Performing Islam Through Contemporary Indonesian Popular Music, 2002-2007
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
PERFORMING ISLAM THROUGH INDONESIAN POPULAR MUSIC, 2002-2007 by Dorcinda Celiena Knauth BA, Lebanon Valley College, 2002 MA, University of Pittsburgh, 2005 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of University of Pittsburgh in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2010 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH School of Arts and Sciences This dissertation was presented by Dorcinda Celiena Knauth It was defended on October 16, 2009 and approved by Akin Euba, PhD, Professor of Music Anne K. Rasmussen, PhD, Professor of Music, College of William and Mary Bell Yung, PhD, Professor of Music Dissertation Director: Deane L. Root, PhD, Professor of Music ii PERFORMING ISLAM THROUGH CONTEMPORARY INDONESIAN POPULAR MUSIC, 2002-2007 Dorcinda Celiena Knauth, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2010 A growing body of scholarship examines the diverse and new ways that popular music is used as a vehicle for Islamic discourse in contemporary Indonesian society. This dissertation compares three modern leaders who place their music within their own ideological context through non- musical discourse. K.H. Abdullah Gymnastiar (Aa Gym) is a preacher in Bandung whose music attempts to bring together Arabic traditions and optimistic practical advice; his piece “Jagalah Hati” shares in the theology of the Islamic philosopher Abu Hamid al-Ghazali and represents the “Managemen Qolbu” philosophies of his pesantren Daarut Tauhiid, a center for the nasyid musical style. Ahmad Dhani is a rock musician of the Jakarta band Dewa 19, who refashioned himself as a spiritual leader in order to oppose radical Islam through Islamic rock music; his songs “Satu” and “Laskar Cinta” clearly reference the philosophies of the Indonesian Sufi saint Syekh Siti Jenar. Emha Ainun Nadjib (Cak Nun) is a writer in Yogyakarta who uses a modern revamping of traditional Javanese music in eclectic and philosophical community gatherings with his gamelan ensemble Kiai Kanjeng; their pieces “Gundul Pacul” and “Ilir-Ilir,” examples of Islamic fusion, are analyzed with reference to Cak Nun’s prose writings “Menyorong Rembulan dan Matahari Berkabut” and “Gundul Pacul, ‘Fooling Around,’ Cengengesan.” This dissertation also describes the work of other Islamic musicians in Indonesia, including Snada, Bimbo, Edcoustic, Ungu, Letto, Gigi, MQ Voice, and The New MQ Voice. The three spiritual leaders use their music to fuel an Islamic revival in Indonesia that can be called Sufi. Their definitions of Sufism vary, but all are attempting to spur a discussion of Islam that is meaningful for Indonesians. By perrforming Islamic music, musicians teach their listeners about their own understandings of the religion and in effect are “performing Islam .” This dissertation explores the musicians’ theosophic associations, their ideas of how their music can be conceived of as both local and universal, and their roles as civic leaders. iii Copyright © by Dorcinda Celiena Knauth 2010 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE.................................................................................................................................. XII 1.0 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................ 1 1.1 BACKGROUND AND CONCEPTS................................................................ 10 1.1.1 Islamic Revival amidst Indonesia’s Diversity........................................... 10 1.1.2 Islamic Popular Music in Indonesia.......................................................... 16 1.1.2.1 Sound in Islam..................................................................................... 16 1.1.2.2 The Sounds of Islam in Indonesia ..................................................... 19 1.2 THESIS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF RESEARCH......................................... 29 1.3 METHODOLOGY AND THE FIELD SITE.................................................. 31 1.4 CHAPTER OUTLINE ...................................................................................... 36 2.0 NASYID MUSIC AND AA GYM............................................................................. 40 2.1 NASYID DEFINED........................................................................................... 44 2.2 K.H. ABDULLAH GYMNASTIAR AND THE PESANTREN DAARUT TAUHIID............................................................................................................................. 50 2.3 AA GYM’S LEADERSHIP POSITION IN INDONESIAN NASYID ......... 55 2.4 AN EXEGESIS OF “JAGALAH HATI” THROUGH THE WRITINGS OF AL-GHAZALI .................................................................................................................... 