The Simple Joys of Malay Music: Yu Hang Tan’s Ikan Kekek

We are back to school and back to singing at A-State! Ikan Kekek by Yu Hang Tan is one of the first pieces our treble ensemble and I are tackling this fall. Rooted in the Malay folk song about ponyfish, this Southeast Asian folk song is perfect for our “Roots” fall concert. Before you dive into this post, take a listen to USC Thornton Orian Choir’s performance of Ikan Kekek. Then, read on to engage with the following:

• An introduction to Ikan Kekek’s Composer
• An overview of the Malay musical influences
• A discussion of improvisation in choir
• A rundown of Pantun-style poetry
• A description of musical concepts in Ikan Kekek
• Ikan Kekek Teacher Resources
• …and so much more!

The Joy of Yu Hang Tan’s Ikan Kekek

The simple and catchy melodies, scaffolded harmonies, and openings for improvisation within Ikan Kekek by Yu Hang Tan make it an excellent early-in-the-year piece for our treble ensemble. I am especially looking forward to exploring the gamelan-like tonalities asked of the choir by the composer, as well as the body percussion stomps and claps throughout.

Ikan Kekek’s Composer: Yu Hang Tan

Yu Hang Tan is a doctoral student at the University of Southern California, freelance photographer, and big fan of cooking. At USC, he works with the Thornton Oriana choir, who helped to arrange and debut both Ikan Kekek and the folk song Soleram.

Hailing from a small town in Malaysia, Yu Hang sang with and conducted choirs through high school. Before moving to Los Angeles to pursue his doctorate, the composer completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Canada, and spending his time singing in and directing a variety of choirs locally and abroad.

During the pandemic, Yu Hang adopted a unique approach to choirs, including musicianship and composition collaboration with and among singers. Additionally, he and his team produced impressive virtual choir videos, such as the ones for Ikan Kekek and Soleram.

Malay Musical Influences

Located in Southeast Asia, Malaysia’s musical scene is influenced by many cultural groups, including Malay, Chinese, and Indian groups, among others. Malays are an ethnic group native to the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, coastal Borneo, eastern Sumatra, parts of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore.

Traditional Malay music includes dance dramas, story-telling, and folk songs for dances, martial arts, and religions occasions. Percussion instruments are essential to Malay music, with at least 14 types of traditional drums made from natural materials. Additional Malay instruments include a bowed string instrument called the rebab, a plucked string instrument called a gambus, a double-reed instrument like the oboe called the serunai, a flute called the seruling, and trumpets.

Malay people located in different geographical locations feature different instruments and musical styles. For example, gong-based ensembles are used ceremonially for funerals and weddings in East Malaysia, while Malay people from the Malay Peninsula play xylophone music in small ensembles called kertok. Learn more about these variations here.

Composer Yu Hang Tan utilizes the joy and movement of Malay music in Ikan Kekek and shows off the variety of textures and styles present in the diversity of Malay tradition. The stomps and claps emulate the essential Malay percussion, while the gong-like tonalities represent the vibrancy of Malay music. Improvisation is another hallmark of Malay music, which is dispersed throughout the piece in small-group and full-ensemble capacities.

Improvisation in Choir? Yes Please!

Some singers might prefer we leave improvisation to the instrumentalists – but where is the fun in that? Improvisation (with a healthy dose of structure) allows choral singers to utilize their creativity and musicianship in ways they are not often asked to engage. The last page of Ikan Kekek by Yu Hang Tan features a beautiful improvisatory section that will allow the singers to flex their creative muscles.

Choirs, with minimal coaching, are more than capable of improvising rhythms, soundscapes, harmonic structures, melodies in a set mode or key, and more. One of my favorite activities for introducing students to improvisation involves students singing “Twinkle Twinkle” in a variety of tempos, articulations, and styles. Another involves students improvising on the blues scale over a recording of the 12-bar blues. For more ideas on improvisation in the choral setting, check out my former professor Jon Hurty’s “Improvisation for Choirs.”

Although we often associate improvisation with jazz music, there are many opportunities for improvisation in the choral world beyond jazz. Below are a few examples of choral pieces featuring choral improvisation:

• Andrea Clearfield’s When I Am Woman allows for spoken/whispered improvisation by the singers, expressing their own ending for the piece
• Sarah Hopkins’s Past Life Melodies asks singers to improvise utilizing overtones.
• Lake Huron Autumn arranged by Mark Sirett is a Soundscape that asks singers to improvise different sounds of nature
• Zemabia by Kerry Marsh was a big favorite of my students last year. Very accessible introduction to vocal jazz.

