Everything about Majulah Singapura totally explained
"
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.
History
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.
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've 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. 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").
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.
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, 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.
Use of the national anthem
Occasions
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, and government departments, and at sporting events at which Singapore teams are participating. In November 2004, Olivia Ong, an 18-year-old Singaporean based in Tokyo, sang "
Majulah Singapura" at the
2006 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifying rounds at
Saitama Stadium in
Saitama,
Japan. Two months later, in January 2005,
Singapore Idol Taufik Batisah was invited to become the first performer to sing "
Majulah Singapura" at an international football game at the
National Stadium in Singapore – the return leg of the Tiger Cup (now the
AFF Football Championship) final between Singapore and Indonesia in Singapore. Due to
National Service commitments, Batisah had to decline and was replaced by singer Jai Wahab. In July 2005, Singaporean singer and actress
Jacintha Abisheganaden sang the national anthem at the
Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay during the opening ceremony of the 117th Session of the
International Olympic Committee, at which London was selected to host the
2012 Summer Olympics.
Salutes
It is conventional for persons present when the national anthem is performed to stand with their arms by their sides. In recent years, it has also become more common to place one's right clenched fist over one's heart when the anthem is played or sung.
When the national flag is raised or lowered and the anthem is played, persons in military or paramilitary uniforms who are outdoors don their head dress and face the flag. If they're in formation under the orders of a commander, only the commander salutes; otherwise, all service personnel salute. Saluting is unnecessary if service personnel are indoors when a flag raising or lowering ceremony takes place. In such cases, the persons need only stop what they're doing and stand at attention.
Other uses
The national anthem is played at the close of broadcasting hours on TV and radio in Singapore, although this use of the anthem has declined somewhat due to the emergence of 24-hour TV channels and radio stations.
The national anthem has lent its name to the Majulah Connection, a Singapore-based not-for-profit organization set up November 2002 to connect Singapore with overseas Singaporeans and friends of Singapore. The organization was formally established as a
non-governmental organization (NGO) in January 2003.
Guidelines for use
The use of the national anthem is governed by Part IV of the Singapore Arms and Flag and National Anthem Rules made under the Singapore Arms and Flag and National Anthem Act. These rules provide as follows:
- The national anthem may be performed or sung on any appropriate occasion. In particular, it must be performed when the President receives a general salute.
- When the national anthem is performed or sung, every person present must stand up as a mark of respect.
- As regards musical arrangements of the national anthem:
- Any person performing or singing the national anthem must do so according to the official arrangement set out in the Third Schedule to the Act or any other arrangement permitted under the next paragraph of the Act.
- The national anthem may be rearranged in any manner that's in keeping with the dignity due to it, subject to the following conditions:
- :(a) the national anthem must not be incorporated into any other composition or medley; and
- :(b) every arrangement of the national anthem must accurately reflect the complete tune and the complete official lyrics of the National Anthem.
- Any person who sings the national anthem must follow the official lyrics and must not sing any translation of those lyrics.
It is an offence for any person to knowingly perform or sing the national anthem in contravention of rule 13(1) (not performing or singing the anthem according to the official arrangement or any other permitted arrangement) or 13(3) (not singing the anthem according to the official lyrics or singing a translation of the lyrics); the penalty is a fine not exceeding
S$1,000.
In addition, guidelines issued by the
Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) state that either instrumental or vocal versions of the national anthem may be performed, and that dignity and decorum should be observed whenever the anthem is played or sung.
Lyrics
| Malay (official lyrics) |
English translation |
22 July 1991, the English daily newspaper The Straits Times reported that during a meeting between the then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and community leaders, a group of grassroots leaders and a lawyer had suggested that "adjustments" should be made to the national anthem. The given reason was that many Singaporeans couldn't sing it in Malay and therefore didn't have "strong feelings" or "strong emotions when they sing the national anthem". In particular, some grassroots leaders argued that since the Chinese constitute a majority of the population, a Mandarin version of the anthem should be used.
The original version of the national anthem was in the key of G major, although in 1983 schools were issued an educational tape describing common mistakes made in singing the anthem and given the option of singing the anthem in F major. In 1993, the shorter version of "Majulah Singapura" was declared to be the official one.
On 19 January 2001, "Majulah Singapura" was officially relaunched in the F-major key, as this was said to be a "grander and more inspiring arrangement" of the anthem. The Ministry of Information and the Arts (MITA, now the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA)) took more than a year to produce the new version. Its main objective was to make the anthem more accessible to all Singaporeans. In May 2000, several leading local composers were invited to rearrange the national anthem in F major. An evaluation panel headed by Bernard Tan selected the version submitted by Cultural Medallion winner Phoon Yew Tien. Phoon's orchestration employed a slower tempo and used more instruments to create a majestic rendition of the anthem. MITA then commissioned Ken Lim to produce a recording by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra conducted by Lim Yau, which was carried out at the Victoria Concert Hall on 20 November 2000. The new arrangement was recorded in seven versions, including two orchestral versions (instrumental, and with soloist Jacintha Abisheganaden and the Singapore Youth Choir) and a piano solo version.
Image:Majulah Singapura Phoon Yew Tien 20 November 2000.ogg|National Anthem of the Republic of Singapore (2000)
Image:Majulah Singapura instrumental.ogg|Instrumental Recording (US Navy Band)
Further Information
Get more info on 'Majulah Singapura'.
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