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| Monday, 28 April 2003 |
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Bookshelf Portrait of the Buddha By Jayasena Jayakody Dayawansa Jayakody Bookshop, Price Rs. 280 Jayasena Jayakody's "Portrait of the Buddha" vividly describes the life and culture of Sinhala Buddhists. The author's observations are penetrating and his insight into the life around him is remarkably deep. Being a humanist nurtured in Buddhist cultural heritage, he views the life of the common man with a rare sensitivity. "Portrait of the Buddha is not only a useful addition to Buddhist literature but also a powerful piece of creative writing. the book provides. The reader with an understanding of the Buddha, His teachings and above all, one's own self. ########## Review : Fifty years a doctor Chance brings them together to study medicine. They spend five years doing so, and then scatter to different parts of the country or the wide world. But that narrow span of five years seems to be capable of doing something to them, to create some kind of fellow-feeling, so that even fifty years later, at a mean age of 75, they are willing to spend time and money to meet and celebrate. Some of theme even pair off for life during those five years in medical school. The 1953 MBBS Graduates of the University of Ceylon had their 50th anniversary celebration on Sunday 20th April, 2003 at the Ceylon Continental Hotel, Colombo. Of the 108 medical graduates of 1953, 42 were present, 34 were deceased, some few were untraceable. It was remarkable enough that such a meeting could happen at all, considering the complexity of the task of arranging it. Thirteen of the participants had come from other parts of the world (Australia 3, India 1, New Zealand 1, UK 8). A second remarkable feature was that the hall arrangements were adroit and smooth. From the moment of arrival there, one was taken care of. There were gifts, eats and drinks, fellowship, excellent buffet dinner, and arrangements for transport home of those who wanted it - and all done by the doctors themselves and not by a PR firm. Had the five years in medical school taught them not only medicine but also camaraderie and administration? The central figure in making all these arrangements was Dr. Benjamin S. David, a paediatrician. A third remarkable thing was the music. There was an anniversary song, "It's our fiftieth anniversary today", in which the words as well as the music were written by Lakshmi Perera, wife of one of the doctors there (Dr. B. A. V. Perera). It was sung by the audience led by a small group of half a dozen persons - doctors and their wives - led in turn by Mrs. Perera, with organ accompaniment by a young doctor, Dr. Farhadd, who also provided background music during the rest of the meeting. Very many of the 1953 graduates had become specialists in one field or other medicine. The leader of the group was Dr. J. N. Rodrigo, a leading obstetrician and gynaecologist, as well as being a hospital administrator. The group included a religious minister - surgeon (Rev. Dr. Roy Goonewardene) and a writer (Dr. B. Wijeratne). The Lionel Memorial Auditorium commemorates the pharmacologist Dr. N. D. W. Lionel. The chief guest was the doyen of doctors, Dr. P. R. Anthonis. There were many speeches, some so free with time that the organiser had to whisper something in their ear. There was the occasional bawdy touch in those speeches and in talk, reminding one of what used to be thought of, along with arrack and block throwing, as an unsheddable mark of the medical student of yore. Support from drug firms, now a sine qua non of medical meetings, was much in evidence. - VB ########## Impressions of a musical lecture - demonstration The lecture-demonstration with two violins and a viola by Lakshman Joseph de Saram, assisted by Chathurika Abeysekera and Shehara Gunasekera, that took place at the Alliance Francaise on March 29 under the auspices of the Western Music Panel of the Arts Council proved to be a musical evening with a difference. For the focus was not on entertainment but on education, not on the works performed but on the musical tradition from which they originated or to which they contributed; and hence, not on the presenter himself but on the material he presented. The music in itself was not remarkable, albeit most skilfully and feelingly played. The two early Beethoven duets transcribed for violin and viola were essentially minor works. But it was interesting to see how the first reflected the influence of the Italian style of composition which Beethoven discarded as he came under the Teutonic influence that was to determine his development as a composer. Examples of the former were the use of the glissando and the obviously Italian lilt of the melodic line. The second work performed was a duet for two violins by Viotti, a composer of whom little is ordinarily heard. We appreciated his being given the limelight here because of the influence he was to exercise over the writing for violin of Beethoven and Brahmas, among others, as reflected even in their great violin concertos. The second Beethoven violin/viola duet, apart from demonstrating the indebtedness to Viotti was interesting for its depiction of other features that were to come to play a major part in the development of Beethoven's distinctive style. It was in the key of B flat, to which Beethoven returned in major works like the Fourth Symphony, the Hammerklavier Piano Sonata and the 13th String Quartet plus the subsequently separated Grosse Fuge. Here, too, we saw the very first use of the Scherzo which was actually invented by Beethaven to succeed the Minuet and Trio as a compositional movement. There was also the theme and variations format to which Beethoven would have recourse in his greatest works, such as the last Symphony, the last Piano Sonatas and the last String Quartets. Last to be performed were nine of the forty four duets for two violins by Bartok. These represented the composer's "fusion" of modal and folk elements with the modern influences of Debussy and Stravinsky. At a time when so much quasi-fusion music is being forced upon us, it was good to be able to perceive from these excerpts that genuine fusion comes about only when the creative imagination of the composer welds otherwise disparate elements into a new harmonic whole. I believe the most significant achievement of this lecture-demonstration was to help the audience to realise that behind the great and well-known works of musical composition there lies an unbroken tradition of techniques, styles and other influences all of which, in the hands of their innovators and developers, the small and the great alike, have contributed to the rich and living tapestry of this tradition. Even Beethoven, for all the originality of his genius, was indebted to this tradition: even the modern individuality of Bartok drew inspiration from it. We appreciate Lakshman Joseph de Saram for sharing his knowledge with us and trust other performers will take a leaf out of his book. For the crying need of Sri Lankan audience is not entertainment, of which there is a surfeit, but education, so that musical taste is progressively uplifted till the really great works, especially those of Beethoven, are properly appreciated and their performance is not a rarity, as at present, but a regular feature of our musical experience. - Priya David A blend of different moods by Lakmal Welabada Moods, the maiden painting exhibition of Windya Randika Perera will be held at the Lionel Wendt on May 3 and 4. It will be a novel experience for Sri Lankan art enthusiasts as `Moods' will be an exhibition with a blend of different moods, colours and medium on canvas. Windya has used her brush strokes neat and care with oils and water colours to portray beautiful sceneries and abstracts. The young talent holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Karnataka Chithrakala Parishath and a Diploma in Jewellery Designing at Vogue Institute of Fashion Technology in Bangalore, India. Windya who teaches art to students both young and old at her home also conducts free classes for the children of the orphanage at Wellawatta. The 22-years-old artist who loves pottery painting as well hopes to take up fashion designing in the future. |
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