Zubir Said
Encyclopedia
Zubir Said was a Singapore
an composer
originally from the Minangkabau highlands of Indonesia
who composed the national anthem
of Singapore
, "Majulah Singapura
" ("Onward Singapore"). A self-taught musician, Zubir also 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 less than 10% of them ever recorded.
It has been said that Zubir was viewed by many as a composer with a "true Malay soul", as his songs were interwoven with historical messages and Malay truisms, and that he and his Minangkabau contemporaries awoke a wave of national consciousness in the 1950s.
The eldest child in a family of three boys and five girls, Zubir Said was born on 22 July 1907 in Bukittinggi
in the Minangkabau highlands of West Sumatra
, Indonesia
. His mother died when he was seven years old. He attended a Dutch school but had no interest in academic studies. His involvement with music started when he was introduced to the Solfa music system by a teacher. A primary-school classmate subsequently 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.
to make a living as a musician, taking up the suggestion of a sailor friend who had described the island as a place of "glittering lights, kopi susu [coffee with milk] and butter". This was done in the face of objections from his village chieftain father, Mohamad Said bin Sanang, who believed music to be against religion. Zubir's first job was as a musician with City Opera, a bangsawan
or Malay opera troupe. He became the troupe's bandleader. Thereafter, in 1936, he joined the recording company His Master's Voice
. Zubir went to Java
to marry Tarminah Kario Wikromo, a keroncong singer, in 1938; they returned to Zubir's home town of Bukittinggi in 1941 just before the outbreak of World War II. Coming back to Singapore in 1947, Zubir worked as a part-time photographer with the Utusan Melayu
newspaper while composing and performing music and songs. In 1949 he took up the post of orchestra conductor at Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Production, and in 1952 he joined Cathay-Keris Film Productions as a score arranger and songwriter for the company's Malay films, including Sumpah Pontianak (Blood of Pontianak, 1958) and Chuchu Datuk Merah (Grandchildren of Datuk Merah, 1963). In 1957, he received his first public recognition when his songs were performed at the Victoria Theatre
.
from King George VI
in 1951. In 1958, the City Council of Singapore
approached Zubir to compose a song for the city to be titled "Majulah Singapura", which was a motto to be displayed in the Victoria Theatre after its renovation. Zubir's song, "Majulah Singapura
" ("Onward Singapore"), was first performed by the Singapore Chamber Ensemble during the grand finale of a concert staged in the Victoria Theatre on 6 September 1958 to celebrate its official reopening. When Singapore attained self-government
in 1959, the Government felt that a national anthem
was needed to unite the different races in Singapore. It decided that the City Council's song, which was already popular, would serve this purpose. After some revisions were made to the song, it was adopted by the Legislative Assembly
on 11 November 1959, and on 30 November the Singapore State Arms and Flag and National Anthem Ordinance 1959 was passed. This statute regulated the use and display of the State Arms and State Flag and the performance of the National Anthem. "Majulah Singapura" was presented to the nation on 3 December at the launch of "Loyalty Week", replacing the colonial anthem "God Save the Queen
". After Singapore's full independence from Malaysia on 9 August 1965, "Majulah Singapura" was formally adopted as the Republic's national anthem. In a 1984 oral history interview, to sum 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").
He also gave music lessons, and often had other music artists visiting him to talk about music and asking for advice. His third and youngest daughter Puan Sri Dr. Rohana Zubir, a retired lecturer with the University of Malaya
, recalled how the family home in Singapore was always filled with music. He was the heart of the conversation, very enthused and willing to share pearls of wisdom so that others could benefit from his work. This generosity extended to other areas of his life. He helped his own family in Sumatra and families in Singapore he had "adopted", sending them medicine and other items with what little he could afford, even though his own family was not well off at the time.
Zubir said he was never driven by money. He believed that money was essential for his survival and to look after the family, and that the money he earned from giving music lessons and his compositions for the film world sufficed. He valued honesty and sincerity in his work and placed importance on purity and originality, whether in his music, lyrics or style of singing. He stopped composing songs for the film company when he was upset about the management's decision to cut production costs by borrowing existing music to be used for dubbing on to the background music of some films.
