On Wed, 21 Oct 2020, 11:33 Stanley Pinto, <[email protected]> wrote:
> Dear Bing, > > When Paranjoti gave up conducting the BMSO, he started a choir called the > Paranjoti Chorus. Brilliant ensemble of singers. And when he passed on, it > was conducted by a Parsi lady, whose name I have forgotten. Was it Coomi > Wadia? Someone please jog my waning memory. > > The Boy's Choir at St Xavier's High School (SXHS) in Bombay was considered > the finest of its kind in the city during the 50s and 60s. It consisted of > men singers from the BMSO, with the boys singing the Soprano and Alto > parts. > > The school's chapel had an enormous wind organ, and the conductor was the > legendary Cesar Coelho. It was a joy attending Mass there. > > During my time with the choir for almost ten years, until my voice broke, > we sang at least a dozen different Masses, from the sublime Gregorian to > the impossibly difficult Palestrina that was sung *a capella* with no > accompaniment. Terrifying, but oh so beautiful too. > > That whole experience of singing in the SXHS choir was all so lovely, so > divine. I stopped going to Church as a practising Catholic when they > started singing pop songs, with guitar accompaniment, as hymns. And when > the Latin Mass was given the go-by. > > And lest I be accused of uncharacteristic modesty, I was the soprano > soloist of the SXHS choir until I stopped being a soprano. > > Best - Stanley > > * - - -* > > * “Sing, then. Sing, indeed, with shoulders back,* > > * and head up so that song might go to the roof and beyond to the sky. * > > *Mass on mass of tone, with a hard edge, and rich with quality, * > > *every single note a carpet of colour woven from basso profundo, * > > *and basso, and baritone, and alto, and tenor, * > > *and soprano, and also mezzo, and contralto, * > > *singing and singing, until life and all things living are become a song.* > > *O, Voice of Man, organ of most lovely might.”― Richard Llewellyn* > > *Stanley Pinto* > > *153 The Embassy* > > *15 Ali Askar Road* > > *Bangalore 560 052, India* > > *Mobile: +91 98453 95319* > > > > > > On Tue, 20 Oct 2020 at 10:28, Hartman de Souza <[email protected]> > wrote: > >> This *will* interest you... >> >> ---------- Forwarded message --------- >> From: Frederick Noronha <[email protected]> >> Date: Mon, 19 Oct 2020 at 23:47 >> Subject: [Goanet-News] Bombay Madrigal Singers (needs photos!) >> To: Goanet <[email protected]> >> >> >> Bombay Madrigal Singers >> From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia >> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombay_Madrigal_Singers >> >> The Bombay Madrigal Singers was a choir group -- promoting >> concerts and operas too in the western Indian city -- formed >> in 1947 by Victor Paranjoti that initially performed sacred >> Western music.[1] It had a supporting committee named the >> Bombay Madrigal Singers Organisation (BMSO).[1] >> >> Contents >> >> 1 History >> 2 Taking to the outside world >> 3 Overseas participation >> 4 Operas >> 5 Prominent acronym >> 6 Orchestras and music societies >> 7 References >> >> History >> >> The Bombay Madrigal Singers Organisation was formed in 1947, >> the year of Indian Independence. After Victor Paranjoti left >> to form the Bombay Light Opera Sabha, and the BMSO was being >> run by committee members led by conductor-tenor Cesar >> Coelho.[2] The choir was, according to Havaldar, mostly Goan >> with a few Parsis, and almost no one from any other >> community. The orchestra was collected ad hoc and was often >> formed of Bollywood musicians, which, Havaldar explained, was >> problematic as they would need to be coaxed away from the >> lure of paid employment in the film studios. But the >> organisation ceased activities after awhile. It was inactive >> through the 1970s was defunct by 1980. >> >> Taking to the outside world >> >> In the 1950s and 1960s, according to Alfred J. Braganza, the >> Bombay Madrigal Singers, under the baton of Victor Paranjoti, >> "performed with success Konkani songs collected and arranged >> by Prof. Lucio Rodrigues in some of the premier cities of >> Europe."[3] >> >> Overseas participation >> >> Wanting to go beyond concerts of local singers, the BMSO also >> began promoting concerts by international visiting classical >> music artists. They also promoted concerts by Indian >> artists.