172 The Musical Structure and Meaning of Go Laba in the Context of People’s Life Philosophy in Ngadha Culture, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara Florentianus Dopo1, Yudi Sukmayadi2 1Department of Music Education, STKIP Citra Bakti, Indonesia 2Department of Music Education, Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia Received: June 10, 2018. Revised: October 8, 2018. Accepted: December 19, 2018 Abstract Art is an integral aspect of culture. Almost all aspects of human life are always wrapped in some form of art. Indonesia is a country that has diverse artistic expressions. Different from Western arts that emphasize the element of aesthetics, traditional arts in various cultures in the Eastern world display elements that are more than just aesthetics. Other intended elements include the values or the life philosophy of the owner community. Traditional music always has two compo- nents that can not be separated from one another: textual and contextual aspects. Understanding a musical tradition should cover both aspects in their entirety. This paper aims to expose the contextual aspects of a musical tradition of Ngadha, Flores, NTT called go laba. The contextual aspect in question is the values or life philosophy of the community represented through this traditional music. Keywords: Traditional Music; Values; Musical Meaning How to Cite: Dopo, F., & Sukmayadi, Y. (2018). The Musical Structure and Meaning of Go Laba in the Context of People’s Life Philosophy in Ngadha Culture, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research And Education, 18(2), 172-179. Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 18 (2) (2018), 172-179 Available online at http://journal.unnes.ac.id/nju/index.php/harmonia DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15294/harmonia.v18i2.9976 dience during an art presentation. Textual elements are those such as the composition of music embodied in rhythm, melody, harmony, musical structure, lyrics, tempo, dynamics, expression, instruments, and arrangements. Meanwhile, contextual as- pects are matters relating to the message or values to be conveyed through the ap- pearance of art such as meaning, function, purpose, essence or the role of art in the life of the community. The contextual as- pect relates to the beliefs, ideas, values or life philosophy of a community group that is revealed through the presentation of tra- ditional music. Unlike the textual aspects that can be INTRODUCTION Indonesia is a country with a variety of art. Almost all aspects of the cultural life of the people in various cultures in Indone- sia are always wrapped in art. History has proved that there is no society without art, because art is always present in human life and has a very important role (Prestisa & Susetyo, 2013). In traditional arts always have 2 (two) aspects that can not be separated from one another, namely the textual and contextual aspects. According to Susetyo (2009), the textual aspect is the elements of art that are enjoyed directly by the audience or the au- Corresponding author: Jl. Bajawa-Ende, Malanuza, Kec. Golewa, Kab. Ngada, Flores, NTT E-mail: yudi.sukmayadi@upi.edu p-ISSN 2541-1683|e-ISSN 2541-2426 Florentianus Dopo et al., The Musical Structure and Meaning of Go Laba ... 173 obtained directly in the moment of an art presentation, it is not so with the contextual aspect. The contextual aspect requires furt- her examination. The presentation of art only displays the symbols to be searched for further meaning. The presentation of traditional music will always trigger a dee- per curiosity from the audience. Therefore, appreciating a traditional art should not stop at the textual aspect only. The beauty and meaningfulness of traditional music lie in the combination of both aspects. Textually, we may find a traditional art similar to different ethnic groups such as the similarity of motion patterns when dancing or the similarity of a musical com- position. However, the similarity of tex- tual expression of a readable traditional art cannot be concluded that both have the same contextual meaning. Contextual meanings have a correlation with the be- liefs, values held or philosophy that is li- ved by a limited group of people. The simi- larity in textual expression of an art entity still has a different meaning. Therefore, the best way to understand or appreciate a tra- ditional art is to place the textual and con- textual aspects in the same position. Textually, go laba music is still well known by almost all in the Ngadha com- munity, including children, adolescents and adults. However, the textual knowled- ge of go laba music possessed by Ngadha people is inconsistent with their knowled- ge of its contextual aspect. This is not only apparent with the younger generation, but the older generation also almost no lon- ger knows what the contextual meanings are contained in the music of go laba. One