"" () is the
national anthem
A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...
of
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. It was adopted as the national anthem at the time of the
Federation of Malaya's independence from the United Kingdom in 1957. The tune was originally used as the
regional anthem
An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to shor ...
of the
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of
Perak
Perak () is a state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kelantan and Pahang to the east, and Selangor to the south. Thailand's ...
—"
Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan
"Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan" (; "God Lengthen the Sultan's Age") is the state anthem of Perak, Malaysia.
The tune was originally that of 'La Rosalie', a popular song in Seychelles during the 19th century, originally written by French composer ...
",
History
Competition and invited composers
At the time of independence, each of the
eleven states that made up the Federation of Malaya had their own regional anthem, but there was no national anthem for the Federation as a whole.
Tunku Abdul Rahman
Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Hamid Halim Shah ( ms, تونكو عبد الرحمن ڤوترا الحاج ابن سلطان عبد الحميد حليم شاه, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset; 8 Febru ...
, at the time the Chief Minister and Minister for Home Affairs, organised and presided over a committee for the purpose of choosing a suitable national anthem. At his suggestion, a worldwide competition was launched. 514 entries were received, but none were deemed suitable.
Next, the committee decided to invite selected composers of international repute to submit compositions for consideration. The composers chosen were
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...
(who later described his submission to be a "curious and I'm afraid rather unsuccessful job"), Sir
William Walton
Sir William Turner Walton (29 March 19028 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include ''Façade'', the cantat ...
, who had recently composed the march for the
coronation
A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...
of
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
in 1953, and the U.S. opera composer
Gian Carlo Menotti
Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian composer, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American composer, he kept h ...
and
Zubir Said
Zubir Said (22 July 1907 – 16 November 1987) was a Singaporean composer most notable for composing the national anthem of his country, "Majulah Singapura" – "Onward Singapore".
A self-taught musician, Zubir also worked as a score arrang ...
, who later composed "
Majulah Singapura
""; ; ta, முன்னேறட்டும் சிங்கப்பூர் is the national anthem of the Republic of Singapore. Composed by Zubir Said in 1958 as a theme song for official functions of the City Council of Singapore ...
", the national anthem of
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. Their works were also turned down.
Use of Perak State Anthem melody
Tunku Abdul Rahman then suggested that the state anthem of Perak be used as a basis for the new national anthem, the committee agreed to his suggestion. On 5 August 1957, the Committee chose the
Perak State Anthem, citing the "traditional flavour" of its melody. New lyrics for the national anthem were written jointly by the Panel of Judges, led by the Tunku himself. At the time this melody was, while still the State Anthem of Perak, "
Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan
"Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan" (; "God Lengthen the Sultan's Age") is the state anthem of Perak, Malaysia.
The tune was originally that of 'La Rosalie', a popular song in Seychelles during the 19th century, originally written by French composer ...
", also the melody of a popular song called "Terang Bulan". The song had been very popular on
Mahé, the largest island in the
Seychelles
Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, V ...
, where the Sultan of Perak had formerly been living in exile. When
Sultan Idris Murshidul Azzam Shah, who ruled Perak from 1887 to 1916, represented the Rulers of the Federated Malay States at the
Coronation
A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...
of
King Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...
in 1901, his protocol officer was asked what his state anthem was. Realising that his state did not have one, he proceeded to hum the aforementioned tune so as not to appear backward in front of his hosts.
1992 rearrangement
The anthem was given a new, faster march beat in 1992, which proved unpopular and was the subject of much derision, with some Malaysians commenting that the altered tempo resembled circus music.
2003 rearrangement and proposed renaming
In July 2003, it was reported in the Malaysian press that the anthem would be rearranged for the second time and the title and
incipit
The incipit () of a text is the first few words of the text, employed as an identifying label. In a musical composition, an incipit is an initial sequence of notes, having the same purpose. The word ''incipit'' comes from Latin and means "it beg ...
would be changed from ''Negaraku'' to ''Malaysiaku'' (meaning "My Malaysia"). There was a public outcry of dismay and the move was scrapped, but the anthem was re-arranged and returned to the pre-1992 time signature by composer Wah Idris.
Lyrics
Etiquette
Individual conduct
Failure to comply with Section 8 (1) of the National Anthem Act 1968 without good and sufficient cause, and any act or omission which lowers the Anthem's prestige in the eyes of the public is legally construed as a show of disrespect. Any person who knowingly shows disrespect towards the Anthem in any public place shall be liable to a fine not exceeding
MYR100 or a prison term not exceeding one month.
Other songs with same melody
Three gramophone record versions have been released in the following titles bearing the similar tune of the Malaysian anthem:
1930s
"Mamula Moon" was pressed on Parlophone Records in the 1930s, performed by British Band Legend, Geraldo and His Orchestra, with vocals by Danny Vaughn. This love song was performed using jazz instruments on a foxtrot dance beat.
1940s
"I Shall Return" was recorded by Anne Shelton in the late 1940s, by Pickwick Music Ltd, published on Decca.
1950s
The song was also recorded by the Sydney Latin band leader Paul Lombard (also known as Paul Lombard and His Orchestra), as "Malayan Moon" in 1952 with lyrics sung by Joan Wilton (in English) and Geoff Brooke (in Malay), released by Columbia Records in Sydney as D0-3460. The significance of this piece of recording, which is only playable on gramophones running at 78 rpm speed, is that the background music is conducted so similarly to the Malayan style of music background, setting the originality and authentic Malayan atmosphere to the tune. The song was performed by non-natives (Australians) singing in both English and Malay. The lyrics present a love story setting between the two lovers. The B-side of the record is "Planting Rice", loosely based on the
Filipino
Filipino may refer to:
* Something from or related to the Philippines
** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines.
** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...
folk song ''
Magtanim Ay 'Di Biro'', also performed by Paul Lombard accompanied by a vocal chorus by Joan Wilton. This piece of music was copyrighted by Southern Music Co. of Sydney.
See also
* "
Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan
"Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan" (; "God Lengthen the Sultan's Age") is the state anthem of Perak, Malaysia.
The tune was originally that of 'La Rosalie', a popular song in Seychelles during the 19th century, originally written by French composer ...
"
* "
Terang Bulan
"Terang Bulan" () is a traditional Indonesian song. This song is an adaptation based on the song named "La Rosalie".
History
The song was a traditional folk song adapted from the popular French melody of La Rosalie. Following the popularity of t ...
"
Notes
References
Other
M. J. Bristow, F.R.G.S., "History of 28 national anthems".BBC, "New Anthem Marks Malaysia's Independence Day"Negaraku was a rip off from Mamula Moon? (Cached archive link)
External links
Download in Unit Protokol & Penyelidikan, Bahagian Istiadat & Urusetia Persidangan AntarabangsaListen in Ministry of Higher EducationMalaysia: ''Negaraku'' - Audio of the national anthem of Malaysia, with information and lyricsarchive link
*
Instrumental version with Malay lyricson YouTube
{{Authority control
Malaysian patriotic songs
Asian anthems
National symbols of Malaysia
Malay-language songs
National anthem compositions in A-flat major