- Sri-Lanka
- Music Education, North Indian Music, Popular Music, Ethnomusicology, Music Psychology, Sociology of Music, and 22 moreMusic Cognition, Music and Emotions, Contemporary Music, Popular Music Studies, Nurosciencee, Music Therapy, Music Therapy for Children with Developmental Disabilities, Systematic Musicology, Indian Music, Students Motivation, Southeast Asian Studies, Masaru Emoto, Psychomusicology, Music and the Brain, Reincarnation Research, Reincarnation in Christianity, Indian Cinema, Bollywood, Film Studies, South Asia, Media, Portuguese Music, Music therapy (Psychology), Alternative Rock Music, Alternative Music, and Colour Therapyedit
- I am currently working as a senior lecturer, as well as the coordinator and principal investigator in a world bank-funded STEM HEMS music therapy research project at the Univers... moreI am currently working as a senior lecturer, as well as the coordinator and principal investigator in a world bank-funded STEM HEMS music therapy research project at the University of the Visual and Performing Arts, Colombo in collaboration with the University of Peradeniya/ Ruhunaedit
ABSTRACT: This study explores some features of violin playing in Joget which has been developed since the early 16th century on the Malay Peninsula. Approximately at the same time in Sri Lanka, Kaffirinna was initiated as an adaptation... more
ABSTRACT: This study explores some features of violin playing in Joget which has been developed since the early 16th century on the Malay Peninsula. Approximately at the same time in Sri Lanka, Kaffirinna was initiated as an adaptation from Portuguese music imported through the colonial power. The violin is a prominent musical instrument used in Kaffirinna, too. This paper will examine violin playing techniques used in Joget and in Kaffirinna that will be analyzed through transcriptions of comparable elements. A concise literature review can help to support with information on the historical background and development of violin playing in both places. This study focuses on the analysis of idiosyncratic and mutual features found in both Joget and Kaffirinna violin playing styles. By doing so, this study may contribute to understanding the diversity as well as commonalities of Portuguese cultural traces across a wide area. In various ways, colonialism patterned the mobility of performing arts within Asia, especially among colonies that were ruled by the same power. The question to be answered is how similar sources of adaptations were realized in different colonies and how the derived music does sound today. Keywords: Kaffiringha, Joget, Portuguese Music, Violin playing, music migration
Research Interests:
Music composer duo Laxmikant - Pyarelal composed music for approximately 490 Hindi films from 1963 to 1998. The total number of Hindi films for which they composed music evidences how their compositions are attractive for Indian... more
Music composer duo Laxmikant - Pyarelal composed music for
approximately 490 Hindi films from 1963 to 1998. The total number of Hindi
films for which they composed music evidences how their compositions are
attractive for Indian audiences. Their compositions are mostly based on
North Indian ragas, and the melodies are simple and endearing with heavy
orchestration. Laxmikant is a North Indian classical mandolin player.
Pyarelal learned both North Indian classical music as well as western art
music. This might be the key reason why this music composer duo uses
decoration in their raga-based compositions with exotic harmonic
progressions. What were their intentions to apply harmonic progressions to
a raga based film song? When they applied harmonic progressions, did this
make the song more appealing? Or did they just exercise their educational
benefits upon their creations? These questions will be discussed in this
study through a detailed musical analysis of 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram'
(1978) Hindi film song composed by Laxmikant – Pyarelal. Musical analysis
will be done using spectral analysis, simplified analysis of harmonic
progressions, and raga analysis. Personal communications with Pyarelal
Sharma along with other related literature will support the analysis. This
study will articulate processes of fusion in creative works where North
Indian ragas are hybridized with Western harmonic progressions in
Laxmikant – Pyarelals compositions.
approximately 490 Hindi films from 1963 to 1998. The total number of Hindi
films for which they composed music evidences how their compositions are
attractive for Indian audiences. Their compositions are mostly based on
North Indian ragas, and the melodies are simple and endearing with heavy
orchestration. Laxmikant is a North Indian classical mandolin player.
Pyarelal learned both North Indian classical music as well as western art
music. This might be the key reason why this music composer duo uses
decoration in their raga-based compositions with exotic harmonic
progressions. What were their intentions to apply harmonic progressions to
a raga based film song? When they applied harmonic progressions, did this
make the song more appealing? Or did they just exercise their educational
benefits upon their creations? These questions will be discussed in this
study through a detailed musical analysis of 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram'
(1978) Hindi film song composed by Laxmikant – Pyarelal. Musical analysis
will be done using spectral analysis, simplified analysis of harmonic
progressions, and raga analysis. Personal communications with Pyarelal
Sharma along with other related literature will support the analysis. This
study will articulate processes of fusion in creative works where North
Indian ragas are hybridized with Western harmonic progressions in
Laxmikant – Pyarelals compositions.
