[Arts]

Dr. Lionel Algama:

A master musician who left his footprints on the Sri Lankan musical landscape

By Ranga Chandrarathne

“Parawuna mal wala suwanda athethe” the theme song of the award wining film “Parasathumal” will linger in the minds of generation of Sri Lankan film fans though the genius behind its musical score is no more.

Dr. Lionel Algama’s demise is not only marked the end of an epoch-making musical genius who dominated Sri Lankan musical arena for over six decades but also of a man who was known for his diverse talents.

Little know fact about Dr. Lionel Algama was that he, was, in addition to being a multitalented musician, academic, teacher, a gifted vocalist who could sing Bengali and Hindi songs.

Perhaps, he is best remembered for his inventions of instruments of music, namely, the ‘SOORTHAR’ and ‘SREE VEENA’ which were the result of fifteen years of meticulous researches.

I could still remember how Dr. Lionel Algama described the spell-bound audience when he demonstrated “Sree Veena’ before the Bhrahmin board of Governance in a musical recital at the Bharathiya Vidya Bhawan (UK Centre), Institute of Indian Culture in London.

It was a kind of litmus test for Dr. Algama who wanted, some how, to perform on prestigious Bharathiya Vidya Bhawan arena. After board was satisfied, he was invited to perform live-in-concert at Bharathiya Vidya Bhawan and the concert was for charity.

At the end of the concert, the spell-bounded audience filled up the charity bowl with a heap of money never expected by the board members.

When Lionel Algama was born on March 24 in 1935 in Bandiyamulla in Gampaha, no one would have known what was in store for the child and how he would subsequently enrich the Sri Lankan music arena with his melodious music score which had immortalised films and dramas, making them gems in the collective memory of the nation.

Although a lot of information could not be found on his childhood which later shaped the contours of his character as a man and musician, many references were made to his bohemian father, Jinadasa Perera who was of considerable fortune and had had his own ensemble for armatures.

Suffice is to conclude that young Algama would have come under the influence of many evenings of rehearsals that the group of theatre personnel conducted at his home. Besides, his uncle Jayasinghe Perera was an accomplished harmonium player which would have been also helped lure Algama into the fascinating world of music.

Having been recognising talents and interest in music, in 1955, Lionel Algama, at the tender age of 20, left Sri Lanka and entered Visva Bharathi University or Shantiniketan and earned his bachelor’s degree in music following a hard-time of study and strenuous practical session for four years. Besides his studies of Music, Lionel Algama also learnt Bengali and Hindi. His doctoral theses titled “Teaching Music” and “Development of Chordophones completed in 1978 and in 1979, are considered as researched work of lasting value.

Career and achievements Dr. Lionel Algama commenced his trailblazing career as teacher of music at Thurstan College. It was not only a heyday for Lionel Algama who composed music for the college anthem but also for Sri Lankan drama and theatre.

It was during his tenure at Thurstan College that he composed music for Dayananda Gunawardena’s dance drama “Naribena”. Gunawardena, a friend of Algama was the then teacher of History at the college. For a brief spell, Dr. Lionel Algama served at the Ministry of Cultural Affairs as Cultural Development Officer prior to assuming duties as Examiner of at the Faculty of Aesthetic Music in the University of Kelaniya.

Among the noteworthy millstones in his career spanning many decade include serving as a Supervisor in Music in the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Maldives from 1983-1984 and designing the North Indian classical music syllabus for the Institute of Asia Culture, University of Windsor in Canada. He penned music for large number of films, ballets and dramas and won awards including the wards for the best music direction for the years 1961, 1963, 1984, 1996 and 2000.

The music score he composed for Sinhala films not only made them memorable but also resulted in the production of melodious songs.

Some of the films that he composed music for are Parasathumal, Patachara, Baduramal, Anusha, Indunila and Mayrige Kathawa. Besides Dayananda Gunawardena’s “Naribena”, Dr. Lionel Algama composed music for number of stage plays such as Oedipus, Romeo Juliet and several ballets including Chithrasena’s Karadiya, Nala Damayanthie and Through the Desert and Macbeth.

Dr. Lionel Algama had also performed at many international venues; at Perth and Tasmania in Australia with the Chithrasena ballet troupe and broadcasting T.V Singapore in 1963. From 1979 to 1980, he performed for B.B.C London, L.T.V London, Manchester, Birmingham Camden Centre London, W.C.I Commonwealth Institute of London.

