Article about WR Supratman

Supratman was born Wage on 9 March 1903 in Somongari, Purworejo. Several

months later, his father Sergeant Djoemeno Senen Sastrosoehardjo, KNIL army
added Supratman to his name and explained that Supratman born in Meester
Cornelis, Batavia. Rudolf was added to his name while he went along with his
sister, Rukiyem Supratiyah van Eldik to Makassar, so his rights were equal to
Dutch, and he was allowed to attend Europese Lagere School.
At the age of 6, he entered Budi Utomo elementary school in Cimahi. After his
father retired, he was taken by Rukiyem and sent to ELS in 1914, but he was
dropped out because the fact that he is not European descent was revealed. He
continued his studies to Malay school. After returning home, he learned to play
guitar and violin. His brother-in-law, van Eldik, gave him a violin as seventeenth
birthday present in 1920. After graduating from Malay school in 1917, he
attended Dutch language courses and graduated in 1919. He continued to
Normaal School and became an auxiliary teacher in Makassar after he
graduated.
In 1920, he and van Eldik founded a jazz-styled band, called Black & White. He
played as a violinist. They performed at weddings and birthday parties in
Makassar. Since July 1933, he began to feel ill. In November 1933, he resigned as
Sin Po journalist and settled in Cimahi, then Palembang, finally in Surabaya. On
17 August 1938, he died at 01.00 a.m. and his remains were buried in Kenjeran,
Surabaya. On 13 March 1956, his bones was moved to Tambak Segaran Wetan
cemetery.

By : Chandrika A