Dear Carl,
Unlike
their Christian, Chinese and Hindu friends, the Malay Muslims in
Malaysia and Singapore had no specific anthem for their Hari Raya (or
Eid celebrations) until the mid-1950s, when composers and songwriters
began working for it either for recordings or for the films produced by
Shaw Brothers and Cathay Keris. Another
significant characteristic found those days is that there had been no
specific compilation albums of Eid songs being made until the early
1970s, where prior to the decade, the Eid songs were included into an
individual singer’s record.
In 1953 release by Shaw Brothers’ Malay Film Production titled Siapa Salah (Who’s At Fault), a song called Manusia Miskin Kaya (The
Rich & Poor Human) was included.
It was composed by P. Ramlee and
sung by Asiah, The Nightingale of Malaya. The song relates to a poor
person’s comparison on his/her Aidilfitri celebration with that of
his/her rich neighbours. Another Eidulfitri song was also found in
another film by Shaw called Doktor (Doctor).
Meanwhile, Asiah and her husband Ismail Mukassim had also recorded a duet song called Aidilfitri, composed by Zubir Said, who also wrote the national anthem of Singapore, Majulah Singapura.
In early 1970s, with the permission by Zubir himself, this song was
re-written with new lyrics by Yusnor Ef, to be re-recorded by Sanisah
Huri. In 1974, Indra Shahrir, the son of both Asiah and Ismail, recorded
an Eid song specially for children, and the song appeared in Studio
Merdeka’s first colour film called Rahsia Hatiku (My Heart’s Secret) produced in the same year.
In 1955, a full-fledged Eidulfitri-themed film was produced by Cathay Keris called Selamat Hari Raya.
A song of the same title was composed by Ahmad Jaafar, to be sung and
recorded by Saloma. It has since become an official anthem for the
joyous celebration and played until today. In 1973, the song was
re-recorded by Saloma with a small edition to the lyrics.
Besides composing Eid songs for other singers, P. Ramlee had also composed, written, sung and recorded the same for himself. Suara Takbir (The Voice of a Takbeer) and Dendang Perantau (A
Traveller’s Song) were two of his famous Eid songs in the 1950s.
The
latter was re-recorded in the following decade with different musical
arrangements. In 1969, Ramlee composed another Selamat Hari Raya with completely different tune, to be recorded by Ahmad Jais in his EP called Azizah, with accompaniment of Orkes Dendang Perindu led by Ramlee’s pupil, Kassim Masdor.
In 1960s, many singers recorded their own new Eid songs. Among them include M. Rahmat & The Teruna (Fitri Bahgia/ A Happy Fitri)....
...and S. Jibeng & Sri Arjuna (Musafir Di Aidilfitri/A
Traveller in Aidilfitri).
Nevertheless, Jibeng’s rendition remained
popular till the present day, as it suits him, reflecting his own life
as a poor blind boy during his childhood days, before moving into
stardom.
Beginning
early 1970s onwards, recording companies in both sides of the Causeway
had begun producing Eid songs, after realizing the potential of such
albums in the entertainment industry. Among the companies involved in
this project were EMI, MMI, Senada and Philips. Nevertheless, EMI’s
first Eid compilation released in 1973 is the most sought after, as
those Eid songs by veterans such as P. Ramlee, Saloma, Ahmad Jais,
Fazidah Joned, Rafeah Buang, Sanisah Huri and Junainah were listed in
it. The EMI’s Eid compilation has since been re-printed every year, with
new or current artistes’ rendition being recorded to add more variety
to the list of songs.
Ghaz, KL
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