http://inthegapbetween.free.fr/pierre/GAMBUS_PROJECT/07y_TYPES_gambus_NTT.pdf

GAMBUS LUTE TYPES

(FLORES)

Version Date On line Updates

V1.0 Sept. 2017 yes Creation dHerouville P.

V2.0 June 2018 yes Addings dHerouville P.

V3.0 July 2019 yes Addings dHerouville P.

The Gambus designation nowadays took an unexplicit acception in the indonesian archipelago, since the word became synonymous of “middle east-like lute” there. If the word is certainly rooted in the Yemeni name “Qanbus”, according to the homonymous lute of the Sana’an plateau, for sure, every current Indonesian avatars now embody various designs. In the province of Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB), the “Gambus” name was corrupted to “Gambo”. This lute meets seldom the orthodox criteria with the three main categories of Gambus , as usually found in Malaysia and Indonesia:

1. - Gambus Hijaz, a monoxyle, long necked lute. Now rare and hardly survives reportedly in Johor state, Sarawak (near Kuching), Sabah (Semporna, and seldom in Papar, Bongawan), Kalimantan (panting music in Benjmarsin /Banjarmasin) and various districts of Sumatra districts : Bengkalis, Penyengat, Jambi, & Medan. The Panting lute is a tiny avatar in South and South-East Kalimantan. 2 - Gambus Hadramawt, a.k.a. « Gambus Johor », an oud-like lute. This can be found still in Johor state, Brunei, Sabah, Java , Sumatra, Madura, Sulu. 3- Bruneian monoxyle Gambus Seludang is a local crossover design family in Brunei and Sabah. Though often named “Gambus Hijaz “ , the bruneian making of “Seludang feature the typical 100% wooden soundboard - unlike the existing Gambus Hijaz family. Anyhow the acception of the term « Seludang » highly varies between Riau and Brunei - Sabah. The widespread nickname of “Gambus Kampung” (bah. Ind. “village”lute ) is widespread and defines well the lutery of Flores.

Now on the way to extinction in many places, the Gambus Hijaz lute is still (seldom)

accompanying Zapin / Jepen dance (Ar. Zafin, a dance genre from Hadhramawt, still widespread in Sawt-like sessions in the Gulf countries) namely the local Hamdolok dance – Batu Pahat – and the Zapin Banjar - Kalimantan-. Considering that Johore’s Ghazal music now substituted Gambus Hijaz lute with oud in continental Malaysia, the relevant regional musical avatars for Zafin & Gambus Hijaz are nowadays Hamdolok (Batu Pahat), Tingkilan (Kutai tribesmen, south Kalimantan) and Panting-Banjar ( south Kalimantan and surroundings of Benjmarsin/Banjarmasin city). The name Banjar echoes obviously “Banjarmasin”, which is an harbor-city, situated south of Kalimantan.

In the NTT, the Gambus lute is rare and borrows some few features from the previous

Gambus Hijaz, possibly imported there by the Bugis (Sulawesi) as early as the 16th – 17th century . Moreover, the sights of a “melayu” influence are generally less visible in there, but in the eastern islets. Unlike Sulawesi, there is not any “floresian” mainstream culture, nor prominent musical genre all over this large island. Echoing the island’s diversity, the instrumentarium varies a lot between West Flores, Ende and the eastern archipelagos (Alor, Solor, Lamaholot) . And so varies the lutery.

THE “GAMBUS” LUTES IN FLORES In a bird eye view, the Gambus seems to have remained a minor instrument in Flores.

Indeed, this was borrowed once by various groups, as a drone instrument.

In West Flores : very few Gambus are observed, and all among the Menggarai or Skka tribesmen. The mainly observed trend for construction is an unseen, large boat-lute structure. Unlike Zapin, Marawsi or Dana Dana, any of the local songs refers to any modes, nor genre of the former arab settlers. In Ende & Maumere : Once occupied by the Bugis, today’s Central Flores seems to have retained colonial idioms, such as christian gospels, ukulele and keronchong musics. Indeed, a narrow gambus lute – skin made resonator - may be observed in some few villages, as a less observed, rural substitute of the uke or the guitar in the proto-urban music of Ende. An oddity. In the eastern archipelagos : Once occupied by the Bugis, Alor, Solor islands nowadays feature some more illustrations of the nostalgy for an Arabian avatar music. The “arabian” Taqsim is well known there. Additionnally some endemic, satyrical songs do sound more like kabanti / Bati-Bati genres of the Bugis, but all sung in the lamaholot language. Recently, some alorese lutenists are observed among the deported workers in Batam ( Malacca straits). Having said that, the local lutery is versatile: this is mixing up some influences – guitar tuners, frets…) from the West, from the Eastern Sulawesi and from the Middle East. The monocave structure is less widespread, but the hook-shaped pegbox. The skin-made resonator or the ud lute-like avatars have all turned rare.

Like in Lombok or Sulawesi, the lutery of Easte Flores is facing some challenges:

1. substitution of the skin-made “soundboard” with wood-made one lead to a dramatic down-scaling of the whole instrument, balancing a booming trend for amplified use & microphone. 2. Unlike among the Kutai ethnics (East Kalimantan), the echoeing properties of the hollowed body subsequently lost any functional attractivity for the various ethnics in south Kalimantan, as the wood- made cover to retain a properly acoustic rendering indeed.

3. Colorful painting, figurative patterns.

A Sikka tribesman while playing the fish-shaped Gambus ( Ende, Flores)

Konradus JEDALO and his manggarai avatar of the Gambus ( Labuan Bojo, W. Flores) .

Pak Ishak MANSUR ( Labuan Bajo, West Flores) . Long Gambus player in Flores

Gambus lutenist ( Solor, East Flores) .

