Malay Nobat - A History of Power, Acculturation, and Sovereignty

The Malay Nobat: A History of Power, Acculturation, and Sovereignty explores the history and meaning of the nobat, a court ensemble that has performed music for courts in Malaysia and Brunei with roots in the Islamicate world since Abbassid times. Raja Iskandar Bin Raja Halid examines the nobat spread throughout the Muslim empire and its emergence as a symbol of power and sovereignty. The author argues that the nobat was an important symbol of Muslim power and analyzes the effect of the nobat's appropriation by colonial powers and of its induction as part of an invented tradition in the process of nation-building a modern Malay state. The author ultimately shows how existing nobat ensembles are the last living musical legacy of the Muslim world.

List of contents

List of Figures
List of Abbreviations
Note on Spelling
Preface
1. Introduction
2. Early Histories
3. The Malay Nobat
4. The Nobat in Early Malay Literature: A Lesson from Patani
5. The Adat Aceh and Seventeenth-Century European Encounter
6. From British Colonialism to Independence
7. Conclusion
Appendix
References
Glossary
Index
About the Author

About the author

Raja Iskandar Bin Raja Halid is senior lecturer in the Department of Heritage at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Malaysia, and author of The Royal Nobat of Perak.

Product details

• Authors: Raja Iskandar Bin Raja Halid
• Publisher: Lexington Books
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 15.05.2024
• EAN: 9781666900903
• ISBN: 978-1-66690-090-3
• No. of pages: 258
• Series: The Lexington Series in Historical Ethnomusicology: Deep Soundings; The Lexington Historical Ethnomusicology: Deep Soundings; Critical Studies in Historical Ethnomusicology: Deep Soundings
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Music > Miscellaneous; Islam, MUSIC / History & Criticism, RELIGION / Islam / General, HISTORY / Asia / Southeast Asia, RELIGION / Islam / History, South East Asia, History of Religion, Asian History, Music reviews & criticism, Music reviews and criticism, Relating to Islamic / Muslim people and groups, Sacred and religious music, Sacred & Religious Music, HISTORY / Islamic, MUSIC / Religious / Muslim