Zubir died at the age of 80 on 16 November 1987 at Joo Chiat
Place in Singapore
, survived by four daughters and a son. Despite his legacy, Zubir left only S$
20,000 to his name and the family had no home to call its own. In 1990 Zubir's life and passion as a musician were documented in a book titled Zubir Said: His Songs, and in 2004 a S$20,000 bronze bust of a bespectacled Zubir was installed in Gallery 6 of the Malay Heritage Centre
which pays tribute to icons in Malay arts and culture.
(Certificate of Honour) on 16 March 1963 and the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat
(Public Service Star) in the same year. In 1971, he received the Jasawan Seni (cultural medallion) award from eight Malay cultural organizations, and the Asean
Cultural and Communications Award in 1987. He also received a Certificate of Commendation from the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (AUPE) for composing the AUPE song. In 1995, Zubir was posthumously given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS).
On 8 May 2009 the Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts
, Rear Admiral (NS) Lui Tuck Yew
, announced that the address of the permanent campus for the School of the Arts
(Sota) near The Cathay
will be 1 Zubir Said Drive, in honour of the late composer.
lyrics exhort Singaporeans to "progress towards happiness together" ("Sama-sama menuju bahagia") so that their "noble aspiration[s] bring Singapore success" ("Cita-cita kita yang mulia / Berjaya Singapura"), and to "unite in a new spirit" ("Marilah kita bersatu / Dengan semangat yang baru").
In 1956, he also submitted three song compositions to the Malayan
– later Malaysian – Government for consideration for their national anthem. However, a different song, "Negaraku
", was selected in the end.
Zubir is also remembered for his composition "Semoga Bahagia
" ("May You Achieve Happiness") which was aimed at primary-school students, advising them to work hard for their future. It has become a Children's Day song for Singaporean children, and is thus often sung in schools on 1 October. It is also performed during the Singapore Youth Festival
.
Zubir is estimated to have written about 1,500 songs, including those written for Cathay-Keris Film Productions' Malay films in the 1950s and 1960s. Less than 10% of these songs were recorded. On 22 August 2007, Zubir's family signed an agreement with Universal Music
in Malaysia for the latter to manage his works. The copyright
in the songs remains with his family. The idea to do so came after his daughter Dr. Rohana met Sandy Monteiro, senior vice-president (Asean) of the Universal Music Publishing Group in 2005 through Monteiro's wife, who was a good friend of hers. Dr. Rohana was reported as saying: "It is time to hand over the songs in order to revive them two decades after my father's passing. I hope to ensure that his songs continue to live in the hearts of young artists in Malaysia."
It is said that Zubir was viewed by many as a composer with a "true Malay soul", as his songs, traditional but yet modern and patriotic, were interwoven with historical messages and Malay truisms. Journalist A. Samad Ismail commented that Zubir and his Minangkabau contemporaries awoke a wave of national consciousness in the 1950s.
|date=22 August 2007}} (in Standard Chinese
).
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
an composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
originally from the Minangkabau highlands of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
who composed the national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, "Majulah Singapura
Majulah Singapura
Majulah Singapura 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...
" ("Onward Singapore"). A self-taught musician, Zubir also 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 less than 10% of them ever recorded.
It has been said that Zubir was viewed by many as a composer with a "true Malay soul", as his songs were interwoven with historical messages and Malay truisms, and that he and his Minangkabau contemporaries awoke a wave of national consciousness in the 1950s.
Early years
Bukittinggi
Bukittinggi is one of the larger cities in West Sumatra, Indonesia, with a population of over 91,000 people and an area of 25.24 km². It is situated in the Minangkabau highlands, 90 km by road from the West Sumatran capital city of Padang. It is located at , near the volcanoes Mount...
in the Minangkabau highlands of West Sumatra
West Sumatra
West Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It lies on the west coast of the island Sumatra. It borders the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau and Jambi to the east, and Bengkulu to the southeast. It includes the Mentawai Islands off the coast...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. His mother died when he was seven years old. He attended a Dutch school but had no interest in academic studies. His involvement with music started when he was introduced to the Solfa music system by a teacher. A primary-school classmate subsequently taught him how to make and play a flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, and in middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
, he learned to play the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
from fellow students and the keroncong group he was involved in.
