Pakacaping Music

Pakacaping music arose among the Bugis and Makassarese communities of South Sulawesi, where itinerant singer–lutenists served as custodians of local poetry and oral history. The kacaping lute—distinct from the Sundanese box zither of West Java—likely absorbed design ideas via maritime exchange across the archipelago and the wider Indian Ocean, where Arab and Malay lute traditions circulated.

Historically, the pakacaping player provided intimate entertainment at household festivities, courtship events, and community gatherings. In addition to lyrical songs about love and daily life, pakacaping often accompanies the sinrilik (or sureq) narrative tradition, in which epic tales and moral parables are chanted with flexible pacing over a repeating lute framework.

Through the 20th century, urbanization and broadcast media reduced the everyday presence of itinerant musicians, yet pakacaping persisted in ritual and celebratory settings. Cultural centers and sanggar (arts groups) in Makassar and surrounding regencies began documenting and teaching the style. In recent decades, local universities, community festivals, and heritage initiatives have supported revival efforts, while contemporary performers experiment with ensemble expansions (adding suling, frame drums, or soft string textures) and stage formats that maintain the characteristic vocal–lute core.