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The sasando, also called ''sasandu'' from Sandu or Sanu, is a
According to local tradition, the origin of the ''sasando'' is linked to the folktale of the Rote people about Sangguana. The story goes that there once was a boy named Sangguana who lived on Rote Island. One day, as he tended to savannah, he felt tired and fell asleep under a palmyra tree. Sangguana dreamt that he played beautiful music with a unique instrument whose sound and melody were so enchanting. When he woke up, surprisingly, Sangguana could still remember the tones he played in the dream. Wanting to hear it one more time, he tried to fall asleep again. Again, he dreamt of the same song and the same instrument. Sangguana was enjoying his dream, but eventually, he had to wake up. Not wanting to lose the beautiful sounds from his dream, Sangguana tried to recreate the sounds and quickly created a musical instrument from palmyra leaves with the strings in the middle, based on his memory from the dream, which became the basis of the ''sasando''.
Sasando Rote
Indonesian musical instruments Harps Tube zithers East Nusa Tenggara Bamboo musical instruments {{Zither-instrument-stub
The sasando, also called ''sasandu'' from Sandu or Sanu, is a tube zither
The tube zither is a stringed musical instrument in which a tube functions both as an instrument's neck and its soundbox. As the neck, it holds strings taut and allows them to vibrate. As a soundbox, it acoustic resonance, modifies the sound and ...
, a harp
The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...
-like traditional music string instrument
In musical instrument classification, string instruments, or chordophones, are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer strums, plucks, strikes or sounds the strings in varying manners.
Musicians play some ...
native to Rote Island
Rote Island (, also spelled ''Roti'') is an island of Indonesia, part of the East Nusa Tenggara Provinces of Indonesia, province of the Lesser Sunda Islands. According to legend, this island got its name accidentally when a lost Portuguese people ...
of East Nusa Tenggara
East Nusa Tenggara (; ) is the southernmost province of Indonesia. It comprises the eastern portion of the Lesser Sunda Islands, facing the Indian Ocean in the south and the Flores Sea in the north, with a total land area of 47,238.07 km2. It cons ...
, Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
.
The name ''sasando'' is derived from the Rote dialect word ”sasandu”, which means "vibrating" or "sounded instrument". It is believed that the ''sasando'' had already been known to the Rote people since the 7th century.
The main part of the ''sasando'' is a bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...
tube that serves as the frame of the instrument. Surrounding the tube are several wooden pieces serving as wedges where the strings are stretched from the top to the bottom. The function of the wedges is to hold the strings higher than the tube surface and also to produce various lengths of strings so it can create different musical notations. The stringed bamboo tube is surrounded by a bag-like fan of dried ''lontar'' or palmyra leaves (''Borassus flabellifer
''Borassus flabellifer'', commonly known as doub palm, palmyra palm, tala or tal palm, toddy palm, lontar palm, wine palm, or ice apple, is a fan palm native to South Asia (especially in Bangladesh, East India, and South India) and Southeast As ...
''), which functions as the resonator of the instrument. The ''sasando'' is played with both hands reaching into the stings of the bamboo tube through opening on the front. The player's fingers then pluck the strings in a fashion similar to playing a harp or kacapi.
The ''sasando'' can have 28 (''sasando engkel'') or 56 strings (''double strings'').
Legend
According to local tradition, the origin of the ''sasando'' is linked to the folktale of the Rote people about Sangguana. The story goes that there once was a boy named Sangguana who lived on Rote Island. One day, as he tended to savannah, he felt tired and fell asleep under a palmyra tree. Sangguana dreamt that he played beautiful music with a unique instrument whose sound and melody were so enchanting. When he woke up, surprisingly, Sangguana could still remember the tones he played in the dream. Wanting to hear it one more time, he tried to fall asleep again. Again, he dreamt of the same song and the same instrument. Sangguana was enjoying his dream, but eventually, he had to wake up. Not wanting to lose the beautiful sounds from his dream, Sangguana tried to recreate the sounds and quickly created a musical instrument from palmyra leaves with the strings in the middle, based on his memory from the dream, which became the basis of the ''sasando''.
See also
The following are tube zithers from other countries. They are similar in being made from bamboo, originally having strings cut from the bamboo itself. Some, like the sasando, have been changed in the last century to use new materials, such as wires attached to pegs. Unlike the sasando, none have the leaves to direct the sound. *Karaniing
The karaniing (or kereb among the Temiar people or Senoi people, or pergram among the Jah Hut people) is a type of bamboo tube zither played among the Orang Asli tribal peoples of Malaysia.
The pergam variant is made with four strings (in two pa ...
* Kolitong
* Kong ring
* krem
* Kulibit
* Valiha
The valiha is a tube zither from Madagascar made from a species of Valiha diffusa, local bamboo; it is considered the "List of national instruments (music), national instrument" of Madagascar. The term is also used to describe a number of re ...
References
External links
Sasando Rote
Indonesian musical instruments Harps Tube zithers East Nusa Tenggara Bamboo musical instruments {{Zither-instrument-stub