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| Gesang Martohartono |
Gesang Martohartono was born in Surakarta, Central Java, on 1 October 1917 , and die on 20 May 2010 recognized as the best Indonesian songwriter especially for Keroncong Music Genre. His masterpiece creation is Bengawan Solo, a Keroncong song that not only renowned in Indonesia, but also in Asia, especially in Japan. This song already translated to at least 13 languages.
Song of Bengawan Solo (Bengawan Solo is name of a big river in Java Island) created in 1940, when he was 23 years old. The song was created on the riverbank, he inspired not only by the river and its habit but also by correlation with the people surrounding. When he created the song Indonesia was under control by Japan Military Government.
Gesang was not born in a musician nor artist family, but he born as a son of business family. His father is an owner of a small Batik industry; unfortunately, his father business was bankrupt when he still teens, then brought his family into poverty.
He learns music as autodidacts, on teenagers he begun to play music as a semi-professional artist by writing and singing on neighborhood weeding ceremony and other formal occasions. By the activities then he could supported himself and the family.
Gesang created a lot of song, the two most famous are Bengawan Solo and Jembatan Merah (Jembatan Merah = Red Bridge, a bridge in the Surabaya city. This is a heroic song for remembering Surabaya warfare during independence revolution of Indonesia. This song also become an anthem ).
Bengawan Solo also loved by Japanese soldiers who was on duty in Indonesia during World War II, as the war finished they brought the song back to their country. On a difficult period after Japan's defeated, the song caught the public mood, and its fame soon spread throughout the country after best-selling recordings released by popular singer Toshi Matsuda's in 1947. It then been periodically re-released by various popular artists, with many assuming that it was a centuries-old Japanese traditional song not an Indonesia original song. Versions of the song were also released in other Asian countries, and it has since been reinterpreted many times by various musical artists worldwide.
As appreciation for their lifetime dedication especially for Bengawan Solo song, in 1991 a group of Japanese World War II veterans developing Gesang Park in Solo (Surakarta) near to Bengawan Solo riverbank, they also full fill the park with Gesang statue.
Gesang not only created songs in Keroncong genre, one of the most famous song he created in Popular Genre is Pamit ( Farewell), became very famous song after sung by Indonesian famous singer Broery Marantika.
Gesang was egregious, an icon of art of Indonesia, but during his live he live in plain. His musical activity could not made him prosperous, he only able to finance a very simple house before Central Java Governor rewarding him a suitable home in 1980.
But Pak (Mr.) Gesang keep singing and creating his songs, as he said; music is my breath, when playing music the others are unimportant to me ….
He is lifetime achiever, a simple great musician and artist of Indonesia.
Good Bless You, somewhere out there Pak Gesang.
Here is two Gesang creations taken from Youtube:
