Zubir Said

Zubir Said
Background information
Birth name	Zubir Said
Born	22 July 1907 Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, Indonesia
Died	November 16 1987 (aged 80) Singapore
Genre(s)	Film scores and songs
Occupation(s)	Composer
Years active	1928–1987
Label(s)	Universal Music Group

This is a Malay name; the name "Said" is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by his or her given name, "Zubir".

Zubir Said (also Zubir Syed) (22 July 1907 – 16 November 1987) was a Singaporean composer originally from the Minangkabau highlands of Indonesia who composed the national anthem of Singapore, Majulah Singapura. A self-taught musician, Zubir also worked as a score arranger and songwriter for Cathay-Keris Film Productions for 12 years, composing numerous songs for the company's Malay films. He is believed to have written about 1,500 songs, less than 10% of which were recorded.

It has been said that Zubir was viewed by many as a composer with a "true Malay soul", as his songs – traditional, yet modern and patriotic – were interwoven with historical messages and Malay truisms, and that he and his Minangkabau contemporaries awoke a wave of national consciousness in the 1950s.

Biography

Early years

The eldest child in a family of three boys and five girls, Zubir Said was born on 22 July 1907 in Bukittinggi in the Minangkabau highlands of West Sumatra, Indonesia.^[1] His mother died when he was seven years old. He attended a Dutch school but had no interest in academic studies. His involvement with music started when he was introduced to the Solfa music system by a teacher. A primary-school classmate subsequently taught him how to make and play a flute, and in middle school, he learned to play the guitar and drums from fellow students and the keroncong group he was involved in.^[2]

The Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall as it appeared in January 2006. Victoria Theatre was the venue for the first public performance of Zubir Said's compositions, including "Majulah Singapura" on 6 September 1958. The song later became independent Singapore's national anthem.

Move to Singapore

In 1928 at the age of 21, Zubir went to Singapore to make a living as a musician, taking up the suggestion of a sailor friend who had described the island as a place of "glittering lights, kopi susu [coffee with milk] and butter". This was done in the face of objections from his village chieftan father, Mohamad Said bin Sanang, who believed music to be against religion. Zubir's first job was as a musician with City Opera, a bangsawan or Malay opera troupe. He became the troupe's bandleader. Thereafter, in 1936, he joined the recording company His Master's Voice. Zubir went to Java to marry Tarminah Kario Wikromo, a keroncong singer, in 1938; they returned to Zubir's home town of Bukittinggi in 1941 just before the outbreak of World War II. Coming back to Singapore in 1947, Zubir worked as a part-time photographer with the Utusan Melayu newspaper^[3] while composing and performing music and songs. In 1949 he took up the post of orchestra conductor at Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Production, and in 1952 he joined Cathay-Keris Film Productions as a score arranger and songwriter for the company's Malay films, including Sumpah Pontianak (Blood of Pontianak, 1958) and Chuchu Datuk Merah (1963).^[4] In 1957, he received his first public recognition when his songs were performed at the Victoria Theatre.^[1][2][5]

"Majulah Singapura"

Singapore, then a British colony, had been conferred city status by a royal charter from King George VI in 1951. In the late 1950s, the City Council of Singapore approached Zubir to compose a song for the city to be titled "Majulah Singapura", which was a motto displayed in the Victoria Theatre after it was renovated in 1958. Zubir's song, "Majulah Singapura" ("Onward Singapore", 1956–1957), was first performed by the Singapore Chamber Ensemble during the grand finale of a concert staged in the Victoria Theatre on 6 September 1958 to celebrate its official reopening. When Singapore attained self-government in 1959, the Government felt that a national anthem was needed to unite the different races in Singapore. It decided that the City Council's song, which was already popular, would serve this purpose. After some revisions were made to the song, it was adopted by the Legislative Assembly on 11 November 1959, and on 30 November the Singapore State Arms and Flag and National Anthem Ordinance 1959^[6] was passed. This statute regulated the use and display of the State Arms and State Flag and the performance of the National Anthem. "Majulah Singapura" was presented to the nation on 3 December at the launch of "Loyalty Week", replacing the colonial anthem "God Save the Queen". After Singapore's full independence from Malaysia on 9 August 1965, "Majulah Singapura" was formally adopted as the Republic's national anthem. In a 1984 oral history interview, to sum up his philosophy when composing the anthem, Zubir cited the Malay proverb "Di mana bumi dipijak, di situ langit dijunjung" ("You should hold up the sky of the land where you live").^[7]

Zubir continued working for Cathay-Keris Film Productions until he retired in 1964, composing numerous songs for Malay films. In 1962, his songs for the movie Dang Anom won an award at the Ninth Asian Film Festival in Seoul, South Korea.^[8] He also gave music lessons.^[5]

Zubir died at the age of 80 on 16 November 1987 at Joo Chiat Place in Singapore, leaving behind four daughters and a son.^[1]

Awards

In recognition of his contributions to the State, Zubir was conferred the Sijil Kemuliaan (Certificate of Honour) on 16 March 1963^[7] and the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Star) in the same year.^[9] In 1971, he received the Jasawan Seni award from eight Malay cultural organizations, and the Asean Cultural and Communications Award in 1987. He also received a Certificate of Commendation from the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (AUPE) for composing the AUPE song. In 1995, Zubir was posthumously^[10] given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS).^[1]

Music

Zubir is primarily remembered for composing Singapore's national anthem, "Majulah Singapura" ("Onward Singapore"). The Malay lyrics exhort Singaporeans to "progress towards happiness together" ("Sama-sama menuju bahagia") so that their "noble aspiration[s] bring Singapore success" ("Cita-cita kita yang mulia / Berjaya Singapura"), and to "unite in a new spirit" ("Marilah kita bersatu / Dengan semangat yang baru").