The Gambus lutenist Pier LONENTZ ( Adonara, East Flores) .

The Gambus lutenist Yoseph KIA BOLI ( Lembata, East Flores) . Unknown player Gambus (Pulau Longos, near Ende, E. Flores)

AMBIVALENCE OF THE “URBAN” GAMBUS MUSIC IN EAST FLORES

At the end of the day, the gambus is not visible enough in the Lagu (song genres) of

Maumere, Ende to draw any trend overthere. The tunggal or instrumen musics from Solor/Alor/Lembata may be more on purpose. In one hand, these genres from Solor borrow oviously the middle eastern Taqsim. In another hand, the lalamlohot dialect sung songs are echoing surrounding bugis music, such as the Kabanti, a.k.a. Battik-Battik.

CONCLUSIONS

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abdoun, Seifed-Din Shehadeh, « The oud, the king of arabic instruments », ISBN ???? , Arabila production Publ., 100 p., Washington DC(USA) / Irbid (Jordan), 1996. Introduction and playing course. ( i)

Ashari, Mohammad, interview, lutemaker. Firdowsi Bazaar, Bandar Qeshm , Hormuzgan, 2007 Hakim, T Lukman, « Ciri Khas Bedeleau Gambus » in Bedeleau.com website , Riau Sumatra, 2012 Hilarian, Larry Francis, « The Gambus lute of the malay World », pH D. , Nanyang Technical University of Singapore, Singapore, 2004. (e) Hilarian, Larry Francis, « The gambus (lutes) of the malay World : its origins and significance in Zapin Music », Nanyang Technical University of Singapore, Singapore, 2005. A concise Synthesis about the Hypothetic Origins of the Instrument (p) Hilarian, Larry Francis, « The migration of Lute type instruments to the Malay Muslim World » in Congrés des musiques dans le monde l ‘Islam, Assilah, August 8-13, 2007. about importing Gambus to the muslim world ( p ) Hilarian, Larry Francis, « The folk lute (gambus) and its symbolic expression in malay muslim culture » in Folklore studies # XXIII , Institute of lituanian literature and folklore, Vilnius, 2006. ( p ) Hilarian, Larry Francis, « Understanding malay music theory through the performance of the malay lute (gambus) » in Music Journal # 4 , Malaysia, 2008. ( p) Hilarian, Larry Francis, « The structure and development of the gambus (malay lute) » in the Galpin society Journal # LVIII , Malaysia?, 2005. ( p) Nariman, Mansur, « The method of Playing the Lute », Soroush Publ, ISBN 964-376-291-2, Tehran, 2005. Iran. ( g ) Mading blog: “Dambus : Alunan Indah Dari Negeri Serumpun Sebalai “ a weblog about the maker ZAROTI at Pangkalpinang, Bangka Isl Indonesia , January 2014 http://madingpgri.blogspot.fr/2014/01/liputan-budaya-daerah.html

Malay name of the components , drawing and data from Larry Francis HILARIAN

Assy concepts observed in Lombok

GAMBUS LUTE : FLORES (1) 01 02

03 04

05

06

07

ITEMs n°01 (Sikka, W. Flores), n°02-05 (Labuan Bajo, W. Menggarai, Flores); n°6 (Alor),

GAMBUS LUTE : FLORES (2) 01 02 03

04 05 06 07

08

ITEMs n°01 (Tadonah, Adonara), n°02, 07 (Maumere), n°03, 05 (Boleng /Adonara), n°04 (Lamalohot arch.), n°06 (Lembata), n°08 (Balaweling, Adonara)

GAMBUS LUTE : FLORES (3) 09 10 11

12

13 14 15

ITEMs n°09 (Lembata), n°10 (unclear location in Flores.), n°11 (Adonara), n°12, 13 (Maumere, Flores), n°14 (Pulau Buaya, Alor), n°15 (Solor, Lamakera).

GAMBUS LUTE : FLORES (4) 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23

ITEMs n°16 (Ende), n°19, 21-22 (Boleng / Adonara), n°20 (Lamalohot arch.),

GAMBUS LUTE : FLORES (5) 24

25 26 27

28 29 30

ITEMs n°24-27, 29 (Maumere), n°28, 30 (Ende ? E. Flores ),

GAMBUS LUTE : FLORES (6) 31

32 33

34 35 36

ITEMs n°31 (Nuba Arat, Flores), n°32 (Alor isl, NTT), n°33 (Boleng / Adonara), n°34 (Wolomotong, Sikka), , n°35 (Lamalohot Isl, Flores), n°36 (Pulau Kangge, Alor)

GAMBUS LUTE : FLORES (7) 01 02 03

04 05 06

ITEMs n°01 & 03 (Lembata), n°05 (Solor), n°04 & 06 (Alor isl),

GAMBUS LUTE : FLORES (8)

01 02 03 04 05

06

ITEMs n°01-03 (E. Flores) , n°04 (Solor) n°06 (Lamakera), n°05, 06 (Maumere),

GAMBUS LUTE : FLORES (9) 07

08

09 10

11 12

ITEMs n°07 (Maumere), n°08 (Lamakera), n°09 (Manggarai, W. Flores), ), n°10 & 12 (Alor)

GAMBUS LUTE : FLORES (10) 07 08

09 10

11 12

ITEMs n°08 (Flores), n°10 Manggarai (W. Flores), n°11 (Maumere), 12 Lio (Ende, Flores),

BENYOL LUTE : FLORES (1)

01 02 03 04 05

06

Benyol ITEMs n°01 (Geliting, Flores), n°05 (Flores), n°03, 04, 06 (Maumere)

GAMBUS LUTE : TIMUR (1) 01

02 03 04 05 06

ITEMs n°01-06 (Timor province)