Program Notes

Seven Songs, Seven Dishes

Food is at the heart of Southeast Asian culture. It’s how we say “I love you,” “I miss you,” “Thank you,” and even “I’m sorry.” It brings back memories of home, friends, and family. For Southeast Asians living abroad, this connection runs even deeper—whether meeting for the first time or reuniting with familiar faces, we almost always share a meal when we gather.

After taking an eight-month break to grow Suara into a fully independent community choir, we’re relaunching in the most special way we know: through the joy of Southeast Asian food, something both celebratory and deeply personal to us.

• Wau Bulan (The Moon Kite)

  Trad. Kelantanese, Arr. Tracy Wong

  Originating from the state of Kelantan in modern-day Malaysia, Wau Bulan (The Moon Kite) belongs to one of the few communal singing traditions native to the Malay Archipelago called dikirbarat. Dikir barat is a song-dance tradition in which performers sit in rows on the floor, singing and performing choreographed hand and body movements. Typically, the performance is accompanied by drums and gongs, and the awok-awok (chorus) is led by a tok juara (lead singer), who is often celebrated for their ability to improvise the sung pantun (poem) to suit the occasion. Traditionally, both the song and the wau bulan kite are performed and flown after the paddy fields have been cleared following the harvest. In Wong’s arrangement, the arrangement begins with an improvised solo passage, accompanied by a soundscape evoking the serene setting of a paddy field. As the music progresses, paluankompang-style (Malay hand drum) body percussion is introduced, building excitement as the kite ascends higher and higher. 

  Text and translation:

  Ewah buleh, ewah buleh
  Teraju tigo. 

  Alah ewah, ewah buleh 
  Teraju tigo. 

  //

  Oh wow, the moon kite!
  The three-cornered kite. 

  Oh wow, the moon kite! 
  The three-cornered kite. 

• O Ina Ni Keke (O Mother)

  Trad. Northern Sulawesi, Arr. Ken Steven

  O Ina Ni Keke (O mother) is a traditional Indonesian folk song originating from the Minahasa indigenous tribes from the eponymously named northeastern peninsula on the island of Sulawesi. This region of Indonesia is home to many indigenous ethnic groups as well as immigrant communities from China, Java, Bali, and beyond. Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and local religions are all represented in Sulawesi. Popular with both choirs and pop singers, the song O ina ni keke is about a mother (“ina”) who goes to Manado (the capital of North Sulawesi) to buy some cakes. Her daughter (“keke”) asks for some of the cakes, but unfortunately only after they are all gone. This version, arranged by Indonesian composer Ken Steven, is set for a cappella treble voices. The melody passes seamlessly between the two soprano lines with a rich lower alto harmonization below. 

  Text and translation:

  O ina ni keke, mange wisa ko
  Mangewa aki Wenang, tumeles baleko
  Weane, weane, weane toyo
  Daimo siapa, ko tare maikwe

  //

  O Mother, where are you going?
  I am going to Manado to buy some bread.
  Give me, give me, give me some
  There’s no more, why only ask now?

• Chua-Ay

  Trad. Igorot, Arr. Fabian Obispo
  
  Chua-Ay is based on a popular folk song in the Philippines that depicts the Igorot tribes at work, pounding rice by means of a huge mortar and heavily weighted posts in order to separate the rice grains from their outer shells or husks. The Igorot (Tagalog for “mountaineer”) people live and work in the mountains of Luzon, the largest island of the Philippines. At a population of 1.5 million, they live mostly in sizeable villages and exist in at least ten different ethnic sub-groups. Though known mostly for their immense skill in rice farming, the Igorot (or as they prefer to call themselves, Ifugao/Ipugao) people are also known for their skill in weaving and metalworking.

  Text and translation:

  Chua-ay talum alay takuay
  Naa antoay tongag pay oang nen ta kuay.

  //

  She lives in a small nipa hut
  Hidden behind the mountains.
  Up and down she goes
  With the pot on her head.
  She has a hard time carrying it.

• Pasigin (The Fishing Net)

  Chris Barrera, Arr. Eudenice Palaruan
  
  Originating from the Visayas region of the Philippines, Pasigin (The Fishing Net) is both a fisherman’s song and a traditional dance, where the dancers mimic the movements of fishermen scooping their nets as they try to catch fish. Inspired by the lively movements of the Pasigin dance and the lightness of the Hispanic Filipino musical style, this song playfully narrates the daily life of a fisherman as he catches hipon (shrimp), isda (fish), mlikfish (bangus), and alimango (mud crab) for his beloved. In Palaruan’s arrangement, the music transitions between moments of strict homophony and lively sections where the lower voices create a dance-like rhythm using onomatopoeic syllables. Sounds such as “kla” mimic the snapping of a mud crab, while “ay” reflects the sigh of disappointment from a fisherman who failed to catch any fish.
  
