During a battle scene, the movement of a puppet
shooting arrows, jabbing his fists, poking weapons and making numerous fighting
gestures is comparable to the commanding movement of a baton in the hand of a
Western music conductor. A good dalang is very aware of how these dramatic and
extravagant sequences will excite an audience.
The third way a dalang cues his musicians is by loudly
reciting dramatic terms. Some of those cuing devices are listed and translated
below (Zurbuchen, 1987: 163):
bawisiati
next, then, following upon
ari wawu
just then, next, just as
agelis
immediately, quickly
ari tedun
upon the descent of
ari
wijil
upon the appearance/coming forth of
caritanen
let it be told
warnanen
let it be described
byatita
formerly, in the part
saksana
in the wink of
an eye
kancit
straightaway
This dramatic narrative is easier for musicians to
respond to than the puppet movements and the pattern of the rattle. For
example, when a dalang wishes to tell his musicians to begin the mesem (sad
scene for Arjuna), all he needs to do is recite, ‘Therefore Prince Arjuna
cries’, and the musicians respond accordingly.
The fourth device that a dalang uses to cue his
musicians is by singing a line or phrase. Similar to the technique often
practised in Western musical theatre when the actor signals the musical
director by saying a particular word or phrase, a dalang simply starts by
singing a line after which the musicians would promptly follow. For example,
when a dalang wishes to begin the Rebong love scene, he may sing, ‘Fragrant
aroma permeates the air . . . (Miyik ngalub malimpugan . . .).’ Other musical
scenes that require a sung phrase to begin them include the Tampak Silir unison
vocal and instrumental, Angkat-angkatan travelling scene, Peparikan seductive
scene and the Genjekan drunken scene.
In terms of musical drama or narration, a dalang’s cue
for his musicians to collaborate with him is a sine qua non. Based on
interactivity between a dalang’s vocal art and instrumental music which
complement the narration, the Wayang performance employs three divergent types
of musical drama:
- Tandak (tetandakan, plural) is the vocal art that embellishes the melody and faithfully follows the pitch and tone of the instrumental music. This type of vocal art is always used for entrance scenes, sad scenes and love scenes. For example, tandak alas harum is used for the appearance of refined characters. Tandak candi rebah is for the arrival of demonic characters. Tandak mesem is for a sad scene of refined characters with small eyes; tandak rundah is for sad scenes of demonic characters with sharp fangs; and tandak bendu semara is for sad scenes of strong/hard characters with big oval or round eyes.
- Tampak Silir is vocal/instrumental music where melody, pitch and tone match. In the first meeting scene, Tampak Silir is usually sung by the servant or precedes the dialogue, narrating the features of each character who is about to speak. The lyric is usually a brief, flamboyant description about a great king, a resilient hero, a holy sage, a gorgeouspalace or a prosperous country.
- Bebaturan are ornamental vocal arts, which are melodically free from, and far more elaborate than, the instrumental music. Unlike the tandak, in which the instrumental music is dominant, the vocal element in Bebaturan always dominates the ostinato of the instrumental pieces. This vocal type is used in the travelling scenes and some fighting scenes. The lyrics describe the situation or the mood of a specific character.
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