Music of Goa
Encyclopedia
Music of Goa refers to the music from the state of Goa
, on the west coast of India
. It has produced a number of prominent musicians and singers for the world of Indian music (and including for the films of Bollywood
).
Goa has produced some of the finest performers of Hindustani classical music, such as the vocalist Kesarbai Kerkar (1892–1977). Lata Mangeshkar
, the most famous singer in the history of the Indian film industry, is the daughter of a Goan, Dinanath Ganesh Mangeshkar, as is her sister Asha Bhosle
,Goem Shahir Ulhas Buyao , Sidhanath Buyao .
Goa has become home of one strand of the Trance music
scene.
,mridanga,Tabla
, ghumat,kasale,madlem, Shehnai
, surt, Tasso, Nagado, tambura
.
Mridanga or Pakhawaj is a wooden cylinder covered at both ends with a goat skin,and is very important part of Hindu devotional songs sung in the temples and is always accompanied by cymbal
s called as taal in Konkani
and sometimes Zanz. The ghumat is an earthen-ware pot-like vessel made by Goan potters with openings on the two opposite sides, one large and the other small in diameter, with the middle portion much bulging outwards. On the larger opening with the edge conveniently moulded for the fitting, a wet skin of a lizard (lacerta ocelata), known in Konkani as sap or gar, is fully stretched to cover the whole surface of the opening. When accompanying a song or dance the gumott is usually placed on the left thigh. The ghmat is essential for Hindu festivals, some temple rituals like Suvari vadan, bhivari and mando
performances. A madlem is a cylindrical earthen vessel covered at both ends with the skin of a lizard and is mostly played by the Kunbi
s, whereas tambura is a stringed instrument like the veena but with only one string is normally used during Hindustani classical concerts.
The Portuguese brought the piano
, the mandolin
and the violin
to Goa.
Konkani song may be classified in four groups: one which draws on the more pristine form in music and verse, as in the fugdi
or the dhalo; the second which blends western and native music but retains Konkani lyrics as in deknni
s; the third which blends native and western music as well as language as in dulpod
; and the fourth which has a marked influence of western music and lyrics in Konkani with borrowed Portuguese words as in mando.
As many as 35 types of Konkani Song have been classified. These include banvarh, deknni, dhalo, dulpod, duvalo, fell song, fughri, kunnbi song, launimm, mando, ovi
, palnnam, talghari, tiatr
song, zagor
song and zoti. The Christian and Hindu religious song is also a type of its own.
The Christian and Hindu song for the liturgy and popular devotions is an essential part of Goan daily life.
, a part of India
since 1961, had been ruled since the 16th century by Portugal
, and has thus had closer connections with Western classical and popular music
than the rest of India.
Over the centuries, indigenous Goan music was blended with European music, particularly that of Portugal
.
The Goa Symphony Orchestra and Goa Philharmonic Choir were founded by Lourdino Barreto
. http://www.goa-world.com/goa/music/lourdino.htm
and hymns. The standard hymnal
of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman is called Gaionancho Jhelo (Garland of hymns) and the diocese also brings out a periodical sheet music
publication of Konkani liturgical hymns a called Devacheam Bhurgeanchim Gitam (Songs of God's children)
stars, among them Remo Fernandes
(born 1953). Goan popular music is generally sung in the Konkani language
. Another contributor to Goan music is the Canadian- Goan band Goa Amigos, The band has represented Goa at the largest south Asian festival in North America.
, especially a style called Goa trance. This genre began its evolution in the late 1960s, when hippie
s from the United States
, United Kingdom
and elsewhere turned Goa into a tourist destination.
When tourism began to die out, a number of devotees stayed in the area, pursuing a specific style of trance music
. Early pioneers included Mark Allen, Goa Gil
and Fred Disko.
Goa Trance is closely related to the emergence of Psytrance during the latter half of the 1990s and early 2000s, where the two genres mixed together. In popular culture, the distinction between the two genres often remains largely a matter of opinion (they are considered by some to be synonymous; others say that Psytrance is more "psychedelic/cybernetic" and that Goa Trance is more "organic", and still others maintain that there is a clear difference between the two). If anything, the styles are easier to differentiate in Central and Eastern Europe (e.g. Austria, Hungary, Romania) where Goa Trance parties are more popular than Psy-Trance parties - the opposite being true in the UK, Belgium and Germany. Psy Trance has a noticeably more aggressive bassline and goa tends to avoid the triplet-style bass lines. Between them however, both psy- and goa trance are sonically distinct from other forms of trance in both tonal quality, structure and feel. In many countries they are generally more underground and less commercial than other forms of trance, except for Brazil and Israel, which since the year of 2000 it became both countries most popular type of music for the general party scene. Top DJ's from the UK and other parts of Western Europe fly to Goa for special parties, often on the beaches or in rice paddies. "Shorebar" in Anjuna Beach is traditionally seen as the birthplace and center of the Goan trance scene.
