The Voice from Afar

When he attempted to read the poems of Goenawan Mohamad for the first time, Umar Muslim immediately gave up. Umar, who had created catchy melodies from Sapardi Djoko Damono and Toto Sudarto Bachtiar's poetry, considered Goenawan's verses impossible to musicalize. "It's difficult because they contain words that are not poetic," said Umar.

Umar has tried to adapt Goenawan's verses into songs since the 1990s. Only a decade later did Umar succeed in shapi

Subscribe to continue reading.
We craft news with stories.

For the benefits of subscribing to Digital Tempo, See More

The Best Choice

Rp 54.945/Month

Active for 12 Months, Rp 659.340

• *You Save -Rp 102.000
• *Guaranteed update of up to 52 Editions of Tempo Magazine

Subscribe

Rp 64.380/Month

Active Every Month Cancel Anytime

• *Free for the first month if using a Credit Card

Subscribe

See Other Packages

Already a Subscribed? Log in here
To receive daily news by Email, Sign up for Tempo ID.