The music of Sri Lanka has its roots in four primary
influences: ancient folk rituals, Buddhist religious traditions, the legacy of
European colonization, and the commercial and historical influence of nearby
Indian culture—specifically, Bollywood cinema. The Theravada sect of Buddhism
has exercised a particular influence on Sri Lankan music since Buddhism arrived
in Sri Lanka around the opening of the first millennium.
Portuguese colonists were among the first Europeans to
arrive in Sri Lanka, landing in the mid-15th century. They brought with them
traditional cantiga ballads, ukuleles and guitars, as well as conscripted
Africans (referred to, historically, as kaffrinhas), who spread their own style
of music known as baila. The confluence of both European and African traditions
served to further diversify the musical roots of contemporary Sri Lankan music.
FOLK MUSIC
Caste-based folk poems (kavi) originated as communal
song shared within individual groups as they engaged in daily work. Today, they
remain a popular form of cultural expression. Kavi was also sung to accompany
annual rituals. These ancient rites are rarely performed in contemporary Sri
Lanka, but the preserved songs are still performed by folk musicians.
Another traditional Sri Lankan folk style is called
the virindu. It involves an improvised poem sung to the beaten melody of a
rabana. Traditional song contests were held in which two virindu singers would
compete through spontaneous verse.
TRADITIONAL FOLK
MUSIC OF SRI LANKA
The art, music and dances of Sri Lanka were derived
from ritualistic responses to natural phenomenon. Sri Lanka's earliest folk music
was later influenced by the influx of Buddhist traditions. These songs were
performed by commoners, and not merely recited by the priestly castes.
PAGENTARY
Sri Lanka has a highly evolved pagentry tradition,
which has a unique array of music.
LOCAL DRAMA MUSIC
(KOLAM/NADAGAM/NOORTHY)
Kolam music is a low country folk tradition of the
south-west coast and it's use was both in exorcism rituals as a form of healing
and in masked comedy and drama.
NADAGAM MUSIC
This particular style is a more developed form of
drama influenced by South Indian street drama which was introduced by some
South Indian Artists. Phillippu Singho from Negombo in 1824 performed
“Harishchandra Nadagama” in Hnguranketha, which was originally written in the
Telingu language. Later “Maname”, “Sanda kinduru” and a few others were
introduced. Don Bastian of Dehiwala introduced Noorthy firstly by looking at
Indian dramas and then John De Silva developed it and performed Ramayanaya in
1886.
SINHALA LIGHT MUSIC
Some artists visited India to learn music and later
started introducing light music. Ananda Samarakone was the pioneer of this
attempt and He composed National Anthem too. Then Sunil Santha who also did not
stick to Hindustani music introduced light music of his own, influenced by The
Geethika (Hymns) tradition of Sri Lanka. Please visit
http://www.infolanka.com/miyuru_gee to listen few of them online. Pandit
Amaradeva is credited as the major contributor to the development of this genre
into a truly Sri Lankan style. Nowadays this is the most popular type of music
in Sri Lanka and enriched with the influence of folk music, kolam music,
Nadagam music, Noorthy music, Film music, Classical music, Western music, the
Geethika (Hymns) tradition and others too. Most of the musician in Sri Lanka
have come out with their own creations The temple paintings and carvings used
birds, elephants, wild animals, flowers and trees. The colors were made of
nature. The Traditional 18 Dances display the dancing of Birds and Animals.
Mayura Wannama - The dance of the Peacock Hanuma Wannama - The dance of the
Monkey Gajaga Wannama - The dance of the elephant.
The Music is several kinds. The folk music is created
with few instruments only. The folk songs and poems were used in social
gatherings to work together. The Indian influenced Classical Music has grown to
be unique.,[2][3][4][5] The traditional drama, music and songs are typically
Sri Lankan.
SRI LANKA'S
TRADITIONAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
The classical Sinhalese Orchestra consists of five
categories of instruments. But, the drum, is the king of local percussions
instruments and without it, there will be no dance.[6] The vibrant beat of the
rhythm of the drums form the basic of the dance. The dances feet bounce off the
floor and they leap and swirl in patterns that reflex the complex rhythms of
the drum beat.
This drum beat may seem simple on the first hearing
but it takes a long time to master the intricate rhythms and variations, which
the drummer sometimes can bring to a crescendo of intensity. In traditional
ceremonies, especially in Buddhist temples an oboe called "Horanawa"
is also played during the drumming.
