Kassim bin Masdor

Kassim bin Masdor (19 September 1938–21 January 2014) was an eminent music composer, arranger and producer of modern Malay music, known particularly for his work during the golden era of Malay film in the 1950s and ’60s in Singapore.¹ He was awarded several accolades for his contributions to the Malay music industry.

Early Career at Shaw Studios
Born in Singapore, Kassim developed an interest in music at an early age when he attended the Kota Raja Malay School. Upon graduation, he worked as a clerk at Shaw Brothers’ Malay Film Productions studio at Jalan Ampas at the tender age of 14. Kassim credited his burgeoning music talent to his Malay music and film star colleagues at Shaw Studios, as well as the creative environment there, which resulted in him mastering several musical instruments such as the xylophone, guitar and piano.²

It was during this period that the young Kassim met the legendary Malay music and film star P. Ramlee, alongside other notable stars such as Osman Ahmad. Brought under the wings of P. Ramlee as his protege, Kassim learnt the importance of hard work to perfect his craft. He often cited how P. Ramlee would make him work late into the night to prepare music scores and how tiring that was, but was nonetheless an enriching endeavour. He eventually joined P. Ramlee to form the vocal group Panca Sitara.³

Later Musical Pursuits
Having established himself as an up-and-coming composer and arranger, Kassim went on to work with EMI Singapore soon after the closure of Shaw Studios in 1958.⁴ Within five years at EMI Singapore, he had met several Malay songsters and produced no less than 60 music albums. By 1974, Kassim had left EMI Singapore and then founded Senada Records in 1977 together with composer peers Yusnor Ef and a man known as Mr Teo.⁵

At the peak of his creativity, Kassim explored various forms of musical elements with fellow composer Osman Ahmad, combining Eastern and Western elements to form new sounds that would reinvent modern Malay music. Their progressive attitudes towards revolutionising Malay music had faced resistance before being accepted, eventually earning them the reputation as the foremost composers of their time.⁶

Achievements
During his lifetime, Kassim composed musical scores for 18 films produced for Shaw Studios, include his debut, Darah Muda (1963), and other Malaysian film companies. Most of the 400 songs that he composed were written by his good friend and fellow Malay music pioneer, Yusnor Ef.⁷ Many of the immensely popular Malay songsters of his era—such as Ahmad Daud, Kartina Dahari, Sanisah Huri, Sharifah Aini, Rafeah Buang, Ahmad Jais and Fazidah Joned—sang songs composed by Kassim, with lyrics written by Yusnor Ef.⁸ Songs such as “Bila Takdir Bergema”, sung by the late Rafeah Buang, is still being played on Spotify today and has garnered over 4.1 million plays. In 2024, the song was named Most Popular Local Malay Pop song by the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore.⁹

Kassim’s contributions to the music industry were recognised with multiple accolades, including Best Song for the film Setinggan (1981) at the Malaysian Film Festival in 1982. Following that, he received the Meritorious Award by the Composers and Authors Society of Singapore in 1998, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Malay Singers, Composers and Professional Musicians (PERKAMUS) in 2002. Kassim was also honoured with the prestigious Anugerah Seri Temasek in 2011 for his contributions to the Malay music and film industry.¹⁰

Death
On 21 January 2014, Kassim succumbed to pneumonia at the age of 76 at the Singapore General Hospital.¹¹

Author
Haniman Boniran

References
1. TributeSG, “Kassim Masdor,” The Esplanade, 12 October 2016, https://www.esplanade.com/offstage/arts/kassim-masdor.
2. “Kassim Masdor,” Maklumat Tokoh Muzik Dan Penulis Lirik Era Kegemilangan Filem Melayu, accessed 7 March 2025, http://pramlee.freetzi.com/komposer.html.
3. TributeSG, “Kassim Masdor,” The Esplanade, 12 October 2016, https://www.esplanade.com/offstage/arts/kassim-masdor.
4. TributeSG, “Kassim Masdor,” The Esplanade, 12 October 2016, https://www.esplanade.com/offstage/arts/kassim-masdor.
5. Carl Hamm, “Rest in Peace Kassim Masdor,” Pop Yeh Yeh!, 8 February 2014, https://menarigogo.blogspot.com/2014/02/rest-in-peace-kassim-masdor.html.
6. TributeSG, “Kassim Masdor,” The Esplanade, 12 October 2016, https://www.esplanade.com/offstage/arts/kassim-masdor.
7. TributeSG, “Kassim Masdor,” The Esplanade, 12 October 2016, https://www.esplanade.com/offstage/arts/kassim-masdor.
8. “Kassim Masdor,” Maklumat Tokoh Muzik Dan Penulis Lirik Era Kegemilangan Filem Melayu, accessed 7 March 2025, http://pramlee.freetzi.com/komposer.html.
9. Haryani Ismail, “Lagu Raya Kassim Masdor Dijulang Kerana Royalti Tertinggi,” Berita Harian, 1 October 2024, https://www.beritaharian.sg/gaya-hidup/lagu-raya-kassim-masdor-dijulang-kerana-royalti-tertinggi.
10. TributeSG, “Kassim Masdor,” The Esplanade, 12 October 2016, https://www.esplanade.com/offstage/arts/kassim-masdor.
11. Karim Iskandar, “Kassim Masdor yang ku kenal,” Berita Harian, 3 February 2014, 11. (From NewspaperSG)

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The information in this article is valid as of October 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit it here.