The worldwide “ukulele revival” in recent years has swept Singapore. For me, the ukulele brings back memories of a rather special man. There may still be some of us around who have been taught by Harry Martinez – be it the ukulele, guitar or drums. For me, it was the Hawaiian guitar.
I first met Harry in the late 50’s. I had been playing the instrument for a few years, performing with Baby Lau’s band and others. I remember Harry coming backstage to tell my dad that he wanted to teach me. Dad was very pleased – he obviously heard good things about him. Indeed, Harry was a wonderful teacher, passionate about music, witty, caring and generous.
Among Harry’s many compositions are two Hawaiian Guitar Solo pieces published by the British BMG Federation (BMG Magazine) - Farewell Kalua and South Sea Hula, both in his D6 tuning.
Precious to me, though, is a simple medley arrangement that Harry penned - it was for a Ministry level “Sing Singapore” singing competition which, to his amusement, our department eventually won. This was sometime in the early 1990s, during one of my last few visits to his home in Siglap.
I recently came across an Oral History Centre interview with Harry in 1994. I am glad that there exists this record of his interesting life journey, including his friendship with Zubir Said who composed Singapore’s national anthem. To me, both gentlemen represent what the Singapore Story was and should still be about – an immigrant society that is welcoming of people from many shores in pursuit of their different dreams, with shared values and a determination to succeed.
Captions for the three photos:
Photo 1: Harry on his Hawaiian guitar
Photo 2: Ukulele & guitar make sweet music, 1958
Photo 3: Excerpt from Harry’s medley arrangement
