The national anthem that we know today wasn't the original version composed by Zubir Said. His first version was longer and was set at a higher key. Emeritus Professor Bernard Tan talks about how "Majulah Singapura" came about and how it changed over the decades, and illustrates how these versions differ on his piano.

Emeritus Professor Bernard T. G. Tan is a retired professor of physics from the National University of Singapore who also dabbles in music. Some of his compositions have been performed by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. He is a former chairman of the Sing Singapore organising committee.

• 00:00 – Introduction to Singapore’s national anthem
• 03:16 – How “Majulah Singapura” came about
• 04:14 – Zubir Said’s composition of “Majulah Singapura”
• 06:18 – Adoption of the anthem and its unauthorised shortening
• 09:24 – Comparison of different versions and musical implications
• 15:18 – Prof Tan’s detective work to verify Zubir Said’s original manuscript
• 19:31 – Fanfare introduction and early concert arrangements
• 22:22 – Government-led initiative to reorchestrate the anthem
• 25:48 – Lowering the anthem’s key from G major to F major
• 27:45 – Lee Kuan Yew’s suggestion on the anthem
• 33:18 – Controversial arrangements of "Majulah Singapura"
• 36:57 – Origin of “Negaraku”, Malaysia’s national anthem
• 40:22 – How Prof Tan juggles his roles as a composer, professor of physics and SSO board member
• 42:51 – How he helped found the SSO
• 48:44 – His career at NUS
• 51:20 – Similarities between scientific research to music writing

• Read the transcript: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/podcast-the-making-of-majulah-singapura-as-we-know-it-bernard-tan/
• Read the BiblioAsia article: https://biblioasia.nlb.gov.sg/all-sections/vol-21-issue-1-apr-jun-2025-sing-singapore-national-day-songs/

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This episode of BiblioAsia Podcast was hosted by Jimmy Yap and produced by Soh Gek Han. Sound engineering was done by Nookcha Films. The background music “Di Tanjong Katong” was composed by Ahmad Patek and performed by Chords Haven. Special thanks to Prof Tan for coming on the show.

The BiblioAsia Podcast by the National Library Singapore tells stories about Singapore history.