Music of Goa refers to music from the state of Goa, on the west coast of India. A wide variety of music genres are used in Goa ranging from Western art music to Indian classical music.[1] Konkani music is also popular across this tiny state. Being a former territory of Portugal, Goa has a dominant western musical scene with the use of instrument such as the violin, drums, guitar, trumpet and piano. It has also produced a number of prominent musicians and singers for the world of Indian music. Portuguese Fado also has significance in Goa.
Goan local bands are known for their use of western music styles and are popular at both public and private celebrations. Goa has also developed its own style of trance music. Electronic music festivals are hosted yearly in Goa that attract people from over 50 countries.[2]
Indigenous traditional music
Musicians and dancers at a Hindu wedding ceremony, from the Códice Casanatense (c. 1540)
The traditional Goan musical instruments include dhol, mridanga, tabla, ghumat, dholak, kansallem, mhadalem, shehnai, surt, tasso, nagado, chowgudo, and tambura. 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. The ghumat is essential for Hindu festivals, some temple rituals like Suvarivadan, bhivari and mando performances. A mhadalem is a cylindrical earthen vessel covered at both ends with the skin of a lizard and is mostly played by the Kunbis. The chowgudo consists of two ‘dhobe’ and ‘zil’ placed in a cross form, facing each other, and played with sticks held in both hands.
Surpavo and konpavo are flutes of the dhangar community of Goa. The surpavo is a long bamboo flute of the shepherds. The instrument is like a staff and is around 60–70cm long.[3] Its sound is described as being 'soft and sweet'.[4] The konpavo is 20–30cm long.[5] Its tone is described as being 'bright and high-pitched'.[4] It is played in the upright position and is made of bamboo with a reed. This instrument is said to calm aggressive or disturbed cattle.[6]
Surt (Konkani: सूर्त) is a long wooden tube fixed with a funnel shaped bell with three holes.[4] It is used to accompany the shehnai.[7]Shing is a heavy curved brass trumpet with a shrill, hoarse tone. Korno (Konkani: कोरनो) is a wooden straight trumpet with a funnel-shaped bell. Banko is a curved brass pipe instrument with four pipes fitted in one another.[4] It has a harsh and loud sound.[8]
Being part of Portugal for over 450 years led to the introduction of the piano, mandolin and violin to Goa. Other instruments such as the drums, guitar and trumpet were also widely used. Schools in this period taught pupils at least one such instrument. It is said that Goans have music in their blood, a statement further strengthened by the role music and dance plays in Goan culture. Popular folk dances such as the Portuguese Corridinho are still part of Catholic weddings.
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 deknnis; 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[9] 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 hymns and Hindu religious songs are also characterized separately with the former related to contemporary western styles.
Banvarh is a mourning song, usually sung on the day of cremation by Hindus.
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 Ganesha.
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.
The Christian hymns and Hindu songs for the liturgy and popular devotions form an essential part of Goan daily life. It is common for passersby to hear people playing instruments in their houses during the evening hours.
Western traditional music
Local musician performing at Martins Corner in BetalbatimPortuguese music and dance on cruise, Mandovi River in Panjim
Goa, a part of Indiasince 1961, had been part of Portugal for over 450 years and hence has closer connections with Western classical and popular music. Use of Portuguese music and other western music is popular specifically at most Catholic weddings and celebrations. Live bands are a celebratory feature at such weddings, sometimes substituted by a Disc Jockey instead.
Over the centuries, indigenous Goan music was blended with European music, particularly that of Portugal. Hence Goan music uses western styles, notes and musical instruments more significantly than regional Asian variants. The Goa Symphony Orchestra was founded by António Fortunato de Figueiredo in 1952[10] and the Goa Philharmonic Choir was founded by Lourdino Barreto.[11]
The Monte Music Festival hosted by Lisbon-headquartered Fundação Oriente, in partnership with the hotel Cidade de Goa is one of the premier cultural events on Goa’s crowded calendar. Every year, the three-day concert features both Indian and Western classical music along with dance performances held at the spectacularly situated Capela do Monte, high above the old capital of the Estado da India (former Portuguese state).[12] The area is a UNESCO world heritage site.
