The Mind the film industry would play music “by
In those days, many musicians inCreative March 2014
the ear” rather than read music at recording sessions. It was quite often
that music directors would bring together a band of 10 to 15 good
musicians and then practice a song diligently with them so that in the
recording session the music would then be played from memory. All this
changed as Goan musicians (like Gonsalves) descended upon Bombay.
Trained in Western styles and techniques, these amazing musicians from
Goa, brought with them, new skills and new instruments. They would read
and write music and their virtuosity in harmony made them invaluable
assets for music directors. From within this elite group, Anthony
Gonsalves was in the forefront. With him came an entirely new method of
“arranging” music and he was soon being hired by the leading music
directors.
Gonsalves, was however much more than just a music arranger. His genius
manifested in more ways than one. While other Goan musicians laid their
training and focus on Western music, Anthony started focusing on Indian
classical music. In later years, he went on to say “Indian classical music
struck me very hard in my heart and my mind. Melodically and rhythmically
it is so rich.” He soon came in contact with legendary classical musicians
like Pannala Ghosh (the flautist), Pandit Ram Naryan (the sarangi wizard)
and Ustad Inam Ali Khan (the tabla maestro). They would often spend
evenings, jamming together and co-relating the two styles in what is today
known as “fusion” music of the East and West.
He immersed himself in Indian classical and
Western “jugal-bandis” and at the same time
produced some brilliant students from his
modest apartment in Bombay; some of whom
(like Pyarelal and R.D. Burman) would later be
recognised as legends in the Bollywood music
industry. Such was his measure of talent that he
soon started writing symphonies based on
Indian ragas with names like Sonatina
Indiana, Concerto in Raag Sarang and Concerto
for Violin and Orchestra in Todi Thaat.
With the legendary Indian female
vocalist Lata Mangeshkar
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