In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 22 July 1907
- Died
- 16 November 1987
- Birthplace
- Bukittinggi, Sumatra, present-day Indonesia
- Country
- Singapore
- Nationality
- Not independently established
- Known for
- Majulah Singapura and music for Malay cinema
- Arrival in Singapore
- 1928
- Recording work
- HMV supervisor from 1936
- City Council song
- Majulah Singapura, 1958
- Anthem presentation
- 3 December 1959
Why this life matters
His career connects the regional circulation of musicians with Singapore’s civic and cultural institutions. The anthem’s later arrangements and recordings preserve his authorship while revealing the contributions of other musical workers.
Timeline
Key moments
Birth
Born in Bukittinggi on 22 July.
Singapore
Arrived and joined the City Opera bangsawan troupe.
Recording supervisor
Joined His Master’s Voice.
Film music
Worked in Malay film music, including a long period with Cathay-Keris.
Civic song and anthem
Wrote the City Council song, then adapted it for the national anthem presented on 3 December 1959.
Teaching after studio work
Retired from Cathay-Keris and continued teaching music.
Death
Died in Singapore on 16 November.
Musical learning began in Sumatra
Zubir was born in Bukittinggi on 22 July 1907 into a Minangkabau family. Music attracted him during school, when a teacher introduced number notation and helped him form a band. Friends also shared practical skills, including making bamboo flutes and playing instruments. His father resisted his musical ambitions, but paid employment did not displace them. He joined a keroncong band and eventually led a group travelling between villages to perform at weddings and other gatherings. The beginnings were practical, social and closely connected to performance.
Singapore opened new settings for musical work
In 1928 he left Sumatra for Singapore and joined City Opera, a bangsawan troupe. Work there gave him opportunities to learn staff notation and piano, and he later became its musical leader. A different professional setting followed in 1936 when HMV recruited him as a recording supervisor. Alongside producing records, he travelled to find singing talent in Indonesia and Malaya. The move from live theatre to recording widened the kinds of musical judgment required, linking performers, repertoire and a commercial means of circulation.
Sources for this section: [1]
War interrupted the career before film work expanded it
He returned to Bukittinggi during the wartime disruption and came back to Singapore in 1947. After a period of freelance photography, he entered Malay film production, working with Shaw Brothers before a long association with Cathay-Keris. Film work required songs for particular scenes as well as background music connecting the larger production. The NLB account describes him studying European and Asian scores while working with Malay melodies. This was a broader creative task than providing an isolated song, and it sustained a substantial part of his career.
A City Council commission became a national anthem
In 1958 he wrote Majulah Singapura for the City Council, following an approach from Mayor Ong Eng Guan. The song was associated with the reopening of Victoria Theatre. In 1959 Toh Chin Chye asked for changes suited to an anthem that people could remember and sing. Zubir shortened the words and adjusted the melody. The resulting anthem was presented on 3 December 1959. The Heritage Board’s account includes excerpts from later oral-history interviews about the process, showing the importance of brevity, language and a shared audience in the commission.
Teaching followed the long studio association
Zubir retired from Cathay-Keris in 1964 and taught music at his home in Joo Chiat Place. The NLB biography identifies the number-notation system among his teaching methods, connecting this later work with an approach he had encountered while young. He became a Singapore citizen in 1967. Recognition included the Certificate of Honour in 1963 and an ASEAN cultural award in 1987. These honours acknowledge a public contribution, while the teaching and studio work preserve a larger picture of how he earned his living and shared musical knowledge.
Later recordings distinguish authorship from a new performance
He died in Singapore on 16 November 1987. His anthem continued to be performed and recorded, including a re-orchestrated version launched in 2001 and a new Singapore Symphony Orchestra recording in 2019. The Heritage Board credits Zubir for music and words, Phoon Yew Tien for the re-arrangement, and separate teams for the recordings. That continuing history makes his contribution visible without assigning every later musical decision to him. Beyond the anthem, his regional performance, recording, film and teaching work remains part of Singapore’s musical history.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Zubir Said
- Was Majulah Singapura first written for an independent Singapore in 1965?
- No. It began as a City Council song in 1958 and was adapted for presentation as the anthem in 1959.
- Did Zubir make the 2019 recording?
- No. He died in 1987. The later recording retains his authorship while crediting the arrangement and performers separately.
Keep exploring
Lives connected to this story
- Dick Lee
Compare another Singapore composer’s relationship with civic music and popular audiences.
- Jeremy Monteiro
Read another musician whose career joins performance with developing opportunities for others.
- Leong Yoon Pin
Compare a composer and educator working through different musical institutions.
Sources and further reading
Explore the evidence
These references support the biography and offer further reading. Official records, first-person accounts and independent reporting provide different perspectives; image records document attribution and licensing.
- 1. National Library Board / Singapore InfopediaZubir Said
Actual web-tool institutional article read selectively, lines 146–206 across sg29-institutional-captures and sg29-zubir-career: identity, early learning, theatre/recording/film career, anthem, teaching, citizenship and death. Direct origin returned 202/empty; no origin HTML access claimed. Footnoted oral histories and books were not independently read or heard.
- 2. National Heritage Board / RootsZubir Said: Music maestro Mister Majulah
Actual retained NHB Roots biographical feature read selectively: identity/dates, musical beginnings, broad career and anthem genesis paragraphs. Embedded videos, music links and linked primary books not consumed. Lifetime song totals and promotional first/record assertions not adopted.
- 3. National Heritage BoardNational Anthem: origin and recording history
Actual retained server HTML payload decoded as JSON and cleaned to read the historical prose and separate creator/recording credit blocks. Actual indexed primary results corroborate these fields. Original 1958, adaptation 1959, arrangement launch 2001, recording 2019 and credited roles used. Embedded lyrics/translations and current-use rules not reproduced or analysed. No score, audio, video or recording files consumed; later web open returned a challenge.