Songs from the East
- Langad om Upus Ku
- Lane
- Oi Tambahut Kou
Performers: CHIN Yen Lin, LIU Wen Chin, Vincent KANG, GOH Qiao Zheng
Arranged by: Geneviene Wong
Art work by: Seraphyn Lam
Instrumentation:
Voicing: Two-Part Treble Voices
Synopsis:
“Songs from the East” comprises of three songs from the island of Borneo.
“Langad om Upus Ku” is a Dusun version of a popular Japanese song “Subaru” by Shinji Tanimura. The Dusun lyrics were written by Julius Gudok and is so popular in Sabah that many Sabahans claim it as their own. While the original piece is a tribute to a constellation of stars, this Dusun gem sings of the longing for a loved one who is no longer around.
“Lane” which literally means “Truly” is a gathering song sung in every Kenyah longhouse, always in two or three-part harmony. There are various versions of Lane sung throughout the Kenyah community and this is one of the most popular versions sung in the Baram villages. It is also often sung as an invitation to dance.
“Oi Tambahut Kou” is a Kadazan song written by Frederica Mojilis with the driving message to not lose one’s songs (and in turn, one’s language and culture). With the onset of globalization and increasing emphasis on global languages, it is unfortunate that many languages and dialects around the world are fast disappearing.