Research Interests:
Healing through sound is one of the upcoming therapeutic practices in Asian countries. Therapists use both songs and instrumental sounds in their music therapy sessions to treat certain psychic disorders. However, text lyrics as well as... more
Healing through sound is one of the upcoming therapeutic practices in Asian countries. Therapists use both songs and instrumental sounds in their music therapy sessions to treat certain psychic disorders. However, text lyrics as well as instrumental sounds may be associated with completely different meanings, and may give different impressions due to diverse cultural backgrounds. As a result, a lack of cultural knowledge or superficial understanding may be considered as mistreatments that may even lead to other unwanted psychic conditions.
This study aims to scrutinize the use of instrumental sound in healing and music therapy in selected Asian traditions as well as in modern concepts of psychological therapy. The emotional effect of instrumental sounds is one important point to be looked at. Data has been collected through semi-structured interviews with music therapists, shamans, layman practitioners, to be carried out by experienced observers in Laos, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. This study predominantly applies a qualitative approach of research partially mixed with descriptive statistics followed by newly developed methods for analysis. Its outcome might be useful for traditional and academically educated music therapists as well as for musicians who may gain some insights into the impact of instrumental sounds in music therapy.
This study aims to scrutinize the use of instrumental sound in healing and music therapy in selected Asian traditions as well as in modern concepts of psychological therapy. The emotional effect of instrumental sounds is one important point to be looked at. Data has been collected through semi-structured interviews with music therapists, shamans, layman practitioners, to be carried out by experienced observers in Laos, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. This study predominantly applies a qualitative approach of research partially mixed with descriptive statistics followed by newly developed methods for analysis. Its outcome might be useful for traditional and academically educated music therapists as well as for musicians who may gain some insights into the impact of instrumental sounds in music therapy.
Research Interests:
The viola is not actually a rare musical instrument to Indian classical music. As one can observe, there are at least two different conditions for having a viola in a classical or light classical music ensemble: one is as a replacement of... more
The viola is not actually a rare musical instrument to Indian classical music. As one can observe, there are at least two different conditions for having a viola in a classical or light classical music ensemble: one is as a replacement of the violin; another is the functional replacement of a sarangi. Actually there are no musicians who play the viola instead of a sarangi for the simple reason that there are not many sarangi players at all compared to violin players.
The viola is in most of the cases seen as a ‘big violin’ thus replacing violin, which was first used in order to substitute the sarangi. While in Indian Carnatic music, viola playing is at times admired if played by outstanding artists such as Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna or Chittoor Kumareshan, the viola is rather ‘special’ in the context of Hindustani classical music...
The viola is in most of the cases seen as a ‘big violin’ thus replacing violin, which was first used in order to substitute the sarangi. While in Indian Carnatic music, viola playing is at times admired if played by outstanding artists such as Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna or Chittoor Kumareshan, the viola is rather ‘special’ in the context of Hindustani classical music...
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Ethnomusicology, Performance Studies, Indian Music, Performance Art, Audience and Reception Studies, and 13 moreMusic Aesthetics, Music analysis, Music and Gesture, Performance Analysis, Interactive Music, Indian Classical Music, Hindustani music, North Indian Music, Hindustani Classical Music (Vocal), South Asian Music and Dance, Film and Audio Production; Exhibition concept and realisation, North Indian Classical Music, Musical interaction, and Music Reception
Rahul Dev Burman is the son of the Indian film music directors Sachin Dev Burman who contributed to the Indian film music industry almost 30 years. Learning from and continuing the heritage of his father, Rahul Dev Burman started to work... more
Rahul Dev Burman is the son of the Indian film music directors Sachin Dev Burman who contributed to the Indian film music industry almost 30 years. Learning from and continuing the heritage of his father, Rahul Dev Burman started to work with him as an assistant music director in the 1950s. When he started to work as a music director, Rahul experimented with new sounds and new thoughts in his compositions in order to satisfy changing tastes of the Indian community within India and abroad. Like Sachin Dev Burman’s compositions, Rahul’s compositions derive from various Indian folk tunes and Indian ragas. Rahul adapted and introduced exotic elements and music genres new to the Indian film music applying western orchestration. This paper is to investigate whether he used harmonic progressions on raga based film songs intentionally or rather accidentally. If he applied harmonic progressions with the purpose of enrichment, was it to increase the attractiveness of the song within his professional scope? These questions will be discussed using a detailed musical analysis of Churalia Hai Thumne, a Hindi film song composed by Rahul Dev Burman in 1973 and material collected through personal communication with Rahul Dev Burman’s close music assistants, musicians and music critics. In result, this study may help to understand how and why north Indian ragas are hybridized with Western harmonic progressions in Rahul Dev Burman’s compositions. Ethical issues related to Rahul Dev Burman’s approach to creativity are another important aspect within this study.