Pandith Amaradeva
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pandith Amaradeva | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Origin | Sri Lanka |
| Years active | 1947—present |
| Genres | Sri Lankan music, Folk music, Raga |
Pandit Wannakuwattawaduge Don Amaradeva (born Albert Perera on December 5, 1927) is a renowned Sri Lankan vocalist and musical composer, whose trademark musical style incoporates Sinhala folk music with Indian ragas. His music is often referred to as having forged what may be considered a truly Sri Lankan sound - this fact remains, however, his musical hallmark.
Pandit Amaradeva has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Philippine Ramon Magsaysay Award (2001), Indian Padma Sri Award and Sri Lankan "President's Award of Kala Keerthi" (1986) and Deshamanya Award (1998). He has also represented Sri Lanka in many forums including the UNESCO 1967 Manila Symposium, and composed the melody for the Maldives national anthem, Gaumii salaam, at the request of British Queen Elizabeth II in 1972.
[edit] Biography
Amaradeva was born Albert Perera to carpenter W.D. Ginoris Perera. Albert's father had played the violin for many years, and by the age of seven, Albert too, had begun to play the instrument. He began playing Bengali music, and then classical North Indian ragas - both of which he had been exposed to by his brother. Prior to his 12th birthday, he had begun playing at local recitals, and began to receive modest acclaim for his interpretations of classic Buddhist songs. By age thirteen, Albert had begun appearing on the radio; and by age nineteen, he had begun composing film music for films such as Asokamala, and dropped out of school.
Due, in part, to his work on these soundtracks, he soon found steady work as an artist on Radio Ceylon, where his unique vision and talent could be exhibited to an audience wider than he had ever before known - earning him a position at the Bhathkande Institute of Music in Lucknow, India. After extensive training, Albert returned to Sri Lanka as Pandit Wannakuwattawaduge Don Amaradeva.
During this time, Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) had only begun emerging as an independent nation, and the question of what Sri Lankan music was, was slowly being addressed with equal vigour by intellectuals, artists and the general public. In response to the spirit of these times, Amaradeva began interweaving indigenous folk music with the Indian ragas he had studied in Lucknow, thereby giving expression to a more sophisticated cadence.
His other innovations include his experimentation with Western harmonies and counterharmonies, as well as with South Indian and Tamil musical forms. His opus, however, remains the work he did with Sri Lanka's celebrated lyricist Mahagama Sekera, in exploring the contours of fusing classical Sinhala poetry with his unique musical intonation. In time, Amaradeva's music came to reflect an entire philosophy, reflective of the spirit of a nation.
He has composed music for ballet, film, theatre, radio and television, and has written over one thousand songs.
He is also credited, by Priyan Weerappuli (leader of the Sri Lankan group Pahan Silu), as among his greatest musical influences.
