The Orkestra Melayu Singapura is an orchestra based in Singapore which specialises in promoting and preserving traditional Malay music. It was founded in 1991 and performs on both western instruments and traditional Malay instruments. It also has a gamelan ensemble, founded in 2001, and an associated youth orchestra.
Malay is an Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and that is also spoken in East Timor and parts of Thailand. Altogether, it is spoken by 290 million people across Maritime Southeast Asia.
Music of Malaysia is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres in Malaysia. A great variety of genres in Malaysian music reflects the specific cultural groups within multiethnic Malaysian society: Malay, Chinese, Indian, Dayak, Kadazan-Dusun, Bajau, Orang Asli, Melanau, Kristang and others.
Malays are an Austronesian ethnoreligious group native to eastern Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and coastal Borneo, as well as the smaller islands that lie between these locations. These locations are today part of the countries of Malaysia, Indonesia, southern part of Thailand, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam.
The Pertubuhan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura is a political party in Singapore.
Zubir Said was a Singaporean composer most notable for composing the national anthem of his country, "Majulah Singapura" – "Onward Singapore".
Malaysian Malay, also known as Standard Malay, Bahasa Malaysia, or simply Malay, is a standardized form of the Malay language used in Malaysia and also used in Brunei and Singapore. Malaysian Malay is standardized from the Johore-Riau dialect of Malay. It is spoken by much of the Malaysian population, although most learn a vernacular form of Malay or another native language first. Malay is a compulsory subject in primary and secondary schools.
Malay Singaporeans are an umbrella term for the indigenous ethnic groups of Maritime Southeast Asia-origin who adhered to the religion of Islam and settled in Singapore. The Singaporean Malays constitute approximately 13.5% of the country's citizens, making them the second largest ethnic group in Singapore. Under the Constitution of Singapore, they are recognised by the government as the indigenous people of the country, with Malay as the ethnosocial language.
Zapin is one of the most popular dance and musical forms in traditional Malay performing arts. Dance movements are choreographed to melodies which are performed using musical instruments such as the gambus, accordion and rebana. It is believed to have been introduced by Persian and Arab Muslim missionaries from the Middle East to Malay Archipelago around the fourteenth century where back then only males were allowed to perform; nowadays, female dancers are included. It used to be performed exclusively for religious ceremonies but through the years it has become a form of traditional entertainment, hence the participation of female dancers is allowed.
The Istana Budaya or also known as the Palace of Culture, is Malaysia's main venue for all types of theatre including musical theatre, operetta, classical concerts and opera from local and international performances. It is located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur city, next to the National Art Gallery.
The early history of Singapore refers to its pre-colonial era before 1819, when the British East India Company led by Stamford Raffles established a trading settlement on the island and set in motion the history of modern Singapore.
Hj Wandly Yazid is an acclaimed composer, arranger and musician, recognised for his contribution to the Malay film and music industry in the 1940s to the 1960s. He performed as a violinist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. In 2001, he received the COMPASS Meritorious Award by Composers and Authors Society of Singapore. Fondly remembered as Pak Wandly, he is renowned for the popular evergreen Gurindam Jiwa, the theme song for the classic film of the same name. In 2015, the song bagged the Top Song Award at Viva Musik SG50 by Suria, Warna 94.2FM, and Ria 89.7 FM in 2015.
Masjid Al-Abdul Razak is a mosque in Singapore, located at Jalan Ismail, off Jalan Eunos. The mosque is accessible from Eunos MRT station.
"Majulah Singapura" is the national anthem of the Republic of Singapore. Composed by Zubir Said in 1958 as a theme song for official functions of the City Council of Singapore, the song was selected in 1959 as the nation's anthem when it attained self-government. Upon full independence in 1965, "Majulah Singapura" was formally adopted as Singapore's national anthem. By law, the anthem must be sung with Malay lyrics, but there are authorised translations of the lyrics of the anthem in Singapore's three other official languages: English, Mandarin and Tamil.
Tongkang or "Tong'kang" refers to several type of boats used to carry goods along rivers and shoreline in Maritime Southeast Asia. One of the earliest record of tongkang has a background of 14th century, being mentioned in Malay Annals which was composed no earlier than 17th century. One passage mentioned it as being used by Majapahit empire during the 1350 attack on Singapura.
The Writers' Movement '50, better known as Asas '50, is the first and oldest literary association in post-war Malaysia. It was founded on 6 August 1950, with a stated philosophy of "Art for Society".
Parameswara, thought to be the same person named in the Malay Annals as Iskandar Shah, was the last king of Singapura and the founder of Malacca. According to the Malay Annals, he ruled Singapura from 1389 to 1398. The king fled the island kingdom after a Majapahit naval invasion in 1398 and founded his new stronghold on the mouth of Bertam river in 1402. Within decades, the new city grew rapidly to become the capital of the Malacca Sultanate. Portuguese accounts however, written a hundred years after his death, suggest he was from Palembang in Sumatra and usurped the throne of Singapura; he was driven out, either by the Siamese or the Majapahit, and went on to found Malacca.
The Kingdom of Singapura was an Indianized Malay Hindu-Buddhist kingdom thought to have been established during the early history of Singapore upon its main island Temasek from 1299 until its fall sometime between 1396 and 1398. Conventional view marks c. 1299 as the founding year of the kingdom by Sang Nila Utama, whose father is Sang Sapurba, a semi-divine figure who according to legend is the ancestor of several Malay monarchs in the Malay World.
Asam pedas is a Maritime Southeast Asian sour and spicy fish stew dish. Asam pedas is believed to come from Minangkabau cuisine of West Sumatra, Indonesia and has spread throughout to the islands of Sumatra, Borneo and Malay Peninsula.
Masjid Alkaff Kampung Melayu, is a mosque located on the junction of Kaki Bukit Avenue 1 and Bedok Reservoir Road in Bedok, Singapore. The institution mainly serves worshippers from the Bedok Reservoir area.
Cerucuh is an ancient, small Malay trading boat. One of the earliest record of cerucuh has a background of 14th century, being mentioned in Malay Annals which was composed no earlier than 17th century, being used by Majapahit empire during the first Majapahit attack on Singapura (1350). Malay Annals recorded:
Maka betara Majapahitpun menitahkan hulubalangnya berlengkap perahu akan menyerang Singapura itu, seratus buah jung; lain dari itu beberapa melangbing dan kelulus, jongkong, cerucuh, tongkang, tiada terhisabkan lagi banyaknya.
So the king of Majapahit ordered his war commander to equip vessels for attacking Singapore, a hundred jong; other than that a few melangbing and kelulus; jongkong, cerucuh, tongkang, all in uncountable numbers.