Peter Pragas (1926 – 30 June 2014) was a Malaysian

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and musician. He was considered one of the most prominent composers to hail from the Malaysian state of Sabah. He has been called the "Father of Sabah Modern Music" and the "Father of Sabah Music." Pragas was born in

Penang Penang ( ms, Pulau Pinang, is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, by the Malacca Strait. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay ...

British Malaya The term "British Malaya" (; ms, Tanah Melayu British) loosely describes a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the island of Singapore that were brought under British hegemony or control between the late 18th and the mid-20th century. U ...

, in 1926. He moved from Peninsular Malaysia to the Crown Colony of North Borneo (present-day Sabah) in 1957, where he became the first director of Radio Sabah (now part of

Radio Televisyen Malaysia Radio Televisyen Malaysia ( en, Radio Television of Malaysia, abbreviated as RTM, stylised as rtm), also known as the Department of Broadcasting, Malaysia ( ms, Jabatan Penyiaran Malaysia) is the national public broadcaster of Malaysia. Establi ...

). Pragas has been credited as a strong champion of music in Sabah. He was referred to as the "Father of Sabah Music" in ''Sabah Quarter Century of Songs, Composers Biographical Data (Volume 1),'' which was published in 1978. He released his first instrumental album, "Land Below The Wind," through EMI in 1978. In 1981, Pragas released a dual album, "Sabah Centennial Celebration," to commemorate Sabah's 100 year Centennial Celebration. He also retired from his public career in state radio in 1981 as well. In 1987, Pragas founded the Sabah Association of Senior Citizens. In 1999, Peter Pragas was honoured as the "Father of Sabah Modern Music" at a National Day exhibition called "Patriotism 2020," which was held at the Sabah Museum in Kota Kinabalu. Pragas died on 30 June 2014, at the age of 87. He was predeceased by his wife and survived by his two children, Adrian and Sandra. His funeral was held at the Stella Maris Roman Catholic Church in Tanjung Aru. Pragas was buried in the Roman Catholic Cemetery, Penampang Road.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pragas, Peter Malaysian people of Indian descent 1926 births 2014 deaths Musicians from Penang Malaysian composers Radio directors Sabah musicians