“La Rosalie”
“La Rosalie” was composed by Pierre-Jean
de Béranger ( 19th August 1780 – 16th July 1857 ), a
French poet and songwriter. “La Rosalie” being a popular tune in
French, soon spread to her colonies, including Seychelles.
Seychelles was
first occupied by French in 1756, named after Jean Moreau de Séchelles ( 1690 –
1761 ). Between 1974 and 1810, the
British contested control over the islands.
British eventually assumed full control over Mauritius in 1810,
formalized in 1814 with the Treaty of Paris. Seychelles became a British crown colony in
1903.
Perak State Anthem “Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan”
After the
signing of the infamous Pangkor Treaty on 20th January 1874, Perak
came under British’s protectorate. Raja
Abdullah was acknowledged as the legitimate sultan to replace Sultan
Ismail. James Wheeler Woodford Birch ( 3rd
April 1826 – 2nd November 1875 ) was appointed as the first Resident
in Perak on 4th November 1874.
On 2nd
November 1875, a local Malay chief Dato
Maharajalela speared J.W.W.Birch to death while he was in the bath-house of his
boat, SS Dragon, in Pasir Salak.
In the
aftermath of the assassination, Sultan Abdullah was deposed and sent to exile
in Seychelles. His arch-rival Raja Yusuf ( 1876 – 1887 ) was made regent, officially
crowned Sultan only on 7th October 1886. Sultan Yusuf died less than 1 year later, and
succeeded by Sultan Idris.
Sultan Abdullah
and his entourage left Singapore on 21st July 1877 onboard steamship
Cotherstone. They arrived at Mahé,
Seychelles on 31st August 1877.
Seychelles was then
a French colony. It became a British
Crown Colony in 1903.
In Mahé, Sultan
Abdullah’s eldest son, Raja Mansur became fond of a French song “La
Rosalie”. He then rewrote the lyrics and
presented as Perak state anthem during his visit to England with Sultan Idris
Murzhidul’Adzam Shah ( 1887 – 1916 ) for Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in
1887.
The Perak state
anthem “Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan”
was made official during Sultan Idris coronation in Kuala Kangsar in 5th
April 1889.
Sultan Abdullah
was believed to be pardoned and returned to Perak in 1894 where he lived his
remaining years in Kuala Kangsar. He
died on 22nd December 1922 at the at the age of 80, and buried at
Kuala Kangsar.
“Allah
Lanjutkan Usia Sultan“
Dilanjutkan Allah usianya
Sultan
Adil dan murah memerintah
watan
Ditaati rakyat kiri dan
kanan
Iman yang saleh Allah
kurniakan
Allah berkati Perak
Ridzuan
Allah selamatkan Negeri
dan Sultan.
“Terang Bulan”
“Terang Bulan”
was a popular song back in 1920s and 1930s in Indonesia. It became a well-known evergreen, played at
parties and cabarets.
Yet, after
Malaysia adopted the song as her national anthem, Indonesian government had on 1st
September 1957 banned the public performance of the tune, out of respect for
Malaysia.
“Terang
Bulan“
Terang di pinggir kali
Buaya timbul disangkalah
mati
Jangan percaya mulutnya lelaki
Berani sumpah 'tapi takut
mati
Waktu potong padi di
tengah sawah
Sambil bernyanyi riuh
rendah
Memotong padi semua orang
Sedari pagi sampai petang
Waktu potong padi di
tengah sawah
Sambil bernyanyi riuh
rendah
Bersenang hati sambil
bersuka
Tolonglah kami bersama
sama
A Dutch singer,
Zangeres Zonder Naam recorded a Dutch version of “Terang Bulan”, but the
meaning of the lyrics is entirely different from the Indonesian version.
“ Terang
Boelan”
Terang boelan, de maan
schijnt over Java
En aan 't strand zit Nonja
heel alleen
Ze denkt nog altijd aan
haar toean landa
Die met z'n schip zolang
van haar verdween
Hij had beloofd dat hij
terug zou komen
Maar wat hij zei, dat
bleek helaas niet waar
Ze zijn voorbij, haar
mooie toekomstdromen
Haar hart doet pijn, het
leven valt zo zwaar
Toch is er iets dat haar
nog vreugd kan geven
Dat is haar kind, met ogen
hemelsblauw
De zon, die straalt weer
even in haar leven
Als 't kindje zegt:
"Ik blijf voorgoed bij jou"
De zon, die straalt weer
even in haar leven
Als 't kindje zegt:
"Ik blijf voorgoed bij jou"
Malaysia National
Anthem “Negaraku”
In 1956, a
competition was held to create a national anthem for the soon-to-be Federation
of Malaya. A total of 514 songs received
from around the world, yet none of them deems fit to the selection
committee. The Jawatankuasa Pemilihan Lagu Kebangsaan was headed by then the Chief
Minister and Minister of Home Affairs, Tunku Abdul Rahman.
The committee
then invited some established composers to compose the anthem. Their songs were also rejected.
Then, the
committee decided to choose from the existing state anthems. Finally, on 5th August 1957, Perak
state anthem was selected as Federation of Malaya’s national anthem. New lyrics were written by Saiful Bahri.
“Negaraku” was
first presented to the public on 31st August 1957, at Padang Kelab Selangor.
With the
formation of Malaysia on 16th September 1963, the song was adopted
to become Malaysia’s national anthem.
The performance of national anthem is enshrined in the Akta Lagu Kebangsaan 1968 ( National
Anthem Act 1968 )
Today, the
melody is still Perak state anthem.
“Negaraku”
Negaraku,
Tanah tumpahnya darahku,
Rakyat hidup, bersatu dan maju,
Rahmat bahagia, Tuhan kurniakan,
Raja kita, Selamat bertakhta!
Rahmat bahagia, Tuhan kurniakan,
Raja kita, Selamat bertakhta!
In 2003,
Malaysian 4th Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, change the beat
of the song to a vibrant pace. The rentak baru version ( new beat ) was
first made public on 30th August 2003, at the celebration of eve independence.
Other Versions
“Mamula Moon”
performed by Felix Mendelssohn & His Hawaiian Serenaders, in their album
Paradise Isle released in 1947
“Mamula Moon”
One day I walked along
A moonlit island shore
And soon I heard a song
I never heard before
I said who can it be
To sing so tenderly
And saw a dust he made
With lonely serenade
Mamula moon
Shine high above the southern sea
And like my love
Say form again to me
We said goodbye
Beside the blue lagoon
Alone am I
With you mamula moon
I waved my hand
The grey ship sailed across the bay
On golden sand
That might I melt to pray
That I might see
My love returning soon
Still true to me
And you mamula moon
“I Shall Return” performed by Anne Shelton (
1923 – 1994 ). The song was complied in album
Wonderful One released posthumously in 2008
