Singha

Goi Ywei Chern 

I. Flight of the Stag

II. Towards White Sands

III. Singha

Composed in 2026

Duration: 10'30''

Composition of this piece began when Goi was visiting his home of Singapore. Singha originates from the Sanskrit word for lion, and is the word from which Singapore's name is derived. According to legend, the semi-mythical founder of the city, Sang Nila Utama, was hunting a stag on a nearby island and during the chase ascended a large rock, from which he saw an island with "sands white as cotton". As he sailed towards the island, his ship was caught in a storm which only subsided when he threw his crown into the sea. Once ashore, he spotted an animal, which his advisor told him was a Singha, after which he named the island. 

The Malay Annals, trans. Leyden

"There they saw an animal extremely swift and beautiful, its body of a red colour, its head black and its breast white, extremely agile, and of great strength, and its size a little larger than a he-goat. When it saw a great many people, it went towards the inland and disappeared. Sang Nila Utama enquired what animal was this, but none could tell him, till he enquired of Damang Lebar Dawn, who informed him that in the histories of ancient time, the singha or lion was described in the same manner as this animal appeared. This is a fine place which contains so fierce and powerful an animal."