%28Malayu%29%22)

Classification(SachsVonHornbostelrevisedbyMIMO(http://www.mimo
international.com/vocabulary.html))
321.321(/MusicalInstruments/solrsearch?q=%2A&facet=49_s%3A%22321.321%22):chordophoneneckedbowllute:thehandleisattachedtoor
carvedfromtheresonator,likeaneck

DesignandPlayingFeatures
categorychordophone(/MusicalInstruments/solrsearch?q=%2A&facet=92_s%3A%22chordophone%22)
stringcarrierdesignluteintegral(/MusicalInstruments/solrsearch/?q=*&facet=130_s:"luteintegral")
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resonatordesign,chordophonebowlwithmembranesoundboard(/MusicalInstruments/solrsearch/?q=*&facet=95_s:"bowlwith
membranesoundboard")

stringcoursessingle,doubleatunison(/MusicalInstruments/solrsearch/?q=*&facet=96_s:"single,doubleatunison")
vibrationallengthpressurebridgetoridgenut(/MusicalInstruments/solrsearch/?q=*&facet=97_s:"pressurebridgetoridgenut")
stringtensioncontrolfrictionpeg(/MusicalInstruments/solrsearch/?q=*&facet=98_s:"frictionpeg")
methodofsoundingplucking(direct)andstrumming(/MusicalInstruments/solrsearch/?q=*&facet=99_s:"plucking(direct)andstrumming")
pitchesperstringcoursemultiple(bypressurestoppingagainstfretlessfingerboard) (/MusicalInstruments/solrsearch/?
q=*&facet=100_s:"multiple(bypressurestoppingagainstfretlessfingerboard)")

Dimensions
29.5in.length
6.9in.width
4.5in.deep(resonator)

PrimaryMaterials
wood(/MusicalInstruments/solrsearch?q=%2A&facet=79_s%3A%22wood%22),membranemammalskin(/MusicalInstruments/solrsearch?
q=%2A&facet=79_s%3A%22membrane++mammal+skin%22),stringsynthetic(/MusicalInstruments/solrsearch?q=%2A&facet=79_s%3A%22string+
+synthetic%22),

EntryAuthor
RogerVetter

Citation
gambusMelayu,GrinnellCollegeMusicalInstrumentCollection,accessedJuly20,2016,
https://omeka1.grinnell.edu/MusicalInstruments/items/show/37.
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