Amancio D'Silva Goan Guitarist who brought Karnatic stylings to Jazz in the west in the late 1960s.
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, on the west coast of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It has produced a number of prominent musicians and singers for the world of Indian music (and including for the films of Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
).
Goa has produced some of the finest performers of Hindustani classical music, such as the vocalist Kesarbai Kerkar (1892–1977). Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
, the most famous singer in the history of the Indian film industry, is the daughter of a Goan, Dinanath Ganesh Mangeshkar, as is her sister Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
,Goem Shahir Ulhas Buyao , Sidhanath Buyao .
Goa has become home of one strand of the Trance music
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
scene.
Traditional music
The traditional Goan musical instruments are dholDhol
Dhol can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent and nearby regions. Its range of distribution in India and Pakistan primarily includes northern areas such as the Assam Valley, Bengal, Gujarat,...
,mridanga,Tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
, ghumat,kasale,madlem, Shehnai
Shehnai
The shehnai, shahnai, shenai or mangal vadya, is an aerophonic instrument, a double reed conical oboe, common in North India, West India and Pakistan, made out of wood, with a metal flare bell at the end...
, surt, Tasso, Nagado, tambura
Tambura
The tambura, tanpura, or tambora is a long-necked plucked lute . The body shape of the tambura somewhat resembles that of the sitar, but it has no frets – only the open strings are played to accompany other musicians...
.
Mridanga or Pakhawaj is a wooden cylinder covered at both ends with a goat skin,and is very important part of Hindu devotional songs sung in the temples and is always accompanied by cymbal
Cymbal
Cymbals are a common percussion instrument. Cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys; see cymbal making for a discussion of their manufacture. The greater majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sound a...
s called as taal in Konkani
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
and sometimes Zanz. The ghumat is an earthen-ware pot-like vessel made by Goan potters with openings on the two opposite sides, one large and the other small in diameter, with the middle portion much bulging outwards. On the larger opening with the edge conveniently moulded for the fitting, a wet skin of a lizard (lacerta ocelata), known in Konkani as sap or gar, is fully stretched to cover the whole surface of the opening. When accompanying a song or dance the gumott is usually placed on the left thigh. The ghmat is essential for Hindu festivals, some temple rituals like Suvari vadan, bhivari and mando
Mando
Mando refers to:*Mando , a Greek singer*Mando , a Goan musical form*Mando Diao, Swedish garage rock band.*Mando Corporation, a Korean automotive parts manufacturer...
performances. A madlem is a cylindrical earthen vessel covered at both ends with the skin of a lizard and is mostly played by the Kunbi
Kunbi
Kunbi is a generic term applied to castes of traditionally non-elite tillers in Western India. These include the Dhonoje, Ghatole, Hindre, Jadav, Jhare, Khaire, Lewa , Lonari and Tirole communities of Vidharbha. The communities are largely found in the state of Maharashtra but also exist in the...
s, whereas tambura is a stringed instrument like the veena but with only one string is normally used during Hindustani classical concerts.
The Portuguese brought the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, the mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
and the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
to Goa.
Konkani song may be classified in four groups: one which draws on the more pristine form in music and verse, as in the fugdi
Fugdi
Fugdi is a Goan folk dance performed by the women in the Konkan region during Hindu religious festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Vrata or towards the end of other dances like Dhalo.-Traditional Roots:...
or the dhalo; the second which blends western and native music but retains Konkani lyrics as in deknni
Deknni
Dekhṇi is a semi classical Goan dance form. The plural of dekṇi in Konkani remains the same.One of the most famous Deknni songs is Hanv Saiba Poltodi Vetam by Carlos Eugenio Ferreira first published in Paris in 1895 and then in Goa in 1926...
s; the third which blends native and western music as well as language as in dulpod
Dulpod
Dulpod is a Goan dance song with quick rhythm and themes from everyday Goan life. The plural of dulpod in Konkani is dulpodam. The dulpod is a folk song, anonymous, freely improvised, and sometimes lacking in thematic unity. The tunes of the dulpod are usually in the six-eight measure, though the...
