Talempong is a traditional musical instrument of the Minangkabau people of Western Sumatra,

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 talempong produce a static texture consisting of interlocking rhythms. A talempong a small kettle

gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...

which gives its name to an ensemble of four or five talempong as well as other gongs and

drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a ...

s. The term can refer to the instrument, the ensemble, or the genre of music. Talempong is in the form of a

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with a

diameter In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the centre of the circle and whose endpoints lie on the circle. It can also be defined as the longest Chord (geometry), chord of the circle. Both definitions a ...

of 15 to 17.5 centimeters, with a hollow hole at the bottom while at the top there is a roundabout with a diameter of five centimeters as a place to be hit. Talempong has a different tone. The sound is produced from a pair of wood hammered on its surface. Around 1970, at the ''Akademi Seni Karawitan'' (Academy of Traditional Arts) in Padang Pajang, a Talempong orchestra was developed with approximately 17 musicians. In 2019 and 2021, The Talempong Unggan and The Talempong Pakcik were recognized as National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Indonesia by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture. On December 15, 2021,

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

officially recognized

Gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...

which includes a musical instrument of Talempong as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, and encouraged the Indonesian people and the Indonesian government to safeguard, transmit, promote performances and to encourage the craftsmanship of the instruments.

Cultural contexts

Talempong is usually used to accompany dance or welcoming performances, such as the typical Tari Piring, Tari Pasambahan, Tari Alang, Tari Suntiang Pangulu and Tari Gelombang. Talempong is usually performed with an accordion accompaniment, a type of organ supported and played with the right hand played by the player. In addition to the accordion, instruments such as saluang, gandang, serunai and other traditional Minangkabau instruments are also commonly played with talempong. Talempong can be used to play a wide variety of music traditional and modern. Talempong have been used in some experimental

gamelan Gamelan (; ; , ; ) is the traditional musical ensemble, ensemble music of the Javanese people, Javanese, Sundanese people, Sundanese, and Balinese people, Balinese peoples of Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussion instrument, per ...

pieces composed at Sekolah Tinggi Seni Indonesia Surakarta, which has West Sumatran instructors and students.

Outside Indonesia

In Malaysia, the talempong was brought to Negeri Sembilan,

Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the list of isla ...

, in the 14th century by Minangkabau people from nearby West Sumatra. Here, talempong is also known as ''caklempong''.Abd Samad Idris, 1970 The ''caklempong'' is present in the different configurations of the '' Nobat'', a ceremonial traditional orchestra that is among the Regalia of Malaysia. Performances by the ''Nobat'' are limited to royal occasions, the ensemble playing an important role in the Installation of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Gallery

File: Talempong diatonis 2.jpg,

Gong A gongFrom Indonesian language, Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and ...

of Talempong File: Musicians playing talempong pacik.jpg, Talempong Pacik File: Talempong.jpg, Playing talempong File: Talempong Pacik.jpg, Playing talempong pacik together File:Playing Talempong Pacik.webm, Talempong Pacik for Ceremonial activity in

West Sumatra West Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of ...

Sources

*Roth, A. R. ''New Compositions for Javanese Gamelan''. University of Durham, Doctoral Thesis, 1986

Notes

{{Minangkabau Gong and chime music Indonesian styles of music Malaysian styles of music Gongs Indonesian musical instruments Malaysian musical instruments

Cultural contexts

Outside Indonesia

Gallery

See also

Sources

Notes