Saya Tin
| YMBဆရာတင္ YMBSa Yar Tin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 February 1894 |
| Origin | Mandalay, British Burma (now Myanmar) |
| Died | 8 August 1950 (aged 56) |
| Genres | Traditional Burmese music |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, teacher |
| Years active | 1918–50 |
Saya Tin (Burmese: ဆရာတင္, pronounced: [wàiɴ àɴ bì sʰəjà tɪ̀ɴ]; 12 February 1894 – 8 August 1950) was a Burmese composer. He was one of three well known pre-war composers with the name Saya Tin. The others were Nandawshae Saya Tin and Thahaya Saya Tin. He is best known for composing Kabar ma kyei, the national anthem of Burma (Myanmar).
Tin was born in Mandalay on 12 February 1894 (7th waxing of Tabodwe ME) to Daw Thein and her husband Yan Aung, a former official in the service of the last Burmese king Thibaw. He had one elder sister and one younger sister.
After finishing high school at age 17, Tin worked as a school teacher in a private school for the next three years. In his leisure time Tin took up playing his concertina, exploring its sounds, and studying traditional Burmese music.
In 1918, Tin founded his own private school: "Young Men's Buddhist School" in Mandalay, and came to be known as YMB Saya Tin. (Saya in Burmese means "teacher"). His school's musical troupe performed free of charge at charity events and weddings.
In 1930, Tin closed down his school and moved to Yangon where his songs had been recorded, and used in films. Tin met up with an old classmate Thakin Ba Thaung, and joined his political movement, Dobama Asiayone (We Burmese Association).
Kaba Ma Kyei (Till the End of the World) is the national anthem of Burma.
Tin composed the song in 1930 with Ba Thaung supplying the patriotic lyrics. Tin himself gave the first ceremonial rendition of the song on the flat ground of Shwedagon Pagoda at 5:00 pm on 20 July 1930. After the ceremony, Tin was imprisoned by British officers, who accused him of inciting insurgents. He was later released in 1946. In 1947, the song was adopted as the Burmese national anthem for which he was awarded one thousand kyats. The Burmese government awarded him the title Wunna Kyawhtin (the beautiful-famous) on the Independence Day, 4 January 1950.
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