Exclusive book on Sri Lankan Music by Devar Surya Sena

-- A CD containing memorable songs of the musician with each book --

In an age when super stars dominate the TV channels, the Devar Surya Sena Trust has decided to release in book form, a manuscript on Sri Lankan Music written by Devar Surya Sena in the seventies. The book ‘Music of Sri Lanka’ will be launched on March 28th at the Devar Surya Sena Centre in Alvis Road, Colpetty. It is published by Vijitha Yapa Publications.

What is unique about the book is that each copy comes with a CD containing some of the memorable songs of Surya Sena sung in his inimitable rich baritone voice and impeccable English pronunciation.

Born Herbert Peiris, son of Sir James Peiris, Surya Sena graduated from Cambridge University and was a barrister at law. In 1928, nationalistic fervour led him to abandon his career, to change his name to Devar Surya Sena, and to devote his time to travel through the length and breadth of villages in Sri Lanka to collect folk songs. He not only recorded the vannamas pal kavi and boatman songs for posterity but also learnt and sang them. He abandoned Western attire to dress in colourful Asian costumes and perform at concert halls as well as radio and later TV in the East and West.

He mesmerised his audiences with not only the songs but also his knowledge of Asian and Western music, including spirituals. He wanted to use his voice to bring understanding between the East and West. He was ably assisted by his wife Nelun Devi. The music critic of The Manchester Guardian praised his “perfect diction in which no trace of foreign origin was perceptible”. He was awarded the British honour, the OBE, in 1949 in recognition of his service to music and culture.

A great admirer of Rabindranath Tagore, he spent nine months at Shantiniketan which was to influence him for life. The music of the Sinhala liturgy which his cousin Rev. Lakdasa de Mel urged him to do, was completed in 1959. The book, Music of Sri Lanka, is an easy and readable work of immense research value and includes music which he painstakingly wrote in his own handwriting. It also contains photographs of this great Sri Lankan. On his death in 1981, he left his home Gitanjali to the Devar Surya Sena Trust to help foster education, Sri Lankan music and culture and aptly the launching of his book will take place at his home on his 109th birth anniversary.