Amaranath's passionate love for guitar

August 7, 2007 will definitely be an unforgettable day in the history of Sri Lankan music. It is an opening for Sri Lankan music scene as Amaranath Ranatunga one of the country's leading classical and flamenco guitarist releases the first literary work a book titled 'Classical and Flamenco Guitar' along with a CD at the Mahaweli Centre. Starting at the age of eight, Amaranth's love for the guitar began when he heard a piece of classical guitar music in a cassette given by a friend.

"After listening to this I realised the beauty of music that the guitar could create," says Amaranth reminiscing his early days. As a young student at Carey College, Borella, Amaranath started investigating the possibility of mastering this mesmerising sound. "It was in the 1960s and during this time the guitar was not a much popular instrument. I came to know that an American national was conducting guitar classes in Mount Lavinia," Amaranath recollects. The American guitarist, Mervin Sanders, was the first instructor who taught him not only the ABC of classical guitar but also the subtle counds it could create.

The son of a businessman, Amaranath's parents wish was to make him a doctor, engineer or at least a businessman. To make their young son a musician was not in their wildest dreams. But today, a university lecturer in music and the first lecturer in guitar in universities in Asia, Amaranath says "My father would have been proud of me had he been alive now,". Determined to be a master, Amaranth dedicated his full time to learn classical guitar. For this he completed the graded examinations in classical guitar of the Royal Schools of Music - London, under Ms Indrani de Silva.

More discoveries were yet to come. Amaranath realised to be a genius in classical guitar it would be necessity to learn the Flamenco guitar as well. The musical outlet of the poor and oppressed in 1500 Spain, the sound of Flamenco was more rough than the melodious, meaningful soft classical.

"But mastering both was like a rugger player becoming footballer," Amaranath said explaining the two styles. To achieve this young Amaranath got the golden opportunity of learning flamenco guitar under the Mexican flamenco guitarist Fredric Bruno in 1979. "He had come to Sri Lanka to compose a symphony for guitar with the sound of music. He had titled it as "Sea Symphony". My playing was not so refined. But during the one and half years I spent with him I was able to polish my playing. He did not charge me a penny. What he only wanted me to do was to learn it correctly and propagate this style in Sri Lanka, which I continue even up to today.

Thanks to the generosity and the strong foundation laid by Fredric Bruno, Amaranath with experience and versatility, was invited by the Deputy Head of the Music Department of the Faculty of Music, Senior Lecturer, B. R. Dassanayake, was the first lecturer in classical guitar, for the four year degree, Asia's first degree in guitar music. The first batch with Amaranath, include seventeen young aspiring enthusiastic guitarists including four girls who are tutoring under him.

"I am sure with this new younger generation, Sri Lankans will have the opportunity to hear a different style of music, a much melodious sound from guitar," Amaranth says with confidence. "Whenever a newcomer music lover hears these styles of rendering they question me whether the guitar could make such a haunting sound," the maestro says with a grin on his face.

At the release of the book Classical and Flamenco Guitar which includes a CD comprising 20 melodies both classical and traditional flamenco, Amaranath along with some of his students will perform both Classical and Flamenco styles at 3 pm on August 7 at the Mahaweli Centre.The event also includes short speeches by the Vice Chancellor of the Faculty of Music, Prof. Sarath Amunugama, B.R. Dassanayake and Deputy Director General, Rupavahini, Sisira Kotalawela.