Anticipating a new musical era

Aravinda Hettiarachchi meets Visual and Performing Arts University’s Western Music Department Founder B R Dassanayake

There is no language more powerful than the language of music. It is distinct, universal and exemplified in culture. Music reaches out to individuals crossing cultural and linguistic barriers. It unites us all as it envelopes its enchanting beauty and rhythm.

Government Collage of Music or the Government Collage of Fine Arts was initiated in 1949 with one aesthetic subject, Painting. The Visual and Performing Arts University has come a long way. It shifted to Albert Crescent in 1952 with two more subjects: North Indian Classical Music and Dancing.

The college gained recognition as a University in 1974. North Indian Classical Music and Local Folk Music were taught. Dassanayake’s entered the university in 1977.

“Only a few Eastern musical instruments of North Indian Classical Music were taught at the time.

“It was limited, but the college produced several local artistes who had excelled in eastern art. This is not enough. We need to deal with various traditions and artistes of international standards. We need to work on different musical instruments and styles. Many instrumental artistes from radio and television made requests because they lacked skills.”

He recalled adding that the eastern music centred extremist minds and the institutional hierarchy did not allow western music to prevail within the university. “Students and intellectuals demanded the subject. It was an ongoing tug-of-war but in 1974 Western music was accepted as a subject limited to examination papers. During my stint as the section head I wanted to bring the genre as a secondary subject. We began with the piano, classical guitar and violin. It expanded trough the years and more students are learning the effective and refine the style of the art today,” he emphasized.

The department now teaches students to handle the western violin, flute, saxophone, clarinet, cello, viola, classical and flamenco guitar. Vocal training is also a part of the subject.

Bhathkande and Shanthi Nikethan too taught North Indian Classical Music in the beginning. Yet in the 1940s, Western musical instruments and their counterparts were required for the thriving Indian film industry.

“India is influenced by Western music in an indirect manner. They thought about the purity of North Indian Classical music in the past. They too added only the theory part of western music into their university syllabi. North Indian Classical music had preserved its own course. Western music had only influenced Indian cinema and performance art,” noted Dassanayake.

Starting from North Indian classical music Dassanayake says that he drew inspiration form Quintas Jayakodi. The Catholic artiste’s musical creations were rich with the essence of North Indian and Western music.

“I realized that both are vital to the local music field. I wanted to learn and understand these two cultures in a broader level. I have worked for the SLBC where they used these instruments,” he explained how the idea of introducing the subject to the university took shape. Dassanayake says that he had a prototype of the previous system used to teach the North Indian Classical music in the university.

“I called some people who studied Western music on their own. Most of them have reached the standers of professionals. Some of them had top grades from highly recommended examinations. Others are geniuses sans formal certificates. They joined in as western music teachers. Their students gained more than 80 percent at top level international degree exams, mostly conducted by the Royal and Trinity Collages in Europe.”

Foreign examiners linked with international musical projects highly appreciated the educational techniques and quality, Dassanayake noted.

Their next challenge is in bringing out the first batch of degree holders. They also hope to introduce more western musical instruments to their collection. Western drums will be the first to make appearance next year.

“We hope our students will make it to the international level. We wish to build a generation of teachers, music composers and individuals who embody the passion to experiment in music and take it to a new level. Our target is the foreign market and make a name for the country in the global arena,” he concluded.

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