Hadrah: The Folk Art Heritage in Contemporary Malaysia

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Authors: Muhd Zulkifli bin Ismail, Mohd Zariat Abdul Rani (Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia)
Speaker: Muhd Zulkifli bin Ismail
Topic: Anthropological Linguistics
The (SCOPUS / ISI) SOAS GLOCAL CALA 2020 General Session

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Abstract

Hadrah is among the traditional performing art which are still alive in Malaysian Malay society today. Early observations demonstrate that in several areas, there are some differences in terms of the characteristics of Hadrah which are still performed. These differences are seen to be related with the efforts to preserve Hadrah in the Malay contemporary society. Against this background, this study is conducted to review Hadrah practiced by Malay society in several areas in Malaysia. This study focuses on Hadrah performed by a contemporary group named “The Slerak Tabak” or “Kumpulan Kompang Slerak Tabak” which is based in Batu Kurau, Perak. This study is descriptive in nature and uses observation and interview methods to obtain its research data. The analysis found that the characteristics of the traditional Hadrah are still preserved. In addition, there are several new elements that have been imbued in order to attract the mass society, especially among youngsters.

Keywords: Hadrah, traditional Malay art, performing art