Malay Gamelan: Traditions and Negotiations for Safeguarding a Cultural Heritage

Abstract: This article examines preservation strategies for ensuring the continuity of Malay gamelan in Malaysia. The authors observe two key areas in the preservation efforts: documentation and performance innovation. The article focuses on three documentation efforts: dance notation, sheet music, and audiovisual recording, along with two cases of performance innovations through dramatari (dance-drama) and singing. Our discussion starts with manuscripts of Tengku Ampuan Mariam, a daughter of a Malay gamelan patron and dancer of joget gamelan, a court dance, followed by key audio and video performances and musical notation. The focus then shifts to two forms of performance innovation: one that enhances storytelling through dance in the "dance-drama" format and the other that incorporates singing for greater popular appeal. Together, these strategies form a movement to safeguard and revitalize the Malay gamelan as an intangible cultural heritage as defined in the 2003 Convention developed by UNESCO .