reason for the occurrence of this situation is that the inheritance pattern is not in- tact. The inheritance of go laba music only emphasizes the textual aspect of how to playi go laba music, but is not accompanied by the inheritance of knowledge about its meaning. Therefore, children and the younger generation in general continue their lives in ignorance about the meaning- fulness of go laba music in their lives as part of Ngadha tribe. Departing from the conditions above , this study of go laba music is part of an attempt to reconstruct a written document on go laba music in the context of the life philosophy of the Ngadha community that can help to rebuild the understanding of go laba music in its entirety. Go laba, which is a rich of life values, should be used as a source of learning values for students in school formally. Through learning go laba music, students can begin as early as pos- sible to learn to reinforce the local as well as universal values that are represented through the music of go laba. Based on the background research the purposes of this research are to descri- be the musical structure of go laba and the meaning of go laba in the context of people’s life philosophy in Ngadha culture. METHOD The research approach used is quali- tative. Scott W. Vanderstoep and Deirdre D. Johnston (2009) argue that a qualitative approach focuses on building a narrative on the phenomena based on observations. The data collected is the result of the re- searchers’ observation and interviews. Al- wasilah (2000) states that observation is a systematic and planned observation to ob- tain data with controls for validity and re- liability. Meanwhile, according to Esteberg (2002), an interview is a meeting between two people to exchange information and ideas through question and answer so that meaning can be constructed. RESULT AND DISCUSSION Musical Structure of Go Laba Go laba is the traditional music of the Ngadha culture; it is often used in traditio- nal ceremonies such as traditional house construction. Aside from being as music for rituals, go laba is a traditional Ja’i dance accompaniment. The structure of music is a structural arrangement in the sentence of music in which there are motif and ujud (Linggono, 1993). In contrast to the struc- ture of music in general, playing of every musical instrument in a go laba ensemble Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 18 (2) (2018): 172-179174 is a rhythmical exploration. The go laba en- semble is comprised of eight instruments: fve go (gongs) and three laba (drums). Each go (gong) has its own name. They are wela/ ro’i-ro’i-roi (gong 1), uto-uto/ute-ute (gong 2), dhere/bheme (gong 3), and doa, which consists of two go (gong 4 & 5). Similarly, the three laba (drum) is named laba dera (1 piece) and laba wa’i/dawi (2 pieces). These two types of laba are different in size. Figures 1. Go (gong) Instruments Figure 2. A Laba dera, B Laba wa’i/dawi Besides being named, each go (gong) also has a different tone. The tones of the five go are arranged using diatonic scales, ranging from do to sol. Meanwhile laba is a musical instrument that is not pitched. Each player plays a rhythmic pat- tern on a single instrument, except the doa (2 pieces of gong), which is played by one person. The tool used to play the go are cal- led sora go, which is a wood with a length of about 30-35 cm and 1-2 cm in diameter. Each instrument is played by beating. The rhythmic pattern that is played on each instrument differs. Different rhythmic patterns of each instrument, both go and laba, are played together in a go laba music ensemble performance. Thus, go laba music can be described as polyrhythmic. Below is an example of a rhythmic beating motive/ musical structure of the five go (gong). Different from the go, the laba dera and laba wa’i/dawi play more varied rhyth- mic motifs. For that reason, we have se- parated the description of the musical structure of laba dera and laba wa’i/dawi. However this separation does not mean that laba is played separately apart from go. The separation of the description here only intends to clarify some of the varied rhythmic motives played by laba. Types of rhythmic motives played by laba are desc- ribed as follows. The first motif is called meju The second motif is called meru The third motif is called degude The fourth motif is called rada ke’ o Florentianus Dopo et al., The Musical Structure and Meaning of Go Laba ... 