BEST TIATRISTS DURING PORTUGUESE TIME

BEST TIATRISTS DURING PORTUGUESE TIME.

In his remark on my recent article on "Memory of Yesteryear Tiatrists", Dr. Teotonio R. De Souza, Lisboa, said:

"For instance, you emphasize the fact that the best tiatrists and Konkani singers were produced during the Portuguese times and performed at the Emissora de Goa. Why would that be?"

The following is my answer:

First of all let us admit that Tiatro was born during the time of Portuguese time about 115 years back and it was initiated by a Goa born, Goa educated Goan Lucasinho Ribeiro from Assagao Bardez who was ably supported in his endeavours by Joao Agostinho Fernandes from Margao who because of his enermous contribution for the promotion of this beautiful art rightly called by the elders as "Pai Tiatristancho". Though Joao Agostinho Fernandes worked so hard for pushing Tiatro art forward yet he "bowed down his head in front of Lucazinho Ribeiro" with due respect to his initiative.

During the Portuguese time for commoners the Church School known as Parochial School was part of the life, not only for young boys, even for girls. During my time in my class at our village Parochial School there were many girls. This school lasted till the end of Portuguese rule. I still remember how in the mornings I was going for Portuguese school in my village at Escola Primaria de Abade Faria and in the afternoons I was going to Parochial school. Earlier before joining Portuguese school, it was a full day Parochial school for me. Besides Konkani in Romi script, we were also taught reading and writing Portuguese but more time was devoted for singing, music learning thru Arte (Music Book) and playing and learning Violin. While learning music and Violin, you come accross so many beautiful tunes and beautiful musical notes. While you are engrossed in this type of musical charm, your mind automatically moves to creative works in music.

Most of our yesteryear Tiatrists were the products of Parochial Schools in their respective villages. By undergoing schooling in Parochail school, you had to be good if not very good in music either thru written Solfa Notes or Reading Solfa Notes or by just thru Hearing. In Parochial School you were taught how to sing, how to adhere to the timings, how to sing in different voices. A student schooled in Parochial school had to acquire mastery in singing if not in reading, writing and playing musical notes.

The early Tiatrists were not highly educated thru University degrees. The maximum was Segundograu or below matriculation if they were previlleged to get the paid English education. During Portuguese time, Portuguese education was free while for English education one had to pay the monthly fees. Otherwise academic career in Parochail Schools was the last step normally in most of the yesteryear Tiatrists.

Somehow or the other, during those days the Goan youth had a creative mind. He had a mastery of Konkani language and being so he was well equipped in local history, tradition, idioms, proverbs, folktales and folklore. Our songs are always based on ryming in the ending. Amongst the Tiatrists, Young Menezes was extremely good in applying appropriate rymings for his songs. To frame such rymings and compose songs in this way it is not an easy task. Only if you have the mastery of the language then only you can have the free flow of the expressions to compose songs with appropriate words for rymings. This is one aspect of composing a beautiful song. The other aspect is framing music for the song. The tune has to be good and fitting and then only the song becomes beautiful. The yesteryear tiatrists being the products of Parochial schools they had the mastery of music which helped them to brighten the beauty of their songs. Based on the theme of the song the music had to be composed for that particular song. If it is sentimental story then sentimental tune had to be composed and framed for that song. In the composition of sentimental tune yesteryear Tiatrists were the best because they in Parochial schools learnt to sing "Motets" which are having most sentimental tunes. Minguel Rod was a genius in composing such sentimental songs after Aristedes Dias, followed by M. Boyer. These sentimental songs in our Tiatros are called "Cantos". Minguel Rod was the great admirer of Motets while Alexinho de Candolim was a genius in singing Motets. Once as a small Choir boy in my village I had the previllege to sing with him a Motet in our Church.

