"Terang Bulan" () is a traditional Malay song. The song is an adaptation based on the state anthem of

Perak Perak (; Perak Malay: ''Peghok'') is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kel ...

named "

Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan "Allah Lanjutkan Usia Sultan" (; "God Lengthen the Sultan's Age") is the state anthem of Perak, Malaysia. The tune was originally that of "La Rosalie", a popular song in the Seychelles during the 19th century, originally written by French compo ...

" which translates to "God Lengthen the Sultan's Age". The song's melody was originally from "La Rosalie", a popular song in the Seychelles in the 19th century composed by French lyricist Pierre Jean de Béranger (1780-1857).

History

The melody of the song was first brought to

Malay World The Malay world or Malay realm (Indonesian language, Indonesian/Malay language, Malay: or ) is a concept or an expression that has been used by different authors and groups over time to denote several different notions, derived from varied in ...

by Sultan Abdullah Muhammad Shah II of Perak, who was exiled to the island of Mahé, in what is now

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...

by the mid of 1870s for abetting the murder of the British Resident James W. W. Birch. During that time ''La Rosalie'', a popular song by French lyricist,

Pierre-Jean de Béranger Pierre-Jean de Béranger (; 19 August 1780 – 16 July 1857) was a prolific France, French poet and Chansonnier (singer), chansonnier (songwriter), who enjoyed great popularity and influence in France during his lifetime, but faded into obscurity ...

became a popular French melody prominent on the island. Sultan Abdullah Muhammad Shah II of Perak later adopted the melody as the Perak Royal Anthem, titled "

" through his children who had visited him. Historian Mubin Sheppard insists that the song was inaugurated as the Perak state song in 1888 when Sultan Abdullah's eldest son was invited to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. Following the melody's popularity, the lyrics have been changed and titled ''Terang Bulan''. It was performed by a group of nobles of the

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 ...

and became a popular Malay folk song at parties and

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

s from the 1920s to 1930s in

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...

, and later spread to other

Malay Archipelago The Malay Archipelago is the archipelago between Mainland Southeast Asia and Australia, and is also called Insulindia or the Indo-Australian Archipelago. The name was taken from the 19th-century European concept of a Malay race, later based ...

which consists of

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, ...

in the present day. Since the independence of

Federation of Malaya Malaya, officially the Federation of Malaya, was a country in Southeast Asia from 1948 to 1963. It succeeded the Malayan Union and, before that, British Malaya. It comprised eleven states – nine Malay states and two of the Straits Settleme ...

in 1957, the melody of the

's state anthem "

" has been used as the melody of the national anthem of the Federation of Malaya which is Malaysia in present-day entitled

Negaraku "" ( Jawi: , ; ) is the national anthem of Malaysia. It was adopted as the national anthem at the time of the Federation of Malaya's independence from the United Kingdom in 1957. The tune was originally used as the state anthem of Perak, "'' A ...

. Public performances of the song and its melody have been outlawed, as any such use is proscribed by statute.

Claims regarding Indonesian origins

It has been claimed that ''Terang Bulan'' was initially written in Indonesian. However, the song was composed in the early 1920s, predating the formal recognition of the Indonesian language as the national language of

following the country's independence in 1945. During the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation (1963–1966), ''Terang Bulan'' was reportedly played and sung by some Indonesians, which was perceived as mocking Malaysia's national anthem.

Lyrics

Other versions

Several lyrics set to the tune exist, with their meanings being very similar. Felix Mendelssohn & His Hawaiian Serenaders used the tune of ''Terang Bulan'' in their song ''Mamula Moon'', on their 1947 album Paradise Isle.

Dutch version

Dutch singer Zangeres Zonder Naam recorded a Dutch version of "Terang Bulan" (spelt ''Terang Boelan]''). The meaning in the Dutch version is entirely different from the original lyrics, although the Dutch version mentions the island of

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

Other adaptations

Malaysian National Anthem

Tunku Abdul Rahman Tunku Abdul Rahman (8 February 19036 December 1990), commonly referred to as Tunku, was a Malaysian statesman who served as prime minister of Malaysia from 1957 to 1970. He previously served as the only chief minister of Federation of Malaya ...

, the Chief Minister and Minister for Home Affairs of the

, selected Perak's state anthem as the Federation's national hymn, on account of its "traditional flavour". The tune was rechristened "''

''" and the lyrics were changed, with popular performances in cabarets and parties halting as it became proscribed by statute. When

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 ...

was formed in 1963, the song remained the national anthem.

References

Notes

{{Notelist

External links

Web.archive.org
19th-century songs Songs with unknown songwriters Songs in Malay Year of song unknown