Darshanapathy Wijeratne Ranatunge as a master percussionist

This week’s column is dedicated to Wijeratne Ranatunge, a master percussionist who has recently passed away leaving a rich legacy in the field of instrumental music in Sri Lanka. He was a senior lecturer at the University of Visual and Performing Arts and was one of the most sought after percussionists in the field.

Though he played and experimented with percussionist instruments from both Hindustani and Sri Lankan folk music traditions, his forte was the Tabla, for which he was the most accomplished artist of his generation. His contribution not only to the popularisation of the Tabla but also to the field of percussion instruments is vindicated by his students who perform in almost all concert of music.

Early life

In his early days, Wijeratne Ranatunge, among his contemporaries, was known as ‘Dolky Wijey’ (Dolky is an Indian percussion instrument) as he used to play the Dolky. Although his application to enter the Government College of Music or Heywood as it was known then was not entertained, Dr. Lionel Edirisinghe was informed that there was a talented boy and that he deserved a place in the college. His entry into the field of music was coincidental and at the test, Wijeratne Ranatunge played the Dolky. It was the heyday of the Heywood and the most of his contemporaries such as Victor Ratnayake, Mervin Perera, Austin Munasinghe and Amitha Vedisinghe later dominate the field of music.

Academic career at the university

He studied playing the Tabla under the guidance and counsel of Visharada D.R Peries and Sangeeth Nipun P.V Nandasiri and A. D Kodituwakku . He joined the Institute of Music Studies which was then affiliated to the University of Kelaniya as a demonstrator. A significant aspect of his career at that stage was that he acquired a dual personality in both classical and applied Tabla playing.

Wijeratne Ranatunge studied at Maharagama Central College. In 1976, he completed a one -year course at the Lalitha Kalayathanaya as a tablaist and vocalist. His first teacher of music was Dr. Premasiri Khemadasa. Maestro Khemadasa’s influence was pervasive throughout his career particularly in the sphere of applied music in which he was the undisputed maestro.

One of the instances where Wijeratna Ranatunge’s versatility in a classical performance was demonstrated when Prof. Deepali Nagha highly praised his talents in Hindustani classical music as he was called to replace a Tablist on stage. He demonstrated his knowledge of techniques in Hindustani classical music in a manner in which he altered his style of playing to suit the principal instrument in the performance such as Sitar and Flute or the singer. He employed diverse methods of playing to suit the performer.

However, the important fact is that devised his methodologies based on Hindustani classical music tradition yet with an indigenous signature. For instance, after he became a teacher at the university, every beat on Tabla was his own and not those copied from master Tablists in India. In addition to improvising his own beats on the Tabla, he also introduced hand motions. For instance, he could play Tabla on both parts of the instrument in a harmonious manner while introducing innovative hand-motions.

Innovative creations

Although he was a versatile classical performer, his contribution, at times, was prominent in the field of applied music. One of the factors for his extraordinary talents and the skills in the field of applied music is his mastery in indigenous percussion instruments such as Udakkiya and Rabana. He integrated the indigenous tone motifs of such instruments as Udakkiya and Rabana into his creations. He used Rabana in an innovative manner in such songs as Hita Mithuru Sulaga (Victor Ratnayake), Nangiye Maliye, Dagabmaha Vawu. For instance, he mimics the sounds of the Kol drum used in Begali Rabindra Sangeeth for the song Arundathi Tharakava Se.

At the zenith of his career, Wijeratne Ranatunge composed rhythms for songs. For songs such as Mage Amalbiso (Sunil Edirisinghe), Bomaluve (Sanath Nandasiri), he composed rhythms. Directors of music, who worked with him, state that he would read the lyric before composing rhythms for it. It was by and largely due to the influence of maestro Khemadasa on Ranatunga. Wijeratne Ranatunge also composed music for several songs including Ipadunuda Ma Hadavatenna, Galana Galana Dolapare, Gangava Galabasa Adure, Mitinmudahara Baluvemi. Wijeratne Ranatunge, the most accomplished tablaist in the country, discovered through his researches that the tabla can be tuned in such a way as to produce copious of sounds including those produced by Uddakiya (A traditional drum used in Up Country dancing) and Tammatama (a pair of traditional drums often played at Buddhist Viharas associated with religious activities).

He has produced several symphonies using the tabla. For instance, the symphony of rain is, indeed, a marvelious work as the maestro captures even tiny drops of water and the rising tempo of the rain. He also produces a symphony encapsulating a complex life-style and its characteristic pace in a modern fast moving society.

Maestro Wijeratne Ranatunge was internationally acclaimed for his mastery in the tabla by many countries including Italy which conferred him a special award in recognition of his talents on April 9, 2000 after several successful tours in Italy. He had performed in Italy, Germany and France in addition to his recent tours of New York where he performed with Pradeep Ratnayake at the Disney Land Theatre and at the Sidney Opera House with Rohana Weerasinghe. He wrote the book titled “Using Tabla in Sri Lanka” in 1999. His departure is a irreparable loss not only for the academia where he imparted his knowledge of music but also for the field of applied music which needs more and more artists, musicians and rhythm composers in the calibre of Wijeratne Ranatunge.