Music of Sri Lanka

Past to Present 

SriLanka is enriched with varieties of musics. Probably the music in general should have been influenced by North Indian Ragadari Music & South Indian Classical Music. Apart from those influenced music by Indian invasions, the earlier man on this Island certainly have been enjoyed with their own musical foundation. The low country (southern part of the Island) traditional folk musics are usually performing together with traditional Mask Dancing events throughout the country. There are few different events involve in performing rituals and folk theaters using various masks. Each mask symbolize different character of evils. They are very indigenous to the Island.

Low country drummer 

It can be consider that the original structure of Island man's music continued to distort by the foreign law introduce to the country, where might have staring with the introduction of Buddhism in 4th century BC.

However, the drums and flute of Buddha Pooja (Alms offering ceremony) is one of the typical music that could hold as SriLankan owned. Drums are playing for Kandyan dancers, they commonly known as Kandyan drums. Also the Kandyan dancers are uniformly known as Kandyan tradition which emphasis the uniqueness of the traditional music and cultural event take places here in this country.

In addition to the low country folk theories and upcountry's Kandyan performances there is another tradition found here commonly known as Sabaragamuwa tradition (Sabaragamuwa is a Province/State). Probably these dancing and musical performance might have some connection to the India where the main event of the Sabaragamuwa performing for Goddess Patthini Amma. Who is probably a Hindu influenced Goddess but we believed this Goddess as a Buddhist Goddess who are waiting for the future Buddha Hood to go refuge in Nirvana.

Sabaragamuwa Dancers 

The idea of all three sectors' musical and dancing performance are to protect the people and the village from diseases caused by evils (an Ancient man believe all illness cause by evils). Dancers involve above cultural event are usually associate with uneven rhythms of music and vocalic performances. 

All three areas have their own vocalic rhythmic systems using different instruments. The main drums using are Gata Bera-used in Kandy, Dawul Bera - use in Sabaragamuwa, Yakbera - use in Low country. There are few more supporting instruments are using to perform the particular events. some of them are Horanawa (flute), Hakgediya, Talampata,etc..

Music in Day to day life

Music is something that gave energy to the farmer, bull cart rider or to the boatman at the river side etc etc. They all have different style of singing at different pitch. They are commonly known in an originating nature of  these indigenous arts of singing . They are namely as follows,

• Pal Kavi - Night watch hut songs at high pitch to make him self wake to protect the cultivated land from wild animals
• Kamath Gee - Songs that are sang by group of people together when harvesting the harvest
• Karatta kavi  - Songs that are singing by the riders of carts to motivate himself and his bull 
• Patal Kavi - Songs that sang by mind dickers to make them self alive at the gem pits 
• Paru Kavi - The man who take people from one side to other at the river singing these songs to keep his himself comfortable in his boat. 

Those are some of the traditional sections of Jana Geeta or the social songs that I have heard when I was  a little boy. However these songs are no more in use and no the particular events happening in common.

The other area I want to talk about are Gaming songs and Funeral songs. During the traditional new years season gaming songs are very common in any village. These songs are in a different rhythm and pitch  to all other mentioned above. There is no musicale instruments use to perform these songs similar to the above  social songs but all the players singing together during the games on. Usually can see in new years season in villages at their festival time.
Funeral song, I never heard these type of songs but have heard about early periods. Kind of songs used in early time during the funeral days. However, even today there are some musical performance typically matching to the funeral ceremonies using Dawula drum, Tammattama and flute. These rhythm is again very different to the normal use making an environment for sadness.

General Music 

All kind musics are within the composers today and when you turn on the redio what you will heard are almost all westernised songs. However, it is worth to talk about the classic period of 60s and 70s. During these two decades music of Sri Lanka has performed its best time I believe. Before the beging of new era there was about 450 years colonize influence behind the sudden boom of new music. They can be categorized in to as following;

Bakthi Geeta - Devotional songs singing to highlight the rich value of Buddhism and the Country. These are mostly use Indian musical instruments applying our own rhythm of music.

Sarala Geeta - These are the songs that change the demand from Indian music to the local. Musical floor is very light, smooth and there is no high or low pitch at all in any time during the singing. founded by Mr. Sunil Shantha. commonly known this person as  the farther of Sarala Geeta.

Baila Geeta - High pitch music genetically transformed by the influence of Portuguese capiringgha music. However Baila has its own dominating properties to be aside from the Portuguese style. The farther of the Baila rhythm is Mr. Wally Bastion.

By : Eranga Jayasinghe 

*Ref- Only the Pictures taken by Google