Macapat Songs

Macapat is a Javanese traditional song or poem. Each stanza macapat have called gatra lines, and each has a number of syllables gatra (wilangan teacher), and the poem ends on the sound end of the so-called gurus song. macapat with other names can also be found in the culture of Bali , Sasak, Madura, and Sunda. Also macapat also been discovered in Palembang and Banjarmasin. Usually macapat interpreted as maca-papat papat (read four-four), which means I read a woven every four syllables. But this is not the The only sense, there are other interpretations. macapat expected appear at the end of Majapahit and the beginning of Walisanga influence, but this can only be said for the situation in Central Java. Because in East Java and Bali macapat have been known prior to the arrival of Islam.

The works of classical Javanese literature of the New Mataram, in general, written using metrum macapat. An article in the form of prose or prose is generally not regarded as literary works but just sort of ‘list contents’ only. Some examples of literary works written in Java, including Fibre Wedhatama macapat song, Fibre Wulangreh, and Fiber Kalatidha.
Javanese traditional poem or song is usually divided into three categories: little song, sung poetry and song mid Gedhe.] macapat classified to the category and also the little song mid song, while songs Gedhe based kakawin or Old Javanese traditional poetry, but in its use in New Mataram period, do not apply the difference between long-or short syllable. On the other hand mid song could also refer to the ballad, traditional poetry in Middle Javanese.

When compared with kakawin, macapat rules in different and more easily implemented using the Java language because it differs with kakawin which is based on Sanskrit, in macapat difference between long and short syllables are ignored

This kind of song macapat of which there are 11 (eleven) songs.

1. asmarandana
2. dandanggula
3. durma
4. gambuh
5. kinanthi
6. maskumambang
7. megatruh
8. mijil
9. pangkur
10. pocung
11. sinom