Premasiri Khemadasa
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Premasiri Khemadasa, known to the lovers of music in Sri Lanka as “Khemadasa Master” is undoubtedly the most influential composer in Sri Lankan cinema. The innovativeness and expressiveness of his music has helped immensely to sculpt the body of Sri Lankan music. Harnessing music, which he considers a universal language, with his inventive capacity Dr. Khemadasa, during his career of five decades, has been able to create new trends in the sphere of music.
[edit] Early life
Born on 25th of January 1937 Dr. Khemadasa grew up at Talpitiya, Wadduwa where he had his education at Sri Sumangala Vidyalaya and St. John’s College, Panadura. The first musical instrument that enlivened Khemadasa's passion for music is the flute. On the very day he had to sit for the Senior School Certificate examination, he was asked to come to the Radio Ceylon for an interview. He finished his first paper much ahead of time, picked up his flute, jumped over the hall-wall of the examination hall and darted towards the broadcasting station. This placed him in the Radio Ceylon orchestra as a flautist.
[edit] Khemadasa & Music
In this way his passion for music grew. He attended no University but he studied and matured in the “University of Life”. From his childhood he had been a rebellious character. Inspired by the endeavours of his predecessors like Ananda Samarakoone, Pandith Amaradeva and Sunil Shantha to develop a style of music endemic to Sri Lanka, Khemadasa ventured out to find the music of his heart. Wandering in the musical universe Khemadasa gathered experience before trying to combine different styles of music to create a new face in Sri Lankan music. Whatever he took from foreign music was given the uniqueness of Sri Lanka. Khemadasa toiled in his career as a musician to revive and enhance the forgotten music of ancient Sri Lanka. During his long career he was able to present the folk music of Sri Lanka to its people in a fresh form. Khemadasa has used folk music in his compositions, rearranging and enhancing them. Then Khemadasa took on film music. The golden era of his life began with his entry into the world of film music. After scoring for films like Rodi kella, a film by Sirisena Wimalaweera, he received the attention of people and critics. His collaboration with Lester James Peiris (1919-present), the greatest Sri Lankan film director, brought him more fame and acclaim. His scores for films like Golu hadawata and Nidhanaya directed by Lester James Peiris are still remembered for their revolutionary and expressive qualities. The exceptional ability of Khemadasa to create feelings in the audience using his music and to bring its attention to the theme of the film made him one of the most celebrated and awarded film music directors. In this way he came to be known as “Khemadasa master”. Lately Premasiri Khemadasa has given his contribution to films such as Agnidahaya and very recently to “Ammavarune”, the last film by Lester James Peiris who has announced his retirement from cinema. Apart from film music Dr. Khemadasa has composed music for teledramas, theatre, etc. Symphonies like Muhuda and Mage kale mavni too are his compositions. The presence of operatic vocals in his music is explained by his vast knowledge of opera. Khemadasa is the only known Sri Lankan musician who practises and creates opera. Khemadasa has many students whom he uses in his operas. His famous operas include Manasawila and Doramandalawa. Recently he created the opera, ‘Agni’ about civilization. The fact that his operas are written in Sinhalese makes them unique. In his operas he has tried and succeeded in capturing the meaning of the words using voice. Lately “Khemadasa Master” fell ill. But after a long layoff following a kidney transplant he has returned to create music for his fans. Even at the age of 70 he perseveres in his field as a giant, trying to secure the future of Sri Lankan music.
