Myoma Nyein was a renowned Burmese musician and composer. He was a founder of Myoma Band, the longest surviving music band in the modern Burmese history. Between 1935 and 1939, he recorded over 40 albums and composed a couple of Myanmar New Year songs that became iconic, performed on Myoma's Silver Swan parade floats, which became a trademark of Thingyan celebration in Mandalay.
Early life and education
Nyein was born on 25 January 1909 in Mandalay, British Burma, son of U Nyi, a goldsmith, and mother Daw Chit Oo, a lacquerware merchant. He was educated at Central National School, Mandalay. At the age of ten, he learnt a Burmese classic titled Jambu Kyun Lone from Deva EindaMaung Maung Gyi in a single day much to the surprise of the famous harpist. In 1925 he co-founded the Myoma music band or Myoma Amateur Music Association with his teacher artist and musician U Ba Thet and a city burgher Dahdan U Thant.
Repertoire
Myoma Nyein's greatest love song was Chit Da Phadana, the gramophone recording made circa 1935-38. One of his earlier songs written in 1939 was Eindawya Paya Zay in support of Mandalay's central Zegyo Market shopkeepers' all out strike against Section 23 enacted by the British colonial government when they relocated to the Eindawya Pagoda precincts. During the Second World War, the music troupe along with the townspeople of Mandalay fled to Sagaing Hills across the Ayeyarwady River, and Myoma Nyein came up with the song Sagaing Taung among others. After the war in 1945, when Mandalay held a major sporting event, Myoma Nyein wrote for the occasion songs titled Olympics and Yin Dago Me. His song for the 1947 Burmese New Year Thingyan Shwe Man Taung Yeikkho aka Mya Nandar has become a perennial classic during the festive season. In 1952 he wrote Lu Chun Lu Gaung in honour of Prime Minister U Nu's Pyidawtha Conference in Rangoon. The following year he composed Gaba Nyeinchan Yay. He started collaborating with Mandalay Motion Picture Company the next year.
Family
In 1928 Myoma Nyein married Than May, a school teacher from Meiktila. His oldest daughter Tin Kyi was married to the artist Paw Oo Thet. His oldest son Shoon Myaing has carried on with the band which celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2005.
Death
It was believed that Myoma Nyein committed suicide in 1955, aged 46, by walking in front of a lorry. He remains an inspiration for the generations that followed in the Burmese music scene.
