The term
sumazau can also refer to the music associated with the dance, known in
Malay as
rentak sumazau (
sumazau rhythm). Otherwise, it is also called
magagong (to hit a gong), the nominalised form
pagagungan or
magagong sumazau.
Instruments The dance is usually accompanied by a
sompogogungan, a set of six to seven hanging gongs, and a
gandang. The
sumazau ensemble may include a
kulintangan.
Sompogogungan In Gunsing (also spelled Guunsing) village of
Penampang District, the gongs are named as such, left to right from the players' viewpoint: •
Sanang (
canang in Malay) •
Sasalakan •
Naanangong •
Hahambatan • Other •
Hotungong •
Tontoongan •
Tatavag Each gong name denotes the musical part that it plays. The gongs are classified into two types.
Sanang gongs are small with thick brass walls, a single knob on a flat surface and a rim bent downwards. On the other hand, the remaining three gongs (called
tawag among
interior Sabah Kadazan-Dusuns) are heavy, made of brass or bronze, have deep rims, and the front surface is raised near the centre with larger knobs.
Gandang The
gandang is a drum carved from a single piece of wood, with two heads made from either
cowhide or
goatskin. The heads are bound with cane hoops. Into the hoops, wooden tuning pegs are inserted.
Kulintangan Kulintangan in the context of
sumazau music may refer to a gong-chime of eight or nine small knobbed gongs or a small metallophone of nine keys (named as such since its tuning and music follows that of the former). One is more likely to find the metallophone in a
sumazau ensemble.
Instrument positions From the instrument players' viewpoint, the
gandang is placed left of the
sompogogungan while the
kulintangan is placed in front of the
sompogogungan, sometimes with the player's back facing the audience.
Playing the instruments Sumazau music consists of a rhythmic pattern of interlocking parts. This starts with the
gandang, followed by the
sompogogungan, beginning with the
sasalakan down to the
tatavag. The
kulintangan provides melodic ornamentation over the texture of the drum and gongs. The
sompogogungan is struck with sticks covered with beeswax or rubber while the
kulintangan is hit with two wooden beaters. The
gandang is placed in an approximately vertical position and hit on one head with a stick covered in
beeswax or a hard piece of
coconut frond stem. No separate pieces exist for the music. Instead, the same rhythmic pattern is repeated continuously until the dance sequence ends. == Functions ==