GATABERA
The typical Sinhala Dance is identified as the Kandyan
dance and this drum is indispensable to this dance.
YAK-BERA
This is the demon drum or the, drum used in low
country dance in which the dancers wear masks and perform devil dancing, which
has become a highly developed form of art.
DAWULA
It is a barrel shaped drum, and it was used as a
companion drum in the past, to keep strict time with the beat.
THAMMATTAMA
A flat, two faced drum. The drummer strikes the drum
on the two surfaces on top with sticks, unlike the others where you drum on the
sides. This is a companion drum to the adore mentioned Dawula.
UDEKKI
A small double headed hand drum, used to accompany
songs. It is mostly heard in the poetry dances (vannam).
RABANA
Flat faced circular drum and comes in several sizes.
The large Rabana has to be placed on the floor like a circular short-legged
table and several people (especially the womenfolk) can sit around it and beat
on it with both hands. This is used in festivals such as the Sinhalese New Year
and ceremonies such as weddings. The resounding beat of the Rabana symbolizes
the joyous moods of the occasion. The small Rabana is a form of mobile drum
beat since the player carries it wherever he goes and he produces patterns of
back ground drum beat for his songs.
Then, the metal percussions is almost always made up
of cymbals and "Thalampata" - 2 small cymbals joined together by a
string.
The wind section, is dominant by a wind instrument,
something akin to the clarinet. This is not normally used for the dances. This
is important because the Sinhalese dance is not set to music as the western
world knows it. Here, the primary sense of rhythm, and patterns of man in
motion, is the music that is beaten out by the drummer.
The flutes of metal such as silver & brass produce
shrill music to accompany Kandyan Dances, while the plaintive strains of music
of the reed flute may pierce the air in devil-dancing. The conch-shell
(Hakgediya) is another form of a natural instrument, and the player blows it to
announce the opening of ceremonies of grandeur.
ENDEMIC INSTRUMENTS
(THE BÉRA)
According to the historical record available today, it
is believed that several instruments originated within the tribal groups that
once inhabited the island presently known as Sri Lanka. Among these, seven
remain in use:
Gáta Béra - Also referred to as the Kandyan Drum; it is a double-headed,
barrel-shaped drum, that is played by hand).
Thammátama - A twin-drum (similar to the bongo) that is played with two
sticks instead of by hand.
Yak Béra - Also referred to as the Low Country Drum; it is a
double-headed, barrel-shaped drum, that is played by both hands (one in one
side).
Udákkiya - A small, hour-glass shaped drum, that is played with one hand
while the other hand modifies the tension of a cloth wrapped around its centere
(thereby changing the pitch of the drum-head) .
Hand Răbāna - A drum similar to the tambourine (except in that it does
not possess metal jingles)
Daŭla - A double-headed, barrel-shaped drum played by hand (on one side),
and by a stick (on the opposite side).
Bench Răbāna - Similar to the hand rabana, except larger (it is often
played by three to eight individuals simultaneously).
In addition to these drums, a new drum was recently
created (in 2000) by Sri Lankan musician Kalasoori Piyasāra Shilpadhipathi,
referred to as the Gaŭla - it is a barrel-shaped instrument containing one head
from the Gáta Béra, and one from the Daŭla. A set of rudiments (practice
rhythms) were also created by him to accommodate the instrument's unique tone.
Also in addition to these drums, the dhōlki is also
used by many musicians - though this drum is believed to have descended from
those brought to Sri Lanka from India - unlike the aforementioned instruments;
which are believed to have existed in Sri Lanka prior to the arrival of the
first Indian explorers (though this is difficult to verify due to the proximity
of the two nations to one another - it is impossible to say, with any degree of
certainty, that no cultural exchange occurred between the peoples of southern
India and Sri Lanka prior to any particular date in history).
In 2011, an eBook and a small print book were
published with basic playing technique for the Thammattama drum, using Western
Notation as a basis. The title is "Sri Lankan Drumming: The
Thammattama" published by BookBrewer (eBook) and CreateSpace (Print Book).
WESTERN MUSIC
Western classical music has been studied and performed
in Sri Lanka since its introduction during the Portuguese colonial period of
the 19th century. The upper middle-class and upper-class citizens of the
country traditionally formed the pedagogues, students, and audience of the
Western classical tradition in the country, although western music is also
offered as a subject at secondary schools and at tertiary level. The Symphony
Orchestra of Sri Lanka is one of the oldest western orchestras in South Asia.
The foundation of the National Youth Orchestra has helped increase interest and
participation more widely in society and among young people outside Colombo.
