Saiful Bahri (19 September 1924 – 26 December 1976) was an Indonesian saxophonist, violinist, bandleader, composer, and songwriter, active in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

and

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

during the 1950s and 1960s. He was also famous for conducting a number of orchestras during the period.Mengenal Saiful Bahri, Pencipta Lagu di Film Tiga Dara
/ref> Bahri composed and wrote Melaka Maju Jaya, the Malaccan state anthem, and wrote the lyrics to

Duli Yang Maha Mulia Duli Yang Maha Mulia () is the title of the state anthem of Selangor, Malaysia. It was adopted in 1967. The writer of the lyrics is unknown. The music was written by Saiful Bahri, who also wrote and composed the Malaccan state anthem, '' Melak ...

, the Selangor state anthem.

Personal life

Bahri was born in

Payakumbuh Payakumbuh (, Jawi script, Jawi: ) is the second largest city in West Sumatra province, Indonesia, with a population of 116,825 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 139,576 at the 2020 Census;Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta ...

West Sumatra West Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of ...

, in the then-

Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

. He was educated at INS Kayutanam, a colonial-era school for the Bumiputera, where he sharpened his musical skills. In 1941, Bahri moved to

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

, and became a saxophonist and violinist for the Jakarta Studio Orchestra (OSD). From 1950 to 1960, he served as

conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Biology and medicine * Bone conduction, the conduction of sound to the inner ear * Conduction aphasia, a language disorder Mathematics * Conductor (ring theory) * Conductor of an abelian variety * Cond ...

for the Orchestra. In 1956, he composed the soundtrack to ''

Tiga Dara ''Tiga Dara'' (Indonesian for ''Three Maidens'') is a 1957 Indonesian Musical film, musical drama film starring Chitra Dewi, Mieke Wijaya, and Indriati Iskak. Directed by Usmar Ismail for Perfini, the film follows three sisters who live with the ...

''. For this, he won the

Citra Award The Indonesian Film Festival ( Indonesian: Festival Film Indonesia, 'FFI') is an annual awards ceremony organised by the Indonesian Film Board and the Ministry of Culture to celebrate cinematic achievements in the Indonesian film industry. Duri ...

at the 1960

Indonesian Film Festival The Indonesian Film Festival ( Indonesian: Festival Film Indonesia, 'FFI') is an annual awards ceremony organised by the Indonesian Film Board and the Ministry of Culture to celebrate cinematic achievements in the Indonesian film industry. Dur ...

for Best Soundtrack. In 1963, during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, he emigrated to Malaysia, quickly becoming a pillar for the nascent nation's cultural and arts scene. He was involved with Malayan Radio Orchestra and the

Filem Negara Malaysia The National Film Department of Malaysia (), abbreviated FNM, sometimes ''Jabatan Filem Negara'' (JFN) or informally the Malaysian Film Unit; was a Malaysian film production house and the government department under the Malaysian Ministry of Co ...

. During this period in his life, he used the alias Surya Buana. He also composed music scores for about hundreds of films from 1950s until his death. Bahri was known for his raspy, growling tenor saxophone sound.

Death

Bahri died in Tokyo on 26 December 1976 while in service of the

. His remains were brought back to Jakarta, and interred at Tanah Kusir Public Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bahri, Saiful 1924 births 1976 deaths 20th-century male composers 20th-century saxophonists 20th-century violinists Indonesian composers Indonesian violinists Indonesian songwriters Malaysian composers Malaysian songwriters Malaysian male songwriters