The firststanza of "Indonesia Raya" was chosen as the national anthem when Indonesia proclaimed its independence on 17 August 1945.Jozef Cleber, a Dutch composer, created an arrangement of the tune for philharmonic orchestra on August 17, 1950, when the island ofSumatra became an integral part of the Republic of Indonesia. This arrangement is widely used.[3][4]
A Japanese propaganda film emphasising "Indonesia Raya", a song with an equal status that of "Kimigayo" as the de facto national anthem of Indonesia during Japanese occupation,c. 1945.
"Indonesia Raya" is played in flag raising ceremonies in schools across Indonesia every Monday. Theflag is raised in a solemn and timed motion so that it reaches the top of the flagpole as the anthem ends. The main flag raising ceremony is held annually on 17 August to commemorateIndependence day. The ceremony is led by thePresident of Indonesia and is usually held inMerdeka Palace.
During the rendition or singing of the national anthem, all present should stand, face toward the music, and pay respect. Members of theArmed Forces, and other persons in uniform (e.g. secondary school students) must render the military salute.[5]
When he lived inJakarta, Soepratman read an essay fromTimbul magazine. The essay author challenged Indonesian music experts to compose a future Indonesian national anthem. Soepratman – who was also a musician – felt challenged, and started composing. In 1924, the song was completed during his time in Bandung and entitled "Indonesia".
In 1928, youths from across Indonesia held the first Indonesian Youth Congress, an official meeting to push for the independence of the nation. Upon hearing about the efforts, young reporterWage Rudolf Soepratman contacted the organizers of Congress with the intention of reporting the story, but they requested that he not publish the story from fear ofDutch colonial authorities. The organizers wanted to avoid suspicion so that the Dutch would not ban the event. Supratman promised them this, and the organizers allowed him free access to the event. Supratman was inspired by the meetings and intended to play the song for the conference. After receiving encouragement from the conference leaderSugondo Djojopuspito, Soepratman played the song on the violin, hoping that it would someday become theirnational anthem. Soepratman first performedIndonesia on the violin on 28 October 1928 during the Second Indonesian Youth Congress.[6] He kept the script to himself because he felt that it was not the appropriate time to announce it.[7]
Following the Second Youth Congress, the text ofIndonesia was distributed by many political and student organisations. The press also played a key role in the publication of the song. On 7 November 1928, theSoeloeh Ra'jat Indonesia daily published the words to the song. This was followed by theSin Po Chinese weekly on 10 November.[8] In 1929, Wage Rudolf Supratman changed the title of his song to "Indonesia Raya" and appended the phrase"national anthem of Indonesia" below it, but the text of the song did not change. Soepratman personally printed and distributed copies of the song with its new title through pamphlets. All one thousand copies of the manuscript were sold within a short amount of time to his friends and family.[9]
That same year, the prominent Indonesian businessman and record executiveTio Tek Hong contacted Supratman; the two agreed to issue the first records of the anthem, with Supratman retaining copyright over it.[10][11] The new records were extremely popular, but in 1930 the Dutch colonial authorities placed a ban on the song and confiscated all remaining unsold records.[12]
A businessman friend of his,Yo Kim Tjan, also expressed interest in recording "Indonesia Raya". With Soepratman's consent, Yo created a copy of the song on agramophone record overseas to obtain the best sound quality with the intention of bringing the copy back to Indonesia. However, before Yo was able to do so, Dutch colonial authorities had imposed a ban on the song. Yo was unable to bring the original back but was able to bring home a copy. According to Yo, Soepratman had also given him the rights to sell record copies of "Indonesia Raya" through his store Toko Populair.[13]
Initially, there had been no orchestral version of the anthem. Thus in 1950, The Indonesian Government made an appeal toJozef Cleber to compose a symphonic rendition of "Indonesia Raya".[14]
Cleber at the time had been among the 46 people of the Cosmopolitan Orchestra, under direction of Yvon Baarspul, sent by theNetherlands government to help the Indonesian government for its own music development in Jakarta. "Jos" Cleber was an experienced arranger not only of western songs but also for Indonesian pop songs such asDi Bawah Sinar Bulan Purnama andRangkaian Melati.
