Singing without being together. Juxtaposed music for an invisible public

Journal/Book: Homme. 1999; Marie Louise Dufour 131 Boulevard Saint-Michel, 75005 Paris, France. Ecoles Haute Etud Sci Sociales. 143-162.

Abstract: In Indonesia, polymusic - juxtaposed music - is performed during major ceremonies. Several groups play at the same time but not in a single tempo. From an aesthetic point of view, the resulting sound is homogeneous. Like offerings of food, offerings of music determine a ceremony's effectiveness. From a social point of view, polymusic dramatizes the segmentation of village and family life. The existence of ritual polymusic indicates that music is neither a pastime nor an entertainment. It is an instrument of power in the service of regional and family hierarchies.

Note: Article Rappoport D, Musee Homme, Lab Ethnomusicol, Paris, FRANCE

Keyword(s): polymusic; ritual; territorialization; funerals; Indonesia (Sulawesi,Toraja)

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