Amaradeva: A musical icon

Prof. Lakshman Andrady, North Carolina State University

Visharada W.D Amaradeva who single-handedly crafted the rich cultural fabric of uniquely indigenous Sinhala music turns 80 years today. Of those years at least six decades were spent on creating the musical heritage we proudly cherish as our own.

If not for his pioneering efforts in musical innovation, his insistence on the perfection of his art, and his stubborn refusal to take the easy path of imitation of the popular Indian music of the day, Lankan musical heritage would have been irreparably stunted well beyond any hope of a national identity.

Within the short span of a generation he educated the public and appealed to our national psyche to accept as our own a musical tradition that finally reflected the soul of the nation.

As a people and as a country we owe an enormous debt to him for this enduring vista of Sinhala art song. The maestro still remains the prodigious artist he always was, energetically composing, arranging his music and performing in concert proudly allowing the world a glimpse into the music of the Sinhalese people.

The time Visharada Ameradeva entered the field was a bleak era for Sinhala music. It was a particularly gloomy time when Sri Lanka survived on borrowed Nurthi music from India and a few melodies from the West.

Even sadder was the fact that this lack of a native musical tradition was not even realised by the then young and free nation. A cultural vacuum was clearly evident in post-independent Lanka. In 1948 Sunil Santha the leading vocalist of his time wrote in the Lankadeepa "Our accepted music has the Sinhala touch but it cannot fill the void.

What is needed is the method of singing without mixing with other foreign compositions and to sing our own compositions....". When Amaradeva started his own career in music the seeds of the coming revolution were already sewn.

The master musician and lyricist Ananda Samarakoon had conscientiously articulated the question and the musical virtuoso Sunil Santha had already taken the first wavering steps in the correct direction.

Accompanying Sunil on his violin Visharada Amaradeva was exposed to these attempts. Yet, it was still the pre-dawn of Sinhala music awaiting full discovery only in the 1950s when young Amaradeva returned to Sri Lanka after extensive musical training in India. Fortunately for us he did not succumb to the dazzling excellence of the Indian Raagadhari music he mastered at Bhatkande Institute and go on to earn a good living teaching it.

Visharada Amaradeva is a man of many talents; yet his forte is clearly synthesis or the fusion of musical traditions. He did not mindlessly decorate existing Indian rhythms with makeshift Sinhala lyrics to come up with songs.

Instead, he observed, listened, experimented with and analysed the folk songs of Sri Lanka. He drew his inspiration from native sources such as pel-kavi in the paddy fields, in songs like 'Pile Padura', from the karaththa kavi (sung in the ox-drawn carts) in 'Karadara Podi Benda', the traditional dance songs (vannam) and even our traditional lullabies.

It is this very same indigenous music that over the centuries defined the culture of our nation, embellished with the proven melodic framework of the Indian ragas, that forged his art songs into the masterpieces they are.

It was a brilliant strategy on his part; blending the refined sonorous ragas from a mature sophisticated musical tradition with the simple folk tunes that we subconsciously identify with and find soothing to us.

Visharada Amaradeva's true genius is in achieving this fusion seamlessly ensuring that in all his work the ragadhari foundation never overshadowed the subtle nuances in the edifice of folk composition. It is our very good fortune that he linked up with song writers of the calibre of Mahagama Sekera and Munidasa Kumaratunga in this quest.

Highly acclaimed as the best male Lankan vocalist, Amaradeva sang his songs interpreting the lyrics with his carefully cultivated vocal techniques to accurately convey their feelings.

Watching him sing live one can easily appreciate his dynamic engagement with the composition accurately vocalising its subtle nuances in his mature resonant voice. Among his thousand or so songs are a number of timeless favourites that will be relished for generations to come.

These include 'Shantha Me Ra Yaame' written by himsef, 'Rathna Deepa Janma Bhumi' by Sekera, 'Sasara Vasana Thuru' by Dalton Alwis and the all-time favorite 'Pera Dinayeka Maa Pem Kala Yuvathiya' by Sarath Silva.

Also enormously popular over the decades are his Buddhist songs such as 'Bodiyen Vata' and 'Paramitha Bala'. A category of highly-applauded works of his includes the haunting melodies of "Sannaliyane" (The weaver) and "Ipida Mare Yali Ipide" that explore philosophical topics of impermanence and change in life.

He holds his audiences enthralled despite the serious and at times even depressing themes in such compositions thanks to his flawless vocalisation and the richness of his melodies. In contrast to the deliberately leisurely pace of a majority of his popular works are the few highly acclaimed songs such as 'Pippee Pippee Renu Natana' or 'Somawathie' with a clear baila influence.

His magnum opus, however, would probably be the highly innovative 'Vakkada Langa" inspired by excited fingerlings dancing in the river and the torrential downpour, is a vibrant, captivating depiction of nature.

Mahagama Sekera's lyrics are so rich in native rural imagery and based on such simple language that it effortlessly conjures up the village setting in the mind of the listener. Following a spirited instrumental opening the lyrics start with: Vakkada langa diya vatena thaalayata - Thiththa patav uda pana natuva Vassa vahinnata issara ahase - Valakulin viduliya ketuva Amaradeva wrapped these every-day images in a complex Indian raga (Mega Malhaara) that is traditionally used to depict rainy season to obtain the unique musical effect he sought.

Three vigorous rhythms (3/4, 3/3, 4/4) capture the excitement and mood unraveled in the lyrics of this timeless composition.

As we wish Visharada Amaradeva a very Happy Birthday and many more ones to follow, those who made it possible for him to make this singular contribution to our culture deserve our appreciation as well.

These include in particular the two early pioneers Sunil Santha and Ananda Samarakoon who paved the way, his mentor Professor Ediriweera Sarachchandra who recognised his talent, all his teachers from Ghouse Master to Pandith Jorg in Lucknow who carefully nurtured his skills, as well as all his imaginative lyricists and accompanists.

As is always the case with great men, behind the greatness of Amaradeva is also a great woman a musician in her own right, his wife Vimala whose birthday also falls today. We owe her our thanks as well.

It is indeed a pity that all a grateful nation can do even for an artiste of Amaradeva's standing is to merely thank him for his sacrifices, commitment, and contribution at the end of the day.

If Sri Lanka had a National Living Treasure programme as in Japan, China, India or the Philippines, artistes of his calibre would be allowed the recognition and freedom to be even more creative in serving our culture and the future generations.