175 The music structure of go laba above gives a very simple sketch when compared with the understanding of music in gene- ral that has many complex components. Therefore, the music must be understood in its cultural context. In the context of tra- ditional music, music must be understood as a part of community life that is preser- ved because of its benefits for current life (Okpala, 2016). John Blacking, for examp- le, believes that every traditional music should be analyzed in its social and cultu- ral context (Blacking, 1973). If related to the understanding of modern music, the music structure of go laba above only shows some components such as motifs. Sometimes traditional mu- sic appears in a form that is difficult to un- derstand based on knowledge of modern music. This is because the purpose of mu- sic in the tradition’s culture is not intended for aesthetic purposes, but as a medium of cultural inheritance or ritual needs (Oka- pala, 2016). Musical Meaning of go laba in context of Life Philosophy of Ngadha Culture The presence of traditional music gi- ves meaning to the existence of a culture and the life of the members of the commu- nity. The musical traditions have meaning, function and usefulness that vary by type, place, time and need (Supanggah, 1996). Therefore, in the context of cultural un- derstanding, music must be understood as part of the community life which has bene- fits for current life (Okpala, 2016). Deane L. Root (2005, p. 7) said that music is a mirror of society’s events and systems of beliefs, The fifth motif is called reto The length or the shortness of a mo- tive played by laba depends on the coor- dination between the two types of laba. The sequence of motives played by laba during a performance of go laba music is displayed in table 1. Table 1. A sequence of Motives Played by Laba Laba wa‘i/dawi 1 Laba wa’i/ dawi 2 Laba dera Meru Meju Meju Degude degude Meru Meru Meju Meju Meju Meru Meju Rada Ke’o/ nosi Rada ke’o/ nosi Meju Meju Meju Meru Meru Meju Meju Degude degude Meru Meru Meru Reto In the table 1, the column number is the order of rhythm played by the laba. The column labeled “laba wa’i 1” is a sequence of rhythmic motives played by the laba wa’ i/dawi 1 from start to finish. The laba wa’ i/ dawi 2 column is the sequence of rhythmic motives played by laba wa’ i/dawi 2. The laba dera column is the sequence of rhythmic motives played by laba dera from beginning to end. When go laba ensemble music starts to be played, at the first, laba wa’i/dawi will play the motive of meru, while at the same time laba wai/dawi 2 and laba dera will play the meju motif. So on, with the order of 3, 4, and the rest. So the playing of every rhyth- mic motif by the three pieces instruments of laba must run synchronously in accor- dance with motives sequentially. The play- ing of go laba sequentially from beginning to end can be illustrated as follows. Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 18 (2) (2018): 172-179176 and that each piece can be a richly packed time capsule from its period. Hidayat (2014) describes that music contains va- lues and norms that are part of the process of cultural enculturation, both informally and informally. This statement reveals that the existence of music has an important meaning as a medium for representing the values, beliefs or ideas about life owned by a person or a group of people. Go laba is a reflection of the values, principles of life or life philosophy in Ngadha cultu- re. The life principle or life philosophy of Ngada culture is mainly represented in the role played by each go (gong) and also laba (drum). The philosophy of Ngadha society’s life as reflected in go laba music can be described as follows. Go 1 (Wela/Ro’i-ro’i) That wela has a higher tone than the other go has several meanings. First, wela is an opening or a greeting. A greeting with a high tone is a form of hospitality in the con- text of Ngada culture. An exciting greeting will make the one greeted feel invited, ac- cepted, acknowledged and confirmed. The use of go laba to greet guests in non-adat ceremonies can be presumed based on this understanding of wela. When the go laba ensemble is played to greet the guest, then indirectly the guest has been accepted, ac- claimed and confirmed in the community that is being visited by the guest. Second, wela is a symbol of honesty, truth and sin- cerity. This is revealed in a special term “wela ghoa” which means to do what it is or say as it should be said. Saying something must be expressed vividly. There is also an old adage: “ghoa moe alu koda, netu moe alu beru.” This proverb is an affirmation of ho- nesty that is symbolized by a plain bamboo segment without content. What is said in a closed place should be the same as what is said in an open place. Honesty, truth, and sincerity must be voiced in the loudest tone so that everyone can distinguish right and wrong. Truth can not be hidden only for oneself, but must belong to everyone. These three virtues must always be upheld and held firm. Third, wela is also a symbol of passion and perseverance to do somet- hing for achieving what is aspired. When the wela begins to sound, everyone should rush against all laziness to get to work im- mediately. Wela is a personal symbol of the spirit and ready to reach the ideals. Go 2 (Uto-uto/ute-ute) Uto-uto/ute-ute has a lower tone than wela. In later go laba ensemble packages, uto-uto/ute-ute