Music of Malaysia is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres in Malaysia. A great variety of genres in Malaysian music reflects the specific cultural groups within multiethnic Malaysian society: Malay, Chinese, Indian, Dayak, Kadazan-Dusun, Bajau, Orang Asli, Melanau, Kristang and others.
Brunei is a southeast Asian country located on Borneo between the states of Sabah and Sarawak which are part of Malaysia. There is a wide array of native folk music, and dance. Brunei shares some Cultural perspectives and links with the countries of South East Asia such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines. The strong Islamic influence means that dance performances and music are somewhat restricted.
Bangsawan is a type of traditional Malay opera or theatre performed by a troupe, and accompanied by music and sometimes dances. The bangsawan theatrical performance encompasses music, dance and drama. It is widely spread in the Malay cultural realm in Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei. The artform is indigenous in Malay Peninsula, Riau Islands, Sumatra and coastal Borneo.
Dikir barat is a musical form, native to the Malay Peninsula, that involves singing in groups—often in a competitive setting. Dikir barat may be performed either with a percussion instrumental accompaniment, or with no instruments at all. The origins of dikir barat are unclear; it is found in both Malaysia and Thailand, and today the Malaysia National Department for Culture and Arts actively promotes it as an important part of Malaysian national culture.
The culture of Malaysia draws on the varied cultures of the different people of Malaysia. The first people to live in the area were indigenous tribes that still remain; they were followed by the Malays, who moved there from mainland Asia in ancient times. Chinese and Indian cultural influences made their mark when trade began with those countries, and increased with immigration to Malaysia. Other cultures that heavily influenced that of Malaysia include Persian, Arabic and British. The many different ethnicities that currently exist in Malaysia have their own unique and distinctive cultural identities, with some crossover.
The rebana or terbangan is a tambourine that is used in Islamic devotional music in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore. The sound of the rebana often accompany Islamic ritual such as the zikir. The name rebana came from the Arabic word robbana. The rebana is also used by the Cham people of Cambodia and also gave rise to the Rabana which is used by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka.
A quadruple reed is a type of reed by means of which the sound is originated in various wind instruments. The term "quadruple reed" comes from the fact that there are four pieces of dried palm leaf vibrating against each other, in pairs. A quadruple reed, such as the Thai pinai, operates in a similar way as the double reed and produces a timbre similar to the oboe. The Arabic pii chawaa is "sometimes described as having a double reed, though this is actually folded yet again, creating four layers of reed and thus requiring considerable lung power to play".
Sean Williams is an ethnomusicologist who teaches at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.
Alberto Castilla Buenaventura, was a Colombian composer. He was born in Bogotá. He was also an engineer, journalist, poet, writer, mathematician and musician. He founded the Conservatory of Tolima in 1906.
Malaysian Malays are Malaysians of Malay ethnicity whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in the Malay world. According to the 2023 population estimate, with a total population of 17.6 million, Malaysian Malays form 57.9% of Malaysia's demographics, the largest ethnic group in the country. They can be broadly classified into two main categories; Anak Jati and Anak Dagang.
The roneat thung or roneat thum is a low-pitched xylophone used in the Khmer classical music of Cambodia. It is built in the shape of a curved, rectangular boat. This instrument plays an important part in the Pinpeat ensemble. The roneat Thung is placed on the left of the roneat ek, a higher-pitched xylophone. The Roneat Thung is analogous to the ranat thum of Thai.
Joget is a traditional Malay dance that originated in Malacca in the colonial era. It was influenced by the Portuguese dance of Branyo which is believed to have been spread to Malacca during the spice trade. In Malacca, it is better known as Chakunchak. The dance is one of the most popular folk dances in Malaysia and normally performed by couples in cultural festivals, weddings and other social functions. Joget also grew in popularity within the Malay community in Singapore after its introduction in 1942.
Jikey or Yikey is a form of traditional religious dance originated from India and commonly practiced by communities in several Southeast Asian countries such as Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Specifically, there are two major types of Jikey in Thailand, the one in central region tend to have more Buddhist characteristic adopted its original Indian form, meanwhile in the southern region it bear more Islamic characteristic as it is heavily influenced by the Persian and Arabs-derived culture which characterized by the usage of Middle Eastern musical instruments such as the tambourine, etc.
Mek Mulung is a traditional Malay theatre that is unique to the northwest state of Kedah in Malaysia. It became popular since the late 18th century and incorporates most elements of Mak Yong, Menora and Hadrah. The theatre features a repertoire of stories from local legends, which according to a source, amounted about 20 original stories, with few of them survived today. Similar to Mak Yong, the stories are presented through dialogue, song and dance.
Boria is a form of Malay theatre of Indian origin which has through adaptive processes, become the one and only theatre of Malay community in Penang, Malaysia
Gendang beleq is a dance and music performance from Lombok island, Indonesia. It is a popular performance among the native Sasak people.
The national symbols of Myanmar are icons, symbols and other cultural expressions which are seen as representative of the Burmese people. These have been accumulated over centuries and are mainly from the Bamar majority, while other ethnic groups also maintain their own symbols.
Malaysian popular music, sometimes called shortly Malaysian pop or abbreviated as M-pop, refers to popular music forms in Malaysia. Although popular music in various languages such as Mandopop are popular and have been produced in Malaysia, Malaysian pop refers to music recorded primarily in the Malay language in Malaysia.
Xoan singing or hát xoan is a genre of Vietnamese folk music performed in spring during the first two months of the Tết Nguyên Đán in Phú Thọ Province. The genre includes acting, ceremony, chant, dancing, drumming, and singing; with themes involve romance, riddles, and work. Traditionally occurring in temples, shrines, and communal homes, the songs are performed by a guild, led by a trùm, consisting of male instrumentalists, or kép, and female singers, or đào. A guild consists of ten to fifteen performers, but there are few remaining, increasingly aging, guilds and teachers of this primarily oral tradition.
Gendang Beleq dance is a sacred folk dance tradition of Sasak people of Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. This dance demonstrates dance performance with big drums, called gendang beleq.
