GOAN MUSIC-8
By Valmiki Faleiro
Alfred Rose must be the most prolific of Konknni ‘cantarists’ (singers.) He
wrote/sang so
many songs that he lost count of them. No chronicler can fix the number of
‘cantaram’ he
penned. He set most of them to music himself, sang a few hundred, solo or in
duet with wife
Rita, or others. Most, however, were sung by other artistes.
Alfred did a wide variety of songs, from serious to satirical, melodic to
mournful. Like
Alexinho de Candolim before him, many of his songs carried a strong social
message,
even if at times he sounded like a Sunday ‘sermao.’
Some despised the nasal in his otherwise versatile soprano voice. And, even
though
original most of the time, Alfred sometimes borrowed popular western tunes.
But, as one
of his greatest fans and my friend Filipe Dias of Madel-Margao says, “Alfred’s
music was
customer oriented. When fans requested him to set songs to particular western
tunes,
Alfred obliged.”
Like music generated by the Konknni stage, it’s not possible to discuss
Cantaram save
in passing. My personal choice always was songs that spun on humour. Names like
Anthony Tuloo (“Lion of Cantarists”), Francis de Monso, ‘Big Shot’, Pascoal
(“Master”)
Fernandes, Robin Vaz and Hermenzildo Francisco Camilo (H. Britton) will long be
remembered for their melody-comedy.
In this genre, singers like Kid Boxer and Minguel Rod were incomparable.
Minguel’s
witty ‘nightmare’ still resounds:
"Angan tem asa nhoim re edem mottem bobor / Kai bore pole tache mou-mou robor /
Ratchem sopnant ieun korta tem mhaka zobor / Mat apunn khuim rauta ti sangonam
re
khobor.
"Poir rati tannem sopnant ghott dhorlo maka / Ekar-ek beij diunk laglem
paka-paka / Tea
vogtar saiba kainch anink mhaka naka / Zago zaun tor polloi zalear mazor lenvta
mhaka.
"Kal rati ani ek pautt jiu khoxen mhozo bhorlo / Oklecho pai soirik gheun
amgher so
pavon sorlo / Oitana khoxen mhunno babu apunn chol’lo / Zago zaun tor polloi
zalear
nakar bhonvta zorlo.
"Ekech muttin zorleache dant hanvem moddle / Zago zaun tor polloi paichea
oklache
arxe foddle / Pain kalukant chor mhunn maecher borech oddle / Maein chobko marun
paichea khoddeache kens thoddle.
"Kestaum hem kabar zatoch auchit jhem mhaka poddli / Oklechi mae ieun nhoim re
soirik
mhoji moddli / Te tiddkin dhorun tika hanvem *charains* korun oddly / Zago zaun
tor
polloi novich kamboll pinzun soddli."
In the general female genre, amongst the shiniest stars: Lorna (Sorg Tujea
Dolleanim,
Sorga Rajeant, Sopon, Noxibac Roddta – all fused in Chris Perry’s music magic,
and
trumpet, as in Piso and Bebdo), and Rita Rose (Bottateanchi Bhaji, Ankvar
Ravtelim,
Kalliz Ostorechem, and in duet with hubby Alfred, Osoch Fottoitai, Tum Mojem
Sukh and
Anvdde Tuje Sompoi – from ‘Boglant.’)
Let’s move to another genre of Goan songsters.
At a time when Goa’s independent identity was under grave threat, in the run up
to the
Jan-1967 Opinion Poll, several gifted Goans used their pen, voice and music to
save the
day for their homeland. Men like Dr. Manoharrai Sardessai, Adv. Uday Bhembre and
Shankar Bhandari worked hard, through their song, to stem the tide of public
opinion that
was almost sure to have forever obliterated the idea of a distinct Goa.
Songs like “Goenchea Mojea Goenkaranno” and “Goenkar zaiat zage” sung by ‘Goyem
Shahir’ Ulhas Buyao and “Don Pana” by Assolna-born vocalist Carmo Rod, still
echo. In
easier times, men like Bhembre wrote songs like “Chann’neache Rati” (sung by
Buyao),
while Buyao himself produced quality songs, the most hilarious of which, to my
mind, is
“Gagar kiteak foddta re?” rendered, with equal finesse, by Varsha Usgaonkar.
“Dorya Deger” by Santosh and Mamta Prabhugaonkar, with pleasing vocal skills,
delivered a powerful message on inter-caste marriages. These are included in
Buyao’s
album, “Roop Tujem Laita Pixem.”
Mangalore also produced a rich harvest of cantaram. Helen D’Cruz and Henry
D’Souza
created radio history with “Ye, ye, Katrina” (1971), one among many in their
repertoire.
Then there were Jerome de Souza, Lourdes Collaco, Agnes D’Souza, among others.
Wilfy Remimbus and Eric Ozario were giants on Mangalore’s music matrix.
In this penultimate piece, some more ‘firsts’ in Goan music…
The first recorded Konknni song (on a vinyl gramophone record) was by Joao
Agostinho,
the Pai Tiatrist’s “Mog mirmiriancho” (HMV, 1910), sung by him with his
daughter Sofia.
The first recorded Konknni audio cassette was by Alfred Rose. The first Konknni
audio
CD was by Remo Fernandes. To Remo also goes the credit of re-doing old classics
like
‘Rajan & Prema’ and ‘Kustoba Rane.’ The (unofficial) title of “Nightingale of
Goa” was
bestowed by a Portuguese governor on yodeler Dioguinho D’Mello – who died,
sadly,
both blind and a beggar. (To conclude.)
Pics courtesy: Fausto da Costa and Gaspar Almeida/Goa-World
(http://www.goa-world.com/goa/tiatr&tiatrist) (ENDS.)
The Valmiki Faleiro weekly column at:
http://www.goanet.org/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=330
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The above article appeared in the September 28, 2008 edition of the Herald, Goa