is set up in such a way as to produce the tone “fa.” Uto-uto/ute-ute starts playing following the wela with a different rhythmic motive. Second, go (uto- uto) must always be understood in relation to the first go (wela). According to inter- viewees, uto-uto is referred to as “go gani wela,” which means a friend or wela (first gong). In the context of life, uto-uto is as- sociated with a supportive friend. The im- portance of friends who support us in life is expressed in the traditional adage “ngai bodha nee gani, pio bodha nee go sipo, go wela bodha nee uto.” This phrase has the mea- ning that this life must have friends, just like wela must be with uto-uto. If associa- ting with wela (first gong), uto-uto becomes the symbol of a faithful friend of wela to jointly voice truth, honesty, or justice. As long as we live in the world, we can not walk alone. We need others as friends or friends in order to create a harmonious life. Even if we are strong, it will not last long if it is not supported by others. Even if we are great, our greatness does not pro- duce many benefits if we do not include others. Therefore, involving others in any endeavor or struggle to achieve the ideal is not proof that we are weak, but it is a part of being human nature for the harmony of the world. Go 3 (Dhere/bheme) Dhere/bheme has a lower tone than uto-uto/ute-ute. In today’s go laba ensemble, the dhere/bheme is arranged in such a way as to produce the sound of mi in the sense of diatonic scale. In the context of go laba as an ensemble, dhere/beme is the controller. In cultural terminology, dhere/bheme is called go mima, which means balancing the move- Florentianus Dopo et al., The Musical Structure and Meaning of Go Laba ... 177 ment of wela and uto-uto rhythms. Slightly different from the wela and uto-uto that are hit with strong or hard pressure, a typical dhere/bheme is played with slightly weak or soft pressure. Although sound with a soft dynamic, dhere/bheme has a very important role as a regulator of the tempo of go laba ensemble playing. Therefore, every player of each instrument must always pay at- tention to the tempo of the dhere/bheme. The performance of go laba will not sound harmonious if dhere/bheme is not played well. All people who live in Ngadha cul- ture consider the dhere/bheme as a perso- nal symbol of a mediator, giver of advice, or controller of the life rhythm and the rhythm of our work. An arbitrator is a wise man and a solution giver in every problem for everyone for living in harmony with others. Therefore dhere/bheme is often as- sociated in cultural understanding as the mosa kisa. Mosa kisa is a person who always stands neutral for human, a person who is an example to all about how to living well while still in the world. Mosa kisa is the source of virtue and wisdom. Thus, eve- ryone will always want to hear him. The wise person (mosa kisa) is a person who al- ways gives advice with soft language, and not with harsh words . Why act as a controller but be bea- ten with soft pressure? In the belief of the Ngadha people, a wise man does not appear in a strong and powerful figure over others. An arbitrator is manifested in humble and selfless personalities. Their presence is sometimes not taken into ac- count, but their words are always heard. Providing wise counsel to others should not be conveyed in loud tones, but should be expressed and conveyed in soft langu- age. It is expressed in the adat adage of Ngadha “bodha le soro ho nee mazi mawe.” This adage has the meaning that peace over a dispute can only be achieved through a soft discussion. In other words, advising others must be conveyed in soft language. A gentle conversation will cool the heart and clear the mind to find solutions easi- ly. Therefore, the sound of the dhere/bheme heard in a soft sound is actually the sound of “denge, denge, denge ... etc ....”. Meaning listen! listen! listen! Listen to me (dhere/bhe- me) so that the steps you have taken, the plan you have designed, the spirit that you have started, is still on the right track. Go 5 (Doa/Ridhu) Doa/ridhu consists of 2 gongs. Go doa 2 has a lower tone than dhere/bheme, and go doa 1 has a lower tone than go doa 2. In today’s go laba ensemble, doa 2 is arranged in such a way as to produce the tone re, while doa 1 produces the tone do. In Ngadha culture, doa/ridhu is a meaningful symbol. First, it symbolizes the need for interaction with others in a harmonious rhythm. In the adat proverb, doa/ridhu is called “go dai wa’i dhepo logo.” This statement means that we need others to share our experiences or to share our joys and sorrows. The habit of sharing ex- periences will strengthen unity and inse- parable unity. The atmosphere of unity is expected to be revealed in the adat adage “ili wi ma’e tiki, woe ma mae boe.” This me- ans, “what you have and what I love, let us have together. The second meaning of doa/ridhu is a call to equate perception or