Influences on our music

Having lot of time hanging during this period of retirement, I have been able to listen and enjoy our own music as well as western classical stuff in the evenings. In the course of these joyous musical evenings I have come across many melodies of Sinhala songs which can be traced back to popular western songs and even western classical tunes.

These imitations, however, did not detract from the pleasurable experiences I derived as they had been very adroitly and even creatively reconstructed. I prefer to think that the composers of the melodies of the Sinhala songs have only been "influenced" by the western tunes. I give below a list of some of these imitations/adaptations.

The popular Ran Tikiri Sina is a straight copy of Wagner's Bridal Chorus. The first few bars of Ben Fonseka's Bathieni Pem Pala are the same as those in Gene Autry's Back in the saddle again. C. T. Fernando's Ma Bala Kaale can be traced to La Cuckaracha.

Similarly, Sanda Wata Ran Tharu has been influenced by Moon light and Skies sung by Jimmy Rogers senior. And his Sihina Love is a mirror image of the slow part of Chopin's Fantasia Impromptu rendered in fast tempo. His Bilinda Nalave Ukule is also an imitation of a very fast sung Latin American melody the words of which could not be identified.

The composer of Crlo Fonseka's ever popular Raththran Duwe has been influenced by an English song of yester year the first line of which was "Father dear father come home with me now, the clock on the steeple strikes one." But this western tune has been copied wholesale by the composer of the tune of Kandy Lamissi with a change in the tempo.

Despite the negative comments I must hasten to add that the above named Sinhala melodies have been so deftly adapted and rendered as to give equal if not more pleasure to the listener. This is particularly so with regard to C. T. Fernando's songs as, in my opinion, there has been no singer so far to emulate the quality of his voice.

A further point I wish to make is that our musicians could take comfort in knowing that even in western classical music (of which I have only a rudimentary knowledge) there have been imitations.

Only recently, listening to the SLBC, I found that the melody of the English national anthem is to be found in Donizetti's Overture to the Opera Roberto...(?). I later read in an encyclopedia that this melody is to be found in many other classical musical pieces.

Again, I found that the great Mozart had derived the tune of his well known Laudate Dominum (in Vesperae solennes) from one of Hayden's Piano pieces on G minor. It appears that both have been contemporaries and it is difficult to say whose was the original.

Although these comments seem prudish and pedantic the important thing is to listen and enjoy music to the full irrespective of some pieces being imitations or adaptations. Going beyond that by doing a little snooping (research) on music may not be a bad thing if one has the time for it.

Leo Fernando, Battaramulla.