[2] It worked with Bombay-based embassies -- >> including the British Council, the American Consulate, the >> Russian Consulate and the Czech Consulate. These >> institutions would support and sponsor artists travelling in >> Asia. Visiting artistes would be asked to play for a reduced >> fee or free.[2] It has been credited with bringing in >> "artistes and orchestras of the best calibre coming here, >> courtesy the Bombay Madrigal Singers Organisation (BMSO)" -- >> including Karajan, Rubinstein, Kempff, Oistrakh, Ruggiero >> Ricci, the Bolshoi Ballet, Vienna Boys' Choir.[4] Among the >> others who came thorough Bombay were Arthur Rubinstein, >> Mstislav Rostropovich, Marian Anderson, Isaac Stern, Herbert >> Von Karayan, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the London >> Symphony Orchestra and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.[2] >> >> Operas >> >> Later, the BMSO put on operas on their own, with local >> musicians and singers, and Cesar Coelho as conductor. In >> 1961, with a full Indian cast, they staged their first opera, >> sometimes later bringing in tenors and baritones from the UK, >> with British producer named Derek Bond. The cast included >> Indian female soloists included Goans Celia Lobo and Fay >> Sequeira.[2] Between 1961 and 1967, the Bombay Madrigal >> Singers staged La Traviata, Tosca, Il Trovatore, Lucia di >> Lammermoor, Faust, Norma and Rigoletto. They used Tejpal >> Hall at Gwalior Tank as their concert venue over fight >> nights, gaining huge popularity.[2] >> >> Prominent acronym >> >> Marsdem comments: >> >> As I discussed the history of Western classical >> music with informants, friends and acquaintances in >> Mumbai, two names kept recurring: the Time and >> Talents Club and the Bombay Madrigal Singers >> Organisation, most commonly referred to by its >> acronym BMSO. Older members of the scene would >> mention these names without explanation, as if it >> were inconceivable that I wouldn't know who, or >> what, they were talking about. An internet search >> did not reveal much; both the Time and Talents and >> the BMSO had become inactive before websites and >> social media became prevalent. Still, the more >> time I spent in Mumbai, the more often I heard >> these names, and I realised that both societies had >> played an integral part in the history of Western >> classical music in Mumbai.[1](p.115-116) >> >> Orchestras and music societies >> >> In Bombay (now Mumbai), smaller orchestras and music >> societies existed along the way. Those named include Cecil >> Mendonca’s Choral and Philharmonic Society in the 1940s, the >> Bombay Madrigal Singers’ operas in the 1960s, the Sangat >> Festival Orchestra, organised by the Mehli Mehta Music >> Foundation, "which formed for a short time each year from >> 1996 until just a few years ago".[5] Bombay also had its >> symphony orchestras, for all but 12 years since 1920.[5] >> >> References >> >> Marsden, Hannah (June 2018). Western Classical Music in >> Mumbai: Global Music, Local Meanings. >> >> https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk/portal/files/33116377/Hannah_Marsden_PhD_final.pdf >> : >> Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD in Ethnomusicology at >> the Department of Music of Royal Holloway, University of >> London. p. 106. >> >> Marsden, Hannah (June 2018). Western Classical Music in >> Mumbai: Global Music, Local Meanings. >> >> https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk/portal/files/33116377/Hannah_Marsden_PhD_final.pdf >> : >> Thesis submitted for the degree of PhD in Ethnomusicology at >> the Department of Music of Royal Holloway, University of >> London. pp. 116–119. >> >> Braganza, Alfred F. (1983). "GOAN SONGS AND MUSIC". >> Journal of South Asian Literature. 18 (1): 159–164. ISSN >> 0091-5637. >> >> Banerjee, Agniva (2009-11-15). "Just like ol' times". DNA >> India. Retrieved 2020-09-26. >> >> Marsden, Hannah. "Note by note: The long and undulating >> history of symphony orchestras in Mumbai". Scroll.in. >> Retrieved 2020-09-26. >> -- >> FN* फ्रेड्रिक नोरोन्या * فريدريك نورونيا +91-9822122436 >> >
