Talempong, Now And Then

Talempong is Minangkabau traditional music instrument made of brass and some are of wood and stone. The talempong produce a static texture consisting of interlocking rhythms. Talempong was brought into Negri Sembilan, Malay Peninsular by people of West Sumatra in 14th century. Here, talempong is also known as caklempong.

Talempong music tends to be transformed by the people themselves and sometimes also influenced by the government, even through local tapes. Thus, gave birth to talempong creations.

Though the process may be the same but the results may differ and it’s important to review the dimension changes at the local level. Ironically, although very modern at first, the talempong creations appeared very strong and joined well with hegemonic political culture that is often known by the traditional art.

Since the ’60s, some talempong styles still exist untill today, both the village and talempong creations. The appearance is still the same but still differ for some communities.

Culture exists as the process of the product, so changes always come while the people and traditions always repositioned according to new influences. Neglecting this fact means deleting culture including those of dynamic music.

Tags: culture, Malay Peninsular, rhythms, traditional, west sumatra

talempong