Gesang
Gesang Martohartono was born in
Surakarta, October , 1917. He was a renowned Indonesian singer-songwriter from
Central Java. He is the composer of the Bengawan Solo. It becomes famous
throughout, Japan and some other countries.
Gesang’s father owned a batik-fabric
business, which went bankrupt when he was a teen. He was illiterate in musical
notation, but he supported himself and his family by writing songs and singing
at weddings and other formal events.
In 1940, Gesang composed a tune in
the popular urban local style known as kroncong. For the lyrics, he turned to
Bengawan Solo river for the inspiration. Then, he added “Bengawan Solo” to his
repertoire. It became widely popular. It also found an appreciative audience
among the Javanese occupation force and the non-Javanese prisoners of the
Japanese internment camps.
After Japan’s defeat, “Bengawan Solo”
caught the public mood. Its fame soon spread throughout the country after
best-selling recordings were by popular singers, starting with Toshi Matsuda’s
1947 rendition.
Gesang remained in Solo, continuing to
compose and sing. In 1991, a group of appreciative Japanese war veterans arranged for a life-size statue
of Gesang to be established in a Surakarta park to mark their respects for the
composer of the tune that had managed to cross the cultural barriers of wartime.
Gesang was hospitalized from May 12,
2010. He died on May 20, 2010 at the age of 92.
