ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
10 Pantun Settings is amongst Razak Abdul Aziz’s earliest works. Written in the span of 10 years, the texts were chosen from an old poetry book, Kalong Bunga, published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka in 1964. Writing music to existing texts has been a common practice since the golden age of art songs in 19th century Europe, with composers such as Franz Schubert (1797-1828), Robert Schumann (1810-1856), and Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) dominating this domain, alongside other Western composers. Razak Abdul Aziz’s 10 Pantun Settings uses text found in Za’ba collection of Malay pantun Kalong Bunga Buku 1 (1964), which was written by Ahmad Abdullah in Nyanyian Kanak-Kanak (1938). This paper focuses on the imagery behind the chosen texts used in this cycle. A series of interviews with the composer is the main method used to achieve the objectives of this study. It is found that the composer’s imagery varies – the open space of a Malay traditional house, traditional cake-making, and abandonment (just to name a few). Through this paper, it is hoped that works by Razak Abdul Aziz and other local composers would receive more attention from other scholars and performers alike, as these local gems could potentially shape the identity of Malaysia’s unique culture to be passed on to the upcoming, future generations.
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In-Text Citation: (Zamani & Gani, 2020)
To Cite this Article: Zamani, M. F., & Gani, A. F. A. (2020). Razak Abdul Aziz’s 10 Pantun Settings: Imagery behind the Chosen Texts. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 10(6), 959–990.
Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s)
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