Tarawangsa is a type of traditional art from the agrarian society of West Java. In its performance, this art has a distinctiveness in terms of its musical instrument, which uses a musical instrument that is played by being bowed. In Teguh Permana’s article, he quoted Luki Hendrawan’s opinion that, etymologically, Tarawangsa comes from a combination of three words, 

Ta — Ra — Wangsa.


Ta is an acronym for the word ‘Meta’ in Sundanese language which means movement, then ‘Ra’ means the great fire, similar to the meaning of Ra in Egyptian language, where the great fire is the sun analogy. And finally, ‘Wangsa’ is synonymous with the word ‘nation’, referring to the people who inhabit a region with rules that bind them. Thus, Ta-Ra-Wangsa means ‘the story of the nation of the sun. 

In other words, Tarawangsa is an art form that celebrates the harvest of rice, which is heavily dependent on the sun as a symbol of gratitude to the Almighty. Tarawangsa uses a kordofon ensemble (a stringed instrument whose sound source is a resonator chamber) of two musical instruments. One is called the tarawangsa itself, which is played by being bowed, and the other is called the jentreng, which is played by being plucked.

The Tarawangsa musical instrument is a form of agricultural communication used by the community in Rancakalong, Sumedang. This is related to the tradition of presenting Tarawangsa to provide safety and blessings for the upcoming harvest. The people of Rancakalong believe that the Tarawangsa instrument is capable of delivering good and progressively increasing harvests.

Traditional music performances are held during the Ngalaksa ceremony, which is a rice harvest ceremony. During the Tarawangsa performance, the people of Rancakalong believe that the goddess Dewi Sri provides charisma to the rice grains, which has been passed down through generations and provides livelihoods for them through the harvest.


The tarawangsa musical instrument is played in two ways, the tarawangsa itself is played by being bowed, while the jentreng part of the tarawangsa musical instrument is played by being plucked. This type of Tarawangsa musical instrument is certainly different from other bowed instruments. The tarawangsa itself is different from the rebab that we know. It has a long and elongated neck and consists of two strings.

Tarawangsa is older in existence compared to other bowed instruments such as rebab. The ancient manuscript of Sewaka Darma from the early 18th century has mentioned the name of tarawangsa as a musical instrument. After the emergence of rebab, tarawangsa is also commonly referred to as rebab jangkung (tall rebab), because the size of tarawangsa is generally taller than rebab. Tarawangsa has a very similar shape to Morin Khuur, which is a bowed instrument similar to rebab from Mongolia. 

Tarawangsa has a very strong association with traditional customs in West Java, especially in the Rancakalong area of Sumedang, West Java. For Sundanese people, this musical instrument and art form are part of the Tarawangsa art and preserving this traditional musical instrument has become known in the millennial era. By introducing this musical instrument and art form to the younger generation, it is hoped that culture and art in West Java, especially Tarawangsa, will continue to be preserved as a legacy of artistic tradition.


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