a positi- ve understanding. So the principle of life symbolized through the doa/ridhu is about the need for communication or dialogue. In life together we need to share positive thoughts to build and keep alive and in order to always be good. Communicati- on of good ideas will open up new hori- zons for everyone to grow and develop to be useful people for others. The causes of distress and difficulty of life are some- times not caused by economic factors, but also because people do not want to share thoughts with others. Laba (gendang) in General The variation of the beat motive played by laba, both laba dera and laba wa’ i/ dawi, is the symbol or the tempo of life. The meru motif illustrates that in this life we need to live life with a very fast tempo. For various reasons, at certain moments we are Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 18 (2) (2018): 172-179178 required to do everything quickly. The de- gude motif is a symbol of the rhythm of life that we live with a moderate tempo. There are times in this life where we need to live with a moderate rhythm. No need to hurry too much. The meju motif is a rhythm in laba playing that describes the rhythm of life as quite relaxed. Life needs to be enjo- yed in ease. Enjoying the fun can also be understood as an opportunity to gather new energy for when we must change our rhythm of life to a moderate or fast tempo. Rada ke’o motif symbolizes a joke. Jokes are needed to live life in a relaxed way. Actually, the reto motive is more a pure musical motif; it functions as a sign that the go laba perfomance will soon be completed. Hence the reto motive is placed near the end of a go laba music perfomance. Laba dera is a symbol of a mosa meze who has the power and the authority to regu- late others. The Mosa meze is represented through the heads of villages or woe. Why must the three types of laba play dif- ferent motifs at the same time? Because this way of playing is the symbol of a complementary lifestyle. In a community that always lives together, the life rhythm of every community member should not be homogeneous. If there are members of the community who are living life with a very fast rhythm, other mem- bers are expected to live with a more rela- xed rhythm. Such arrangements are inten- ded to keep the rhythm of life in general running normally with a steady rhythm. If at any given moment all are forced to move quickly, then when the energy is ex- hausted, the rhythm of life can stop run- ning. Therefore the rhythm of life must be complementary. Conclusions And Recommendations For Value Education From the discussion above, there are some values of life that can be used as the basis for character educating: First, the value of honesty, firmness. Through the playing music of go laba, students can learn how to be honest and assertive as symbo- lized through go 1 (wela). Second, the va- lue of loyalty for being a faithful friend symbolized through go 2 (uto-uto/ute-ute). Third, the value of wisdom. Being a wise man should not be a strong person and power, but always low-day and gentle in every speech as displayed by dhere/bheme. Fourth, the value of openness. The har- monization of life requires the attitude of mutual openness in order to occur. Fifth, work ethic. Students are invited to help each other’s rhythm of life in order to keep this life going well. Another important va- lue is the responsibility for each task that is given. When it comes to moving fast, we are required to follow it by moving slower, and vice versa. CONCLUSION Traditional music is one of the cultu- ral elements which has a very big role in people’s lives. In contrast to Western mu- sic that emphasizes the aesthetic aspect of art, traditional music is always present as a symbolic entity to express the important values to human life and humanity’s re- lationships with its creator, the universe, neighbors and oneself. Traditional music is a reflection of the soul system, the social situation of a society, the way of thinking, the philosophy of life or belief. In the con- text of education, traditional music should be used as a medium to reinvent the noble values of the culture that are abandoned by the younger generation. Perseveran- ce to explore the virtues in every cultural element, including traditional music, must begin to be done by various stakeholder to restore a civilized and cultured identity. Not all values of the tradition are ancient, since the ancestors have proven themsel- ves to live in harmony on the basis of those values. Therefore there is no reason to ig- nore these values, for throughout human life the values of goodwill remain useful for human life. Florentianus Dopo et al., The Musical Structure and Meaning of Go Laba ... 179 REFERENCES Alwasilah, A.C. (2000). Pokoknya Kualitatif (Dasar-Dasar Merancang dan Melaku- kan Penelitian Kualitatif). Bandung: Pustaka Jaya. 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