Rose Pandanwangi, Keep Fragrant and Keep Singing
Rose Pandanwangi
The YouTube generation may have to thank the lovers and collectors of Indonesia’s evergreen singer, Pugar Triadi. He was a figure, who with his diligence, was able to find the recordings of famous operatic singer Rose Pandanwangi from Lokananta studio, even though only two, namely “Di Sela-sela Rumput Hijau” (On the Sidelines of Green Grass) created by R Maladi and “Sekar Priangan” by Ismail Marzuki/Iskandar.
The mezzo-soprano singer, on Saturday, Jan. 26, celebrated his 90th birthday. Of the two songs, music lovers can conclude, how beautiful and charismatic Rose’s voice is.
Some of the beautiful vocals come from divine gifts, but the other part is from her efforts to pursue the art of endless sound. That Rose poured out her heart, time and mind to sing was undoubted. Reading her biography as outlined by Sori Siregar and the S Sudjojono Center team, Rose’s musical journey seemed clear.
She was born into a family with a Western background. Her father, Gustav Poppeck, was from Germany, and her mother, Sara Elizabeth Font, was born from a Spanish father and Manado mother. She liked to play the gramophone to accompany the family to dance waltz with Johann Strauss’s music, also enjoy German and Italian opera. Rose has never been separated from music.
Rose, who was called Rosa in her childhood, from her full name Rosalina Wilhelmina, began to sing since she was in kindergarten. She can sing many Dutch songs. In the Dutch Elementary School (ELS), her art teacher actually enjoyed Rose’s voice as the students practiced in front of the class to sing. This is not surprising because at that time Rose had often been appointed to sing at school, also Easter or Christmas.
Rose got her first vocal teacher, Gretchen von Veen, while in Middle School (MULO). From this first teacher, Rose learned a lot about singing techniques. The mother, who wanted her daughter to play the piano, encouraged Rose to pursue this instrument, but Rose did not show great interest because the heart was fully enamored with singing.
During the Japanese occupation, Rose, who joined the choir, sang the song “Kojo No Tsuki”, which made her listeners, including the wounded Japanese soldiers, gripped in silence. During the Japanese occupation, Rose also performed solo on stage for the first time with an orchestra visiting Asian countries.
School in the Netherlands
Set by her parents, Rose and her younger brother, Fritz, were sent to a school in the Netherlands. After HBS (High School), Rose chose the School of Anthropology, but then switched to the Faculty of Law in the Rijks Universiteit, Utrecht. Here, Rose was also uncomfortable because music kept calling her.
Finally, she landed at the music school, where she met Mrs. Maas Geesteranus. Apart from vocal techniques, it was Maas Geesteranus that convinced Rose to never leave the art of sound.
During this time she met one of the Malino Scholarship recipients named Yahya Sumabrata, who later became her husband (1949), but later separated. The name Sumabrata is included in the award certificate she received when she won the third place at the Youth Festival arena in Bucharest, Romania, in 1953.
Along with the journey of music, Rose later established a relationship with the Indonesian painting maestro, Sindudarsono Sudjojono, who she first met during his studies in the Netherlands. After going through various obstacles, the two were married in 1959.
One thing that Rose acknowledged was that her second husband was very diligent in supporting her as a singer. He diligently took her and waited for Rose’s practice and prepared everything that Rose needed. The book “The Story of Mawar Pandan Wangi” also mentions, Sudjojono never missed attending Rose’s performance.
Rose herself continued to take part in the vocal world and get along well with the figures who were then-prominent musicians. From the composer’s side she was familiar with Iskandar, Mochtar Embut, Syafei Embut and Sudharnoto. Although she herself was a soprano singer, she liked the voice of Sam Saimun and Bing Slamet who sang songs of the entertainment type.
Rose Pandanwangi and soprano music, known as “seriosa” in Indonesia, is allegedly from the Dutch word serieuze because, as mentioned by Jennifer Lindsay (Honorary Associate Professor at the Australian National University), this term has been used since the days of the Dutch East Indies.
Meanwhile, Sharifah Faizah Syeh Mohammed (lecturer at the Faculty of Music Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia) said, the head of music at state radio RRI, Amir Pasaribu, in 1952 had used the term “seriosa” to distinguish this musical genre from keroncong and entertainment/pop.
The fame of the seriosa singer who really liked the song “Kisah Mawar di Malam Hari” (Iskandar) may have passed. We remember, after Rose there were also Catharina W Leimena, Pranawengrum Katamsi, Ati Sriati and in later generation there were Aning Katamsi, Binu Sukaman and Linda Sitinjak.
Sharing her memories, Maya Sudjojono, one of Rose’s daughters, said her mother was a person who was focused, diligent and very passionate throughout her life with seriosa music even though she also greatly appreciated keroncong music so that she understood the accent.
One more thing she could be proud of about her mother was that even though she had attained high achievement (in her time), the mother did not present herself as a celebrity. According to Maya, her mother could have achieved more, but she preferred to take care of her children and husband.
In her later years, Rose’s two daughters Pandan and Maya, supported by Pugar Triadi and her friends from ITB alumni of 1967, and Rina Ciputra of Ciputra Artpreneur, initiated a stage event as a tribute to Rose.
The event (Sunday 01/27/2019) at Ciputra Artpreneur will be enlivened by keroncong music with the appearance of millennial stars Intan Soekotjo and Ervina Simarmata. Pianist Ananda Sukarlan will also come along with a poem by Sapardi Djoko Damono.
The climax certainly saw the appearance of Rose Pandanwangi, who when she is singing, would display her soul ... “[Her] soul is visible,” Maya recalled her father’s words for her mother.
Rose Pandanwangi
Name at birth: Rosalina Wilhelmina
Born: Makassar, Jan. 26, 1929
Husband: S Sudjojono (painter, married in 1959)
Family: 6 children, 19 grandchildren,
12 grand-grandchildren
Education: School of Anthropology, School of Law at Rijks Universiteit, Utrecht, the Netherlands Music education: Music school at Utrecht, the Netherlands (1947-1952)
Music teacher: Mrs Maas Geesteranus Achievements:
- Winner of Radio Competition in Seriosa Category (Second winner in Jakarta, 1958)
- First winner in Jakarta (1959)
- First winner national (1961)
- Third winner in Youth IV Festival in Bucharest, Romania, 1953
- Opera Madam Butterfly (Puccini) in 1970s and Il Barbiere in Siviglia (Rossini) in 1978