Move to Singapore
In 1928 at the age of 21, Zubir went to SingaporeSingapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
to make a living as a musician, taking up the suggestion of a sailor friend who had described the island as a place of "glittering lights, kopi susu [coffee with milk] and butter". This was done in the face of objections from his village chieftain father, Mohamad Said bin Sanang, who believed music to be against religion. Zubir's first job was as a musician with City Opera, a bangsawan
Bangsawan
Bangsawan is a type of traditional Malay opera. It was known to have developed from a sort of Indian theatre performance during the 19th century by visiting Indian travellers....
or Malay opera troupe. He became the troupe's bandleader. Thereafter, in 1936, he joined the recording company His Master's Voice
HMV
His Master's Voice is a trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record label. The name was coined in 1899 as the title of a painting of the dog Nipper listening to a wind-up gramophone...
. Zubir went to Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
to marry Tarminah Kario Wikromo, a keroncong singer, in 1938; they returned to Zubir's home town of Bukittinggi in 1941 just before the outbreak of World War II. Coming back to Singapore in 1947, Zubir worked as a part-time photographer with the Utusan Melayu
Utusan Malaysia
Utusan Malaysia is a Malay language pro-government newspaper in Malaysia. First published in Jawi, the newspaper is now published in romanised letters...
newspaper while composing and performing music and songs. In 1949 he took up the post of orchestra conductor at Shaw Brothers' Malay Film Production, and in 1952 he joined Cathay-Keris Film Productions as a score arranger and songwriter for the company's Malay films, including Sumpah Pontianak (Blood of Pontianak, 1958) and Chuchu Datuk Merah (Grandchildren of Datuk Merah, 1963). In 1957, he received his first public recognition when his songs were performed at the Victoria Theatre
Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall
The Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall is a complex of two buildings and a clock tower joined together by a common corridor and is located in the civic district of Singapore...
.
"Majulah Singapura"
Singapore, then a British colony, had been conferred city status by a royal charterRoyal Charter
A royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
from King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
in 1951. In 1958, the City Council of Singapore
City Council of Singapore
The City Council of Singapore, or the Municipal Council before 1951, was the administrative council of Singapore responsible for the provision of water, electricity, gas, roads and bridges and street lighting. It was abolished upon Singapore's secession from Malaysia in 1965...
approached Zubir to compose a song for the city to be titled "Majulah Singapura", which was a motto to be displayed in the Victoria Theatre after its renovation. Zubir's song, "Majulah Singapura
Majulah Singapura
Majulah Singapura 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...
" ("Onward Singapore"), was first performed by the Singapore Chamber Ensemble during the grand finale of a concert staged in the Victoria Theatre on 6 September 1958 to celebrate its official reopening. When Singapore attained self-government
Self-governance of Singapore
The self-governance of Singapore was carried out in several stages. After the British joined Singapore once more and started, without much success, dealing with post war problems, Singapore already was not happy with the British as their leaders. Since Singapore's founding in 1819, Singapore had...
in 1959, the Government felt that a national anthem
National anthem
A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nation's government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people.- History :Anthems rose to prominence...
was needed to unite the different races in Singapore. It decided that the City Council's song, which was already popular, would serve this purpose. After some revisions were made to the song, it was adopted by the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly of Singapore
The Legislative Assembly of Singapore was the legislature of the government of Singapore from 1955 to 1965 and the predecessor of the Parliament of Singapore. The Rendel Constitution, proposed in 1953, sought to give the local population more self-governance as the Merdeka independence movement grew...
on 11 November 1959, and on 30 November the Singapore State Arms and Flag and National Anthem Ordinance 1959 was passed. This statute regulated the use and display of the State Arms and State Flag and the performance of the National Anthem. "Majulah Singapura" was presented to the nation on 3 December at the launch of "Loyalty Week", replacing the colonial anthem "God Save the Queen
God Save the Queen
"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...
