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"Majulah Singapura" ("Onward
Singapore") is the national anthem
of Singapore. Composed by
Zubir Said in 1958 as
a theme song for official functions of the City Council of
Singapore, the song was selected in 1959 as the island's anthem
when it attained
self-government. Upon
full independence in 1965, "Majulah Singapura" was
formally adopted as Singapore's national anthem. By law the anthem
may only be sung with its original Malay lyrics,
although there exist authorized translations of the lyrics of the
anthem in Singapore's three other official languages: English,
Mandarin and
Tamil.
Originally composed in the key of
G major, in 2001 the
national anthem was officially relaunched in the lower key of
F major as this was said
to allow for a "grander and more inspiring arrangement".
The national anthem is regularly performed or sung in schools
and armed forces camps at ceremonies held at the beginning and/or
the end of each day, during which the national flag
is also raised and lowered and the national
pledge is taken. Singaporeans are especially encouraged to sing
the national anthem on occasions of national celebration or
national significance such as at the National Day
Parade, at National Day observance ceremonies conducted by
educational institutions and government departments, and at
sporting events at which Singapore teams are participating.
The composition of "Majulah Singapura" occurred during
a push for independence from the United Kingdom.
While Singapore was a
British colony, its national anthem was "God Save the King
(or Queen)". In 1951, the colony was conferred city status by a
royal
charter from King
George VI. In 1958, Ong Pang
Boon, the Deputy Mayor of the City
Council of Singapore, approached Zubir
Said (1907–1987), a score arranger and songwriter with
Cathay-Keris Film Productions, to compose a theme song for the
Council's official functions to be titled "Majulah
Singapura" ("Onward Singapore"). This phrase was chosen as it
was a motto to be displayed in the Victoria
Theatre after its renovation in 1958.[1][2]
Zubir took a year to finish composing the music and lyrics for
the song. In a 1984 oral history interview, he recalled the
process: "[T]he difficulty is in such a short melody, I have to put
in all the words... [I]t must be very simple, understandable for
all the races in Singapore... I consult also [sic] an
author in Malay language so that I can do it in proper Malay
language but not too deep and not too difficult.[3]
Summing 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").[4]
The completed composition was first performed on 6 September 1958 by the Singapore
Chamber Ensemble during the grand finale of a concert staged in the
Victoria Theatre to celebrate its official reopening.[5]
In 1959, Singapore
attained self-government and the City Council was dissolved.
The Government felt that a national anthem
was needed to unite the different races in Singapore. The Deputy
Prime Minister Toh Chin Chye
selected the City Council's song as it was already popular. At
Toh's request, Zubir modified the lyrics and melody,[1]
and the revised song was adopted by the Legislative
Assembly on 11 November 1959. On 30 November the
Singapore State Arms and Flag and National Anthem Ordinance
1959[6]
was passed to regulate the use and display of these national
emblems. "Majulah Singapura" was formally introduced to
the nation on 3 December when
Yusof bin Ishak
was inaugurated as the Yang
di-Pertuan Negara, Singapore's head of state. At
the same occasion, which also marked the launch of "Loyalty Week",
the national flag
and the state
crest were introduced. After Singapore's
full independence from Malaysia on 9
August 1965, "Majulah
Singapura" was formally adopted as the Republic's national
anthem.[7]
