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Chris Perry- great Konkanni Musician is no more!
Chris
Perry, a musician of high calibre, who with his originality and
deep imagination brought Konkani music and Konkani song to the
highest standard, is no more with us. He expired on 25th instant
at the age of 74 years, out of which almost 50 years of his
life, he devoted to music in general and Konkani music in
particular.
Chris Perry is a
legend in his own life time for his unparalleled contribution to
Konkani music. He was a self-made musician because it was due to
his keen interest and profound desire to achieve greater heights
in the field of music that he did not limit himself to playing
only the trumpet but made all out efforts and also excelled in
playing saxophone, organ, piano and drums too. Another important
quality one could find in Chris Perry, which is rarely found in
musicians, is that he was a superb lyricist of Konkani songs.
He was a lover of
the Konkani stage. He was not very satisfied with the standard
of Konkani tiatr then. He wanted to bring change and quality to
the tiatr stage. With this aim in mind, he ventured on the tiatr
stage and produced some tiatrs namely Noxibantlo Novro, Padricho
Lob, Vid Mog Kornnaranchem, etc. However he found that his
efforts were not producing the desired results. He realised that
his time and talents were being wasted. He temporarily left the
tiatr stage and devoted his attention towards music and music
only.
Under his
leadership he started a musical band which became very popular
in India and abroad too. Chris Perry with his golden trumpet was
a household name. He performed in almost all the cosmopolitan
cities of India such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi and
satisfied the thirst of music lovers in these places. He
travelled abroad to various countries and gained tremendous
applause for his excellent performances.
Although Chris
Perry gained big name and much fame through his musical
performances in Western music and was considered as a musical
wizard, he did not forget his mother tongue Konkani. The Goan
instinct in him became active and with more zeal and enthusiasm
he once again re-entered the Konkani stage, this time not to
produce tiatrs but to give the Konkani people qualitative
Konkani music and Konkani songs.
Chris Perry
introduced Lorna on the Konkani stage. Chris Perry’s valuable
lyrics with his original soul-touching music and Lorna’s
inimitable voice created a revolution in Konkani singing. Chris
Perry’s discs and cassettes became very popular among the
Konkani speaking people all over the world. Konkani music and
Konkani song reached to the highest standard than ever reached
earlier. It was Chris Perry who gave Konkani music and Konkani
song the status that it deserved. Noxibak Roddtam, Nachoea
Kumpasar, Lisboa, Bebdo, Sorga Rajeant, Saud, are some of his
most popular songs which have become immortal.
What is the secret
of Chris Perry’s success? A good song depends on three important
factors: lyrics, music and the singers voice. And Chris Perry
had all three ingredients in each and every song of his. His
lyrics were superb, full of imagination and at times poetical,
with beautiful rhymes. His music was excellent in all respects
and that too with a Goan touch in each of his songs. And the
nightingale’s voice of Lorna created the magic in rendering the
songs effectively.
Another aspect one
cannot overlook is that Chris Perry was a perfectionist and did
not allow anything to be recorded unless he was satisfied with
it. To have these qualities one needs dedication, sincerity and
an attitude to hardwork. Chris Perry had all this and hence he
achieved tremendous success in his efforts to provide Konkani
speaking people with qualitative music and songs.
Chris Perry also
produced two musical shows namely Novro Mhojo Devchar and Tum
Ani Hanv. These shows were totally different from the normal
tiatrs in the sense that Chris Perry introduced rich music along
with good lyrics and powerful script. The main aim of Chris
Perry was to create something new, something original and
something of high standard on the Konkani stage. He succeeded in
his attempts at taking Konkani stage to greater heights.
Chris Perry,
although no more with us physically, his compositions have made
him immortal for future generations. In the demise of Chris
Perry, a golden era of Konkani songs and Konkani music has come
to an end. He has created a void which may probably never be
filled.
MR with TC |
