WILLIAM Shakespeare once said: If music be the food of love, play on (the famous opening line from “Twelfth Night”).
If the great British playwright and poet were alive today, he would have been glad to know that in Penang the state government has been promoting music and the arts in general to give Penangites and others a wholesome lifestyle.
Thus, a visit to the Penang House of Music, tucked away in a corner at Level 4 in Komtar, may be just worth your time.
The 6,800sq ft premises, which could be accessed via the ICT@Komar Digital Mall, is indeed a hidden gem, especially for those who treasure arts, culture and heritage.
Set up almost four years ago, it attracted tourists from all over the world until the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Under the new normal, its director Paul Augustin said all visitors are only by appointment from today (July 8) and the house is only open for bookings every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
There are only two time slots for tours, from 11.30am to 2pm and from 2.30pm to 5pm. The tour is limited to 10 persons per tour on a first come first served basis.
“Our entire gallery will be sanitised before and after each visit. We allow you to touch things in our museum because we want to give you the experience such as playing the drum, kompang or the records, browse through books, magazines or newspapers,” said Augustin, 60.
“We not only show you things but allow you to test the things. When it is interactive, the place becomes more personal. This makes us different compared to many other museums.
“I can tell you that if you come here 10 times, you will find something new each time.
“One Japanese visitor even spent two whole days here, trying his hand at various musical instruments and successfully learning how to play the gu zeng (Chinese plucked-string instrument) and Hawaiian guitar with the help from watching YouTube videos on his mobile phone.
“As it was started in 2016 and even with the pandemic, we’re letting the music play on and rightly so as through tough and challenging times, people often sought comfort and happiness and somehow music does provide that.
“A world without music and the arts is like a nation without a soul.”
To further promote Penang in the new normal, he said the black box in the Penang House of Music which could accommodate 120 people before but now limited to only 30 due to the standard operating procedure (SOP), could be used as a workshop or a venue to screen live performances via online.
He said there could be about three to five musicians performing on stage because of the SOP and they could go live online or have their show recorded by a video crew.
“In this way, the musicians can promote themselves. They can post their work online because online ‘streaming’ is now the main thing.
“But you must understand that you are not competing locally. It is good that you have a global audience but you must do it well and present something of a reasonable standard,” said Augustin.
For veteran musicians or music lovers, the Penang House of Music brings back the nostalgia of the good old days.
It showcases some of the works of talented musicians such as the legendary Tan Sri P. Ramlee, composer Jimmy Boyle, Datuk Ahmad Daud, Tan Sri Ahmad Merican, Datuk Zainal Alam, Datuk Seri Ahmad Nawab, Rajamoney brothers, Joe Rozells, William Scully, Richard Hoon, Datuk Ooi Eow Jin and Lee Yee among others.
The gallery of the Penang House of Music tells the story of Penang and Malaysia. It also showcases the history of people who came to Penang in the 1800s bringing their culture, traditions and also their music with them.
One must not miss out hearing Zainal Alam’s song ‘Rose Rose I Love You’ recorded in four languages – English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil – in 1955 or trying out the ‘potehi’ or virtual puppet show.
Gallery guides like Elaine can explain a little more in detail about the types of the musical performances of the different communities like boria, dondang sayang and bangsawan.
You can also get to experience a kopitiam (coffee shop) setting, augmented reality mural, virtual reality room and cinema room among others at the gallery.
To Augustin, the Resource Centre is the heartbeat of the Penang House of Music where they document and digitise whatever information they have obtained – anything and everything related to music and the arts in Malaysia and surrounding areas.
“We have over 10,000 vinyl records, hundreds of Shaw Brothers magazines in Chinese, Indian, Malay and English, books, photos and recordings. People have donated radios, cassettes and CDs.
“The Resource Centre has also attracted researchers and students from many universities in and outside of Malaysia.”
Some of the musical instruments on display in the Penang House of Music.
Augustin, a former student of St Xavier’s Institution in Penang, spent about 15 years as a musician and one of his most memorable achievements was writing the lyrics for the official theme song of the 1998 Commonwealth Games, known as “Forever As One”.
Another Penangite, Goh Boon Hoe, a former student of Penang Free School, composed the music for the song which was sung by Roy at the Games’ opening in Kuala Lumpur.
Augustin later ventured into events management.
But it was in the music arena that he made his mark as the owner and organiser of the Penang Island Jazz Festival together with his business partner, Chin Choo Yuen, which ran for 14 years from 2004 to 2017.
He gained local and international recognition as the independent international jazz festival grew in popularity, attracting more than 4,000 musicians from over 40 countries.
On the local front, Augustin was involved in organising the Jimmy Boyle Young Jazz Talent Competition in conjunction with the festival.
He also curated together with Englishman James Lochhead, the exhibition of Penang’s popular music of the 1940s & 1950s for the Penang State Museum in Farquhar Street in 2010 and the Penang’s popular music of the 1940s, 1950s & 1960s at the Penang State Museum in Macalister Road in 2013.
Along the way, Augustin started to compile personality profiles and photographs which led him to co-author a book with Lochhead, entitled “Just For the Love of It’.
It was published in 2015 and its success has led to the third print.
For his contribution to the art scene, Augustin was named as one of the two recipients of the 17th BOH Cameronian Arts Awards Gamechanger.
The other was Hollywood scriptwriter Adele Lim.
The award is a recognition given to individuals or organisation who have trailblazed the industry and who have taken their craft and talents beyond borders.
“Never in my wildest dream did I think I’ll be a gamechanger award winner. But I would probably say that I’m more of a calculated risk taker or a dreamer who tries to make things happen.
“And I believe passion, perseverance and patience are the keys to realising a dream,” Augustin said.
Yes Paul, let the music play on.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Law Suun Ting & Chan Kok Kuan
