English: 'Indonesia the Great' | |
---|---|
National anthem of Indonesia | |
Also known as | Indonesia Raja (old spelling) |
Lyrics | Wage Rudolf Supratman, 1924 National Anthem Committee (led by Sukarno), 1944 |
Music | Wage Rudolf Supratman, 1924 |
Adopted | 17 August 1945 (original) 17 August 1950 (official) 7 December 1975 (by East Timor under Indonesia) |
Relinquished | 1999 (by East Timor) |
Audio sample | |
U.S. Navy Band instrumental rendition in A-flat major |
"Indonesia Raya" ('Indonesia the Great') is the national anthem of Indonesia. It has been the national anthem since the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence on 17 August 1945. The song was introduced by its composer, Wage Rudolf Supratman, on 28 October 1928 during the Youth Pledge in Jakarta. [1] The song marked the birth of the archipelago nationalist movement in Indonesia that aims to gain independence from Dutch colonial rule. The first newspaper to openly publish the musical notation and lyrics of "Indonesia Raya"—an act of defiance towards the Dutch authorities—was the Chinese Indonesian weekly Sin Po . [2]
The first stanza of "Indonesia Raya" was chosen as the national anthem when Indonesia proclaimed its independence on 17 August 1945. Jozef Cleber, a Dutch composer, created an arrangement of the tune for philharmonic orchestra on August 17, 1950, when the island of Sumatra became an integral part of the Republic of Indonesia. This arrangement is widely used. [3] [4]
"Indonesia Raya" is played in flag raising ceremonies in schools across Indonesia every Monday. The flag is raised in a solemn and timed motion so that it reaches the top of the flagpole as the anthem ends. The main flag raising ceremony is held annually on 17 August to commemorate Independence day. The ceremony is led by the President of Indonesia and is usually held in Merdeka Palace.
During the rendition or singing of the national anthem, all present should stand, face toward the music, and pay respect. Members of the Armed Forces, and other persons in uniform (e.g. secondary school students) must render the military salute. [5]
When he lived in Jakarta, Soepratman read an essay from Timbul magazine. The essay author challenged Indonesian music experts to compose a future Indonesian national anthem. Soepratman – who was also a musician – felt challenged, and started composing. In 1924, the song was completed during his time in Bandung and entitled "Indonesia".
In 1928, youths from across Indonesia held the first Indonesian Youth Congress, an official meeting to push for the independence of the nation. Upon hearing about the efforts, young reporter Wage Rudolf Soepratman contacted the organizers of Congress with the intention of reporting the story, but they requested that he not publish the story from fear of Dutch colonial authorities. The organizers wanted to avoid suspicion so that the Dutch would not ban the event. Supratman promised them this, and the organizers allowed him free access to the event. Supratman was inspired by the meetings and intended to play the song for the conference. After receiving encouragement from the conference leader Sugondo Djojopuspito, Soepratman played the song on the violin, hoping that it would someday become their national anthem. Soepratman first performed Indonesia on the violin on 28 October 1928 during the Second Indonesian Youth Congress. [6] He kept the script to himself because he felt that it was not the appropriate time to announce it. [7]
Following the Second Youth Congress, the text of Indonesia was distributed by many political and student organisations. The press also played a key role in the publication of the song. On 7 November 1928, the Soeloeh Ra'jat Indonesia daily published the words to the song. This was followed by the Sin Po Chinese weekly on 10 November. [8] In 1929, Wage Rudolf Supratman changed the title of his song to "Indonesia Raya" and appended the phrase "national anthem of Indonesia" below it, but the text of the song did not change. Soepratman personally printed and distributed copies of the song with its new title through pamphlets. All one thousand copies of the manuscript were sold within a short amount of time to his friends and family. [9]
That same year, the prominent Indonesian businessman and record executive Tio Tek Hong contacted Supratman; the two agreed to issue the first records of the anthem, with Supratman retaining copyright over it. [10] [11] The new records were extremely popular, but in 1930 the Dutch colonial authorities placed a ban on the song and confiscated all remaining unsold records. [12]
A businessman friend of his, Yo Kim Tjan, also expressed interest in recording "Indonesia Raya". With Soepratman's consent, Yo created a copy of the song on a gramophone record overseas to obtain the best sound quality with the intention of bringing the copy back to Indonesia. However, before Yo was able to do so, Dutch colonial authorities had imposed a ban on the song. Yo was unable to bring the original back but was able to bring home a copy. According to Yo, Soepratman had also given him the rights to sell record copies of "Indonesia Raya" through his store Toko Populair. [13]
Initially, there had been no orchestral version of the anthem. Thus in 1950, The Indonesian Government made an appeal to Jozef Cleber to compose a symphonic rendition of "Indonesia Raya". [14]
Cleber at the time had been among the 46 people of the Cosmopolitan Orchestra, under direction of Yvon Baarspul, sent by the Netherlands government to help the Indonesian government for its own music development in Jakarta. "Jos" Cleber was an experienced arranger not only of western songs but also for Indonesian pop songs such as Di Bawah Sinar Bulan Purnama and Rangkaian Melati.
