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Wednesday, 10 November 2010

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Cello aglow

Cello, as a Western music instrument introduced to Ceylon during colonial times, has a history of over 100 years. The instrument was earlier confined to the privileged upper class and never gained state recognition until 2003; it was practised mainly in Army, Navy, Air Force, Police bands and church choirs. Cello was recognized as a


Sakya Wanamal Picture by Prabodhi Lanka

secondary subject and became a core subject at the Western Music department of Visual and Performing Arts University in 2007. As a result, this year witnesses the first batch of cello graduates.

Sakya Wanamal, a pioneer lecturer of the subject at the Visual and Performing Arts University, shares her views with Artscope.

* Where do you position the cello among the western instruments?

Most of these belong to the base instrument family, which is completely different from the wind instruments. Violin, viola, cello and double base are the instruments that give out a deep sound in western music.

Cello is a difficult instrument compared to violin. So, as a base instrument, you can position cello between violin and double base.

* As a Sri Lankan cello artiste, do you think you have reached international standards?

I am a Sri Lankan traditional dancer as well. I had the opportunity to blend the sound of my cello and the rhythm of our traditional dancing.

I have danced to the cello sound. However western cello players are more professional than us, apparently because this is a western instrument. Honestly I have not reached the international standard.

Yet as a university don, I always try to teach something beyond my cello teachers. I am involved in and attached to dancing more than the cello. But that is not a stumbling block for me to teach undergraduates. I am capable enough to teach them to reach the standards required by the London exams.

* Are you satisfied with the skills and standard of your students?

This is the first batch of cello graduates in Sri Lanka. They will get along with our society very soon. Right at the moment I am happy with their skills and the standard. But, yes, there is a lot more to improve.

We have only 12 students right at the moment. Some of them have not offered this as a main subject.

Only two students will complete the degree this year. Most undergraduates are afraid of studying cello as a core subject mainly because of expenses. A cello is usually priced at about Rs 50,000.

Many students would prefer easy instruments rather than paying through the nose. In time they come forward as vocalists. We try to increase the number of cello students by bringing forth concerts.

I am happy that the university has decided to teach western music in degree level. Earlier this opportunity was confined to the English-speaking upper and upper-middle class students.

* Do you think the cello and our folk sounds could be blended?

I have not personally worked on that. But I had a chance to blend my cello sound and Ravibandu Vidaypathy's drumbeat. That has been a runaway success, I must say.

On the other hand, only a handful of cello artistes live in Sri Lanka - lesser than 10. Working on a cello, let alone experimenting on any fusion or blending, is therefore a very rare experience here.

* You are confident you can usher in a new generation of cello artistes, I guess.

I hope so. And I firmly believe university is the right place where you can achieve this target quite easily. Our main problem however is that we have got only a little number of cellos to play. Besides, the university has already introduced valuable textbooks on cello. As far as I know there are about three or four private cello teachers. Still and all only university students are eligible for the recommended qualification.

My father was someone who was against the idea that this instrument should be confined to the privileged lot. As long as dedication and capacity are there, anyone can play the instrument. Unfortunately we still don't have a proper program to teach cello at school level, at least for A-L Western Music.

* How do you face the challenges as the first local university lecturer of cello?

The number of students should go up. That's my first challenge. And then we should work on promoting orchestras.

More cellos will enable us to work on a refined orchestra.

Most of our university students cannot even read a western notation because they have passed A-Ls in North Indian classical music stream. So you have to teach them from the very beginning. This however doesn't mean that doing North Indian classical music hinders you from following Western music at the university level.

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