NO. 61. — 1908.] K ANDY AN MUSIC. 



133 



Besides that, before one can begin to appreciate the music, he 

 must learn to understand the meaning conveyed in the 

 songs. To completely understand them he will have to learn 

 all the traditions, the folklore, the mythology, the demon - 

 ology, and the religion of the Sinhalese — and above all their 

 ideas of things, their ideals and their thoughts ; for the songs 

 and poetry which contain the music refer to things and events 

 one does not often hear about. 



Without understanding the meaning conveyed in the songs 

 it is hardly to be expected that the music alone would be 

 appreciated. For instance :— 



■3> «f q 3>§c ©<£D^cdi ©cf 6&®&)d§ 9 

 «5 etf S3 q coded" (S^ogQs^eg ^dosaQ Q t q 



Few perhaps are aware of the saying that the bees are fond 

 of the fragrant ichor that flows from the nipples of the cheeks 

 of the male elephant at certain seasons ; and without knowing 

 that, it is difficult to understand the meaning conveyed 

 in the stanza, and without understanding that, the excellence 

 of the piece must be lost and the music itself will not be 

 appreciated. In Sinhalese poetry, composed according to set 

 rules regarding quantity, feet, and pauses, &c, there is not 

 much difference from Sinhalese songs. Songs as well as 

 poetry, by which I mean kavi, gi, and sipada, are composed 

 under the same rules, and any piece of verse could be set to 

 music. 



I. 



In a Sinhalese manuscript on music I have in my library 

 it is said that a certain chief " Thero " in ancient times sent 

 messengers with rich presents to one Ganitalankara Achariya, 

 a teacher of music, at Nagapatuna in Jambudwipa, and 

 obtained from him a book on music, which the said " Thero " 

 is said to have translated into Sinhalese verse, naming it the 

 Wadankusa-ratnamdla* The pada in this book are almost 

 all in the Tamil language, with a mixture of Telugu words 

 and words of other Indian dialects. 



*'This book says that the science of music belong to the Atarwana 

 V6da, 



