Alfred Rose's death is definitely a big loss to Konkani music. Though I enjoyed some of his songs, many of his tunes were borrowed from English favourties and, hence, lost its intrinsic value. Having seen him perform since my young days, I was amazed at the quality of his voice. His records were popular and he enjoyed tremendous popularity. He loved racy tunes, unlike the soft melodies like his fellow tiartists. The husband-wife duo was impressive but not remarkable. I remember when he came from somewhere in the Middle East after a long absence from the Konkani stage with a tiatr, Bhangaracho Hotti, he was back in form. The tiatr wasn't great, but his songs were appreciated. One thing that I found amazing was the Rita's wardrobe. She wore dazzling dresses, obviously bought overseas. It seemed like a one-woman fashion show. I think I carried a letter from Jerome Mendes's brother in England to Rose. After meeting him at his shop in Mahim, he took me to his house near the Canosa Convent. I never really knew him well as I did other tiatrists in Mumbai. One of the reasons was he was not seen much in Dhobitalao, especially at either the Kyani or Bastani restaurants. I did meet him once or twice at his shop in Mahim when I went there to visit some relatives. I met him again in Toronto where he performed. He was visiting his son in the US and decided to come to Canada for a short visit. He did character roles in tiatrs, but he never impressed me. The role of the batkar suited him, but he was never as good as, say, Cyriaco. I remember he also did romantic roles, perhaps in his own tiatrs, but he failed to do justice to them. Overall, he was one of the main pillars of Goan entertainment. Konkani music will be much poorer without him. He tried to combine Louis Armstrong, Elvis and Engelbert Humperdinck all in one in his musical persona. He would be best remembered for his Konkani translation of the Ladainha and the Happy Birthday, once a favourite at birthday parties in Goan homes. A bright star whose departure from the Goan horizon has darkened the world of Konkani music. May his soul rest in peace.
Eugene Correia __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
