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Indonesian sacred music at 40
by Mathias Hariyadi
Founded by Fr Karl Edmund Prier, SJ, the Indonesian Centre for Liturgical Music promotes inculturation in sacred music, thus giving a boost to the Church’s mission. The Centre has also published ‘The wheel of liturgical music’, a book for players of liturgical music.
Yogyakarta (AsiaNews) – The Indonesian Centre for Liturgical Music (Pusat Musik Liturgi or PML) is celebrating its 40th anniversary. In order to celebrate this landmark, it has launched a series of initiatives, including the publication of a book titled The wheel of liturgical music, a guide for those who play this kind of music, with a ship as the logo to mark the celebration.
“We decided to take a ship as the symbol to celebrate 40th year of our presence in the Church of Indonesia. Our ship is still sailing through the big oceans of the Indonesian archipelago to encourage awareness of liturgical music,” German-born Fr Karl Edmund Prier, SJ, told AsiaNews.
For Fr Priers, the mission of promoting the inculturation of Indonesian music in the liturgy is the most important service the Centre provides.
In fact, for the past 40 years, its compositions have echoed in the churches of Indonesia. To mark this anniversary, a special celebration was held in the PML’s headquarters in Yogyakarta.
Mgr Johannes Pujasumarta, archbishop of Semarang, and Fr Riyo Mursanto, SJ, head of the Jesuits’ Indonesian province, officiated the Mass, which included a special performance of sacred music and dance.
During his homily, the prelate praised the PML before hundreds of the faithful and guests for its major contribution to the Church in Indonesia through inculturation and the inclusion of indigenous instruments in liturgical music.
“The name ‘Indonesia’ was created about a century ago by a German anthropologist. The same thing is happening at present. Forty years ago, a German Jesuit created the same benchmark in liturgical music by establishing the PML,” the archbishop said.
Fr Prier told AsiaNews that having the archbishop of Semarang at the ceremony provided a big boost to PML and its efforts to promote liturgical music and songs.
“The presence of the bishop symbolises the presence of the captain in charge of the sailing ship of the PML,” the German Jesuit said.
In addition to liturgical music, the PML also promotes the revival of traditional folklore as well as the performance of local songs and lyrics in ways that are more modern.
It has done so through a choir and theatrical group called Vocalista Sonora (Vocason), which uses dozens of local instruments that are no longer much in use, like the tataganing (a long and thin drum), the garantung (a type of xylophone), as well as Java gongs, gender and bonang.