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, Javanese and other cultures in overlap with the neighbouring Indonesian archipelago, Arabic, 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 Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. The strong Islamic influence means that dance performances and music are somewhat restricted.
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.
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.
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, joget dance is better known as Chakunchak. The dance is one of the most popular folk dances in Malaysia that is normally performed by couples in cultural festivals, weddings and other social functions. Joget gained popularity among the Malay community in Singapore after its introduction in 1942.
Jikey is a traditional Malay dance drama that is popular in Kedah and Perlis, Malaysia. The dance drama is known as Yike in Cambodia and Likay in Thailand and popular in southern provinces of Satun and Phuket. It is believed to have originated from the singing of zikir among the Malays before it developed into a secular theatre after the late 19th century. The Jikey performance also has strong influence from other Malay performing arts like Mak Yong, Hadrah, Bangsawan and Mek Mulung.
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.
The đàn hồ is a two-stringed vertical violin with wooden resonator. The term hồ derives from Chinese hu, as in Chinese huqin 胡琴). It is similar to the yehu.
The k'lông pút is a traditional bamboo xylophone of the Bahnar people in Vietnam. However, sound is produced through resonance by clapping at the end of the tubes, and not struck like many bar percussion instruments.
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.
Semelai people are an Orang Asli people of the Proto-Malay people group found in Negeri Sembilan and Pahang states of Malaysia.
Gendang Beleq dance is a sacred folk dance tradition of the Sasak people of Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. This dance performance is usually accompanied by big drums, called gendang beleq.
Ayai is one of the four main musical styles of Khmer traditional culture, along with pinpeat, mahori, and phleng khmer. It can be more specifically defined as "repartee singing, usually the theatrical alternation of a man and a woman, accompanied by an ensemble of the same name." Along with smot, while in a very different style, ayai singing has been described as "one of the most fascinating folk music traditions in Cambodia."