". After Singapore's full independence from Malaysia on 9 August 1965, "Majulah Singapura" was formally adopted as the Republic's national anthem. In a 1984 oral history interview, to sum 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").
Later years
In 1962, Zubir's songs for the movie Dang Anom won an award at the Ninth Asian Film Festival in Seoul, South Korea. He continued working for Cathay-Keris Film Productions until he retired in 1964, composing numerous songs for Malay films.He also gave music lessons, and often had other music artists visiting him to talk about music and asking for advice. His third and youngest daughter Puan Sri Dr. Rohana Zubir, a retired lecturer with the University of Malaya
University of Malaya
The University of Malaya is located on a campus near the centre of Kuala Lumpur, and is the oldest university in Malaysia. It was founded in 1905 as a public-funded tertiary institution...
, recalled how the family home in Singapore was always filled with music. He was the heart of the conversation, very enthused and willing to share pearls of wisdom so that others could benefit from his work. This generosity extended to other areas of his life. He helped his own family in Sumatra and families in Singapore he had "adopted", sending them medicine and other items with what little he could afford, even though his own family was not well off at the time.
Zubir said he was never driven by money. He believed that money was essential for his survival and to look after the family, and that the money he earned from giving music lessons and his compositions for the film world sufficed. He valued honesty and sincerity in his work and placed importance on purity and originality, whether in his music, lyrics or style of singing. He stopped composing songs for the film company when he was upset about the management's decision to cut production costs by borrowing existing music to be used for dubbing on to the background music of some films.
Zubir died at the age of 80 on 16 November 1987 at Joo Chiat
Joo Chiat
Joo Chiat is a residential conservation area in the eastern part of Singapore, and is located between Geylang Serai and Marine Parade Road. Joo Chiat Road is the main road in the area with rows of shophouses for residential and commercial purposes.-History:...
Place in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, survived by four daughters and a son. Despite his legacy, Zubir left only S$
Singapore dollar
The Singapore dollar or Dollar is the official currency of Singapore. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively S$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
20,000 to his name and the family had no home to call its own. In 1990 Zubir's life and passion as a musician were documented in a book titled Zubir Said: His Songs, and in 2004 a S$20,000 bronze bust of a bespectacled Zubir was installed in Gallery 6 of the Malay Heritage Centre
Malay Heritage Centre
The Malay Heritage Centre is a cultural centre in Singapore to showcase the heritage, culture and history of Malay Singaporeans. Located at Sultan Gate of Kampong Glam, the 8,000 square metre centre was launched on 27 November 2004....
which pays tribute to icons in Malay arts and culture.
Awards and honours
In recognition of his contributions to the State, Zubir was conferred the Sijil KemuliaanSijil Kemuliaan
The Sijil Kemuliaan is a Singaporean award instituted in 1962.The Certificate of Honour consists of a scroll bearing the State Arms and the signature and seal of the President...
(Certificate of Honour) on 16 March 1963 and the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat
Bintang Bakti Masyarakat
The Bintang Bakti Masyarakat , instituted in 1963, is awarded to any person who has rendered valuable public service to the people of Singapore, or who has distinguished themselves in the field of arts and letters, sports, the sciences, business, the professions and the labour movement.Bars may be...
(Public Service Star) in the same year. In 1971, he received the Jasawan Seni (cultural medallion) award from eight Malay cultural organizations, and the Asean
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated ASEAN rarely ), is a geo-political and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then, membership has...
Cultural and Communications Award in 1987. He also received a Certificate of Commendation from the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (AUPE) for composing the AUPE song. In 1995, Zubir was posthumously given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS).
On 8 May 2009 the Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts
Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts
The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts is a ministry of the Government of Singapore...
, Rear Admiral (NS) Lui Tuck Yew
Lui Tuck Yew
Lui Tuck Yew is a politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he is currently the country's Transport Minister and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs...
