Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Research Publications

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    Strings across the ocean: practices, traditions, and histories of the Cocos Malay biola in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Indian Ocean
    Irving, D (Taylor & Francis (Routledge), 2020-05-07)
    The biola (violin) is an emblematic musical instrument of the Cocos Malay community, who have been based on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands – part of Australia’s Indian Ocean Territories – since 1826. In Cocos Malay culture, the biola accompanies local dance genres and occasional performances of bangsawan theatre. Malay melodies constitute the bulk of the repertoire; there are also melodies exhibiting Scottish characteristics. The latter are often attributed to the influence of the Clunies-Ross family, who maintained a commanding presence on the islands from 1827 to 1978. Since the mid-twentieth century, biola playing has been the preserve of two families on the islands and in Western Australia. The practice has declined over the past two decades, owing to a decrease in players; however, a revitalisation programme was initiated in 2014. This article explores aspects of the practice and cultural functions of the biola on Cocos and documents the history of the instrument on the islands, drawing on data from ethnographic and archival research.
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    The World of Cocos Malay Music and Dance: A Documentary Film on Performing Arts in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
    Irving, D ; McCallum, J (University of Adelaide, 2020)
    The Cocos (Keeling) Islands, located halfway between Perth and Sri Lanka and part of Australia’s Indian Ocean Territories, are home to around 400 Cocos Malays and 150 others. Uninhabited until 1826, the islands became a coconut plantation controlled by the Scottish Clunies-Ross family and worked by Malay labourers from 1827 until 1978. In this isolated community there arose a unique and distinctive set of cultural practices, which drew from Malay, Javanese, and (some) Scottish influences. The rhythms of Cocos Malay life involve regular musicking and Islamic religious ritual: on specific occasions, including the week-long celebrations following Hari Raya (Eid al- Fitr), the birthday of the Prophet (Maulud Nabi), and weddings, the community comes together for festive public performances. This film and article present an ethnomusicological survey of Cocos Malay music and dance, based on fieldwork conducted in 2015 and 2016 during the festivities for Hari Raya. Among the genres presented and discussed are: zikir (remembrance of the Prophet), joget (popular Malaysian dance), nasyid (devotional songs), Scottish reels with Scottish dance music, traditional Cocos Malay dance with biola (violin), silat (a martial art), rudat (seated dance) with percussion, and bangsawan (popular theatre). Interviews explore the Cocos Malay biola tradition and projects for its revitalisation, and memories of music and dance for the Nuyar (New Year’s Eve) party that was held in the house of the Clunies-Ross family until the 1990s. The history and modern-day practice of Scottish dancing within this Malay Muslim community form a major focus of the narrative.
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    Changing Hearts: Performing Jesuit Emotions between Europe, Asia, and the Americas
    Irving, D ; Garrod, R ; Haskell, Y (BRILL, 2019-01-03)
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    Ancient Greeks, world music, and early modern constructions of Western European identity
    Irving, DRM ; Strohm, R (ROUTLEDGE, 2018)
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    Music and Cosmopolitanism in the Early Modern Lusophone World
    Irving, DRM ; Bethencourt, F (Brill, 2018)
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    Music and empire
    Irving, DRM (Wiley, 2016)
    Abstract Music and empire have an entangled relationship: just as empires have influenced the development and practice of music throughout much of the world, music has performed vital functions in empires throughout history. Music is deeply embedded within the political, religious, and economic processes of empires, symbolizing power across large distances and shaping ideas, practices, and beliefs. Music is a potent vehicle for the spread of ideology: it has been used to exert political and social control, but also as a tool for resistance. Within empires incorporating multiple ethnic groups, the performance, study, and teaching of music has been used to highlight cultural differences, or to enforce assimilation and standardization. Networks of transport, trade, and communication within and between empires have facilitated and precipitated the movement and circulation of musicians, instruments, ideas, and practices; the cross‐cultural adoption, adaptation, and/or mixing of these elements is a typical consequence of empire.
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    KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS AND INSTRUMENTALISTS IN MANILA (1581- 1798)
    Irving, D (CONSEJO SUPERIOR INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS-CSIC, 2005)
    Aunque muchos instrumentos de teclado fueron fabricados en las Filipinas o importados por aquellas islas durante el período colonial español (1565-1878), la mayor parte de los que aún existen son del siglo XIX. Debe tenerse en cuenta, sin embargo, que la música para teclado tuvo un auge importante en Filipinas desde los inicios mismos de la presencia española. Empezaron a llegar diversos instrumentos hacia finales del siglo XVI, y a lo largo de los dos siglos siguientes se construyeron varios órganos en las escuelas de las misiones presentes en el archipiélago. Al final del siglo XVIII muchos instrumentos fueron construidos en las colonias, sobre todo con la llegada del misionero y constructor de instrumentos, Diego Cera de la Virgen en el año 1792, y el establecimiento de su taller. Aunque sólo disponemos de una información incompleta, aún existe mucha información de archivo a la espera de ser reunida, y todavía hace falta realizar un estudio detallado de los instrumentos de teclado y de sus ejecutantes durante aquel periodo colonial en Manila. Este artículo pretende cubrir esta laguna en parte, referida al período 1581 a 1798.
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    Psalms, Islam, and Music: Dialogues and Divergence about David in Christian-Muslim Encounters of the Seventeenth Century
    IRVING, DRM (EliScholar – A Digital Platform for Scholarly Publishing at Yale, 2016)
    David (Daud) is revered in the Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam variously as a king, prophet, and musician, providing the inspiration for what can be called the “Davidic tradition,” expressed in text, sound, ideology, and image. The scriptures associated with David are central to this tradition: within Judaism and Christianity they are the Psalms, human praises or entreaties to God; within Islam, the Zabūr is revered as a divine prophecy revealed to the prophet Daud, according to the Qurʾān. David’s musicianship and the identity of his instruments are understood differently in Jewish-Christian and Islamic traditions, and are interpreted in accordance with contrasting theological precepts of music and sound. A number of Christian-Muslim encounters in the seventeenth century resulted in dialogue, debate, and observations about the divergent religious interpretations of David, and the relation of these to music. This article examines accounts of such encounters invoking David, from Aceh, Spain, Hungary, Socotra, Turkey, and the Maldives, and explores aspects of the complex relationship between Psalms, Islam, and music, from Christian and Islamic viewpoints.
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