Saya Tin
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Saya Tin (1892 - August 8th, 1950) was a musician and composer who wrote the Myanmar national anthem, "Gba Majay Bma."
Saya Tin was born in the Min-Thar-Su ward, Shwe-Phone-Shein Quarter, Mandalay, Myanmar. His mother Daw Thein was native of that ward. His father, U Yan Aung was a man in the service of His Majesty King Thi-Baw, the last ruler of kingdom of Myanmar. He had one elder sister and one younger sister.
He started schooling at the age of 6, passed 10th standard in 1909 at the age of 17. He worked as a school teacher in a private school for three years. In his leisure time he was constantly playing his concertina, and singing songs. This was frowned upon, and under criticizm, he resigned from his teaching position.
After resigning he spent even more time playing his concertina, exploring its sounds, studying traditional Myanmar songs, and composing modern songs for the then well-known lady dancers of Mandalay.
In 1918 at the request of his students he founded his own private school which he named the "Young Men Buddhist School" and he was popularly known as Y.M.B. Saya Tin. He then founded, with his students, a music troupe that entertained free of charge at charity events and weddings.
Tin's fame grew and he was required to make frequent visits to Yangon where his songs were sold, recorded and used in commercial films. He became too busy to continue his school and closed it. He finally moved to Yangon where he met up with an old classmate, Thakhin (Lord) Ba Thaung. Tin even joined Thakhin Ba Thaung's political party, Dobama Asiayone.
Tin composed a song called "Gba Majay Bma", with Thakhin Ba Thaung writing patriotic lyrics. The song was first ceremonially sung by Saya Tin himself at 5:00 pm on 20th day of July 1930, in the North-West rest-house on the flat ground of Shwe-da-gon Pagoda. In 1947 the song was adopted as the Myanmar national anthem. Saya Tin was awarded 1000 kyats. On Independence Day in 1950 he was honoured with a title of "Wunna-Kyaw-Htin" (the beautiful-famous).
According to his students, Saya Tin had written over 4000 songs while he was in Yangon. But as an artist he gathered little money.
Because of overwork and poor health conditions he was admitted to the Yangon General Hospital, where on next day, August 8th, 1950, he died of tuberculosis. His body was buried in Kyan-daw cemetery, Yangon.