Mata-kantiga

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).

Music of Malaysia
Malays playing gongs Traditional Bertitik Bongai Boria Branyo Caklempong Dikir barat Dondang Sayang Gamelan Jawa Gamelan Melayu Gendang Ghazal Melayu Ghazal Parti Kroncong Kompang Kulintangan Mata-kantiga Nobat Rodat 24 Festive Drums Modern Contemporary Hip Hop Pop Rock
Media and performance
Music awards	Anugerah Industri Muzik Anugerah Juara Lagu Anugerah Planet Muzik Sarawak Music Awards
Music festivals	Rainforest World Music Festival Borneo Jazz Festival Penang Island Jazz Festival
Music media	RIM Charts
Nationalistic and patriotic songs
National anthem	Negaraku

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). Currently in disuse, its last great exponent was the singer and poet Rosil de Costa, deceased in 1986.

A very similar sort of music genre, also of Portuguese influence and from the same region, called Dondang Sayang predominates nowadays.