; and the fourth which has a marked influence of western music and lyrics in Konkani with borrowed Portuguese words as in mando.
As many as 35 types of Konkani Song have been classified. These include banvarh, deknni, dhalo, dulpod, duvalo, fell song, fughri, kunnbi song, launimm, mando, ovi
Ovi (music)
Ovi are wedding songs in Goa, India, sung during the pre-marriage ceremony known as Chuddo and Sado ceremony during which the red dress sado is stitched by a tailor....
, palnnam, talghari, tiatr
Tiatr
Tiatr is a type of musical popular in the state of Goa on the west coast of India where they originated as well as in Mumbai and with expatriate communities in the Middle East. The dramas are performed in the Konkani language and include music, dancing and singing...
song, zagor
Zagor (festival)
Zagor , mainly celebrated in Siolim, in Bardez taluka of Goa is a festival highlighted by dance, drama and music....
song and zoti. The Christian and Hindu religious song is also a type of its own.
- Banvarh is a mourning song, usually sung on the day of cremation by Hindus.
- Deknni is a song which originated in BardezBardezBardez is the name of a region and taluka in North Goa. The name is credited to the Brahmin immigrants who migrated to the Konkan via Magadha in Gangetic India from Aryavarta, in the north-western part of the Indian sub-continent. Bardez or more properly Bara desh means "twelve countries"...
, Ilhas and Salcete. - Dhalo is a wedding song.
- Dulpod is a dance song with quick rhythm and themes from everyday Goan life.
- Duvallo is a pregnancy song.
- Fell is folk drama with themes from Indian epics or Indian history. It is performed by wandering artists usually after the rains, which start in June and end in August or September. The fell song is a dance song.
- Fughri is a dance song performed on religious occasions, particularly in honour of the deity GaneshaGaneshaGanesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...
. - The Kunnbi, who are probably together with the Gaudde the oldest inhabitants of Goa, belong to the peasant strata. The kunnbi song is a dance song in the fughri style depicting their own life, but also protesting against exploitation and social discrimination in a subtle manner.
- Launim is a song dealing with religious and legendary themes.
- Mando is a dance song whose major theme is love, the minor ones being historical narratives, grievance against exploitation and social injustice, and political resistance during the Portuguese presence in Goa.
- Ovi, which the Portuguese termed as versos, is a song with nuptial themes. It has the Sanskrit root vri which means “to choose, to select”. The ovi has three rhymed lines and one unrhymed. The former contain each three or four words and the fourth line one, two, and exceptionally three words. The number of syllables is nine for the rhymed lines and four or five for the last line. The early Portuguese Christian missionaries adopted the ovi-form for liturgical and devotional hymns.
- Palnnam is a cradle song, a lullaby.
- Talgarhi is a song of the Gaudde. The theatre song is sung during the stage play, mainly performed by wandering artists during the dry season. They entertain the public while touching on daily life, but also sing subtle satires on local politics and the shortcomings of Goans.
- Zagor means “watch”. The zagor song is sung in kunnbi folk plays depicting their own life. They are usually staged at night. * Zoti is sung at nuptials.
The Christian and Hindu song for the liturgy and popular devotions is an essential part of Goan daily life.
Western, indigenous, Indian
GoaGoa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, a part of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
since 1961, had been ruled since the 16th century by Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, and has thus had closer connections with Western classical and popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
than the rest of India.
Over the centuries, indigenous Goan music was blended with European music, particularly that of Portugal
Music of Portugal
Portugal is internationally known in the music scene for its traditions of fado, but the country has seen a recent expansion in musical styles, with modern acts from rock to hip hop becoming popular...
.
The Goa Symphony Orchestra and Goa Philharmonic Choir were founded by Lourdino Barreto
Lourdino Barreto
Lourdino Barreto - dubbed "the best musicologist East of Suez” at a World Congress for choir conductors held in Rome - was born on February 11, 1938, in Galgibaga in South Goa. He studied at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music and the National Conservatory in Rome and graduated with...
