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FEMUSINDO.com - Wage Rudolf (W.R) Soepratman, or known as W.R. Soepratman, is an Indonesian national figure who created the national song "Indonesia Raya".
For his services, he was given the title of national hero of Indonesia and his birth date, March 9, was declared as "National Music Day".
Soepratman was given the title of National Hero by the Indonesian government and the Bintang Maha Putera Utama Class III in 1971.
W.R. Soepratman was a teacher, journalist, violinist, composer, and member of the jazz music group Black and White Jazz Band.
Soepratman's Childhood and Education
Wage Rudolf Soepratman was born in Meester Cornelis (now Jatinegara, Jakarta), Dutch East Indies, March 9, 1903 and died in Surabaya, Dutch East Indies, August 17, 1938.
He was the seventh of nine children. His father was Djoemeno Senen Sastrosoehardjo, a Dutch KNIL soldier, and his mother was Siti Senen.
After he was 6 years old, he entered the Boedi Oetomo school in Batavia. Before he could finish his studies, his mother died.
In 1914, Soepratman was taken by his eldest sister Roekijem Soepratijah and his brother-in-law Willem van Eldik to Makassar.
Strong Will to Go to School
Thanks to Willem van Eldik's efforts, Soepratman was able to enter a Dutch school, ELS (Europese Lagare School), after adding "Rudolf" to his name as a strategy, so that he would be accepted at the school.
He did not study there for long, he was expelled from the Dutch school, because it was discovered that he was not Willem van Eldik's biological child.
Soepratman, who had a stubborn nature and strong will, secretly, without his brother's knowledge, entered a Malay school.
After graduating from the Malay school, in 1917 Soepratman diligently studied Dutch at night school.
In 1919 he successfully passed the Klein Ambtenaar Examen, which was then known as the K.A.E diploma. After that he continued to Normaalschool, which was a teacher's school at that time until he finished.
Becoming a Teacher, Journalist, and Interested in the National Movement
When he was 20 years old, he became a teacher at Sekolah Angka 2. Two years later he received a Klein Ambtenaar diploma.
For some time he worked at a trading company. From Makassar, he moved to Bandung and worked as a journalist at the daily newspapers Kaoem Moeda and Kaoem Kita.
He continued to do that job even though he had moved to Batavia. During that time, he began to be interested in the national movement and socialized with many movement figures.
Dislike of Dutch colonialism began to grow and was finally expressed in the book Perawan Desa. The book was confiscated and banned from circulation by the Dutch government.
Soepratman was transferred to the city of Sengkang. There, not long after, he asked to quit and returned to Makassar.
Good at Playing the Violin and Composing Songs
While living in Makassar, Soepratman received music lessons from his brother-in-law, Willem van Eldik, so he was good at playing the violin and could then compose songs.
While living in Batavia, one time he read an article in Timbul magazine. The author of the article challenged Indonesian music experts to create a national anthem.
Soepratman was challenged, then began to compose songs. In 1924 the song Indonesia Raya was born. At that time he was in Bandung and was 21 years old.
In October 1928 in Batavia the Second Youth Congress was held. The congress gave birth to the Youth Pledge.
The First Time Indonesia Raya Was Heard
On the closing night of the congress, October 28, 1928, Soepratman played his composition instrumentally in front of the general public.
The song was played by Soepratman instrumentally with a violin at the suggestion of Sugondo Djojopuspito in relation to the conditions and situation at that time.
At that time, the song Indonesia Raya was first sung in public. Everyone present was amazed to hear it.
The song quickly became famous among the national movement. When political parties held congresses, the song Indonesia Raya was always sung.
Hunted and Arrested by the Dutch East Indies
As a result of creating the song Indonesia Raya, W.R. Soepratman was always hunted by the Dutch East Indies police until he fell ill.
He was arrested in early August 1938 when he was broadcasting his last song "Matahari Terbit" with scouts at NIROM Jalan Embong Malang, Surabaya, and was detained in Kalisosok prison, Surabaya.
Due to his declining health, on August 17, 1938 (Rabu Wage) W.R. Soepratman died at Jalan Mangga No. 21 Tambak Sari, Surabaya, due to heart problems he suffered.
The late W.R. Soepratman was buried in Kapasan Public Cemetery, Jalan Tambak Segaran Wetan Surabaya, East Java Province (Jatim).
It is said that the day before Soepratman died, he told Roekijem to hand over the song Indonesia Raya to the National Agency.
After Indonesia's independence, the song Indonesia Raya was made the national anthem, a symbol of national unity. But Soepratman did not have time to enjoy life in an atmosphere of independence. (*)
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