62 2.5 COMPARING VERSIONS OF THE SONG “JAGALAH HATI” .............. 67 v 2.5.1 “Jagalah Hati” performed by Aa Gym and MQ Voice........................... 68 2.5.2 “Jagalah Hati” performed by Snada......................................................... 73 2.5.3 “Jagalah Hati” by New MQ Voice ............................................................ 78 2.6 “JAGALAH HATI” AS CONTEMPORARY FOLK SONG........................ 86 2.7 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................. 88 3.0 ISLAMIC ROCK, AHMAD DHANI AND DEWA 19 ........................................... 91 3.1 DHANI’S SECULAR MUSIC CAREER ........................................................ 93 3.2 DHANI’S SPIRITUAL AWAKENING........................................................... 96 3.3 DEFINING GENRES: ISLAMIC ROCK...................................................... 99 3.4 EARLY RELIGIOUS ENDEAVORS............................................................ 105 3.5 SPIRITUAL CHALLENGE........................................................................... 112 3.6 EXPRESSING ONENESS: THE ALBUM LASKAR CINTA...................... 118 3.7 CRITICISM AND RESPONSE...................................................................... 127 3.8 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................ 144 4.0. ISLAMIC FUSION, CAK NUN AND KIAI KANJENG ..................................... 148 4.1 CAK NUN AND ISLAM IN JAVA................................................................ 152 4.2 KIAI KANJENG AND THE PLACE OF MUSIC WITHIN THE RHETORIC OF CAK NUN ............................................................................................ 157 4.3 INTERPRETING THE UN-INTERPRETABLE......................................... 164 4.4 MUSICAL EXEGESIS ................................................................................... 169 4.5 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................ 182 5.0 CONCLUSION......................................................................................................... 186 5.1 ISLAMIC POPULAR MUSIC AS “UNIVERSAL” .................................... 194 vi 5.2 CRAFTING THEOSOPHICAL ASSOCIATIONS ..................................... 200 5.3 THE ARTIST AS TEACHER AND CIVIC LEADER................................ 205 5.4 ISLAMIC POPULAR MUSIC AND CIVIC FUNCTION .......................... 210 5.5 SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ......................................... 213 APPENDIX A............................................................................................................................ 215 CAK NUN’S “MENYORONG REMBULAN DAN MATAHARI BERKABUT”..... 215 A.1 Author’s Note ......................................................................................... 215 A.2 The original writing in Bahasa Indonesia............................................ 216 A.3 English Translation................................................................................ 227 APPENDIX B ............................................................................................................................ 238 CAK NUN’S “GUNDUL PACUL, ‘FOOLING AROUND’, CENGENGESAN”...... 238 B.1 Author’s Note ......................................................................................... 238 B.2 The original writing in Bahasa Indonesia............................................ 239 B.3 English Translation................................................................................ 245 BIBLIOGRAPHY..................................................................................................................... 252 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Form of "Jagalah Hati," as performed by Snada............................................................ 74 Table 2. Form of "Jagalah Hati," as performed by New MQ Voice............................................ 78 Table 3. Form of “Ilir-Ilir," performed by Kiai Kanjeng........................................................... 170 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Children receiving gifts before concert, Jakarta 2005.................................................... 4 Figure 2. Nasyid performance, Jakarta 2005 ................................................................................. 5 Figure 3. Opick, Jakarta 2005........................................................................................................ 6 Figure 4. Map of Indonesia, indicating areas where fieldwork was conducted........................... 33 Figure 5. Aa Gym ......................................................................................................................... 42 Figure 6. Aa Gym with his two wives, Rini and Ninih, during their first public photo opportunity in June,