Singapore Rhapsody

Singapore Rhapsody was written on commission of the Ministry of Education Co-Curricular Activities Branch for the Singapore Youth Festival of 2005. It is a work in two movements based on popular Malaysian folksongs which are very often heard in Singapore.

The songs that occur in the first movement are respectively Rasa Sayang eh (a love song), Gelang Sipaku Gelang (a song about community spirit), Suriram (a song about a girl proclaiming her virtues and offering her friendship for ever and ever), and Di-Tanjung Katong (a love song that takes place at the Cape Katong on the southeast coast of Singapore).

The second movement features Lenggang Kangkung, which literally means “The swaying of the watercress,” Katang Lompat (a moralistic song about the symbolism of the frog), and finally Kenek kenek-lah Udang (a wedding song).