Many Sri Lankans have continued to reach the upper echelons of classical
performance, including world renowned cellist Rohan de Saram, pianist Rohan de
Silva [1], and many other composers, organists, and orchestral performers.
RECORDED MUSIC
The earliest stars of Sri Lankan recorded music came
from the theater at a time when the traditional open-air drama (referred to in
Sinhala as kolam, sokari or nadagam) remained the most popular form of
entertainment. A 1903 album, entitled Nurthi, is the first recorded album to
come out of Sri Lanka via Radio Ceylon. The station, which had long held a
monopoly over Sri Lanka's airwaves, had been established in 1925, and one of
Sri Lanka's pioneering broadcasters, Vernon Corea, almost immediately grasped
the opportunity to introduce Sri Lankan Music on the English Services of Radio
Ceylon.
In the wake of western and Indian proliferation in
music, composer and singer Ananda Samarakoon emerged from training at
Rabindranath Tagore's school at Shanthiketalan to develop a uniquely Sinhalese
music tradition in 1939. His work such as "Punchi Suda", "Ennada
Manike" and notably "Namo Namo Maatha" (adapted as Sri Lanka's
national anthem later) established the sarala gee genre. Another artist Devar
Surya Sena with his Western education was pivotal in popularizing folk songs of
Sri Lanka to the English elite that bore higher status in the country at the
time.
Kadawunu Poronduwa in 1947 brought about a film
industry in Sri Lanka. In the late 1940s and 1950s Sinhala film music became
the most popular with audiences; it was drawn heavily upon melodies found in
Hindi and Tamil films - adapted to a Sri Lankan audience by substituting their
original lyrics with Sinhala lyrics. Meanwhile, musicians like W. D. Amaradeva,
Sunil Santha, W.B. Makulolouwa etc. began experimenting with developing a
Sinhalese music style.
Pandit Amaradeva, trained at shantiniketan like
Samarakoon, took up the "Sarala Gee" tradition along with
experimentation of raaga forms. This became popular in the country especially
through sarala gee programs broadcast in Radio Ceylon. Musicians such as Victor
Ratnayake, Stanley peris, Austin Munasinghe, Rohana Weerasinghe, Sanath
Nandasiri, Gunadasa Kapuge, Sunil Edirisinghe, Edward Jayakody, Amarasiri
Peiris, Rookantha Gunathilaka Iraj & Ranidu, Ranga Dasanayaka, and Ekvin
Peiris carry on the tradition.
C de S Kulatilake, Makulolouwa believed Sinhalese
music should follow the traditions of its folk music called "Jana
Gee". He gathered a great many of Sinhalese folk poems by travelling
around the country and tried to develop a unique style. Late musicians like
Lionel Ranwala, Austin Munasinghe and Rohana Beddage contributed in developing
Makuloluwa's "Jana Gee" style.
Sunil Santha took a Western approach in his work
inspired from Church music. He opposed of getting elements from Hindustani
"Raaga" music to develop Sinhalese music. This was evident when he
was later banned from Radio Ceylon after refusing to audition for Indian
musician Ratanjankar, whom the corporation had brought from South India to
oversee the direction of music on their stations.
Premasiri Khemadasa also known as "Khemadasa
Master" is one of the most influential composers in Sri Lankan music.
Inspiring from Western Classical music, Hindustani music and also Sinhala folk
music he composed in his own style which became popular since late 1960s. He is
one of the highly regarded film, stage and TV drama composer and his music is
used by the best directors in the country. Khemadasa Master is also famous for
creating operas and cantatas.
Pivotal to the works of these musicians were
songwriters like Mahagama Sekara and Chandraratne Manawasinghe who in their
lyrics presented deeply poetic, and honestly expressed, ideas - many of which
also promoted a sense of nationalism in a nation that had received independence
less than a generation before in 1948.
With the dawn of the 1960s and government restrictions
on travel to India original compositions became in vogue in film music though a
few popular films continued to tout stolen melodies under the hands of music
arrangers like P. L. A. Somapala and Mohomed Sally.
The mid-1960s, saw the introduction of pop groups such
as Los cabelleros led by Neville Fernando, La Ceylonians led by Noel Ranasinghe
(widely known as "King of Sri Lankan Calypso"), The La Bambas, The
Humming Birds and Los Muchachos; all of whom played calypso-style baila
borrowing their style from Caribbean folk-singer Harry Belafonte. This mixture
of Caribbean calypso with native baila was dominated by two groups: The
Moonstones, and The Golden Chimes led by musicians Annesley Malewana and
Clarence Wijewardene.
