Tags: Genre, Music Genre, Topical Concept.
Mata-kantiga (from old Portuguese literally meaning “kill the song”) is a Malay genre of music of Portuguese origin very similar to other Portuguese folk music like the Desgarrada (Portugal) to Repente Cururu and Trova (Brazil).Cultivated mainly in the area of Malacca (in Malaysia) it’s a type of song where a man and a woman change improvised verses divided generally in three types: romantic (cantigas de amigo Portuguese for songs of friendship) mock (cantigas de mal dizer Portuguese for songs of ill-saying) and miscellaneous.In the old days some couples participated in sung duels and each partner used different verses mata-kantiga to seduce or to mock the other while the remaining hearing audience danced another sort of Malay music also of Portuguese origin called Branyo.Mata-kantiga was accompanied by the violin rebana (small tambourine) and drum (of double face Portuguese style).