Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 20 (1) (2020), 10-18 p-ISSN 2541-1683|e-ISSN 2541-2426 Available online at http://journal.unnes.ac.id/nju/index.php/harmonia DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15294/harmonia.v20i1.25050 The Song of Macapat Semarangan: The Acculturation of Javanese and Islamic Culture Agus Cahyono, Widodo Widodo, Muhamad Jazuli, Onang Murtiyoso Department of Drama, Dance, and Music, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia Submitted: January 4, 2020. Revised: March 9, 2020. Accepted: July 4, 2020 Abstract The research objective is to explain the macapat Semarangan song which is the result of accul- turation of Javanese and Islamic culture. The study used qualitative methods by uncovering the concept of processing of Javanese music and acculturation. Research location was in Semarang with the object of macapat Semarangan song study. Data was collected through interviews, ob- servations, and study documents. The validity of the data was examined through triangulation techniques and the analysis is done through the stages of identification, classification, compari- son, interpretation, reduction, verification, and making conclusions. The results showed that the macapat Semarangan song has unique characteristics of arrangement. The song’s grooves use long and complicated musical ornamentations with varying pitch heights to reach high notes. This is a manifestation of the results of acculturation of Javanese and Islamic culture seen from arrange- ment on the parts of Adzan (call to prayer) and tilawatil Qur’an. The process of acculturation of elements of Islamic culture also involves scales. Azan songs use diatonic scales, some macapat Semarangan songs also use the same scales, but a cycle of five notes close to nuances of Chi- nese music scales. Various elements of arrangement on the Azan, Chinese and European musical scales then formed a new culture, macapat Semarangan. Keywords: Azan Song; Macapat; Semarangan How to Cite: Cahyono, A., Widodo, W., Jazuli, M., & Murtiyoso, O. (2020). The Song of Macapat Semarangan: The Acculturation of Javanese and Islamic Culture. Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research And Education, 20(1), 10-18. INTRODUCTION something distinctive and unique that is macapat artwork. Its specificity concerns Macapat is a classic Javanese literary style or céngkok. Macapat Semarang style is work bound by rules guru lagu, guru wilan- also called macapat céngkok or gagrag or gan, and guru gatra read by a vocalist with cakrik Semarangan (Supanggah, 2002). Ma- a certain vocal song (Saputra, 2001). Ma- capat Semarangan is a type of recitation art capat can also be interpreted as poem that that grows and develops in Semarang. The is bound by poetry and contains the tones inheritance system of macapat Semarangan that make up the song (Widodo, 2006; Wi- uses oral tradition (Puguh, 2017). dodo, 2008). Semarangan is derived from The classic Macapat Semarangan the word Semarang, the name of the area has four metrum, they are: Dhandanggula, on the north coast of central Java. The suf- Sinom, Pangkur, and Asmaradana. Dhan- fix-an in the word means possessive, has danggula and Sinom song Semarangan are Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected] 10 Agus Cahyono et al., The Song of Macapat Semarangan: The Acculturation of Javanese and 11 composed in pitch of sléndro pathêt san- (Darsono, 1995). Slendro-diatonic vocal ga or manyura miring, while Pangkur and work combined with Javanese gamelan Asmaradana was composed in pélog pathêt instrumental playing slendro in Semaran- nem pitch which is colored by the notes on gan sounds is unique. Parts of the vocal pélog pathêt lima and pathêt barang. The in- track that have long wiled lilting songs re- terpretation of the term miring on sléndro semble the call to prayer or tilawatil quran pathêt sanga pitch or manyura is different with a mix of slendro, pelog, diatonic sca- from the understanding of Javanese musi- les, and even the nuances of Chinese mu- cal actors in general as tones in the sléndro sic further strengthen its uniqueness. Whi- pitch which is raised or lowered by half le the instrumental work on Semarangan the bar. In macapat Semarangan the term mi- music is a form of adaptation or mixing ring pointing to pentatonic tones rooted in of many regional musical styles, such as Western music that is close to nuances of the Surakarta, Yogyakarta, Banyumas and Chinese music. Therefore, the local peop- Sundanese styles. le often refer to it as sléndro-diatonic pitch. The task is to work on building all Notation of song compositions using mi- musical elements in musical composition ring pitch is easier to do using a diatonic creatively and systematically to form a number notation (solmization) system unified musical sound quality according than kepatihan notation system. Pathêt as a to the character and function of the per- concept discussing about an athmosphe- formance. Supanggah (2009) said, that the re of feeling stop in the arrangement of concept of working on Javanese music has Javanese traditional music insrument (ga- six elements, namely: (1) working on ma- melan), in macapat Semarangan songs are terial, in the form of gending and balungan less applicable (Hastanto, 2009). Although gending; (2) artists, such as: pengrawit, wi- the sound of notes in certain song lines in raswara, and waranggana; (3) media to dis- Macapat Semarangan often sounds blero, it is cover arrangement, i.e., a set of gamelan; outside the frequency limits of the tone on (4) tools or arrangement device vocabular the sléndro dan pélog pitch, but the Javanese technique, céngkok, wiled, irama and laya, musicians who are sensitive to the pitch do laras, pathêt, dynamics, and all musical not feel disturbed. elements of gending; (5) determinants of According to conventional aesthetic working on, namely: the authority of the rules about the reading of the Surakarta person or institution as well as the functi- style macapat text as waosan, it is winengku on of musical and social services; and (6) sastra song (framed songs of literature), gi- consideration of arrangement, in the form ving a long song line in convoluted syllable of situational circumstances that occur in macapat text is not justified (Waluyo, 1999). the show. Creative actions on each musical The aesthetic rule would not apply to ma- element contribute to the realization of the capat Semarangan. In certain syllables the quality of musical compositions. Semarangan macapat text especially those Hidayatullah (2005) noted five in the near position of stop point, is often problems related to cultural acculturati- sung with numerous tones. If wiled or mu- on, namely: (1) methods for observing, sical ornamentation is simplified, then the recording, and describing the process of composition character is lost. The vocalists cultural mixing; (2) elements of migrant in various art performances still carry it culture that are accepted and rejected by with long wiled to reach high notes. When local culture; (3) elements of local culture macapat Semarangan is performed, the ap- that are easily and difficult to be changed preciators are often carried away with long or replaced by elements of foreign culture; breaths to hear such a song. (4) individuals in society who are fast and When macapat Semarangan is per- slow in accepting elements of foreign cul- formed, the appreciators are often carried ture; and (5) tensions or crises arising from away with long breaths to hear such a song the acculturation process. 12 Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 20 (1) (2020): 10-18 The study of cultural acculturation with the experts and Javanese musical symbols, Javanese and Islamic acculturati- artists who worked on the Macapat Sema- on, Semarangan music, Adzan and maca- rangan song. Observations were made at pat Semarangan have been conducted by various Javanese traditional art perfor- several researchers, including Triyanto, mances in which there was the macapat Nur Rochmad, and Mujiono (2013), Amir Semarangan song as material. Document Mahmud (2012), Dhanang Respati Puguh study in the form of appreciation of the (2017), Muntoha, Jamroni, Ali Abdul Jab- composition of the macapat Semarangan bar (2015), and Widodo (2008). Triyanto, song on audio and audiovisual recording Nur Rochmad, and Mujiono discusses the media such as: audio recording of Javanese symbol of cultural acculturation in the music by Ki Narto Sabdo and live musical Warag Ngendog visual art (Triyanto, et al., performances by the karawitan group Se- 2013). Amir Mahmud discussed about the kar Dhomas Semarang. Azan song data is acculturation of Middle Eastern culture extracted through the appreciation of the to Indonesia (Mahmud, 2012, pp. 17–28). sound of its compositions which reverbe- Dhanang Respati Puguh examines the pre- rate in Muslim places of worship before servation, development and policy of Se- the prayer time in Semarang as well as in marangan cultural heritage in a historical local and national television media. perspective (Puguh, 2017). Muntoha, Jam- Data validity is examined through roni, Ali Abdul Jabbar discusses the call to triangulation techniques on sources, met- prayer (adzan) and the iqomah (Muntoha, hods, and theories to ensure their validity. et al., 2013). Widodo discusses the theo- Data composition of the songs above is no- ry and practice of macapat song (Widodo, tated according to the aesthetic rules that 2008). Among the studies that have been apply to identify and classify similarities done, there is not even one that mentioned and differences. The similarity of working the acculturation of Javanese and Islamic on the songs in the azan and macapat Se- culture in the context of the macapat sema- marangan songs shows the adaptation of rangan song and adzan. cultural elements. The acculturation pro- The focus of the discussion in this cess on the Semarangan macapat song was article is on the Semarangan macapat song analyzed through the stages of reduction, which is allegedly the result of Javanese identification, classification, comparison, and Islamic acculturation, namely from verification, interpretation, and making the flow of Adzan as material for making conclusions.