, announced that the address of the permanent campus for the School of the Arts
School of the Arts, Singapore
The School of the Arts is Singapore's specialized independent pre-tertiary arts school. It was initiated by Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts, and caters to youths who have talent and capability in the arts....
(Sota) near The Cathay
The Cathay
The Cathay is a mixed-use 17-storey cinema, shopping mall and apartment building located at Handy Road and Mount Sophia in the Museum Planning Area of Singapore. Owned and managed by Cathay Organisation, the building originally opened in 1939 as Cathay Building. In 2000, it closed for redevelopment...
will be 1 Zubir Said Drive, in honour of the late composer.
Music
Zubir is primarily remembered for composing Singapore's national anthem, "Majulah Singapura" ("Onward Singapore"). The MalayMalay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
lyrics exhort Singaporeans to "progress towards happiness together" ("Sama-sama menuju bahagia") so that their "noble aspiration[s] bring Singapore success" ("Cita-cita kita yang mulia / Berjaya Singapura"), and to "unite in a new spirit" ("Marilah kita bersatu / Dengan semangat yang baru").
In 1956, he also submitted three song compositions to the Malayan
Federation of Malaya
The Federation of Malaya is the name given to a federation of 11 states that existed from 31 January 1948 until 16 September 1963. The Federation became independent on 31 August 1957...
– later Malaysian – Government for consideration for their national anthem. However, a different song, "Negaraku
Negaraku
"Negaraku" is the national anthem of Malaysia. "Negaraku" was selected as a national anthem at the time of the Federation of Malaya's independence from Britain in 1957. The tune was originally used as the state anthem of Perak, which was adopted from a popular French melody titled "La Rosalie"...
", was selected in the end.
Zubir is also remembered for his composition "Semoga Bahagia
Semoga Bahagia
Semoga Bahagia is a Malay song composed by the famous composer Zubir Said. Zubir Said also composed many other songs, among them Majulah Singapura which was adopted as the National Anthem of Singapore....
" ("May You Achieve Happiness") which was aimed at primary-school students, advising them to work hard for their future. It has become a Children's Day song for Singaporean children, and is thus often sung in schools on 1 October. It is also performed during the Singapore Youth Festival
Singapore Youth Festival
The Singapore Youth Festival is an annual event in Singapore organised by the Ministry of Education to celebrate the achievements of youths in co-curricular activities...
.
Zubir is estimated to have written about 1,500 songs, including those written for Cathay-Keris Film Productions' Malay films in the 1950s and 1960s. Less than 10% of these songs were recorded. On 22 August 2007, Zubir's family signed an agreement with Universal Music
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
in Malaysia for the latter to manage his works. The copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
in the songs remains with his family. The idea to do so came after his daughter Dr. Rohana met Sandy Monteiro, senior vice-president (Asean) of the Universal Music Publishing Group in 2005 through Monteiro's wife, who was a good friend of hers. Dr. Rohana was reported as saying: "It is time to hand over the songs in order to revive them two decades after my father's passing. I hope to ensure that his songs continue to live in the hearts of young artists in Malaysia."
It is said that Zubir was viewed by many as a composer with a "true Malay soul", as his songs, traditional but yet modern and patriotic, were interwoven with historical messages and Malay truisms. Journalist A. Samad Ismail commented that Zubir and his Minangkabau contemporaries awoke a wave of national consciousness in the 1950s.
News reports
........ . Zubir Said [Universal acts as agent for all of Zubir Said's copyrights]|url=http://www.sinchew.com.my/content.phtml?sec=5&sdate=&artid=200708220033|newspaper=Sin Chew Jit PohSin Chew Jit Poh
Sin Chew Daily （formerly known as Sin Chew Jit Poh）, is a leading Chinese-language newspaper in Malaysia. According to report from the Audit Bureau of Circulation for the period ending 30 June 2009, Sin Chew Daily has an average daily circulation of some 400,000 copies...
|date=22 August 2007}} (in Standard Chinese
Standard Chinese
Standard Chinese, or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
).