Modernizing Composition: Sinhala Song, Poetry, and Politics in Twentieth-Century Sri LankaA free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. The study of South Asian music falls under the purview of ethnomusicology, whereas that of South Asian literature falls under South Asian studies. As a consequence of this academic separation, scholars rarely take notice of connections between South Asian song and poetry. Modernizing Composition overcomes this disciplinary fragmentation by examining the history of Sinhala-language song and poetry in twentieth-century Sri Lanka. Garrett Field describes how songwriters and poets modernized song and poetry in response to colonial and postcolonial formations. The story of this modernization is significant in that it shifts focus from India’s relationship to the West to little-studied connections between Sri Lanka and North India. |
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Abeysundara Amal Biso Amarasekera Ananda apē Arya-Sinhala äti Buddhist chapter Colombo colonial composed created cultural English ethnomusicology film songs flowers free verse Gīta Godage and Brothers gramophone songs Gunasena Havula Heļa Hindi Indian classical music kāvya linguistic linguistic purism literary literature lyricists magē Mahagama Mahagama Sekera Mahāvamsa Mahinda Maknisāda Yat Manawasinghe Manōhāri mātrā melodies modern Munidasa Cumaratunga musicians Näti nationalism nationalist Nirmāṇa Niṣādī nurthi paddy Palansuriya Parsi theater Perera poem poetic meters Premathilaka quatrains Rabindranath Tagore Radio Ceylon radio opera rāga Rajakaruna Ratanjankar Ratnayake repr Samarakoon Sanskrit scholars Sekera Silva Sinhala language Sinhala music Sinhala poetry Sinhala song Sinhalese Sinhalese Buddhist Siri Gunasinghe song and poetry song texts songwriters songwriters and poets South Asia Śrī Sri Lanka stanza Sudu Sunil Ariyaratne Sunil Santha Tagore's Tamil Tennakoon translated twentieth century University Press vannama Vavuluva village Visidunu Prakashakayo viya W.D. Amaradeva Wimal words wrote