Indonesian Culture Music Called Keroncong (Kroncong)

Keroncong is an Indonesian genre inspired by Portuguese sailor songs brought to Indonesian Archipelago in the 16th century. After centuries of evolution, marked with adoption of various foreign instruments and incorporation of a growing number of international influences, Keroncong reached its modern form in the 1880s and from then on until the 1960s enjoyed widespread popularity as the popular music of Indonesia in the pre-Rock & Roll era. Keroncong music is usually played with ukulele, cello, guitar, bass, violin and flute.

In modern Indonesia, the younger generation sees Keroncong as old-fashioned folk music and its popularity has begun to fade.
Mr. Andjar Any, the president of Hamkri (Association of Indonesia Kroncong Artists) Solo branch, categorically says that Kroncong music is purely Indonesian. The 61 year-old artist, a journalist strongly supports his theory. In his profession he has traveled around the world and he did not found any music similar to Kroncong even in Portugal or its ex colony. It is a probability, that our people saw the European played their music with western music instruments hundreds years ago in the old days, the Kroncong had its root in Jakarta with its Kroncong Tugu (Tugu is a village in the coast of Jakarta) & Central Java. He had composed more than 2000 songs, among other the famous Yen ing Tawang ana lintang (If there are stars in the sky), known by almost Javanese people, as it is in Javanese language. Many of his songs have been sung also in English & Mandarin. Although he has not been asked for approval, he does not mind, he is happy if others could enjoy his composition. The present Kroncong In the development, it is quite understandable if Kroncong has a deep root in Yogyakarta & Central Java, it can live in harmony side by side with Javanese gamelan music. In fact Kroncong & Gamelan , they have similarity in their rules of composition.

Kroncong music has push highly some stars of Kroncong such as :
Senior singers of Solo & Yogya, Mrs. Surip with her sparkling ball eyes, Mrs Any Landau, Sapari , S. Darmanto, Ismanto, Bram Aceh and from the younger generation such as Waljinah with her song " Walang Kekek", Mini Satria, Sundari Sukoco, Wiwiek Sumbogo, Mus Mulyadi etc.