AT Mahmud

Abdullah Totong Mahmud
A. T. Mahmud (unknown year)
Background information
Born	February 3, 1930 Palembang, South Sumatra
Died	6 July 2010(2010-07-06) (aged 80) Jakarta
Occupation(s)	Composer, songwriter

Abdullah Totong Mahmud (generally abbreviated A. T. Mahmud; 3 February 1930 – 6 July 2010) was a renowned Indonesian composer of children's songs. Born in Palembang, South Sumatra, he taught as a teacher in Riau and Jakarta prior to beginning work as a composer. During his career, he wrote some 500 songs and served as a presenter on two television shows for nearly twenty years; his productiveness earned him numerous awards, including the 2003 AMI Lifetime Achievement Award. He died of lung disease in Jakarta.

Mahmud was born in Palembang, South Sumatra on 3 February 1930. His father, Masagus Mahmud, was a government official and his mother's name was Masayu Aisyah. Mahmud had 9 siblings—four older and five younger. As a child, Mahmud was interested in singing and dancing. He began formally studying music at the age of 11, after meeting then-14-year-old musician Ishak Mahmuddin. He later studied at the Jakarta Teacher's Training Institute.

Mahmud started his working life as a teacher in Tanjung Pinang, Riau. He later received a government scholarship to study English in Sydney, Australia. After finishing his studies in Australia, he moved to Jakarta and became a teacher at the School for Kindergarten Teachers. It was while teaching at the School for Kindergarten Teachers that Mahmud began to write songs, upon the request of his students. One of his first songs, "Cicak di Dinding" ("Lizard on the Wall"), was taught to kindergarten students throughout Jakarta by teachers that he had trained.

During his songwriting career, Mahmud wrote some 500 educational children's songs with simple lyrics and rhythms. Some of Mahmud's best known works include "Pelangi" ("Rainbow"), "Ambilkan Bulan" ("Take the Moon"), "Anak Gembala" ("Shepherd Boy"), "Bintang Kejora" ("The Morning Star"), "Mendaki Gunung", "Ade Irma Suryani", and "Amelia". Mahmud also hosted two children song's shows on TVRI, the Indonesian state-run television, "Lagu Pilihanku" (Songs of My Choice) from 1968 to 1988, and "Ayo Menyanyi" (Let’s Sing) from 1969 to 1988. Co-hosts include children's songwriters, Ibu Sud and Daljono.

Mahmud release his autobiography, A. T. Mahmud Meniti Pelangi: Sebuah Memoar (A. T. Mahmud Walking on the Rainbow: A Memoir, in 2003. It was published by Gramedia.