SRI LANKA: MUSIC AND DANCE

The music of Sri Lanka is diverse and is a reflection of its geography and history. It generally falls into four categories: ancient folk music, traditional music tied to Buddhism, music that was influenced by Portuguese, Dutch, and British influences, and music of nearby India (and especially that of Bollywood).

One of the folk traditions centered around caste-based folk poems called Jana Kavi. They're now used as a means of cultural expression and sometimes sung at annual rituals. Another type of folk music is called Virindu, a song sung to an improvised poem. It's typically sung accompanied by the rabana drum. Oftentimes, two Virindu singers would compete, kind of like an ancient rap battle.

Once Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka, people and priests alike began taking some of these folk songs and creating ones to tell Buddhist stories and poems. Music was a little more theatrical, using pageantry, puppetry, and drama. 

Similar to classical music of nearby India, classical music of Sri Lanka utilizes quite a few different instruments. Percussion is at the heart of their music and integrally tied to their dance music. It's the rhythm and driving force. To get a range of sounds and timbres, they use drums of differing sizes and materials such as the yak-bera, dawula, gatabera, thammattama, rabana, and the udekki. There are also sets of small cymbals adjoined by a string called a thalampata. You'll also hear a variety of wind instruments such as different kinds of flutes, an oboe-like instrument called the horanawa, and a conch-shell instrument called the hakgediya. A few string instruments are sometimes used as well, like the ravanahatha, a type of stringed instrument made of a coconut shell, bamboo, and gutstring, often recognized as one of the world's first violins played with a bow. 

When the Portuguese arrived during the 1500s, they introduced Western classical music to the people of Sri Lanka. They also brought along a number of new instruments as well (guitars and such). Western classical music took its place as a form of music that was enjoyed by the upper class, although it was taught at many of their high schools and college levels. Today there are many symphony orchestras, youth orchestras, and choirs who study and perform it throughout the island.

Paranoid Earthling

I’ve been pretty busy this week, and Spotify hasn’t been my friend lately in giving me a reliable way to search. But I did listen to a few rock bands that I found from Sri Lanka. The first band I listened to was Paranoid Earthling. I really, really like this band, but sadly, I can’t find them on iTunes or Spotify. I really wanted to download an album or just be able to play it in my car. They remind me a little of Wolfmother in a way.

I also listened to Stigmata, another heavy metal band. I like many of the songs they put out, which tend to be more on the melodic side of metal. And for that, I really appreciate. I did find them on Spotify and look forward to listening to them a bit more.

Smokio

Finding hip-hop artists/groups from Sri Lanka was a little harder to do. I found a playlist on YouTube and came across one called Smokio. I listened to a song called “Mudukkuwen Eliyata” that features Iraj. I liked what I heard, and the video gives a good look at what his city looks like. I also found one called Drill Team, and listened to their song “Deviyange Bare” featuring Sanuka. I liked their style for that one song I listened to. They use a lot of singing intermixed into their rapping.

Up next: the food