Few things compare to the pain of losing someone you love which is an inevitable part of life. How can one come to terms with this loss? Music is known to soothe all kinds of pain and that is the very reason Pianist, Founder and Music Director of Sri Lanka’s premier female ensemble `Soul Sounds’ and Music Educationist, Soundarie David Rodrigo lunched her book `My Christmas Gift’ – a dedication in memory of her father.
“It has been a really tough few months for me after the loss of my dear father who was my hero. In fact throughout my life - my worst fear was losing my parents, and I never thought I would lose my father. In my attempt to deal with grief, and this unbearable loss, I stumbled upon writing music. My father was also the founder of the Music Book Shop 'Sound & Co" and I just wanted to give him a gift - in his memory - and a music book - given the fact that he dealt with getting down music books after retirement seemed the best gift,” she said.
Soundarie said there was a need for written out arrangements for Christmas Carols.
“I found the inspiration to write out this book from my father. Losing someone so dear to you, this made me understand better how fragile life is - one never knows when it is time to leave this earth, and I just felt the time was right for me to start writing music for the next generation of pianists and musicians. Many times I play by ear and almost have nothing written down for someone else to follow. So I guess I wanted to gift music to all those lovers of music, in the form of these writings. Thirdly I also felt there was a need for written out arrangements for Christmas - and I guess that motivated me to have some solid arrangements out there for anyone to try,” she said.
She added that the arrangements are fun, different and have a classical touch to it. “If you have eagerness to try these Christmas Favourites with a twist to it- then almost everything is manageable. Further they are in sing-able keys and anyone could sing with the pianist. To better understand the style - I have "notes on all the arrangements" so that the young pianists attempting these pieces could understand the arrangement. For easy reference and for the listening pleasure of all - there are QR codes at the back of the book for each song, once you scan it - it will take you to my channel and you will get to hear the pieces being played. Further, my dear teacher and well known pianist, Ramya De Livera Perera, had gone through all the music prior to it going on print, and I have taken her advice into consideration for the final print. So I sincerely hope it would reach out to all young and old pianists out there,” she said.
Knowing that it is going to be a hard Christmas without her father, Soundarie wanted to gift him something that would keep his memory alive. Further being involved with her family on running Sounds & Co, she realized that there were very few albums out there with Christmas arrangements for pianists. Thus carols and songs that are chosen are personal favourites of both the daughter and the father, plus they are well known and can be enjoyed by anyone during the season.
"To those of you who are pianists, I can guarantee that this would be something different with a classical influence but covering also other styles such as Jazz, pop etc. For those of you who aren't pianists - it is still a book you should consider because you would have access to all the music in the book via a QR code which will lead you to listen to me playing all the pieces featured on the book. Proceeds from the sale of the book would go towards the "Ranjit David Memorial Scholarship Fund" which I have set up in close consultation and the help of the Old Boys Colombo Branch of St Michael’s Batticoloa - to help educate young students excelling in academics and sports, with financial difficulties for the next four years in Batticoloa. My father was very proud of his Alma Mater - St Michael’s College, Batticoloa and I wanted to help young students from the school. The book is available at Sounds & Co situated at the Soul Sounds Academy at 57/2 Kassapa Road, Off Jawatte Road, Colombo 5, and also at Barefoot Colombo, and Expo graphics Pallawatte,” she said.
She said this project would not have been possible without the solid support of her family, her husband Pradeep Rodrigo, her teacher Ramya De Livera Perera, Neranjan De Silva who recorded the playing for the book and Jarle Eskedal who assisted with Cover Photography and the dynamic students of the Soul Sounds Academy Virtual Events Team as well as Manoj and Prasad who closely worked with her father and who continue to show support to the family.
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