Vocal Art in the Javanese Version of the Ramayana Epic by Raden Ngabehi Yasadipura

Abstract

This study examines the vocal art in the Javanese adaption of the Ramayana, Serat Rama, authored by the 18th-century Central Javanese poet Raden Ngabehi Yasadipura. Employing Paul Ricoeur's hermeneutical approach, it explores the meaning and content of the work, including its musical elements. Analysis involved repeated readings and interpretations of the text at the word, sentence, and overall content levels. The findings of this study indicate that Serat Rama incorporates musical art through the inclusion of Javanese songs, specifically the macapat style. Out of the 11 types of macapat songs, nine are represented in Serat Rama: Maskumambang, Mijil, Sinom, Kinanthi, Asmaradana, Megatruh, Dhandanggula, Durma, and Pangkur. This study concludes that in Serat Rama, there are two educational elements: culturally insightful education and harmony education. The former is reflected in the carefully selected words forming song verses that communicate cultural insights. The latter is evident in the harmonious structure of the songs, where sentences are divided into two phrases to allow singers to pause and maintain harmony. In Javanese song theory, this concept of harmony is known as "padang-ulihan.”