Sri Lankan pop/film music managed to hold a large
portion of Sri Lanka's market during the late 1960s and early 1970s, but by
1980, Indian film music had again displaced local musicians as the
highest-selling sector of the Sri Lankan music industry. In the 1980s the
disco-pop musician Rookantha Gunathilake emerged to become one of the most
popular artists of the time. Many young musicians followed Rookantha and his
style in 1980s and 1990s.
MIDI/Computer based music performances and recording
were introduced to Sri Lanka in the 1980s by Keyboardist/composer Diliup
Gabadamudalige. He was the first to use a complete MIDI based performing
keyboard setup and also use MIDI/Sequencers and Music software/Computer based
music recording and performances in Sri Lanka. Diliups contribution has been
recognized by the Govvernment of Sri Lanka and he has been awarded the
Kalashuri title and was also awarded the first Lyle Godrich Memorial Award for
Contribution to the western Music Industry in Sri Lanka in 2011.
The Gypsies has remained a popular band for over four
decades and the Sunflowers (band) is the most widely recorded group for nearly
three decades.
Since 1998, Many Pop/R&B groups have emerged in
Sri Lanka - the most prominent of which is known as Bathiya and Santhush—who
draw inspiration from the Europop groups that visited the island. Among their
accomplishments; they are the first Sri Lankan group to be signed to an
international record label (Sony BMG), and were an integral component in the
label's entrance into the nation's music industry in 2002/2003. They have
received international awards for their compositions, and have performed in
several countries - including on BBC radio in the UK.
Dinesh Subasinghe composed the first ever Buddhist
oratorio (Karuna Nadee) and introduced the ancient instrument Ravanahatha to
Sri Lankan Media. He has brought few changes to this ancient instrument, he
brought a unique style and technique to play it like a Sarangi. In 2007 for the
first time he brought this instrument to electronic media in Sri Lanka and into
the recording music industry, also he used this instrument for A. R. Rahman's
rhymes school CD and for some Indian Tamil movies. Dinesh Subasinghe has
contributed a pivotal role for the improvement of musical life in Sri Lanka,
and has been described as the Sri Lanka's most prominent and prolific youngest
film and TV composer by Time. His works are notable for integrating western
Eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and
traditional orchestral arrangements.
ANCIENT SRILANKAN
RAVANAHATHA
The Ravanahatha is a crude violin made of coconut
shell, bamboo and goat skin, with a natural fibre serving as the string. Goat
and sheep gut and coconut wood are also used. Having been the first stringed
instrument to be played with a bow, it is recognized as the world's first
violin. Ravanahatha or Ravana's hand is mentioned in the ancient Indian epic
'Ramayana'. The soulful music emanating from the Ravanahatha is believed to
have moved Hindu god Shiva, of whom Ravana was an ardent devotee. 'The
instrument was picked by Hanuman and flown to north India, where it is still
played in Rajasthan and in the Agra area of Uttar Pradesh and is known as
Ravanahatha,
 |
| Sri Lankan Ravanahatha |
From India, the Ravanahatha travelled westwards to the
Middle East and Europe, where in the 9th century, it came to be called the
ravanastron, according to the website library thinkquest.org. From the 11th
century onwards, the bowed instrument underwent many changes before it took the
shape of the modern violin in Italy in the 16th century.
Dinesh Subasinghe a star on the Sri Lankan music
horizon, has a new and daring passion - to popularize Ravanahatha a violin-like
instrument that Lanka king Ravana had devised and played about 5,000 years ago.
The Ravanahatha sounds like the north Indian instruments Sarangi and Esraj. Its
plaintive and melancholic sound touches an emotional chord, ',
The melancholic sound of Ravanahatha might be a
reflection of the character of Ravana, a tragic hero who the author of the
'Ramayana' demonised, conveniently ignoring his abilities as a scholar,
musician and technologist. The ravanahatha's birth itself is believed to have
taken place under traumatic circumstances. According to legend, Ravana's mother
Kaikasi, an ardent devotee of Shiva, was eager to go and live in the god's
abode on Mount Kailash in the Himalayas. Ravana opposed the plan vehemently,
but to please his mother he promised to bring Mount Kailash itself to Sri
Lanka. As Ravana was lifting the mountain, an angry Shiva trapped his 10 heads
and 20 arms. Writhing in pain, Ravana prayed for mercy. When Shiva let him off,
Ravana decided to sing his praise and instantly made an accompanying instrument
using one of his heads, an arm and some of his hair. The soulful music
emanating from Ravana's instrument is said to have moved Shiva, who bestowed
immortality on him. Though crude and utterly simple, the Ravanahatha has proved
to be a very soothing instrument.