He had also toured all Scandinavian countries. Towards the end of his days, Dr. Lionel Algama was thoroughly worried about the deteriorating standards in popular music and especially negative trends among youth who considered music as loud incoherent noise. Dr.Lionel Algama will be remembered as a silent genius who had made a lasting contribution to the field of music in Sri Lankan in different capacities.

Mask culture

By Ishara Mudugamuwa

[email protected]

Masks have been used from time immemorial by man as a means of deception as well as protection. For protection masks were worn by medical professionals and while fencing. Ballroom dances and actors on stage wore masks for deception. There is historical evidence that even during the Roman period actors wore masks on stage places.

In Sri Lanka masks have been mostly used for therapeutic rituals. Masks were made to depict brusque, terrifying or pleasing qualities. In Sri Lanka masks were popularly used in low country and Sabaragamuwa dances and rituals.

The low country “devil” dances from the earlier times participants made their own masks to depict the different characters they mean to impersonate either godly or devilish. In the by gone days it was part of sorcerers training or devil dancers training which requires the making of the masks. Making masks had been a simple task for the sorcerers and the devil dancers.

They used soft wood to make these masks, like “Diya Kaduru” which were freely available in the by gone days on the narrow bunds (Niyara) separating the plots of paddy. Farmers grew “Diya Kaduru” on the thin bunds to use its leaves to fertilize the fields.

When the log has been cut into pieces of required length, only a pen knife becomes sufficient to turn out a marvellous masks depicting the image of godly or devilish face.

Sometimes craftsmen use carpenter chisel to bore them. They make this emblem of deception seated on the veranda and keeping it on his lap.

Our traditional craftsmen never had the need to go for artificial chemical paints. For that they used natural colours freely available in our natural surroundings Craftsmen in Ambalangoda use barks, leaves and flowers of trees to make natural paints.

“Mahasona” had been treated by the devil dancers as the chief devil. In the dancing rituals, to get relief from the “Mahasona”, devil dancers perform 18 episodes. For every episode a separate mask has to be worn. Kolam has been very popular form of entertainment in the low country where Ambalangoda had been a place of fame. The appearance of “Lenchina” brought an unending laughter to small children as well as to the old man.

This effect could only be brought about by the humorous form of mask worn by the actor, a man. It is believed that ill-effects come from the evil mouth or eyes (As Waha, Kata Waha) could be dispelled by a mask of a devilish deception fixed at a place. That belief could be said that had prompted people to hang a devilish mask at the entrance to a construction of their new home.

“No Return” at Lionel Wendt

Veteran dramatist Ranjith Dissanayake’s latest production “Apahu Herenna Behe” (No Return) will go on board on June 7, 2008 at Lionel Wendt theatre at 7 p.m.

The drama is woven around characters who have embarked on a journey in search of happiness; one to achieve supremacy and another to safeguard the ideal of his life.

The cast of “No Return “which is a Freedom Theatre Group’s production include Saumya Liyanage, W. Jayasiri, Jayani Senanayake, Prasad Soriyarachchi, Dharmapriya Dias and Bimal Jayakody. RC

Sri Lankan dancers at International Ramayana Festival

Aru Sri Art Theatre is to perform at the International Ramayana Festival which will be held from June 5 to June 13 in India.

Directorate of Culture in the Provincial Government had invited Aru Sri Art Theatre for this festival. A twenty five member Sri Lankan troupe will perform in Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Gwalior. Performers from Cambodia, Java, Bali, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Ayodhya in India will also take part in the festival.

The accomplished veteran dancers and musicians in the Sri Lankan delegation will enact the Ramayana Dance Drama under the guidance and instruction of Kalasuri Arunthathy Sri Ranganathan, the creative head of Aru Sri Art Theatre.

The lead roles of the Dance Drama will be played by group of veteran dancers S. Guhendran, Abiramy Kandeepan, Chandana Wickramasinghe and his dance guild, Geeth de Silva, Kalakshethra dancers, Josika, Luxmi, Rishanthini, Sakitha and Subodini. Professional Musicians V. Jambunathan, R. Ratnadurai, Kumara Liyanawatte, S. Dibaharan, V. Senthooran and leading vocalist Aparna and Pratheepan will also perform at the festival.

RC