The Gunong Sayang Association, also known as Persatuan Gunong Sayang, is a Peranakan social club that has been instrumental in preserving the artform of dondang sayang, the singing of Malay poetry. The Association aims to create an awareness of Peranakan culture through acting, singing and dancing, and is well known for its wayang Peranakan (Peranakan theatre).
Early history
The Gunong Sayang Association (“gunong sayang” means “mountain of love”) was established in February 1910 and helped to bring the originally domestic art of Peranakan poetry singing, dondang sayang, into the public arena. Sometimes referred to as “musical debating”, dondang sayang is the singing of pantuns or four-line verses set to music. It is performed by at least two singers who compose and exchange pantuns extemporaneously. Dondang sayang is considered an artform as it requires great dexterity, wit and skill to compose verses on the spot, and pantun experts have been known to carry on dondang sayang sessions for hours at a time.
In the early days, dondang sayang singers performed at amusement parks and on radio, and attracted many followers. Its popularity was encouraged in 1911 by publications such as the serialised Panton Dondang Sayang Baba Baba Pranakan by Koh Hoon Teck, a founder of the Association. In 1926, another collection of such poetry, Pantun Dendang Sayang dengan Cherita Buah Brakal, fuelled interest in the artform.
The Association was dormant during the Japanese Occupation, but experienced a postwar revival when pantun performances became popular and were held at the National Library and Victoria Memorial Hall.
The Association was located at 140 Ceylon Road for some years and relocated to Lorong 24A, off Geylang Road, in the 1990s.
Membership and activities
Membership in the Association was initially only for men. The members would meet on Sundays for dondang sayang sessions, with each performance accompanied by a small orchestra of violins, accordions and guitars. The artform was highly popular in the 1960s and early 1970s, and Dondang Sayang singers were regularly invited to Malay community centres to perform.
By the late 1970s, however, the dondang sayang section of the Association featured only about 60 men, mostly pensioners, with the youngest in his forties. They performed infrequently, usually once every six weeks and on public holidays. The increasing popularity of jazz, disco and other forms of popular music led to dwindling interest that was further eroded by the lack of fluency in Malay among younger Peranakans.
In May 1980, the Association opened its doors to the general public. With a monthly subscription of only $3, the Association hoped to increase its membership. By the late 1980s, women were included in the Association, beginning with the spouses of male members. Today, there are the Nonya Sayang and Adek Sayang subgroups for women and children.
The Association’s current activities include the singing of dondang sayang and asli songs, joget sessions, cooking demonstrations of Peranakan dishes, and outings to places of interest in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
Since the 1950s, the Association has also staged wayang Peranakan performances, which became an annual occurrence beginning in 1985. These stage productions are performed using the Peranakan patois of Malay and the Hokkien dialect, and usually feature the customs and traditions surrounding occasions such as birthdays, weddings, engagements and funerals. Over the years, the plays have been written by well-known Peranakans such as Felix Chia, Henry Tan and William Tan, with the more recent plays primarily by G. T. Lye. In keeping with wayang Peranakan tradition, wherein it was originally considered improper for women to be on stage, men tend to take on the main female roles, leading to the development of male actors with strong skills as female impersonators. Despite criticisms that the plays are predictable and tend to focus on typical Peranakan domestic issues, the performances have remained popular and have been staged at the Art Festival and other key performing arts events.
The Association has strong links with the Peranakan Association as many members belong to both associations. In 1996, the two associations jointly organised the 9th Baba Convention for the first time.
Prominent members
Prominent members of the Association include Koh Hoon Teck, a well-known dondang sayang singer and a founding member of the Association. As a pantun expert, it had been one of Koh's wishes that dondang sayang should be sung at his funeral. Upon his death in 1956, his family members and close friends accordingly arranged for a “pantun party” at his gravesite in Bukit Brown cemetery.
Gwee Peng Kwee, Koh’s son, was a famous female impersonator who was instrumental in reviving the Association through active fund-raising after its dormancy during the Japanese Occupation. A pantun master like his father, Gwee passed away in 1986.
G. T. Lye, Gwee’s son, has directed and acted in many Association stage productions over the years. Following the family tradition, he is a veteran female impersonator who has played the role of the Peranakan matriarch numerous times.
William Tan, a popular female impersonator of the 1950s and 1960s, and his cousin Henry Tan were responsible for writing a number of the annual wayang Peranakan productions.
Actress Sally Gan, a veteran of the Association who passed away in 2006, was well loved for her role as a domestic maid in numerous Gunong Sayang stage productions.
Author
Bonny Tan and Joanna Tan
References
Acknowledgements. (1986, April 30). The Straits Times, p. 24. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from NewspaperSG.
Chee, J. (2008). A tapestry of Baba poetry [verse translation in English by Lim Poh Keng]. Penang: Johny Chee.
(Call no.: RSING 495.1795951 CHE)
Goh, P. (1956, February 16). Sing pantuns for me at my funeral. The Straits Times, p. 9. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from NewspaperSG.
Gunong Sayang. (1983, November). Singapore Heritage, 2, 3 4.
(Call No.: RSING 959.57 SH)
Gunong Sayang [website]. (2008). Accessed on May 19, 2010, at http://gunongsayang.org/
Jeman, S. (1988, June 7). Courteous, thoughtful dondang sayang. The Straits Times, p. 7. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from NewspaperSG.
Lee is an old hand at Malay art of pantun. (1978, December 11). The Straits Times, p. 12. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from NewspaperSG.
Musical thrust and parry. (1980, May 4). The Straits Times, p. 4. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from NewspaperSG.
Ong, S. B. (2006, February 11). Actress Sally Gan dies. The Straits Times, p. 2. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from NewspaperSG.
Speeden, M. (1982, November 11). Tigerish art. The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from NewspaperSG.
Suhaila, S. (2001, October 10). He wears the skirt. The Straits Times, p. L5. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from NewspaperSG.
Tan, C. (1985, February 13). The nonya is a man! The Straits Times, p. 8. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from NewspaperSG.
The special verses of dondang sayang known as pantuns. (1985, June 25). The Straits Times, p. 6. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from NewspaperSG.
The special verses must have meaning. (1985, July 2). The Straits Times, p. 6. Retrieved May 19, 2010, from NewspaperSG.
Thomas, P. L. (1986). Like tigers around a piece of meat: The Baba style of Dondang Sayang. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
(Call no.: RSING 899.2304 THO)
Further resources
Chan, A. (1995, November). GSA's Wayang Peranakan 2005. Suara Baba, 15, 12.
(Call No.: RSING 305.895105957 SBA)
Koh, H. T. (1911). Panton Dondang Sayang Baba Baba Pranakan. London: India Office Library and Records.
(Call no.: RSING Malay 899.281 PAN)
Peranakan Association [website]. (2009). Accessed on May 19, 2010, at http://peranakan.org.sg
Tan, W. (Director) & Tan, H. (Writer). (1992). Nasib. [Videorecording]. Singapore: Gunong Sayang Association.
(Call no.: RSING Malay 792.27 NAS)
The information in this article is valid as at 2010 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