Dinesh Subasinghe brought some changes to this ancient
instrument, he brought a unique style and technique to play it like a Sarangi,
in year 2007 for the first time he introduced this instrument to electronic
media in Sri Lanka and into the recording music industry and Dinesh Subasinghe
launched the first audio album from thia Ancient Instrument Ravanahatha,
RAVANAHATHA
 |
| ravanahatha |
It is believed to have originated among the Hela
civilisation of Sri Lanka in the time of King Ravana. The bowl is made of cut
coconut shell, the mouth of which is covered with goat hide. A dandi, made of
bamboo, is attached to this shell. The principal strings are two: one of steel
and the other of a set of horsehair. The long bow has jingle bells
Throughout the medieval history of India, kings were
patrons of music; this helped in increased popularity of ravanhatta among royal
families. In Rajasthan and Gujarat, it was the first musical instrument to be
learned by princes. The Sangit tradition of Rajasthan further helped in
popularizing ravanhatta among ladies as well.
 |
| Dinesh Subasinghe showing the Ravanahatha |
According to legend, Ravana was an ardent devotee of
the Hindu god Shiva, and served him using the soulful music emanating from the
ravanahatha. In the Hindu Ramayana epic, after the war between Rama and Ravana,
Hanuman picked up a Ravanahatha and returned to North India. In India, the
Ravanahatha is still played in Rajasthan. From India, the ravanahatha traveled
westwards to the Middle East and Europe, where in the 9th century, it came to
be called the Ravan strong.
In modern times, the instrument has been revived by
Sri Lankan composer and violinist Dinesh Subasinghe and used in several of his
compositions, including Rawan Nada and the Buddhist oratorio Karuna Nadee.,[3]
Dinesh Subasinghe's Ravanahatha version has been referred by Michael Ondaatje
the Canadian novelist and poet who won the Booker Prize for his novel The
English Patient, which was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film.he has
mentioned it as the mother of violin in the history.
ROCK MUSIC
Rock Music in Sri Lanka dates back to the early 1970s
when Kumar Navaratnam and friends staged the first Rock Festival at the
Havelock Park in Colombo Sri Lanka. Kumara Navaratnam could be hailed as the
Main strength behind the evolving rock music scene then along with others like
Prins Jayaratnam and the Unwanted Generation, Prasanna Abeysekara's Coffin
Nail, Neville of Acid, Gobbledegook and Sweetie Pie, which was led by pianist
Nimal Goonawardane, Richard Simon, Mary etc. Mary was the only Rock band to play
all original music at that time and was led by Ravi Balasooriya of
"Bugs" fame. Other members being Aruna Siriwardane, Benjy Ranabahu,
Diliup Gabadamudalige and Dwight Van Gramberg. Ramesh Weeratunga, who was a
composer/solo performer of this period, went on to become a professional
musician/song writer in Germany, releasing several solo albums.
Sri Lanka now has a significant underground metal and
hard rock community which is growing in popularity among upper-middle-class
teenagers and young adults. Some internationally known Sri Lankan metal bands
include Stigmata, Chitral Somapala, Whirlwind, Old Castles Massacre, Funeral In
Heaven,Forlorn Hope, Plecto Aliquem Capite, Paranoid Earthling. The main rock
radio station in Sri Lanka is 'TNL Rocks', which is a very popular radio
station among the youth of Colombo, Kandy and some other suburbs of the island.
Many other bands too have emerged ever since the 1990s making the heavy metal
underground much bigger. While Colombo is a breeding ground for many hard rock
bands like Stigmata, Kandy gave birth to the pioneer Grunge outfit Paranoid
Earthling, which was the first rock band to emerge from the Hill Capital. Kandy
is also the stronghold for black metal bands like "Pariah Demise"
"Lieu De Fault" and some doom metal bands as well.
In 2005 Dinesh Subasinghe and Dee R Cee members were
recognized as an alternative rock band. Dinesh introduced rock music into Sri
Lankan TV series music. Later he composed music for Hithata Wahal wimi and
Sarangana tele dramas for Sirasa TV, and the guitar was played by an Indian
legendary guitarist, John Anthony.
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