History and Development of Malay Gamelan in Peninsular Malaysia

This article systematically reviews and synthesizes the existing body of literature on Malay gamelan, an ensemble of percussion music and dance originating in Java. It revaluates the history and development of Malay gamelan in Peninsular Malaysia from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries and traces the lineage of Malay gamelan practitioners. Malay gamelan was first introduced from Riau-Lingga in Indonesia to the Pahang court in the 1810s and later to the Terengganu court in the 1880s. It gained popularity as palace entertainment in Pahang during the reign of Sultan Ahmad (r. 1863–1909) and further flourished in Terengganu during the reign of Sultan Sulaiman (r. 1920–42). Royal marriage, state diplomacy, and kinship ties among Malay courts facilitated the transmission and artistic development of Malay gamelan. The migration of royal women between Pahang and Terengganu played a crucial role in passing down the artistry, particularly in dance, to future generations. Notably, the journeys of Che Zubedah and Tnegku Ampuan Mariam, a mother-daughter duo who were Malay gamelan practitioners and respectively married to Sultan Ahmad and Sultan Sulaiman, serve as prime examples of this tradition.