Semoga Bahagiais aMalaysong composed by the Singaporean composerZubir Said,who also composedMajulah Singapura,the national anthem ofSingapore.The song has been the officialChildren's Daysong in Singapore since 1961, and is also performed at theSingapore Youth Festival(SYF) as its official theme song.
History
editSemoga Bahagiawas composed byZubir Saidand targeted at students.[1]It was first published and performed on 7 July 1957 at theVictoria Memorial Halland was eventually broadcast in Singapore andKuala Lumpuras well.[2]On 23 September 1961, the song was chosen by theMinistry of Educationto commemorateChildren's Day.[a]All schools subsequently received a copy of the song, and music teachers were sent to Beatty Secondary School for rehearsals.[3]The song was sung by students on 23 October 1961, the first commemoration of Children's Day in Singapore.[4]
In 1974, Zubir was informed by one of his former students that the lyrics toSemoga Bahagiahad been altered. Feeling that it should not have been edited without his consent, Zubir wrote an open letter to theNew Nationnewspaper on 25 August protesting the change, likening the act to "damaging the prestige of the original painter". He also noted that two melodic phrases had been changed and deleted, and therefrain(chorus) was entirely removed. His name had also been left out of the credits in the newsongsheetand replaced with someone else's name. In an interview withBerita Harian,Zubir called for a law that would prevent such an act in the future, noting that there was no copyright for music and songs.[2]
When contacted byNew Nation,Charles Lazaroo from the Extra-curricular Activities Centre replied that teachers had provided feedback that non-Malay students were having trouble singing the song due to its "intricate melody", and had requested for the song be simplified. Lazaroo also stated that they had had difficulty contacting Zubir, believing he was ill.[1][5]According to Zubir's daughter Rohana, the composer refused to accept the explanation as the song had been sung for many years by that point.[2]A mediator assisted in reaching a compromise in which a repetitive verse was removed with Zubir's approval and the original lyrics reinstated, in time for the song to be taught to students that October.[2]
Legacy
editSemoga Bahagiais still sung annually on Children's Day in Singapore. It became the official theme song for theSingapore Youth Festival(SYF) and is also performed annually during the SYF.[6][7]
Symbolism
editThe Malay titleSemoga Bahagiahas been variously translated as "Let Glory be Yours",[3]"Glory belongs to you",[4]and "May You Achieve Happiness".[6]In the open letter published in 1974, Zubir wrote that some of the lyrics were intended to urge children to be progressive, healthy, knowledgeable, patriotic and respectful, amongst other similar themes.[2]
Lyrics
edit| Malay original | English translation |
|---|---|
|
|
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ab"Change in his song, so Said is upset".New Nation.3 September 1974.Retrieved25 August2022.
- ^abcdefZubir, Rohana (2012).Zubir Said: The Composer of Majulah Singapura.Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. pp.212–214.ISBN978-981-4311-81-6.
- ^abc"Children's Day song".The Straits Times.24 September 1961.Retrieved25 August2022.
- ^ab"A special day".The Straits Times.1 October 1980.Retrieved25 August2022.
- ^"'Semoga Bahagia' terpaksa diubah utk mudahkan murid bukan Melayu "['Semoga Bahagia' had to be changed to make it easier for non-Malay students].Berita Harian(in Malay). 2 September 1974.Retrieved25 August2022.
- ^ab"Zubir Said".Esplanade.Retrieved25 August2022.
- ^"Iskandar Ismail collection - Singapore Youth Festival '92: semoga bahagia minus one rev. I key: -F to F#".NLB MusicSG.Retrieved25 August2022.
External links
edit"Semoga Bahagia"onYouTube- published by the Government of Singapore
