Gesang (Gesang Martohartono)
was born in the city of Surakarta, Central Java province, Indonesia, on October
1, 1917. He is a national singer and songwriter best known for his famous
"Bengawan Solo".
Bengawan Solo is about the Solo River that
flows through central and eastern Java, Indonesia and is that island's longest
river.
The song describes the legendary river in a poetic and nostalgic way, that it is
surrounded by mountains, its sources are near the city of Surakarta, that it
ends in the sea, and that the merchants make use of it.
The Japanese, who occupied the country during World War II, brought the song
with them to Japan after returning from the war. There, and also in the rest of
Asia and later worldwide, the song became very famous.
