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A Google Doodle of Zubir Said, The “Majulah Singapura” Composer

Aug 04, 2014 ~ Leave a Comment ~ Written by Dahlia Shamsuddin

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The Google Doodle

Zubir Said, the composer of Majulah Singapura, the national anthem of Singapore, was honoured with a Google Doodle on his 107th birthday on 22 July 2014. He was born in Bukittinggi, Sumatra, on 22 July 1907 and travelled to Singapore in 1928 when he was 21 years old. He passed away on 16 November 1987 when he was 80 years old.

A Google spokesperson told Channel NewsAsia: “We decided to honour Mr Said, an entirely self-taught musician and composer who wrote Majulah Singapura (Onward Singapore). Besides being known for his musical gifts, he also had a heart of gold, helping adopted families and friends as much as he could even though his own family wasn’t very well-to-do.”

“We wanted to celebrate this beloved man’s spirit and legacy on Google Singapore’s homepage today,” the spokesperson added.

Majulah Singapura

Zubir Said was invited by the City Council “to compose the music and lyrics for the Grand Finale of the performance, based on the theme ‘Majulah Singapura’” in a letter dated 10 July 1958 and signed by H. F. Sheppard. The song would mark the opening of the Victoria Memorial Hall after renovation work was completed.

According to Rohana, Zubir’s daughter, Zubir took two weeks to compose the song and consulted Paul Abisheganaden on the music and Muhammad Ariff Ahmad on the lyrics.

The original version of Majulah Singapura was performed on Saturday, 6 September 1958 at the Victoria Memorial Hall.

National Anthem

Singapore became a self-governing nation in 1959. Dr Toh Chin Chye, then deputy prime minister, felt that Majulah Singapura would be appropriate as Singapore’s national anthem. The Legislative Assembly unanimously agreed and on 11 November 1959, Majulah Singapura was confirmed and declared as Singapore’s national anthem. Majulah Singapura, the Singapore flag and the state crest (national coat of arms) became the first national symbols of Singapore.

Yusof Ishak was installed as Singapore’s Yang Di-Pertuan Negara (Head of State) on Thursday, 5 December 1959. Majulah Singapura was officially sung for the first time as Singapore’s national anthem at this installation ceremony.

Other Songs

Besides ‘Majulah Singapura’, he also composed ‘Semoga Bahagia’, a song primary school pupils in Singapore are familiar with because they would have sung it to celebrate Children’s Day. In a letter to the Director of the National Museum dated 1 January 1979, Zubir called Semoga Bahagia “the Anthem of all Singapore schools”.

He also composed many songs for the Malay film industry in Singapore during its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s. Sayang Di Sayang and Setangkai Kembang Melati are just two of his well-known songs.

Zubir Said’s former home at 190A Joo Chiat Place has been gazetted for conservation as part of the wider Joo Chiat Conservation Area. To find out more about the Joo Chiat conservation area and the Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall, please visit the URA Conservation Portal

Select references:

Rohana Zubir. Zubir Said: The Composer of Majulah Singapura.
Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2012. ISBN: 978-981-4311-81-6 (hbk)

Zubir Said’s 107th Birthday. Google. 22 July 2014.
Date accessed: 3 August 2014

Zubir Said honored with Google Doodle on 107th Birthday.
Posted by Sunaina Sangeet. Specblo: Blog of the Era. 22 July 2014.

Date accessed: 3 August 2014

[Zubir Said’s Google Doodle].
Singapura Stories Facebook Page. 22 July 2014.

Date accessed: 3 August 2014

“Google Honours Singapore National Anthem Composer Zubir Said”
Channel NewsAsia, 22 July 2014.

Date accessed: 3 August 2014

“Google Doodle Commemorates Zubir Said”
TODAY, 22 July 2014

Date accessed: 3 August 2014

Google Honours Singapore National Anthem Composer Zubir Said, With Doodle.
Red Taurus. 22 July 2014.

Date accessed: 3 August 2014

Ong, Sor Fen. “Google Doodle pays tribute to Singapore music icon – composer Zubir Said”
Straits Times. 22 July 2014.

Date accessed: 3 August 2014

“Google Doodle beri penghormatan pada Zubir Said”
Berita Harian. 22 July 2014.

Date accessed: 3 August 2014

Lion City Cabby. “Mr Zubir Said = Our National Anthem”
The Online Citizen. 23 July 2014.

Date accessed: 3 August 2014

Pereira, Loretta Marie. “Zubir Said: A Man Made of Music”
MusicSG, National Library Board, Singapore, August 2010.

Date accessed: 3 August 2014

Majulah! The Music of Zubir Said.
National Museum Singapore. 26 September 2012. [Video clip, 1:26]

Date accessed: 3 August 2014

Lim, Juliana. “Tribute to National Anthem Composer Zubir Said on the 25th Anniversary of his Demise”
Singapore Arts Manager 1980s/90s. 18 October 2012.

Date accessed: 3 August 2014

Lim, Juliana. “Zubir Said: His Songs”
Singapore Arts Manager 1980s/90s. 3 July 2009.

Date accessed: 3 August 2014

“Lyrics are Still Significant and Relevant to Our Times”, Straits Times, 9 August 1981, p. 13.
Date accessed: 5 September 2014

“Composer of Singapore’s National Anthem Dies at 80”, Business Times, 17 November 1987, p. 18.
Date accessed: 5 September 2014

Zubir Said: His Songs.
Singapore: Published for Singapore Cultural Foundation by Times Books International, 1990.

The soul of the nation [videorecording] : the story of Majulah Singapura
Produced by RainForest Productions
Producer, Millie Phuah
Director, Rick Choy
Singapore : Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, 2001.

Sulaiman Jeem and Abdul Ghani Hamid. Mengenang Pak Zubir.
Singapura : Pustaka Melayu Publisher, 1988.

7 tokoh muzik = 7 magnificient composers
concept & idea, Yusnor Ef
editor, Mohd Raman Daud
Writers, Hartinah Ahmad, Kamali Hudi
Musical notes compilation, Kassim Masdor
graphic & layout, Jeffry Mamat
Singapore : Perkamus, 2002. Yusnor Ef, Mohd Raman Daud

Seminar muzik dunia Melayu kenangan Zubir Said
[buku cenderamata] / anjuranInstitut Bahasa Kesusasteraan dan Kebudayaan Melayu, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia dengan kerjasama Perbadanan Kemajuan Filem Nasional Malaysia (FINAS).Malaysia : Institut Bahasa Kesusasteraan dan Kebudayaan Melayu, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 1988]

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A collection of stories and shared memories as a chronicle of Singapura.

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