Udjo Ngalagena

Udjo Ngalagena (angklung-udjo.co.id)

Indonesia have many art and culture, one of them is Angklung. Angklung is one of traditional music instruments in West Java. It's made of bamboo, and it works if we shake it. Angklung has a diatonic and pentatonic tone scale. One of the functions of angklung is to increase the Sundanese's spirit.

Udjo Ngalagena who was born in fifth of March 1929, started his journey in music, art, and culture, since he was 4 years old. His talent kept growing and he became an art teacher in several schools in Bandung. To improve his knowledge and ability, Udjo didn't hesitate to learn directly from the expert, such as Mang Koko the kecapi expert, and Daeng Soetigna the re-inventor of angklung diatonc. Soon he became the assistant of Daeng Soetigna, and led performances on behalf of the teacher.

"His passionate love for art and culture is a reason for Udjo Ngalagena and his wife Uum Sumiati to establish Saung Angklung Udjo. Saung Angklung Udjo which establish in 1966 by Udjo Ngalagena is one stop cultural workshop, consisting of performance venue, bamboo handicraft centre, and bamboo instrument workshop. Saung Angklung Udjo has a honorable function as an educational laboratory and training center to preserve the Sundanese culture, angklung in particular." (http://woco2010.iaasindonesia.org/)

"Daeng Soetigna who have inspired Udjo Ngalagena from his philosophy named 5ms: mudah (easy), murah (cheap), mendidik (educative), menarik (attractive), massal (mass), and Udjo put one additional value which is meriah (cheerful), Udjo combine an attractive performance and a sense of educative that called Kaulinan Urang Lembur, thats why many foreign country invited him to introduced, teaches, and performed angklung." (travel.yahoo.com)

He passed away in third May 2001, and his daughter and his sons kept continuing Saung Angklung Udjo.