Daeng Soetigna

Daeng Soetigna is an Indonesian teacher and musician better known as the creator of the diatonic angklung. His work broke with tradition by making traditional Indonesian instruments capable of playing international music.

Daeng Soetigna was born on May 13, 1908 in Pameungpeuk, Garut, West Java. He came from a Sundanese Priyayi family and inherited his father's educational talent and his mother's artistic talent.

Daeng Soetigna was educated at HIS Garut (1915-1921) and Kweekschool Bandung (1922-1928). After graduation, he became a teacher at Schakelschool Cianjur (1928), HIS Kuningan (1931) and SMP Kuningan (1942).

In 1938, Daeng Soetigna began to develop the diatonic angklung. He changed the shape and tone of the angklung so that it could play different types of music, including Western songs.

In 1948, Daeng Soetigna moved to Bandung and became a primary school principal. He was also active in Angklung orchestra performances in various parts of Indonesia.

Daeng Soetigna died in Bandung on April 8, 1984 at the age of 75. He left behind valuable works for the development of Indonesian music, especially Angklung.

Here are some of the awards that Daeng Soetigna has received:

• Anugerah Seni from the Government of the Republic of Indonesia (1968)
• Honor Certificate Satya Lencana Kebudayaan (1973)
• Anugerah Manggala Bhuana Kerta Raharja from the West Java Provincial Government (1978)
• Anugerah Seniman Nasional (1980)

Daeng Soetigna is a figure who has contributed to the development of angklung in Indonesia. His work has made angklung a more internationally recognized musical instrument.