There were times, whenever I chanced upon the full moon riding high on a clear evening sky, the first notes from the harmonium (a portable organ similar to the accordion and which they called it peti harmonium in Malay) sprang to mind. The tune was none other than the famous work written by Pak Lomak. That first few introductory notes were then followed by the sound of the maracas and the tabla.
Although I was growing up in the era of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Bad Moon Rising and as time passed by listened to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, They Might be Giant’s Destination Moon, R.E.M’s Man on The Moon, Grateful Dead’s Yellow Moon and learned to appreciate some other earlier songs about the moon such as The Marcel’s Blue Moon or The Capri’s There’s A Moon Out Tonight etc etc, for me, nothing could beat “bulan mengambang, Pak Ngah lah yang balik…ahai lah sayang…”
Pak Ngah Balik is a beautiful work, very melodious and had such abstract lyrics. All were written and composed by Pak Lomak. His name was synonymous with Ghazal music in the same way as Dave Brubeck was to Jazz and he was probably the earliest Malay composer/lyricist/performer to immortalize the subject of the full moon in a song.
Naturally, the full moon means so many things to so many people. The late P. Ramlee described the beauty of a girl whom he felt was unattainable too difficult to get, in his song “Engkau Laksana Bulan.” Since there is no way for a guy to get such a gal, the Malays created a proverb, “Bagai pungguk rindukan bulan”. However, if the gal fell for the guy, then it is like the “Bulan jatuh ke riba”. Whenever this happens, it’s like “Malam Bulan di Pagar Bintang”. But if the gal was to eventually think the guy was another boring creature, she would just leave him and every night he would see the eclipse of the moon.
And so I was driving home a couple of nights ago after having late night drink with some guys when I sighted the full moon riding high upon the cloudless sky. That song, Pak Ngah Balik came into my mind again. But earlier during the day, Tun Dr. Mahathir had announced that he was quitting UMNO. That got me into thinking into how the full moon must have had tremendous impact on him.
The first time Dr. Mahathir made such an announcement was while delivering his speech at the UMNO General Assembly in 2002. (Remember when he cried and Hishamuddin and Rafidah rushed towards him?). It was the 28th June and I remember that full moon shining brightly on that night.
Maybe we could have missed many more political incidents that could have taken place during the nights where there was full moon. One night when Pak Lomak came home from Singapore in 1946, he found some documents pertaining to the formation of Malayan Union being distributed and quickly summoned some people for an emergency meeting to discuss what to do to about this latest British political manoeuvre. Was it the night of the full moon?
There is no way we can find out. Maybe that incident could have prompted him to write the song Pak Ngah Balik and the central character in that short ballad, Pak Ngah could have been some guy who had gone to hunt the British werewolf in Malaya.
With the full moon around, anything is quite possible.
16 comments:
shirzad,
i'm amused... how charming.. how exciting...
the moon is always so mysterious to me...
my mumma said, i was born in a moonless nite... now that i'm blind, i'm having difficulties as to recall a lot of things, yet i would always b able to picture the beauty of a full moon by the lake a few years back...
Pak Ngah lah balik, bulan mengambang Pak Ngah lah yang balik.... :)
Salam bro,
Harmonium and the accordion held me in trance when I was a mere kid, harmonium especially. To me its not so much the music, but the musician who would sway his body and head in full rhythm of the music...somewhat the way jazz musicians would, or the way I see it more clearly, like Stevie Wonders.
I don't know the tune you mentioned, as the only tune of harmonium I remember is of Ghazal and Keroncong. And keroncong, especially some songs, when played during full moon, had my emotion swaying to the moonlit shadows of the night. Had I continue on, I perhaps might find myself transformed into a changeling fit for the occasion. No, thank you :)
do you have a recording of pak ngah balik? do share with me if you do.
dear moeha
the moon is one celestial body which is beautiful to look at from the earth. Many people are inspired by it in so many ways. But I didnt know you are blind. Im sorry if you really are. If only the moon could be presented in Braille, wouldnt it be wonderful.
Dear bro
You are right about the way harmonium players play the instrument. I wonder how would Ray Charles would have played the instrument considering he moved his whole shoudlders when he played the piano.
