The Mind Creative March 2014
Conducting the symphony in Mumbai
However, the experiment
gave a boost to his
reputation and in 1965 he
received a fellowship at
Syracuse University (New
York) to study and teach
music. It was time for
Anthony to leave the shores
of India in search of greater
fulfilment in distant lands.
In the USA, he exposed his
students
to
the
finer
nuances of Indian music and
also wrote several small
pieces of music, double violin concertos and two sextets with the clarinet
and piano. He was further requested to send his music books to the Library
of Congress in Washington, which eventually he did. The Rockefeller
Foundation sponsored Anthony Gonsalves throughout his stay in the United
States, thus enabling him to travel across the country and teach at various
American Universities. He even did a stint in Hollywood, writing music
scores for films such as ‘Silk Screen’.
The pinnacle of glory for Anthony Gonsalves
however came with his attendance at the
Tanglewood Music Festival where he met such
renowned performers as Adrian Bold and Eric
Lansdorf, who acknowleded him as a legend
in the music world. It has been documented
that Adrian Bold thanked Anthony Gonsalves
at the festival for teaching Indian music to the
world.
What happened to Gonsalves in the United
States still remains a mystery. He never spoke
about his days there. In fact, he left India at
the peak of his career and when he returned
a decade later, he never informed anyone
about his way back home.
27
At home in Goa