. http://www.goa-world.com/goa/music/lourdino.htm
Konkani liturgical music
Goa has a rich heritage of Konkani liturgical musicLiturgical music
Liturgical music originated as a part of religious ceremony, and includes a number of traditions, both ancient and modern. Liturgical music is well known as a part of Catholic Mass, the Anglican Holy Communion service , the Lutheran Divine Service, the Orthodox liturgy and other Christian services...
and hymns. The standard hymnal
Hymnal
Hymnal or hymnary or hymnbook is a collection of hymns, i.e. religious songs, usually in the form of a book. The earliest hand-written hymnals are known since Middle Ages in the context of European Christianity...
of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman is called Gaionancho Jhelo (Garland of hymns) and the diocese also brings out a periodical sheet music
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
publication of Konkani liturgical hymns a called Devacheam Bhurgeanchim Gitam (Songs of God's children)
Pop
In the area of Western music there are several popPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
stars, among them Remo Fernandes
Remo Fernandes
Luís Remo de Maria Bernardo Fernandes, more popularly known as Remo Fernandes is a pop/rock/Indian fusion artist and playback singer from the state of Goa, India. His musical work is a fusion of many different cultures and styles he's been exposed to as a child in Goa and in his later travels...
(born 1953). Goan popular music is generally sung in the Konkani language
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
. Another contributor to Goan music is the Canadian- Goan band Goa Amigos, The band has represented Goa at the largest south Asian festival in North America.
Home for electronic music
Goa has become a home for electronic musicElectronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, especially a style called Goa trance. This genre began its evolution in the late 1960s, when hippie
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
s from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and elsewhere turned Goa into a tourist destination.
When tourism began to die out, a number of devotees stayed in the area, pursuing a specific style of trance music
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
. Early pioneers included Mark Allen, Goa Gil
Goa Gil
Goa Gil is an American-born musician, DJ and party organizer. He is one of the founders of the goa trance and psytrance movement in electronic dance music.-Biography:...
and Fred Disko.
Goa trance
Goa Trance (sometimes referred to as Goa or by the number 604) is a form of electronic music that developed around the same time as Trance music became popular in Europe. It originated during the late 1980s and early 1990s in the Indian state of Goa. Essentially, Trance music was pop culture's answer to the Goa Trance music scene on the beaches of Goa where the traveller's music scene has been famous since the time of the Beatles. Goa Trance enjoyed the greater part of its success from around 1994–1998, and since then has dwindled significantly both in production and consumption, being replaced by its successor, Psychedelic Trance (also known as psytrance). Many of the original Goa Trance artists: Simon Posford, Slinky Wizard, and Total Eclipse are still making music, but refer to their style of music simply as "PSY". TIP Records, Flying Rhino Records, Dragonfly Records, Transient Records, Phantasm Records, Symbiosis Records, Blue Room Released were all key players on the beach and in the scene.Goa Trance is closely related to the emergence of Psytrance during the latter half of the 1990s and early 2000s, where the two genres mixed together. In popular culture, the distinction between the two genres often remains largely a matter of opinion (they are considered by some to be synonymous; others say that Psytrance is more "psychedelic/cybernetic" and that Goa Trance is more "organic", and still others maintain that there is a clear difference between the two). If anything, the styles are easier to differentiate in Central and Eastern Europe (e.g. Austria, Hungary, Romania) where Goa Trance parties are more popular than Psy-Trance parties - the opposite being true in the UK, Belgium and Germany. Psy Trance has a noticeably more aggressive bassline and goa tends to avoid the triplet-style bass lines. Between them however, both psy- and goa trance are sonically distinct from other forms of trance in both tonal quality, structure and feel. In many countries they are generally more underground and less commercial than other forms of trance, except for Brazil and Israel, which since the year of 2000 it became both countries most popular type of music for the general party scene. Top DJ's from the UK and other parts of Western Europe fly to Goa for special parties, often on the beaches or in rice paddies. "Shorebar" in Anjuna Beach is traditionally seen as the birthplace and center of the Goan trance scene.
See also
- BailaBailaBaila is a form of dance music popular on the island of Sri Lanka. The genre originated centuries ago among the 'kaffir' or Afro-Sinhalese communities and was later amalgamated with European instruments and eastern and western rhythms, especially rhythms found in Spain and northern European folk...
- Style of Sri Lankan songs similar to PortuguesePortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
style Goa songs.
Amancio D'Silva Goan Guitarist who brought Karnatic stylings to Jazz in the west in the late 1960s.