The recently introduced annual two-day Ketevan World Sacred music festival offers music programs, courses and conferences with artists from several traditions around the world including Carnatic, Christian, Sufi, Hindustani, Jewish, Orthodox and many others. Artists like Santiango Girelli (orchestra conductor from Argentina), Rocio De Frutos (soprano from Spain) and Leo Rossi (violinist from Argentina) have participated in past events.[12][13][14]
Another major attraction of the Goan music industry is the Tiatr derived from the Portuguese word 'teatro' meaning theater. It is a type of musical theatre still very popular with Goans, resident in Goa or Bombay as well as with expatriates and resident communities in the Middle East, London and other major western cities (where Konkani speakers have a considerable presence). The dramas are performed in the Roman Konkani dialects and include music, dancing and singing. Tiatr performers are called tiatrists. Songs integral to the plays are known as 'Kants'. Other songs, called kantaram are generally either comedic or based on topical, political and controversial issues that are interspersed through the performance. These musical interludes are independent of the main theme of the play. The songs are often satirical and unsparing of the politics and politicians of Goa. The music is provided by a live band including keyboard, trumpet, saxophone, bass guitar and drums. This century old theater industry in Goa still remains independent of government control and efforts to bring it under such control have met massive opposition from locals for fear of government regulation over content of political nature.[15]
A comic scene from a tiatr.
Mobile Props that can be used on stage for various scenes.
Goa has a rich heritage of Konkani liturgical music 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). As with the liturgy, the entire music of the Catholic church in Goa is in the Latin script.
Concert of Classical Music in tribute to Maestro Lourdino Barretto, presented by the Santa Cecilia Choir, conducted by Rev. Romeo Monteiro, at Goa (April 2008).
Churches across Goa always maintain choirs. Like most Catholic churches worldwide, there are separate choirs for adults and children. Some historically significant seminaries also maintain choirs of their own. A notable one is the all-male seminarians of the Santa Cecilia Choir (Coro di Santa Cecilia), part of the over 400 year old Rachol seminary (Seminário de Rachol) of Goa. The choir has also been known to use a 16th-century restored pipe organ for its concerts. Most of the centuries-old churches in Goa feature these pipe organs, but few are known to use them now because of their upkeep. However, they still form part of the churches interior decor and in almost all instances are located in the nave above the main entrances facing the altar in the far end below.
Pop
In the area of Western music, there are several pop stars, among them Remo Fernandes (born 1953). Goan popular music is generally sung in the Konkani language and English language. Another contributor to Goan music is the Canadian-Goan band Goa Amigos, which has represented Goa at the largest South Asian festival in North America.
Goa has become a home for electronic music, especially a style called Goa trance. This genre began its evolution in the late 1960s, when hippies 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 (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 traveler'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: Hallucinogen, 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 bass line 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 DJs from the UK and other parts of Western Europe fly to Goa for special parties, often on the beaches or in rice paddies. "Shorebar" at Anjuna Beach in Northern Goa is traditionally seen as the birthplace and center of the Goan trance scene.
Decor for music settings in Goa.
Trance party in Goa.
DJ playing music.
Live bands involving Karaoke are a regular feature at popular restaurants such as this one at Martin's corner (Goa).
Amancio D'Silva - Goan Guitarist who brought Carnatic styling to Jazz in the west in the late 1960s.
Related Research Articles
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that emerged from EBM in Frankfurt, Germany, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and quickly spread throughout Europe.
Psychedelic trance, psytrance, or psy is a subgenre of trance music characterized by arrangements of rhythms and layered melodies created by high tempo riffs. The genre offers variety in terms of mood, tempo, and style. Some examples include full on, darkpsy, forest, minimal (Zenonesque), hitech psy, progressive, suomi, psy-chill, psycore, psybient, psybreaks, or "adapted" tracks from other music genres. Goa trance preceded psytrance; when digital media became more commonly used psytrance evolved. Goa continues to develop alongside the other genres.
Goa trance is an electronic dance music style that originated in the early 1990s in the Indian state of Goa. Goa trance often has drone-like basslines, similar to the techno minimalism of 21st century psychedelic trance (psytrance). Psychedelic trance developed from Goa trance. The typically long songs built on progressive beat changes are said to put the listener in a “trance”.
Goa is a state of India. Goans are commonly said to be born with music and football in their blood because both are deeply entrenched in Goan culture.
Suomisaundi, also known as suomisoundi, suomistyge or spugedelic trance, is a style of psychedelic trance that originated in Finland around the mid-1990s. "Suomisaundi" literally means "Finnish sound" in Finnish. Suomisaundi's biggest proponents are said to be Tim Thick and his label Thixx'n'Dixx.