  Text and translation:
  
  Isa sadtong kahaponanon 
  Sa higad sang amon punong 
  May lukun kag may hipon 
  Ikaw didto nga matipon 

  Sipot-sipot sa panghigaron 
  Pasayan amon nga sundon 
  Sikop-sikop sa hagapisik 
  Manga ulang gatalalalsik 

  Panakla sa manga mangla 

  Si Nonay nagapanghayhay 
  Walay isda isampot sa balay 
  Nagabot iya nga sibot 
  Kay sumang-it sa talibugsok 

  Si Nonoy nagapangalipay 
  Gapanaghoy nasampot sa balay 
  Madamong kuha nga isda 
  Ipasalubong kay palangga 

  Isasadtong kahaponanon 
  Sa higad sang amon punong 
  May bangus kag untidos
  Ikaw didto mapadulos 
  
  Nagaisol ang manga uson 
  Gakamang manga bagongon 
  Alimango gakapaykapay 
  Nagasunod manga kalampay 

  Ang gataw sang manga isda 
  Nagalinid sang manga taba 
  Hinay-hinay pagbutwa 
  Agud siguro ang kuha 

  //

  One afternoon 
  beside our fishpond 
  there are prawns and shrimps 
  which you can gather 

  Along the banks of the pond 
  we follow the shrimps  
  Startled by their splashes and jumps 
  We catch as much as we can.  

  Be careful with the mud crabs 

  Little girl is frustrated 
  She had no fish to bring home 
  Her fish net was destroyed  
  Because it got caught in the fence. 

  Little boy is happy 
  whistling on his way home 
  He caught a lot of fish 
  to offer to his sweetheart 

  One afternoon  
  beside our fish pond 
  There is milkfish and Unidos
  You will be binge-eating  

  The mud lobsters are retreating 
  The telescope snails are crawling 
  The mud crabs are snapping 
  along with the river crabs 

  The fins of the fishes  
  Are laden with fat 
  Slowly rise out of the water 
  So we can surely catch all 

• Potong Padi (Harvesting Paddy)

  Trad. Malay Archipelago, Arr. Juliette Lai

  Based on an old Malay folk song, Potong Padi portrays a scene of fun and frolic at harvest time in the rice fields. Reaping the harvest is a time of joy and celebration for the farmers. It is a time for singing, dancing, and merry-making. The first part of the song is slow and legato. Then the contrast and the fun begins in the second part. While some of the tenors and basses sustain the word “mari” (“come”), the sopranos and altos sing “mari potong padi” (“come harvest the rice paddy”) in a light-hearted staccato. The basses provide a typical Malaysian dance- and drum-like rhythm.

  Text and translation:

  Waktu potong padi di tengah sawah,
  Sambil menyanyi bersuka-ria. 
  Marilah kita bersama-sama,
  Memotong padi di tengah sawah. 

  Mari, mari potong padi

  //

  It’s harvest time!
  While we work
  In the middle of the paddy field,
  Let’s sing, dance, and be merry. 

  Come, come harvest the rice paddy

• Buka (Open)

  Yu Hang Tan

  Set entirely to onomatopoeic syllables, Buka is an original composition designed to emulate the auditory experience of a gamelan ensemble performing at opening ceremonies to welcome guests. In typical Javanese and Malay gamelan fashion, this piece is constructed and expanded upon various interlocking motifs. The bass voices take on the role of the gong agong (large vertical hanging gongs), while the tenors represent the keromong (a set of ten raised-knob gongs). The sopranos and altos echo the sounds of the saron kecil (small metallophone) and saron besar (big metallophone), respectively, while the soloists emulate the tones of the seruling (bamboo flute) and rebab (a two-string bowed instrument). An abrupt transition leads the music to the quiet but intense middle section, highlighting a quintessential quality of gamelan music: the interplay between drama and the concept of ayu dan sopan (graceful and courteous).
  
  Text and translation: 

  Gong, gung,
  Dong, deng, ding, dang, dung,
  Ketipak, ketak!
  Eh,
  Gung! 

  //

  Onomatopeic syllables mimicking the sounds gong agong, keromong, saron kecil, saron besar, seruling, and rebab from the gamelan ensemble.

• Rasa Sayang (Feelings of Love)

  Trad. Malay Archipelago, Arr. Yu Hang Tan

  Rasa Sayang (Feelings of love) is arguably one of the best-known folk songs in the Malay Archipelago, a region encompassing modern-day Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei. A folk song that encapsulates much of the Malay character––that special combination of conviviality, playfulness, earthiness, sensuality, subtlety, and charm––Rasa Sayang is often performed at weddings, convocations, international events, and opening and closing ceremonies for all kinds of events. Set for mixed chorus, piano, and kompang (Malay hand drum), this arrangement borrows inspiration from the interlocking textures of the Malay gamelan and the bright and forward timbre from Malay folksongs. 

  Text and translation:

  Rasa sayang, hey rasa sayang sayang hey.
  Lihat nona jauh rasa sayang sayang hey.

  Pisang emas dibawa belayar,
  Masak s’biji di atas peti. 
  Hutang emas boleh dibayar, 
  Hutang budi dibawa mati. 

  //

  I feel loved, hey!
  Look at the girl in the distance. 

  Golden bananas were brought on a sailing trip, 
  One ripened on the chest. 
  The debts of gold we can repay, 
  But the debts of kindness last through life