His name is Anthony Gonsalves.  He lives in

 Majorda. The film Amar, Akbar, Anthony was

 dedicated to him on the insistence of Pyarelal

 the music composer who considered Anthony

 his guru. JONQUIL SUDHIR writes on the 80-

 year-old legend and his monumental

 contribution to Indian cinema

 “My name is Anthony Gonsalves, main duniya mein akela hoon.” Most of us know the words of this famous song from the hit movie of the 70s, Amar, Akbar, Anthony. A movie that catapulted Amitabh Bachchan, who played the character of Anthony, to fame. But very few know that the song was dedicated to, not just any ordinary man, but a guru of the Gurus - the real Anthony Gonsalves.

 A musician and a composer, Anthony Gonsalves is known the world over for revolutionising Indian music by infusing it with western harmony.  A feat which changed the composition and arrangement of background music in Bollywood. He not only taught the violin to Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma (of the famous Laxmikant-Pyarelal music director duo) and R. D. Burman, but was also an inspiration to other music directors like S. D. Burman, Kalyanji-Anandji, OP Nayyar and Bappi Lahiri. But he remains modest when it comes to his achievements. 

 larger than life

 Talking to Anthony Gonsalves in his unassuming environs, an ancestral home in the tranquil and serene village of Majorda, it is difficult to comprehend his larger than life reputation. His living room shows no signs of his stay in America, no great display of wealth amassed from being an integral part of the Bollywood music industry, not a hint of an ego. With the exception of a certificate from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, a few awards and his daughter Laxmi’s paintings, the walls are bare. In his humble surroundings, the octogenarian relates the story of his modest beginnings.

 Anthony Gonsalves was born and brought up in Majorda. More inclined towards music than studies, he first learnt the basics of music from his father, who was the choirmaster in the local church. He assisted his father for a few years and it is here that Anthony Gonsalves learnt Gregorian music.  “I was introduced to Gregorian music in Church. The mass was said in Latin in those days and most of the prayers were in the form of hymns.” He later became the choirmaster of Guardian Angel Church in Sanvordem and went onto serve several other Church choirs before he felt the need to do more.

 This need to “do more” took him to Bombay where he studied ragnis.  The year 1943 marked his entrance into the Bollywood film industry when he played the violin for music director Shyamsundar. He was then made assistant to Ghulam Haider. But sensing his talent to compose and his passion for music, Shyamsundar gave Anthony Gonsalves the liberty to orchestrate music and use his own formula in the film Dholak. And he made the most of this opportunity.

 Giving the analogy of dressing a naked woman, Mr. Gonsalves, says that he wanted to ‘dress’ Indian music. “Progressive music got into my blood. We, as Indians, always concentrated solely on Indian music. Ragas have a different rhythm, but they are not decorated. I wanted to give a background, a dressing to Indian ragas. So I attempted to introduce harmony into Indian music” But it was no easy task. Harmony was not accepted by the trained Indian ear. Which is why Mr. Gonsalves subtly brought in transparent harmony into Indian music. An attempt which was very well received. In fact, after his successful fusion of western harmony with Hindustani beats, several directors like Anil Biswas, Salil Choudhary, Madan Mohan and S. D. Burman – to name a few – emulated his style.

 He then wrote music particularly for films including introductions and interludes. He orchestrated music and did it with style. “People in the music industry didn’t have the grandeur of decorating songs. And they had used such primitive methods. They made use of six to eight musicians and needed 30 days for one song. I started out with 25 musicians and it later went up to a 100.”

 It was at this juncture that Mr. Gonsalves deviated from the subject of his career and summoned up memories of his experiences while teaching his students. He recalled how Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma’s father brought the boy to him as a child. He approached the guru to teach his son the violin. Mr. Gonsalves, with a nostalgic smile, recollected how Pyarelal was a brilliant, talented student and a fast learner. Pyarelal, himself, later said that his Goan guru not only taught him how to play the violin, but how to be a refined person.

 Shortly after his constant need for change led to Anthony Gonsalves’ transition from commercial music to classical music in 1950. It was during this period that he wrote a symphony. He, with 100 musicians, performed at the St. Xavier’s quadrangle in 1958. Musically speaking, the concert was a success. Those who did not know what music was like, finally found out.

 In fact, the concert was such a big success that the Dean of Syracuse University in New York, invited Anthony Gonsalves to teach at Syracuse. An invitation that Mr. Gonsalves accepted. He went to Syracuse to teach music. Not to the students, but to the faculty. Such was the stature of this great musician and composer. He thought Westerners the nuances of Indian music, something that was alien to them in the past. It was also at Syracuse that he wrote several small pieces of music, double violin concertos and two sextets with the clarinet and piano. He was advised to send his music books to the Library of Congress in Washington, which he did. The Rockefeller Foundation sponsored Mr. Gonsalves throughout his stay in the United States of America, which enabled him to travel across the state and teach at various universities. Mr. Gonsalves even enjoyed a stint in Hollywood writing music scores for films such as Silk Screen.  

 Mr. Gonsalves did not realise the extent of his own popularity until he attended the Tanglewood Music Festival and met such renowned performers as Adrian Bold and Eric Lansdorf who looked up to him as a legend in the music world. Adrian Bold, in fact, approached Mr. Gonsalves and thanked him for teaching the world about Indian music.

 But amidst all the adulation, Mr. Gonsalves remained grounded and true to his roots. In fact, when his children were young, he brought them back to Goa because he wanted them to learn the “Indian way of life.” Though he returned to America to teach young American composers, he travelled back to India frequently and kept in touch with his friends in the Bollywood music industry, including Lata Mangeshkar, who were not happy with changes that the ‘newcomers’ had brought about in Bollywood.

 After his sojourn in America, Anthony Gonsalves came back to India, to Goa (that was always the plan). Having radically altered the direction of Indian music in his time, he now laments the ‘stagnant’ condition of the music industry in India. He does not approve of the ‘remix’ culture and is saddened by the corruption of music to a marketing practice. “Earlier, we looked for progress of music, now musicians look for financial returns. No one is interested in promoting music for the betterment of culture, money has become the priority.”

 Music in Goa faces the same predicament. “Goan music has been historically influenced by the west and diatonic sounds have been accepted. The lyrics and the tunes were a mixture of the old rhythms and western harmony. But now authenticity has been lost in the process of change.” In order to bring originality back into music, Mr. Gonsalves feels that groups of musicians need to be trained and more importantly, they need to learn. Not just imitate. “One has to make a lot of sacrifices, especially the investors. Performers too have a role to play. They shouldn’t just perform what sells, but innovate and reinvent themselves…”

 As Mr. Gonsalves speaks you can hear the passion he continues to have for music. For Anthony Gonsalves, it isn’t about the fame or the fortune. It is all about the music. And though he has not been able to play the violin after he had a fall last December, he is optimistic and looks forward to performing in the future.

 Mr. Anthony Gonsalves is a man who is at peace with himself. In the evening of his life, he is content and spends his time in his garden. As I bid adieu, Mr. Gonsalves, ever the gracious host, insisted on sharing with me, if not the fruits of his music, the fruits of his garden. And though I could not hear the maestro play, I left with a smile on my face and bag full of guavas.

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