Mek Mulung
Encyclopedia
Mek Mulung is a traditional Malay theater that unique to the northwest state of Kedah
in Malaysia. It became popular since the late 18th century and incorporates most elements of Mak Yong
, Menora
and Hadrah. The theater features a repertoire of stories from local legends, which according to a source, amounted about 20 original stories, with few of them survived today. Similar to Mak Yong, the stories are presented through dialogue, song and dance.
The musicians and actors of the theater are exclusively male, playing both male and female roles. The basic dance movements are limited, abbreviated, crude and mainly focus on the arms, especially the to and fro, and up and down swinging.
The orchestra of Mek Mulung is predominantly percussive and consists of rebana
, gong
and kecerek (concussion sticks). A small oboe
, the only melodic instruments in the orchestra, complements other instruments. The musicians also do the singing, typically in syllabic style, with little vocal ornamentation.
The performance normally begins with a ritual known as bertabuh where all musical instruments will be played simultaneously. Then, an opening song called bertabik will be sung in group and accompanied by dancing movements. There are up to 7 types of dance in Mek Mulung:
1. Tarian Sembah
2. Tarian Gambang
3. Tarian Puteri Mabuk
4. Tarian Menora
5. Tarian Sirama
6. Tarian Puteri Masuk Bilik Air
7. Tarian Sedayung
The singing of bertabik then followed by the recitation of stories from Hikayats by Pak Mulung, and roles from the stories will be visualized by actors performance. The transition between scenes in the stories will be marked with a singing and pantun
exchange. The theater is typically performed in series and can take up to 3 nights to complete.
Kedah
Kedah is a state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area of over 9,000 km², and it consists of the mainland and Langkawi. The mainland has a relatively flat terrain, which is used to grow rice...
in Malaysia. It became popular since the late 18th century and incorporates most elements of Mak Yong
Mak Yong
Mak yong or mak yung is a traditional form of dance-drama from northern Malaysia, particularly the state of Kelantan. It was banned by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party in 1991 because of its animist and Hindu-Buddhist roots which pre-date Islam in the Asian region by far. In 2005 UNESCO declared mak...
, Menora
Menora (dance)
Menora is a type of dance drama of south Thailand origin and practiced mainly in the northern states of Malaysia and southern provinces of Thailand. Menora also known as Nora or Lakon Chatri in Thai language....
and Hadrah. The theater features a repertoire of stories from local legends, which according to a source, amounted about 20 original stories, with few of them survived today. Similar to Mak Yong, the stories are presented through dialogue, song and dance.
The musicians and actors of the theater are exclusively male, playing both male and female roles. The basic dance movements are limited, abbreviated, crude and mainly focus on the arms, especially the to and fro, and up and down swinging.
The orchestra of Mek Mulung is predominantly percussive and consists of rebana
Rebana
Rebana is a Malay tambourine that is used in Islamic devotional music in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore. The sound of Rebana often accompany Islamic ritual such as the zikir. The name Rebana came from the Arabic word Robbana meaning "our God".-Rebana in...
, gong
Gong
A gong is an East and South East Asian musical percussion instrument that takes the form of a flat metal disc which is hit with a mallet....
and kecerek (concussion sticks). A small oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
, the only melodic instruments in the orchestra, complements other instruments. The musicians also do the singing, typically in syllabic style, with little vocal ornamentation.
The performance normally begins with a ritual known as bertabuh where all musical instruments will be played simultaneously. Then, an opening song called bertabik will be sung in group and accompanied by dancing movements. There are up to 7 types of dance in Mek Mulung:
1. Tarian Sembah
2. Tarian Gambang
3. Tarian Puteri Mabuk
4. Tarian Menora
5. Tarian Sirama
6. Tarian Puteri Masuk Bilik Air
7. Tarian Sedayung
The singing of bertabik then followed by the recitation of stories from Hikayats by Pak Mulung, and roles from the stories will be visualized by actors performance. The transition between scenes in the stories will be marked with a singing and pantun
Pantun
The pantun is a Malay poetic form. The pantun originated as a traditional oral form of expression. The first examples to be recorded appear in the 15th century in the Malay Annals and the Hikayat Hang Tuah. The most common theme is love....
exchange. The theater is typically performed in series and can take up to 3 nights to complete.