Gunadasa Kapuge the vocalist with an irreplaceable voice
63rd birth anniversary tomorrow:
Ruwini Jayawardana
Some are fortunate to be born with a silver spoon in their mouth
while others have to earn the life's fortunes through hardwork. Yet as
most success stories go it is those who have shed tears and blood to get
to the top that prevail in the hearts and minds of the public.
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Another notable aspect of the
master musician's songs was the fact that he had the ability to
lift and lower his voice while he sang.
He staged a solo performance with
a musical show named Kampana at Lumbini theatre on August 25,
1990, and also launched a cassette and CD with the same title.
Though he won many awards
including the Sarasaviya award in the most popular category, he
was always humble at heart. |
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Veteran vocalist, Gunadasa Kapuge |
Visharada Gunadasa Kapuge, or Kapuge Master as he was fondly called
within music circles, was a vocalist who emerged in the midst of great
financial difficulties to entertain masses through his inimitable voice.
A significant aspect regarding his music is that he blended life's
dramatic realities into song. He was one of the most successful singers
that SLBC introduced to the world of music and his songs are still
embraced by the public even after more than five years since his demise.
He was born in a little village named Thanabaddegama, Elpitiya in the
Southern province on August 7, 1945, and was the second in a family of
eight children. His parents were Ellalamulla Kapuge Francis and Don
Alice Nona, ordinary estate workers during the period.
He studied at Eeramulla Junior College then at Karadeniya Central,
Nagoda Vidyalaya, Galle, and finally switched to Dharmasoka College,
Ambalangoda, where he initially studied Bio-science for his HSC before
switching to music, the field he was destined to play a key role.
He attended Haywood College of music and graduated with a music
diploma in 1963. Later he flew to India for further studies and
qualified as a Visharada of Music at the prestigious Bathkande
Institute.
He joined the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) in the late
1960s as an operational assistant in the recording section and was
subsequently promoted on merit. His first breakthrough came in 1973 when
his debut number Desa Nilupul Thema sung for a cultural programme was
aired on SLBC. The song became a hit overnight and he won recognition as
an A grade singer.
Kapuge never called himself a Marxist but those close to him knew
that his sympathies lay towards the ideology. He stood for a vision
which believed in rising the human standard of living.
Though he never used his academic qualifications to indulge in a
world of mediocrity and dilettantism, forces worked against him and he
had to undergo a punishment transfer from the main broadcasting station
in Colombo to a provincial station in Rajarata alias the Rajarata Sevaya.
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Kapuge during a musical show |
Always one to look at the brighter prospects in life he took up the
post good naturedly and under took the task of forming a better music
unit for the radio station. He managed to bring out a whole new group of
amateur vocalists to the spotlight.
Many famous voices like those belonging to Karunaratne Divulgane,
Jayathilaka Bandara, Senanayake Weralliyadda, Annesley Nanayakkara and
Manel Rajakaruna were introduced by him. He even gifted the nation with
talented lyricists like Ven. Pallagama Hemaratne ther, Mahinda
Dissanayake, Mahinda Chandrasekara and Seetha Ranjini.
The master musician married Prema Withanage in 1978 and in 1980, he
launched his maiden music cassette Dhampatin Laa Sandha with talented
vocalist Malini Bulathsinhala.
Interestingly Dhampatin Laa Sandha was the first cassette for both
the two veteran vocalists who went on to churn out more captivating
numbers for the music industry in the future. Kapuge released several
more cassettes in his stint of three decades in the field of music. Most
of them like Seethala Sandha Eliyae (1981), Unmadha Sithuwam (1983) and
Piya Satahan (1990) became top sellers.
His first contribution as a playback singer was for the film Ektam
Geya for which he sang the song Unmadha Situwam. He also took part in
the vocals in Dharmasiri Bandaranaike's films Bavaduka and Bavakarma,
which were both released in 1997. Kiyanga Magiya the song he sang for
Milton Jayawardane's movie Bithu Sithuwam was one of his most memorable
tracks.
He was well versed in his instrumental music as well as vocals and
the first stage drama for which he provided background music was
Sugathapala de Silva's Thuranga Sanniya.
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Kapuge with his mother, Don Alice Nona |
Among many other plays he also composed the musical scores for the
highly popular stage play Tharawo Igilethi directed by Lucien
Bulathsinhala. Stanley Perera's Sandha provided his first opportunity to
show his versatility as a background musician for a film.
Kapuge's earlier songs had a touch of romanticism but his later
tracks embodied depth and realism. His songs had the power to move its
listeners for he they carried meaningful messages.
For example his song Bimbarak Senaga Gevasuna Chandra Suriya Ipaduna
evoked memories of the uprising of Uve Wellassa against the British,
arousing national sentiment in the listeners. Uthuru Kone Nuba Hinahena
was aimed at bringing harmony between the people living in the North and
South of the island.
Another notable aspect of the master musician's songs was the fact
that he had the ability to lift and lower his voice while he sang.
He staged a solo performance with a musical show named Kampana at
Lumbini theatre on August 25, 1990, and also launched a cassette and CD
with the same title. Though he won many awards including the Sarasaviya
award in the most popular category, he was always humble at heart.
The veteran musician who nurtured the Sri Lankan music industry for
three decades passed away after an unfortunate accident which took place
at the Katunayake Airport in April 3, 2003 after returning from a show
in Dubai. |