Indonesia Raya was recorded under Cleber's direction on a newly acquired Phillipsrecorder in early 1951 with musicians from all three radio orchestras ofRRI Jakarta and the tape was played for PresidentSukarno's approval. Sukarno found the performance too frilly and asked for something like thered and white Indonesian flag, and in thegrave tempo of the Dutch anthemWilhelmus. Cleber considered this last impossible, though he discerned some of the character of theMarseillaise in the tune and made a second arrangement markedmaestoso con bravura as a compromise. This met Sukarno's approval, but he requested that the climax be prepared by agrazioso ("Liefelijk") section. This final version of the anthem remained in use for 47 years. This was followed in 1998 by a remastered version composed byAddie MS, performed jointly by his Twilite Orchestra, theVictorian Philharmonic Orchestra and theMelbourne Symphony Orchestra, and developed at Allan Eaton Studio inMelbourne, Australia as part of the albumSimfoni Negeriku (My country’s symphony).[15]
The arrangement starts with aTutti of strings and trumpets (in Verse A) that represents a brave and an elegant sound, and in the middle of the song (in Verse B) is played smoothly by strings, and finally (in Verse C) comes anotherTutti of strings and trumpets, together with the timpani, snare drums and cymbals, giving it a brave sound fitting for a national anthem that was respected by the people.[16]
In 1951, ownership of the copyright to "Indonesia Raya" came into question. PresidentSukarno ordered a search for the rightful heir to Soepratman.[17] By law, Supratman was the copyright holder of "Indonesia Raya" as its composer. After Soepratman's death in 1938, ownership of the rights to his works fell upon the designated heirs, his four surviving sisters. However, because "Indonesia Raya" was officially adopted as the national anthem of Indonesia on 17 August 1945, the work became the property of the state. In addition, the name of "Wage Rudolf Supratman" must be listed as its creator.[18]
As a national anthem, copies of "Indonesia Raya" cannot be circulated as merchandise to be sold. Consequently, the government had the obligation to obtain all the rights to distribute the song, including the original recording, from Yo Kim Tjan. In 1958, the government obtained the sole right to "Indonesia Raya" from Soepratman's family.[19] The following year, Yo handed the original record of the song to the Indonesian government. With the recommendation of the Department of Education, the government also rewarded Soepratman's sisters with 250,000Indonesian rupiah each on 31 May 1960.[20]
As stipulated by Chapter XV, Article 36B of theConstitution of the Republic of Indonesia, Indonesia Raya is the national anthem of Indonesia.[21] Furthermore, pursuant to 1958 State Gazette no. 44,[22] only the first stanza of Indonesia Raya is to serve the function of a national anthem.
There is no official translation of "Indonesia Raya" into other languages. On 28 October 1953, on the 25th anniversary of the anthem, theHarian Umum daily published their own English, German, and Dutch translations of the song. A bulletin released by the Ministry of Information used these translations.[23] Currently, however, the translations are no longer published.
Indonesia, tanah airku Tanah tumpah darahku Di sanalah aku berdiri Jadi pandu ibuku
Indonesia, kebangsaanku Bangsa dan tanah airku Marilah kita berseru Indonesia bersatu!
Hiduplah tanahku, hiduplah negeriku Bangsaku, rakyatku, semuanya Bangunlah jiwanya, bangunlah badannya Untuk Indonesia Raya
Refrain: Indonesia Raya, merdeka! Merdeka! Tanahku, negeriku yang kucinta Indonesia Raya, merdeka! Merdeka! Hiduplah Indonesia Raya!
Indonesia, tanah yang mulia Tanah kita yang kaya Di sanalah aku berdiri Untuk selama-lamanya
Indonesia, tanah pusaka Pusaka kita semuanya Marilah kita mendoa "Indonesia bahagia!"
