National anthems are a source of patriotism for their countrymen, often meant to inspire a deep reverence, respect, and love towards a nation. Those qualities are naturally all present in Malaysia’s national anthem, ‘Negaraku‘. But here are some interesting facts that you probably don’t know about this storied song.
Played in schoolyards and assemblies since the nation’s independence from the British in 1957, Negaraku continues to remain a wellspring of nationalistic pride across generations, as most national anthems ought to do. As is the case with great songs throughout history, the origins of Malaysia’s national anthem are truly fascinating in their own right.
The curious origins of the Malaysia’s national anthem, Negaraku
Before their unification as the Federation of Malaya, each of the 11 Malay states that comprised the country’s landscape at the time had an anthem of its own. Upon joining shoulder-to-shoulder under a single banner, however, the fledgling nation adopted the British national anthem God Save The Queen, as was common practice for all Empire colonies during the period.
It wouldn’t be until 1957 when discussions concerning Malaya’s own anthem came about, led by the country’s first statesman Tunku Abdul Rahman. Establishing and leading a committee dedicated to this major act of nation-building for a fledging country that was only beginning to find its sense of self, a worldwide competition was launched in search of a composition that would best represent Malaya’s ambitions. Yet with 514 submissions, none were deemed a suitable fit.
A handful of globally renowned composers were also consulted on the matter, with submissions from Benjamin Britten, Sir William Walton, and Gian Carlo Menotti all turned down in succession. But it was when the committee decided to look inwards, were the foundations upon which Negaraku would be written found.
At Tunku’s suggestion, Perak’s state anthem Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan (May Allah SWT Lengthen The Sultan’s Age) was used as the backing melody for Malaya’s national anthem, owing to what the committee describes as its ‘traditional flavour’.
A French tune made popular across the world
Interestingly enough, Perak’s state anthem was itself adapted from the tune of La Rosalie, a song by French composer Pierre-Jean de Béranger that was exceedingly popular in the Seychelles upon its introduction. It was said that the tune was chosen to serve as Perak’s anthem at random by the late Sultan Abdullah Muhammad Shah II during the Coronation of King Edward VII in 1906.
In a bid not to appear backwards among his contemporaries upon realising that Perak did not have a state anthem of its own at the time, the Sultan hummed the melody of the French song to his protocol officer instead. The Sultan was likely to have heard of La Rosalie during his period of exile on the Seychelles islands.
A clutch of other songs using the La Rosalie melody were also recorded up until the late 1950s. These include the Indonesian folk song Terang Bulan, Mamula Moon by Felix Mendelssohn & His Hawaiian Serenaders, Anne Shelton’s I Will Return, and 相會小河邊 (Meet By The River) performed by Mandarin songstresss 花月明 (Hua Yue Ming, transliteration).
As for the lyrics, they were jointly written by members of the committee’s Panel of Judges and Tunku himself. Here they are, for your reference:
Negaraku
Tanah tumpahnya darahku
Rakyat hidup
Bersatu dan maju
Rahmat bahagia
Tuhan kurniakan
Raja kita
Selamat bertakhta
And here they are, translated into English:
My motherland,
The land where my blood spills,
The people live,
United and progressive
With God’s blessings
of grace and happiness,
May our King,
be safely enthroned.
The Malayan national anthem was played for the first time on August 31st, 1957 during the announcement of the country’s independence from the British at Stadium Merdeka. The rest, as they say, is history.
Feature and hero image credits: Deva Darshan/Pexels, Ridzuan Ibrahim/Pexels