Pak Ngah Balik is one of the earliest Ghazal song. Yes, there are keroncong songs about the moon too. One which I remember well is Di Bawah Sinar Bulan Purnama. You ought to get a guitar and sing under the moonlit sky. For a start you can sing Blue Moon (you saw me standing alone..." :)
dear diphthong
you can listen to the entire songs of Pak Ngah Balik and Sri Mersing too via the following link:
http://editorwarisan.wordpress.com/2005/09/04/lagu-lagu-ciptaan-pak-lomak/
When I was younger, listening to English songs and impressed with the Beatles, Led Zed, Deep Purple and 70s pop, Pak Ngah Balik was our way of making fun of Malay songs.
I mean you were considered old-fashioned if you were to listen to this kind of songs. Keroncongs were also a no no.
Of course things are different now, because now I am old fashioned.
dear kata tak nak
When i was young, i too would sit under the mango tree next to grandpa's house with a kapok guitar pretending i was some kind of jimi hendrix. Trouble was, it took a long time to keep the four fingers stuck on the fret while playing the first opening bars of Smoke On The Water.
But Ghazal is something else. I learned to appreciate this dying form of Malay tradional music during my adult life and discovered it isnt just An Old Fashioned Loved playing on the radio.
Hi shirzad,
When Pak Lomak wrote the song somewhere around 1920's little that he knew it would be an evergreen song...to me the lyrics are so simple and yet very meaningful
LOMAK ada lah satu nama gelaran yang di cetuskan oleh se orang askar british yg berada di singapura, mengikut cerita nya Lomak ada lah perkataan german. pak lomak adalah hanya nick name atau nama panggilan. pak lomak merupa kan pemusik hebat dari the state of great johore. beliau ada lah lagenda pemusik melayu, antara lagu2 yang masih menjadi kebanggan negeri johor ia lah SRI MERSING. lagu ini di dendangkan oleh SALOMA dan SH AINI dan beberapa penyanyi melayu asli. pak lomak adalah band leader dan conductor musik di JOHORE MILITARY FORCES atau JMF....
Hello Shirzad!
I remember ghazal groups playing at my auntie's and uncle's weddings..lol. Then once in a while this guy Fadhil will appear on TV. Personally I don't fancy this music, but I learn to appreciate them especially now that they are seldom heard. Does bring back childhood memories..
For the moon song, I like Moon River which I learned from Richard Clayderman's piano book.
hello simone
benar. lomak adalah perkataan Jerman. Dan benar juga pak lomak adalah merupakan anak Johor, juga pemuzik yang tidak ada tolok bandingnya ketika itu. Namun sebutan tentang JMF mengingatkan saya Jalan Bukit Timbalan di JB.
hi ydiana
Your aunties and uncles must have been from the state of Johor. I remember they used to have ghazal party at the wedding in those days.
Moon River is a great song especially with the magic touch of Clayderman.
hello simone
benar. lomak adalah perkataan Jerman. Dan benar juga pak lomak adalah merupakan anak Johor, juga pemuzik yang tidak ada tolok bandingnya ketika itu. Namun sebutan tentang JMF mengingatkan saya Jalan Bukit Timbalan di JB.
Salam Shirzad:
Now I know who penned that beautiful song.I remember hw I fell in lve with that song when fadhil Ahmad sang that song while playing his gambus with the Muar Orkestra ghazal.
Later in the 90s,Ann of Heavy Machine re-recorded it(he has a beautiful voice and I think he justice to Pak Ngah Balik).I still have that CD and coverted it into MP3 and its in my phone now.
Pak Lomak is a genius but not well known as P.Ramlee.
(I just read your article Beras in the Moon newspaper tonight.Syabas bro)
dear tokasid
as a composer, indeed the name p ramlee is more popular than pak lomak. Popularity rests closely with the listening public acceptance on any given artist. But giving an honour to an artist or anyone who has had contributed to anything is something very selective in Malaysia. It is for this very reason, we don't know about many things pertaining to our own culture and the world of arts. Not many people knew Normadiah was the choreographer for the dance of Tualang Tiga or it was Hamzah Hussein who wrote the lyric of Gurindam Jiwa. The importance of a person does not rest with the fact of how important and significant is his contribution but rather rests solely on the opinions of some people who have the authority to bestow an award. P. Ramlee received his Tan Sri posthumously for his contribution in his field. But someone like Dato' Onn (whom i think should have been given the title Tun) has been left out. Maybe they think Dato' Onn's contribution for the nation did not warrant him to be given such an important title and someone like Daim Zainuddin, Tan Siew Sin and etc etc are more deserved.
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