Goan Catholics are an ethno-religious community of Indian Christians adhering to the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church from the Goa state, in the southern part of the Konkan region along the west coast of India. They are Konkani people and speak the Konkani language.
Mando is a musical form that evolved during the 19th and 20th centuries among the Goan Catholics. It represents a meeting point of local Goan and western musical traditions.
The Culture of Goan Catholics is a blend of Portuguese and Konkani cultures, with the former having a more dominant role because the Portuguese ruled Goa directly from 1510 to 1961.
Tiatr is a type of musical theatre that is popular in the state of Goa on the west coast of India, as well as in Mumbai and among expatriate communities in the Middle East, United Kingdom, and other cities with a significant presence of Konkani speakers. The dramas are primarily performed in the Romi Konkani dialects and incorporate elements such as music, dance, and singing. Individuals who perform in tiatr are referred to as tiatrists.
Fugdi is a folk dance performed by the womenfolk of some communities of Konkanies in the Konkan coastal region of Goa and Maharashtra states during the Hindu religious festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi and Vrata or towards the end of other dances like Dhalo. According to certain historical facts, this dance style is said to have been created from few ancient Goan traditions. In addition, this dance is mainly performed during the Hindu month of Bhadrapada, when women usually take a break to escape boredom arising from their daily routines. Furthermore, it is also performed during religious and social events.
Old Goan Gold is a music album by Remo Fernandes and released in 1985. It consists of songs in Konkani and Portuguese. Alisha Chinai has also performed in the album.
Goa is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the east and south, with the Arabian Sea in the west. It is India's smallest state by area and fourth-smallest by population. Goa has the highest GDP per capita among all Indian states, two and a half times as high as the GDP per capita of the country as a whole. The Eleventh Finance Commission of India named Goa the best-placed state because of its infrastructure, and India's National Commission on Population rated it as having the best quality of life in India. It is the second-highest ranking among Indian states in the human development index.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Goa:
Konkani liturgical music refers to the sacred music used in the liturgy in the Konkani language. Konkani is used in liturgy in the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, and the dioceses of Mangalore, Karwar, Udupi and Sindhudurg.
Reginaldo "Reginald" Fernandes was an Indian writer, musician and cultural figure from the world of Goan and Konkani music. He was known for having written a vast number of Konkani romans novels, over a hundred in number. He has been called the "King of Konkani Fiction".
João Baptista Aleixinho Fernandes, known professionally as Aleixinho de Candolim, was an Indian playwright, theatre director, singer, and composer who worked on the Konkani stage.
Robin Vaz was an Indian playwright, actor, singer, and dancer known for his work in Konkani films, tiatr productions, and Goan folk music.
Francis Diogo Romano de Mello, known professionally as Dioguinho D'Mello, was an Indian writer, singer, playwright, and sailor known for his work in tiatr productions. Referred to as the "Ambassador of the Konkani stage" by writer Fausto V. Da Costa, he was a multilingual singer. Using the pen name Diodem, de Mello wrote for publications such as The Goa Mail and The Goa Times of Bombay. In addition to Mogachi Vodd, he penned several novels including Tambddo Moyekar, Dharunn Calliz, Khotto Put, Konn Zait To Crimidor?, and Ugddas 1901 Vorsacho.
Ambrose Carlisto Piedade Fernandes known professionally as A. M. B. Rose, was an Indian theatre actor, singer, theatre director, and playwright who worked on the Konkani stage. One of the early character actors of the Konkani tiatr stage, he gained fame during the golden phase of tiatr from the 1930s to 1970s. The patriarch of the 'Rose family', his son Alfred Rose followed in his footsteps to become a Konkani singer. Fernandes's family talents extended to his daughter-in-law Rita Rose, who made similar contributions to the Konkani stage like her husband Alfred, which inturn helped their children to become Konkani singers.
Antonio Moraes, known professionally as A. Moraes, was an Indian playwright, theatre director, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer known for his work in khell, folk plays, and tiatr (theatre) productions.
References
↑ Arnold, Alison (ed.). The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: South Asia. Vol.5. United States: Garland Publishing, Inc.
↑ Pereira, José/ Martins, Micael. 1984: Nr. 145, p. 62. Refer also to Rodrigues, Manuel C. 1957. “Folk Songs of Goa “, in: Goan Tribune of 6.10.1957, pp. 9-10.
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