Written by daughter of National Anthem composer, it details his hopes, aspirations
By Royston Sim, The Straits Times, 2 Oct 2012
IN JULY 1958, composer Zubir Said was invited by then-Singapore Mayor Ong Eng Guan to compose a song to mark the grand opening of Victoria Theatre. The song was to carry the theme Majulah Singapura - Onward Singapore - and have Malay lyrics.
That night, Mr Zubir saw the words "Majulah Singapura" in sparkling lights outside the Victoria Theatre. The sight inspired him to finish the composition in two weeks.
A year later, the Government chose his song as the National Anthem. With great care, he shortened it to an appropriate length and Majulah Singapura was born.
At that time, he said: "It is not easy for me to compose a short and simple song, the words and music of which should contain the spirit, unity and progress of the people of Singapore. It is not a commercial song or a romantic song. To me, it is a prayer."
This account of how the National Anthem came about is told in a book launched yesterday by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (Iseas) to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his death at age 80 on November 1987.
Titled Zubir Said, The Composer Of Majulah Singapura, the 279-page book includes numerous photographs, documents, musical scores and articles on the life and times of one of Singapore's leading composers.
Written by his daughter, Dr Rohana Zubir, 73, it also comes with a CD containing a selection of his compositions.
Born in 1907 in a village in Sumatra, he came to Singapore at age 21, joined an opera group as a violinist and learnt how to compose music despite having no formal training.
Born in 1907 in a village in Sumatra, he came to Singapore at age 21, joined an opera group as a violinist and learnt how to compose music despite having no formal training.
He was a prolific composer of film music. One such song was Sayang di Sayang, which was popularised by singer Kartina Dahari and later adapted by Ning Baizura.
In his address, Iseas chairman Wang Gungwu said Dr Rohana has "captured, with both grace and affection, the contours of her father's life and really brought very much to life the kind of man he was... what it meant to him to be with his music and to be able to project what he loved to everybody around him".
Dr Rohana said it took her 22 years of planning and three years of writing to complete the book - a process she described as "a long pregnancy fraught with many challenges".
She said: "It's a very useful book to remind and educate the public about the history of Singapore. There's a lot of history in there, how the National Anthem came to be... information about the wording of the song and my father's aspirations for Singapore.
"Today, you see the realisation of that prayer, his own personal prayer, for Singapore. That would make him very happy indeed." The book, on sale at major bookstores, costs $69.90.
"Today, you see the realisation of that prayer, his own personal prayer, for Singapore. That would make him very happy indeed." The book, on sale at major bookstores, costs $69.90.
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