In 1956, he also submitted compositions to the Malayan – later Malaysian – Government for consideration for their national anthem. However, a different song, Negaraku, was selected in the end.

Zubir is also remembered for his composition "Semoga Bahagia" ("May You Achieve Happiness") which was aimed at primary-school students, advising them to work hard for their future. It has become a Children's Day song for Singaporean children, and is thus often sung in schools on 1 October. It is also performed during the Singapore Youth Festival.

Zubir is estimated to have written about 1,500 songs, including those written for Cathay-Keris Film Productions' Malay films in the 1950s and 1960s. Less than 10% of these songs were recorded. On 22 August 2007, Zubir's family signed an agreement with Universal Music in Malaysia for the latter to manage his works. The copyright in the songs remains with his family. The idea to do so came after his third daughter, Puan Sri Dr. Rohana Zubir, a retired lecturer with the University of Malaya, met Sandy Monteiro, senior vice-president (Asean) of the Universal Music Publishing Group in 2005 through Monteiro's wife, who was a good friend of hers. Dr. Rohana was reported as saying: "It is time to hand over the songs in order to revive them two decades after my father's passing. I hope to ensure that his songs continue to live in the hearts of young artists in Malaysia."^[11]

It is said that Zubir was viewed by many as a composer with a "true Malay soul", as his songs, traditional but yet modern and patriotic, were interwoven with historical messages and Malay truisms. Journalist A. Samad Ismail commented that Zubir and his Minangkabau contemporaries awoke a wave of national consciousness in the 1950s.^[2]

Works

• Zubir Said (1965). Membacha Musik. Singapore: Zubir Said.  In Malay.

Notes

References

• (1990) Zubir Said : His Songs. Singapore: Times Books International for the Singapore Cultural Foundation. ISBN 9812041451 (pbk.). 
• Lim, Serene. "Zubir Said : The Man behind the Music", The Straits Times (republished on Headlines, Lifelines), 1990-03-09, p. 28. 
• Cornelius-Takahama, Vernon (1997-09-29). Zubir Said. Singapore Infopedia, National Library Board. Retrieved on 2007-08-26.
• Bahizal Abu Bakar (2006-05-02). Malaysia Music Composer/Arranger Past and Present : Zubir Said. Retrieved on 2007-08-27.
• Zubir Said. World Book Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2007-08-26.
• 1959 – Singapore's State Arms, Flags and National Anthem. NS40, Ministry of Defence (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-27.

Further reading

Articles

• "The Quiet Man who Makes Lasting Music", The Straits Times (Bilingual), 1983-10-18, p. iv. 
• Lim, K.K. "Composer of Our National Anthem Dies", The Straits Times, 1987-11-17, p. 1. 
• "Mr Marikita : Shy, Humble and Well-Loved", The Straits Times, 1987-11-17, p. 1. 
• S. Rajaratnam. "Majulah Singapura has been Sung Patriotically for 32 Years", The Straits Times (republished on Headlines, Lifelines), 1990-03-09. 
• "Audience Turns Misty-Eyed at Tribute to Zubir", The Straits Times, 1990-03-10, p. 24. 
• Tan, Hsueh Yun. "Few Understand Lyrics of National Anthem", The Straits Times (republished on Headlines, Lifelines), 1991-07-26. 
• Kor, Kian Beng, Leong Ching. "HIS-STORY : SM Goh Suggests Naming Streets and Buildings after Pioneers, Philanthropists, and Social Leaders of Modern Singapore", The New Paper, 2006-12-04. 
• Narayanan, Sheela. "Universal Music to Publish Zubir Said's Works : 'Majulah' with His Unrecorded Music", The New Paper, 2007-08-22. 
• "Imagine Singing Pertame instead of Negaraku", New Straits Times, 2007-08-22. 
• "環球代理 Zubir Said 所有版權 (Universal Acts as Agent for All of Zubir Said's Copyrights)", Sin Chew Jit Poh, 2007-08-22.  In Chinese.

Books

• Sulaiman Jeem; Abdul Ghani Hamid (1988). Mengenang Pak Zubir. Singapore: Pustaka Melayu. ISBN 9810006365.  In Malay.

External links

• Zubir Said at the Internet Movie Database
• National Symbols : The National Anthem. National Heritage Board. Retrieved on 2007-08-25.
• Photograph of Zubir Said at Felix Entertainment
• Photograph of Zubir Said at the Peoples' Encyclopedia of Singapore History, Singapore Heritage Society

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