19 Facts About Zubir Said

The eldest child in a family of three boys and five girls, Zubir Said was born on 22 July 1907 in Bukit Tinggi, Minangkabau, Sumatra, Indonesia.

Zubir Said's mother died when he was seven years old.

Zubir Said attended a Dutch school but had no interest in academic studies.

In 1928 at the age of 21, Zubir Said went to Singapore 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, seller [coffee with milk] and butter".

Zubir Said went to Java to marry Tarminah Kario Wikromo, a keroncong singer, in 1938; they returned to Zubir Said's home town of Bukittinggi in 1941 just before the outbreak of World War II.

In 1958, the City Council of Singapore approached Zubir Said 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 Said gave music lessons, and often had other music artists visiting him to talk about music and asking for advice.

Zubir Said was the heart of the conversation, very enthused and willing to share pearls of wisdom so that others could benefit from his work.

Zubir Said 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 was content with money earned from those lessons and his film compositions; affirming that he was never driven by money although essential for his own and family's survival, rather he valued honesty and sincerity in his work and placed importance on purity and originality, whether in his music, lyrics or style of singing.

Zubir Said continued working for Cathay-Keris Film Productions until he retired in 1964, composing numerous songs for Malay films.

Zubir Said died at the age of 80 on 16 November 1987 at Joo Chiat Place in Singapore, survived by four daughters and a son.

At the time of his death, Zubir Said left S$20,000 to his name.

Zubir Said receives dozens of awards and honours from in and outside of Singapore for his massive contributions to the Malay world in songs and music and to Singapore.

In recognition of his contributions to the State, Zubir Said was conferred the Sijil Kemuliaan on 16 March 1963 and the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat in the same year.

Zubir Said received a Certificate of Commendation from the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees for composing the AUPE song.

In 1995, Zubir Said was posthumously given a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore.

On 8 May 2009, the Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, Lui Tuck Yew, announced that the address of the permanent campus for the School of the Arts near The Cathay will be 1 Zubir Said Drive, in honour of the late composer.

On 22 August 2007, Zubir Said's family signed an agreement with Universal Music in Malaysia for the latter to manage his works while the copyright in the songs remains with his family.