Unisonance in singing Malaysian popular patriotic songs: bridging collective integration through music

The line between popular and nationalist music is hazy because any musical style or repertoire has the potential to express nationalism given the right environment and circumstances. Yet, singing and listening to it never misses its aim because the language of song is the most widespread way...

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Main Author: Shazlin A. Hamzah
Format: Article
Language:en
Published: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2020
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17108/1/44786-144115-1-SM.pdf
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17108/
https://ejournal.ukm.my/jebat/issue/view/1361
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author Shazlin A. Hamzah,
author_facet Shazlin A. Hamzah,
author_sort Shazlin A. Hamzah,
building Tun Sri Lanang Library
collection Institutional Repository
content_provider Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
content_source UKM Journal Article Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
description The line between popular and nationalist music is hazy because any musical style or repertoire has the potential to express nationalism given the right environment and circumstances. Yet, singing and listening to it never misses its aim because the language of song is the most widespread way in which music signifies the nation.1 The unified singing of anthems and patriotic songs done together by a group of people usually not known to each other is called ‘unisonance’2 and can result in an emotionally overwhelming feeling of collective cohesion. Focus group discussions on local popular music listening were conducted in 2019 throughout Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Klang Valley. This paper discusses findings surrounding data drawn from this research focusing on respondent’s reactions towards patriotic songs. Findings suggest that Malaysians enjoy listening to and singing patriotic songs individually and more importantly, in concert, as they are a verbal way of manifesting love for the country. Of paramount point here is it creates a moment of unisonance for them, a simultaneous and unanimous acknowledgment of the common symbol, that is the song – over and above any racial or cultural trait – that signifies belonging and begets collective emotional commitment.
format Article
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institution Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
language en
publishDate 2020
publisher Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
record_format eprints
spelling my-ukm.journal.171082021-07-19T07:42:36Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17108/ Unisonance in singing Malaysian popular patriotic songs: bridging collective integration through music Shazlin A. Hamzah, The line between popular and nationalist music is hazy because any musical style or repertoire has the potential to express nationalism given the right environment and circumstances. Yet, singing and listening to it never misses its aim because the language of song is the most widespread way in which music signifies the nation.1 The unified singing of anthems and patriotic songs done together by a group of people usually not known to each other is called ‘unisonance’2 and can result in an emotionally overwhelming feeling of collective cohesion. Focus group discussions on local popular music listening were conducted in 2019 throughout Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Klang Valley. This paper discusses findings surrounding data drawn from this research focusing on respondent’s reactions towards patriotic songs. Findings suggest that Malaysians enjoy listening to and singing patriotic songs individually and more importantly, in concert, as they are a verbal way of manifesting love for the country. Of paramount point here is it creates a moment of unisonance for them, a simultaneous and unanimous acknowledgment of the common symbol, that is the song – over and above any racial or cultural trait – that signifies belonging and begets collective emotional commitment. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2020-12 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17108/1/44786-144115-1-SM.pdf Shazlin A. Hamzah, (2020) Unisonance in singing Malaysian popular patriotic songs: bridging collective integration through music. Jebat: Malaysian Journal of History, Politics and Strategic Studies, 47 (3). pp. 403-427. ISSN 2180-0251 https://ejournal.ukm.my/jebat/issue/view/1361
spellingShingle Shazlin A. Hamzah,
Unisonance in singing Malaysian popular patriotic songs: bridging collective integration through music
title Unisonance in singing Malaysian popular patriotic songs: bridging collective integration through music
title_full Unisonance in singing Malaysian popular patriotic songs: bridging collective integration through music
title_fullStr Unisonance in singing Malaysian popular patriotic songs: bridging collective integration through music
title_full_unstemmed Unisonance in singing Malaysian popular patriotic songs: bridging collective integration through music
title_short Unisonance in singing Malaysian popular patriotic songs: bridging collective integration through music
title_sort unisonance in singing malaysian popular patriotic songs: bridging collective integration through music
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17108/1/44786-144115-1-SM.pdf
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/17108/
https://ejournal.ukm.my/jebat/issue/view/1361
url_provider http://journalarticle.ukm.my/