Indonesia Raya was recorded under Cleber's direction on a newly acquired Phillips recorder in early 1951 with musicians from all three radio orchestras of RRI Jakarta and the tape was played for President Sukarno's approval. Sukarno found the performance too frilly and asked for something like the red and white Indonesian flag, and in the grave tempo of the Dutch anthem Wilhelmus. Cleber considered this last impossible, though he discerned some of the character of the Marseillaise in the tune and made a second arrangement marked maestoso con bravura as a compromise. This met Sukarno's approval, but he requested that the climax be prepared by a grazioso ("Liefelijk") section. This final version of the anthem remained in use for 47 years.
The arrangement starts with a Tutti of strings and trumpets (in Verse A) that represents a brave and an elegant sound, and in the middle of the song (in Verse B) is played smoothly by strings, and finally (in Verse C) comes another Tutti of strings and trumpets, together with the timpani, snare drums and cymbals, giving it a brave sound fitting for a national anthem that was respected by the people. [15]
In 1951, ownership of the copyright to "Indonesia Raya" came into question. President Sukarno ordered a search for the rightful heir to Soepratman. [16] By law, Supratman was the copyright holder of "Indonesia Raya" as its composer. After Soepratman's death in 1938, ownership of the rights to his works fell upon the designated heirs, his four surviving sisters. However, because "Indonesia Raya" was officially adopted as the national anthem of Indonesia on 17 August 1945, the work became the property of the state. In addition, the name of "Wage Rudolf Supratman" must be listed as its creator. [17]
As a national anthem, copies of "Indonesia Raya" cannot be circulated as merchandise to be sold. Consequently, the government had the obligation to obtain all the rights to distribute the song, including the original recording, from Yo Kim Tjan. In 1958, the government obtained the sole right to "Indonesia Raya" from Soepratman's family. [18] The following year, Yo handed the original record of the song to the Indonesian government. With the recommendation of the Department of Education, the government also rewarded Soepratman's sisters with 250,000 Indonesian rupiah each on 31 May 1960. [19]
As stipulated by Chapter XV, Article 36B of the Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, Indonesia Raya is the national anthem of Indonesia. [20] Furthermore, pursuant to 1958 State Gazette no. 44, [21] only the first stanza of Indonesia Raya is to serve the function of a national anthem.
There is no official translation of "Indonesia Raya" into other languages. On 28 October 1953, on the 25th anniversary of the anthem, the Harian Umum daily published their own English, German, and Dutch translations of the song. A bulletin released by the Ministry of Information used these translations. [22] Currently, however, the translations are no longer published.
Official Indonesian text [23] | Van Ophuijsen orthography [24] | Jawi alphabet | English translation [25] |
---|---|---|---|
Indonesia, tanah airku | Indonesia, tanah airkoe | إندونيسيا، تانه ايركو، | Indonesia, cherished land! |
The national flag of Indonesia is a simple bicolor with two horizontal bands, red (top) and white (bottom) with an overall ratio of 2:3. It was introduced and hoisted in public during the proclamation of independence on 17 August 1945 at 56 Proklamasi Street in Jakarta, and again when the Dutch formally transferred sovereignty on 27 December 1949. The design of the flag has remained unchanged since.
The House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia is one of two elected chambers of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the national legislature of Indonesia. It is considered the lower house, while the Regional Representative Council (DPD) serves as the upper house; while the Indonesian constitution does not explicitly mention the divide, the DPR enjoys more power, privilege, and prestige compared to the DPD.
Wage Rudolf Soepratman was an Indonesian journalist and songwriter who wrote both the lyrics and melody of the national anthem of Indonesia, "Indonesia Raya". He is an Indonesian national hero.
The Youth Pledge, officially titled as Decision of the Congress of Indonesian Youth is the pledge made by young Indonesians since 28 October 1928, which defined the identity of Indonesians. The decision proclaimed three ideas: one motherland, one nation, and a unifying language.
Jozef "Jos" Cleber was a Dutch trombonist, violinist, conductor, composer, arranger, and producer.
The Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence, sometimes referred to, but better known locally, as the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Indonesian Independence, was an organization set up in March 1945 by the Japanese military authority in Java during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies as the initial stage of the establishment of independence for the area under the control of the Japanese 16th Army. The BPUPK held two plenary meetings; the first was from 28 May to 1 June 1945 and the second was between 10 and 17 July 1945.
HajiAgus Salim was an Indonesian journalist, diplomat, and statesman. He served as Indonesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs between 1947 and 1949.
Muhammad Yamin was an Indonesian poet, politician, historian and national hero who played a key role in the writing of the draft preamble to the 1945 constitution.
The Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence was a body established on 7 August 1945 to prepare for the transfer of authority from the occupying Japanese to Indonesia. It approved and promulgated the first Indonesian constitution, and appointed Sukarno president.
The Bendera Pusaka Sang Saka Merah Putih was the first Indonesian flag. Sewn by Sukarno's wife Fatmawati, it was raised for the first time when Sukarno proclaimed Indonesia's independence on 17 August 1945. Although required by law to be housed in the National Monument, the flag is still kept at the Presidential Palace.
National symbols of Indonesia are symbols that represent Republic of Indonesia. It can represent Indonesia as a nation, Indonesian people, culture, arts, and its biodiversity. The official symbols of Indonesia are officially recognise symbols that represent Indonesia and enforced through Indonesian laws. These symbols of the state that represent Indonesian nationhood are Garuda Pancasila, Merah-Putih flag, Indonesia Raya national anthem, and Indonesian language.
The Jakarta Charter was a document drawn up by members of the Indonesian Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence (BPUPK) on 22 June 1945 in Jakarta that later formed the basis of the preamble to the Constitution of Indonesia. The document contained the five principles of the Pancasila ideology, but it also included an obligation for Muslims to abide by Shariah law. This obligation, which was also known as the "Seven Words", was eventually deleted from the enacted constitution after the Indonesian declaration of independence on 18 August 1945. Following the deletion of the "Seven Words" efforts by Islamic parties continued to seek its inclusion, most notably in 1959, when the 1945 constitution was suspended; in 1968, during the Transition to the New Order; and in 2002, following the end of the New Order and the beginning of the Reformasi era.
Major Muhammad Husein Mutahar was the founder of Paskibraka, a youth organization in Indonesia which has the main task for raising and lowering the heirloom national flag of Indonesia in ceremonies commemorating the independence day of Indonesia. Mutahar was also an Indonesian music composer, especially for national songs and children's songs. As a composer, he was better known as H. Mutahar as his abbreviation name. In addition, as a diplomat Mutahar was once served as Indonesian ambassador to the Vatican in 1969 to 1973.
The Youth Pledge Museum is a historic museum of the independence struggle of the Republic of Indonesia. It is located in Jalan Kramat Raya No.106, Central Jakarta and managed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The museum is open for public, every Tuesday until Friday from 08.00 to 15.00, every Saturday and Sunday from 08.00 to 14.00, and closed every Monday and national holiday.
Saiful Bahri was an Indonesian saxophonist, violinist, bandleader, composer, and songwriter, active in Indonesia and Malaysia during the 1950s and 1960s. He was also famous for conducting a number of orchestras during the period. Bahri composed and wrote Melaka Maju Jaya, the Malaccan state anthem, and wrote the lyrics to Duli Yang Maha Mulia, the Selangor state anthem.
Ang Jan Goan was an Indonesian Chinese journalist, publisher and political thinker, and director of the influential newspaper Sin Po from 1925 to 1959.
Eny Karim, also spelled as Eni Karim, was an Indonesian politician and civil servant from West Sumatra who served as Minister of Agriculture under the Second Ali Sastroamidjojo Cabinet, and briefly as governor of North Sumatra in 1963.
Sahala Hamonangan Simatupang was an Indonesian politician and civil servant who became the Director General of Post and Telecommunications, Director General of the National Post and Telecommunication Company, Assistant Minister for Post, Giro, and Telecommunications Affairs, Deputy Minister of Post and Telecommunications, and Secretary General of the Department of Transportation.
Willem Mauritius van Eldik, also known as Sastrodihardjo was a music teacher who was the teacher of Wage Rudolf Supratman. In addition, van Eldik also became W.R. Supratman's brother-in-law.
Dari Sabang Sampai Merauke is an Indonesia patriotic song which was created by R. Soerarjo in 1961. The song express that Indonesia is an archipelago with thousands of islands stretching from Sabang, Aceh on the west side and Merauke, Papua on the east side.