Suburlah tanahnya, suburlah jiwanya Bangsanya, rakyatnya, semuanya Sadarlah hatinya, sadarlah budinya Untuk Indonesia Raya
Refrain
Indonesia, tanah yang suci Tanah kita yang sakti Di sanalah aku berdiri Menjaga ibu sejati
Indonesia, tanah berseri Tanah yang aku sayangi Marilah kita berjanji "Indonesia abadi!"
Selamatlah rakyatnya, selamatlah putranya Pulaunya, lautnya, semuanya Majulah negerinya, majulah pandunya Untuk Indonesia Raya
𝄆Refrain 𝄇
Indonesia, tanah airkoe Tanah toempah darahkoe Di sanalah akoe berdiri Djadi pandoe iboekoe
Indonesia, kebangsaankoe Bangsa dan tanah airkoe Marilah kita berseroe Indonesia bersatoe!
Hidoeplah tanahkoe, hidoeplah negrikoe Bangsakoe, ra'jatkoe, sem'wanja Bangoenlah djiwanja, bangoenlah badannja Oentoek Indonesia Raja
Refrain: Indonesia Raja, merdeka! merdeka! Tanahkoe, negrikoe jang koetjinta Indonesia Raja, merdeka! merdeka! Hidoeplah Indonesia Raja!
Indonesia, tanah jang moelia Tanah kita jang kaja Di sanalah akoe berdiri Oentoek slama-lamanja
Indonesia, tanah poesaka P'saka kita semoeanja Marilah kita mendo'a Indonesia bahagia!
Soeboerlah tanahnja, soeboerlah djiwanja Bangsanja, ra'jatnja, sem'wanja Sadarlah hatinja, sadarlah boedinja Oentoek Indonesia Raja
Refrain
Indonesia, tanah jang soetji Tanah kita jang sakti Di sanalah akoe berdiri 'Ndjaga iboe sedjati
Indonesia, tanah berseri Tanah jang akoe sajangi Marilah kita berdjandji Indonesia abadi!
S'lamatlah ra'jatnja, s'lamatlah poetranja Poelaunja, laoetnja, sem'wanja Madjoelah neg'rinja, madjoelah pandoenja Oentoek Indonesia Raja
𝄆Refrain 𝄇
Indonesia, my homeland The land where I shed my blood Right there, I stand To be a guide of my motherland.
Indonesia, my nationality My nation and my homeland Let us exclaim Indonesia unites.
Long live my land, Long live my state My nation, my people, entirely Let us build its soul, Let us build its body For the Great Indonesia.
Chorus: Great Indonesia, Independent & sovereign, My land, my country which I love Great Indonesia, Independent & sovereign! Long live Great Indonesia!
Indonesia, a noble land Our wealthy land Right there, I stand Forever and ever.
Indonesia, a hereditary land A heritage of ours Let us pray To Indonesians' happiness.
Fertile may its soil, Flourish may its soul Its nation, its people, entirely, Aware may its heart, Aware may its mind, For Great Indonesia.
Chorus Indonesia, a sacred land, Our victorious land, Right there, I stand, To guard the pure motherland.
Indonesia, a radiant land, A land which I adore, Let us pledge, Indonesia is eternal,
Safe may its people, Safe may its children, Its islands, its seas, entirely, The state progresses, its scouts advance, For Great Indonesia.
^"Error". Archived fromthe original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved3 July 2009. (a news article stating the regulation regulating the symbol and instrument of the country)
Panitia Penyusun Naskah Brosur Lagu Kebangsaan Indonesia Raya (1972),Brosur Lagu Kebangsaan Indonesia Raya (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Proyek Pengembangan Media Kebudayaan,OCLC2391302.
Sularto, Bambang (1982),Sejarah Lagu Kebangsaan Indonesia Raya (in Indonesian) (1st ed.), Jakarta:Balai Pustaka,OCLC10894709.
Winarno, Bondan (2003),Lagu Kebangsaan Indonesia Raya (in Indonesian), Jakarta: TSA Komunika,ISBN979-97105-1-0.
