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Kala Korner - by Dee Cee

CT's original songs in a CD
A casual announcement I heard over the radio took me to the SLBC reception desk to buy a CD of C T Fernando's songs. For years we had enjoyed them. Here was an opportunity to listen to them all over again in the original form - a rare occurrence at a time when there is a tendency to change the music while using only the singer's original voice. CT's CD therefore is valuable because it retains the original music.

Titled 'Malbara Himidiriye' - one of CT's most popular numbers, the CD is a collection of 18 songs rendered in exactly the same way we heard them many decades ago over the radio. It’s absorbing and brings back memories of this great singer of the 1950s.

Starting with 'Kimada sumuhiriye', the songs move through 'Sihina leve', 'Ambarukl sevenelle', 'Maa baala kaale' to 'Selalihini kovul', 'Bara baage' , 'Mage sudu maame' to 'Punsanda hinehenne'. Pity the names of the lyric writers and the music composers are not included unlike in the present day CDs where all these details are given. Such details are useful for any student of music while being a fitting tribute to those pioneers.

The words used are simple and meaningful and the music is lilting. While we can still remember Lata and Rukmani Devi accompanying CT, there are certain female voices difficult to identify. The CD does not mention their names either. The SLBC could rectify this lapse in their future productions.

Cyril Tudor hailed from Moratuwa and broke into the radio scene(Radio Ceylon days) by singing the 'Hamana mada nele' in 1947 but became popular with 'Pinsiduwanne', the little bird's innocent plea to children not to break her nest. The words were by R.H. Perera, a cousin of CT's. Thanks to researcher, Professor Sunil Ariyaratne, we have details of CT's early days when music director B.S. Perera arranged the music for the songs he sang for the HMV label. He also mentions that most of the tunes were CT's own. CT was influenced by Western music and developed his own style of singing. He continued his music career while serving as a clerk in government service. He was 67 when he passed away in 1988.

'Vana bambaroo' days
CT's numbers which became hits in the fifties and the sixties remain eternal favourites. I remember the days he used to work at the Land Commissioner's Department in the late sixties. 'Piyumehi penibothi vana bambaroo' (Karunaratne Abeysekera's lyrics) was the rage at the time. Requests used to pour into Radio Ceylon. It was the most popular number played by the Army, Navy and Police bands. The Brass Band from Georgia University played it and many others followed. Even Radio Moscow relayed it in a programme sponsored by the Lanka-Soviet Friendship League.

When Lewis Browns pressed a record with four of CT's numbers, they had a problem of distributing them - the demand was so great but due to foreign exchange restrictions, they couldn't produce enough.

CT's was a follow-up to a style made popular by Sunil Shantha with 'Olu pipila' and Ananda Samarakoon with 'Punchi suda sudu ketiya'. Easy to remember, simple words, catchy tunes and uncomplicated music were the essence of these.

CT - a gold medalist for oratory in his schooldays at St Mary's College, Nawalapitiya - was also the drummer in his school band, and prize winner for chorus singing and elocution. He was also a stage actor. The 'magul kapuwa' in 'Gamperaliya', CT also starred in a few films including 'Para Valalu' and 'Deiyanne Rate'.

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