Choosing the piano as the first musical instrument a child learns will set the foundation of how music works, which can be translated later to playing other instruments.
Finding the perfect songs that fit one’s level is also part of the learning process. Some songs that you may want to play may feel “out-of-reach” because of its music arrangement.
With that in mind, the Malaysian Association for Music Education (Mame) recently published four books on Malay folk songs, arranged by renowned Belgian pianist and music lecturer Professor Gilbert De Greeve.
The books carry musical reconceptualisation of previously composed works of Malay folk songs with different piano proficiency levels.
Mame president Associate Professor Dr Ramona Mohd Tahir, who is also a former dean of Universiti Teknologi Mara’s (UiTM) Faculty of Music, said: “While we have a wealth of musical options to explore when developing personal taste in music, we cannot dismiss the tradition that has impacted many generations before us.
“One way of doing this is to work with our own folk songs — the music of the people, by the people and for the people. This is to ensure that the preservation and continuity of our own music that is unique to our cultures.
She added that the publication was aligned to Mame’s objectives to produce a musically-aware society.
Songs were selected by the composers at UiTM with the main criteria being Malay folk songs that are not copyrighted.
“I requested for De Greeve to arrange these selected 15 songs. We also decided on the four types of arrangements for the songs. The four books feature 15 Malay folk songs, arranged for Piano Solo, Voice and Piano, Beginner Piano, and Piano 4-Hands,” Ramona said.
The titles for the four books are Malay Folksongs from Malaysia for Beginner Piano, Malay Folksongs from Malaysia for Piano Solo, Malay Folksongs from Malaysia for Piano 4 Hands and Malay Folksongs from Malaysia for Voice and Piano.
The books were launched by Belgium Ambassador to Malaysia Daniel Dargent at his official residence during the “A Belgium-Malaysia Evening of Music” event.
The event featured performances by De Greeve with academicians and students from UiTM’s Faculty of Music and Yamaha Music.
On the piano, De Greeve played Jong Jong Inai, Tudung Saji and Bapaku Pulang Dari Kota on arrangements for Piano Solo.
UiTM Faculty of Music voice lecturers, Faezah Hamdan and Khairunnisa Diyana Md Noor, sang Lompat Si Katak Lompat, Anak Ayam, Anak Itik Tok Wi and Jong Jong Inai on soprano with De Greeve on the piano.
Arrangements for Piano Four-Hands were performed by UiTM Music Faculty students Aini Hayati Maulad Aziz, Clenette Mitchell Alexander and Syarifah Iylia Dhania on piano primo with De Greeve on piano secondo.
Rayden Teh Eu Hann from Yamaha Music played Ala Canggung, Suriram and Tepuk Amai Amai arranged for Beginner Piano.
De Greeve, who is the Honorary Director of the State Music Academy of Antwerp and Honorary Professor of the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp (RCA), received his first music lessons from his father.
At RCA, he majored in performance and composition. He went on to study in the United States and became a professor at RCA at the age of 25. He was also the director of the State Music Academy in Antwerp, a school he developed from its foundation in 1979 into a major institution with more than 42,000 students.
De Greeve, who have had experience arranging Indonesian songs five years ago, said initially, the plan was just to publish two books.
“Unlike Indonesia songs which have Dutch influence, Malay songs are authentic and pure in its music. While arranging the pieces, I thought, what about the children who are around 8 to 9 years old?”
A child, he said, first listened to a folk song probably when he was very young.
“The child, for instance, may first listen and sing along to Jong Jong Inai. As he grows older and learns to play the piano, he would want to play the song he is familiar with,” he added, stressing that connecting a song in different levels for a pianist was important in developing musicianship.
“When you arrange music pieces, you usually think of a certain level of pianists you want to reach. I earlier wanted to reach the intermediate level; those who are still young but can already play the piano very well. If you want to make the arrangement interesting, it has to be slightly challenging, too,” De Greeve explained on how it became four books instead of two as earlier planned.
Prior to the launch, De Greeve spoke on the importance of score analysis and recital-piano works by Debussy, a French composer who worked within the field of impressionist music.
De Greeve also conducted workshops for music teachers on teaching Malay folk music and arranging techniques for Malay folk songs, organised by UiTM.
“My workshops in UiTM were on deciding interpretation to the score and composing songs. When I first visited the university a few years ago, the music faculty was low profile. I have seen improvements today after visiting the institution more than four times.”
De Greeve also shared his view on music education in the country, suggesting that perhaps in music education, one lesson must be spent on critical and analytical listening to music.
“Students must listen to music and its composition to learn from great composers. There is a need to stimulate this at the university level. For instance, in composition classes, there should be some time put into listening to the music with explanation.
“Questions like ‘What is happening in this part of the music? Why is it important to understand the form of the music? Why a certain musical instrument is used in that part of the song?’ are some questions that should help students study the compositions.
He also said it was important to enjoy the music first as he found many Asian students were shy.
“I find them more worried if they are good enough as a pianist. They need to develop their confidence and one way of doing that is to enjoy the music more than worrying about their ability.
The books are sold at RM30 each, except for Beginner Piano, which is sold at RM25.
Ramona said proceeds from the sale of the books would be used by Mame to realise its purpose to promote the need and importance of music in the school curriculum and the education system.
Email Mame at mamebaru2016@gmail.com or call UiTM Faculty of Music office at 03-55442716 to find out more about purchasing the books.