dondang sayang Malay and Peranakan musical genre. The name means literally ‘to sing with love’. It originated in Malacca in the 15th century and incorporates singing and the Malay pantun (rhyming quatrains). The singers, usually a male and female couple, exchange poems spontaneously, or what Malays call ‘berbalas pantun’, during their singing. Usually, these ditties are words of advice and friendly sarcasm that provide comic relief to listeners. It is a challenging genre, because a good singer must be able to compose and sing pantuns on the spot. The pantuns are accompanied throughout by a violin, accordion, gong and rebana (drum). The tempo is slow and melancholic. There are different types of dondang sayang, such as dondang sayang Malacca and dondang sayang Baba Peranakan. These are differentiated by the way the pantuns are sung. Peranakans consider the dondang sayang to be a part of their culture.

In the early 1980s, dondang sayang was regularly featured on Malay television, in a programme called Kelab Dondang Sayang (Dondang Sayang Club). Dondang sayang is kept alive in Malay cultural events and festivals. Traditional music groups such as Sri Mahligai perform dondang sayang and other traditional music genres at Malay weddings and concerts.

Photo credit: William Gwee