Pantun Style Poetry

The pantun (not to be confused with the French Pantoum) is an oral tradition of poetry that dates back centuries. Meant to be exchanged between two people, the style of poetry is informal and often a little silly or nonsensical. The use of metaphors is common as pantun speakers create riddle-like expressions.

The first half of the poem, called the pembayan (shadow), sets the rhythm and rhyme of the piece, while the second half, called the maksud (meaning), serves as the heart of the message. Often each line of the poem is only 8 or 12 syllables and follows an abab rhyme scheme.

In this piece’s “About the Work” section, composer Yu Hang Tan explains that the different types of fish described in the pembayan portion of the piece are symbols of the simple joys of everyday life, that link to the maksud of going home together. He encourages singers and listeners alike to search for the beauty and magic in everyday life.

Musical Concepts in Ikan Kekek by Yu Hang Tan

Sometimes it’s a little bit easier to grasp on to music theory concepts when you see them in context. Here are a few musical concepts you may come across as you study Ikan Kekek:

• pedal tone: a sustained tone, typically in the bass
• ad. lib.: abbreviation for ad libitum – “as you desire” – improvise
• Desc.: short for descant – an independent treble melody sung above the main melody
• B.P.: short for body percussion – creating rhythmic percussive sounds against your own body. Involves stomping, clapping, snapping, stepping, etc.
• grace note: an ornament or embellishment that often occurs before the beat.
• gamelan-like: perform sounding like the traditional Indonesian percussion instrument, the gamelan.
• sim.: short for similar. Perform the indicated section in a similar manner to the previous section.
• glissando: a continuous slide between two notes – upward or downward
• x notehead: used for spoken text or notes of indefinite pitch. In this piece used to notate body percussion
• senza misura: “without meter” – sing without a beat or steady pulse

Complimentary Pieces

Want to listen to other pieces like Ikan Kekek? Or planning a concert and need some programming ideas? Here are a few complementary pieces!

Enjoying the Malay musical influences?

• Tracy Wong’s Wau Bulan is a very accessible folk song about a kite for SA or SAB ensembles, complete with synchronized-choreographed movements and hand claps.
• Lenggang Inai: Two Malaysian Folksongs arranged by Geneviene Wong for SATB includes detailed notes and pronunciations by the composer and invites choirs to explore the regional differences of the two pieces.
• Inspired by Joget, a type of Malaysian dance, Everyone Sang by Ko Matsushita for SATB, SAB, SSAA, and SSA or TTB combines English anti-war poetry with Malaysian influences.

A few of the other “roots” themed pieces I’m pairing with Ikan Kekek this concert cycle:

• Ysaye M. Barnwell’s Wanting Memories
• Reena Esmail’s TāReKiTa
• Hart Rouge’s Vichten
• Miriam Sonstenes’s I Am Leaving
• The full “Singing Our Roots” program round-up

I’d Love to Hear from You!

Have you sung or conducted Ikan Kekek with your choir? What elements of Malay music were you able to include in your performance of the piece? How did you interpret the poetry? Was the improvisation section successful? Let me know in the comments below!

Ikan Kekek Teacher Resources

Free Comprehension Worksheets

Choir Leaders! I have begun to include short comprehension worksheets with each Inspired Choir blog post. Each worksheet includes 5-6 knowledge-based questions about the post and concludes with a musical decisions/applications question. Use as a homework assignment, sub activity, listening challenge, or guide for conversation in class. Fill in the form below to receive a link immediately to all “Roots” Worksheets.

Ikan Kekek Lesson Plan Bundle

Check out the Inspired Choir Shop for the Ikan Kekek Lesson Plan Bundle. This bundle includes the following five minute lesson plans, all with connections to National Standards and SEL Competencies:

• Pantun Writing Bell-Ringer
• Malay Music Listening Prompts
• Choral Improvisation Experience
• Malay Food & Culture Exploration
• Musical Concepts Flashcards

Singing in A Different Language Worksheet

Check out the Inspired Choir Shop for the Singing in A Different Language Worksheet. Utilizing this worksheet, singers will:

• Examine the characteristics of the language in which they are singing
• Consider the ways in which the composer has highlighted the language in their work
• Anticipate challenges of singing in the language
• Interpret the meaning of their piece
• Prepare their score with the appropriate annotations