Portal:Indonesia/Selected biography/9

Zubir Said (1907–87) was a Singaporean composer originally from the Minangkabau Highlands of Indonesia who composed the national anthem of Singapore, "Majulah Singapura". A primary-school classmate taught him how to make and play a flute, and in middle school, he learned to play the guitar and drums from fellow students and the keroncong group he was involved in. In 1928 at the age of 21, Zubir went to Singapore to make a living as a musician. There he worked as a score arranger and songwriter for Cathay-Keris Film Productions for 12 years, composing numerous songs for the company's Malay films. He is believed to have written about 1,500 songs, with fewer than 10 per cent of them ever recorded. (Read more...)