Some notes on the origin and development of naubat
This two-page note by Affan Seljuq traces the origin and development of naubat, the ceremonial court music associated with Malay royal courts, from its ancient Iranian roots to its present-day significance in Malaysia.
Summary
Seljuq argues that naubat reached the Malayan archipelago through Sheikh Isma’il, who brought the ‘Naubat Ibrahim Khalil’ to Sultan Malik al-Saleh of Pasai at the latter’s installation, marking the kingdom’s conversion to Islam (p. 141). He then surveys the instrument’s history from the ancient Iranian monarchy, where it served as a symbol of royal prestige and a means of making announcements, through its spread across the Islamic world via the Abbasid court. Two branches are identified: the ceremonial ‘Cassation’ (a five-movement group played at fixed hours) and the lyrical ‘Cantita’ (a vocal-instrumental form comparable to chamber music, with evidence from ninth-century Baghdad) (pp. 141–142). The five standard movements—Qaul, Ghazal, Tarana, Mutazad, and Frudasht, each preceded by a Pishras prelude—are noted, along with the Ottoman period’s role in further development. Seljuq concludes that the naubat brought to Pasai was a royal favour sent by the ruler of Mecca, and that this tradition has endured to the present day (p. 142).