According to my observation only 3 tiatrists composed the most sentimental cantos in their Tiatros and up to now nobody reached to their levels. You see one in "Ghorib Sesari" Tiatro of Minguel Rod, in one of the scenes while singing that great Canto "Adlem Mojem Vidh, Kon Deva portun diit", Kiryadakoddem Mezar kheutalom jith", not only the singers cry but the entire audience as well. It was so touching, not only in words but more than that in sentimental tune that it hits your heart deep. After listening to this song, Maestro Pedrinho, Mestiri of Anjuna Bardez Church showed his desire to play a solo on his Violin - ad verbatim - that tune for the "Satvo Pass" in Anjuna Church instead of a Motet. Whether he did it or not I am not aware. The other best sentimental song was in "Doia" Tiatro of Airestedes Dias. It was in 1959 I saw. This was the canto Conception in a very tragic circumstances as a blind man sang thus: "Oh Ba-e ani Babu, ek Poiso ghala-a re, ek poiso ghala-a re. Gala re, vadda re, kud'deachi doia kora re, kora re.". Here again I saw how people were crying in the audience. Such songs and Cantos are not existing now. The third best sentimental song was composed by Mr. Boyer in his Tiatro "Sounsar Sudorlo". It was a beautiful sentimental song rendered by melodious singer Alfred Rose. That song was "Ekuch Foll dilolem dhonia". No doubt this song and its tune were very beautiful yet the golden voice of golden singer of Konkani stage Alfred Rose made it more beautiful and more sentimental. Oh God!! Will we again be blessed by another singer like him?
The present day Tiatrists and mainly those came into limelight after the Portugese and Emissora de Goa era was over, cannot compose such rich songs with rich music and rich tunes, as we say in our parlance. Most of today's Tiatrists are ignorant of Solfas and as such they cannot apply good tunes to their songs. The yesteryear Tiatrists had genuinness in their songs and originality, so also in the plots of their Tiatros. Today's many Tiatrists especially many of those who came up in life after Portuguese era are "CHORS" because they are borrowing and robbing everything from Hindi Films and applying in our Tiatros, in our songs and thus prostituting our Tiatros and our songs. Hindi Films have got Hindi culture, tradition and history while we have ours whcih are totally different from Hindi. Our culture is not harsh, our history is not brute and our tradition is not vulgar. We dont burn our brides for dowry though isolated incidents can occur. But many of the Tiatrists developed after Portuguese era introduced in their Tiatros such cruel stories which are totally foreign to our Goan culture. Many of the Non-Stop Tiatrists are more culprits in this case. They want everything readymade from Hindi Films. Most of the Non-Stop Tiatrists are not having creative minds, they rely for everything on their Directors who sometimes rely on Hindi Films. Non-Stop Tiatrists are like Parrots. The negative sides they show is o.k. in Hindi Films because it is meant for Hindi audience who practice such attroticies in their midst. It is o.k. for backward people to watch Hindi Films and copy everything rubbish from there. But it is not o.k. for us. We dont perform such attrocities as shown in Hindi Films as performed in Hindi world. Hindi culture is "Sala Banchot" while ours is not. Goa is corrupted only thru the introduction of Hindi culture. Goa is vulgarised only thru Hindi culture which all came into Goa mainly thru Hindi Films and thru the influx of non-Goans after the exit of Portuguese. And our ignorant, illiterate and intellectually pigmy tiatrists having no choice have introduced non Goan Hindi cultural habbits in our Tiatros thereby prostituting our great, decent and intellectually high Tiatros.

The yesteryear Tiatrists were rich in knowledge, wisdom, discipline, morality and many other attributes. Though they were not University graduates yet they were well read in many subjects of different nature. Reading Romansi of Damaciano Caridade means reading Shakesphere. Reading Bombay's Weeklies namely The Goa Mail, The Goa Times, Ave Maria and Dhor Mhoineachi Rotti etc. means one had to be a genius in knowledge. For this reason songs of yesteryear Tiatrists were full of knowledge, wisdom and enlightenment. Average Tiatrist of today is not a well read nor well equipped with good knowledge. So many times top visiting Tiatrists are coming to Kuwait and staying at my place but other than comedian Agostinho rarely others are showing interest in reading local dailies, leave aside local, they dont even like to read Goa's dailies which I read regularly.

For this reason, I say yesteryear Tiatrists were great and nobody will take away their places already decorated in the history of Tiatros and Tiatrists. The history of Tiatrists are better known to commoner Goans only who had the distinction of watching Tiatro from childhood. The so called elite Goans always looked upon Tiatro and Tiatrists with disdain. The so called Goan elite class including clergy showed desliked for Tiatro and Tiatrists as if it was an Art of Pagans.
This so called elite class of Goan have not done anything to promote and protect Tiatro Art.

A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.

Re: Salazar

Dear Veronica,

You have a very one-sided picture of Salazar. He was a much more subtle personality: As reported once by a Vatican envoy, Fr. Mateo Crawley, sent by Pius XI, he was « a person with insatiable amibitions».

The French lady writer, Christine Garnier, who interviewed Salazar several times to the extent of her visits being interpreted by some as a secret romance, wrote once that she saw in him a «subtle and cruel sensibility».

He could be very intimate and delicate, but could be icy and distant the next moment. All in all, he was also a good «tiatrist» and knew when to make himself look very simple and humble as in the cited case of Fr. Chico's hat! Salazar had serious tiffs with the Vatican, particularly in the wake of the trends that resulted in Vatican II. Salazar resented the decision of Paul VI to participate in the Eucharistic Congress of Mumbai, as a violation of the Padroado Rights of Portugal, particularly in the wake of the appointment of new cardinal of Mumbai, bypassing the Portuguese claims that the Patriarch of Goa, D. José Costa Neves should have occupied that position! He exiled the Bishop of Porto for demanding workers' rights to be respected in Portugal and for demanding greater transparency in the presidential elections. Catholic Action had become his nightmare.

Dear Veronica, if you could take a wider and more critical perspective of issues, your contribution will have a much wider appeal and impact too.

Teotonio R. de Souza
Lisboa
teodesouza@gmail.com