Baila (also known as bayila; from the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

verb ''bailar'', meaning ''to dance'') is a form of

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

, popular in Sri Lanka and among Goan Catholics in India. The genre originated centuries ago among the

Portuguese Burghers The Portuguese Burghers are an ethnic group in Sri Lanka, of mixed Portuguese and Sri Lankan descent. They are largely Roman Catholic and some still speak the Sri Lanka Indo-Portuguese language, a creole based on Portuguese mixed with Sinhalese. ...

and

Sri Lankan Kaffirs The Sri Lankan Kaffirs (cafrinhas in Portuguese language, Portuguese, කාපිරි ''kāpiriyō'' in Sinhalese language, Sinhala, and காப்பிலி ''kāpili'' in Tamil language, Tamil) are an ethnic group in Sri Lanka who are par ...

. Baila songs are played during parties and weddings in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

, and

Mangalore Mangalore (), officially known as Mangaluru, is a major port city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats about west of Bangalore, the state capital, 20 km north of Karnataka–Ker ...

accompanied by dancing. Baila music, as a form of folk art, has been popular for centuries in Sri Lanka. During the early 1960s, it entered into Sri Lanka's mainstream culture, primarily through the work of police officer turned singer

Wally Bastiansz Ogustus or Martalanus Bastiansz, better known as 'Wally Bastiansz'' ( Sinhala: වොලී බැස්ටියන්ස්) (died January 10, 1985) was a Sri Lankan singer who developed the style of chorus baila in the 1940s. Biography Bas ...

. He began adapting the 6/8 "''kaffirhina''" rhythms to accommodate Sinhala lyrics. By the 1970s musicians, including MS Fernando and Maxwell Mendis, had helped Baila grow into a well known and respected style of Sri Lankan popular music. It is primarily considered

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...

History

After their arrival in 1505, the Portuguese began to convert the Sinhalese to Roman Catholicism, building their wealth and power through the spice and slave trade. As early as 1630, African Kaffirs were brought to Sri Lanka to work as slaves or soldiers. The Kaffirs were once described as a people 'steeped in opium and witless with drink'. The Kaffirs' carefree spirit inspired two music forms known as chicote and "''kafrinha''" infusing them with humour and satire. In 1894, Advocate Charles Matthew Fernando wrote that chicote as a "slow and stately" music, while "''kafrinha''" is "faster and more boisterous" and "with a peculiar jerky movement". The word "''kafrinha''" itself comes from "''kaf''" (Kaffirs) and "''rinha''" which means "local lady". The Kaffirs and Portuguese Burghers mixed freely, and chicote and "''kafrinha''" gradually came to be known as baila, from

verb 'bailar' meaning 'to dance'. Historically, Baila was a popular folk tradition along the coastal districts, where the Portuguese cultural influence was the strongest.Kaffirinha - the spurned folk art
By Amal HEWAVISSENTI (Sunday Observer) Retrieved 8 December 2015 These communities, mainly consisting of Portuguese traders, and the slaves that they had brought with them from the western coast of

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, gradually combined with communities of native Sri Lankans. The musical style, now referred to as "Baila", emerged from this cultural interchange. The genre was quick to spread around the whole island of Sri Lanka and was even influenced by

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

n ' habanera' music, a form of dance music popular in the 1800s. With a history of over five hundred years, it is older than other relatively recent semi-classical traditions. The

kafirs Kafir ( ar, كافر '; plural ', ' or '; feminine '; feminine plural ' or ') is an Arabic and Islamic term which, in the Islamic tradition, refers to a person who disbelieves in God as per Islam, or denies his authority, or rejects ...

, particularly in

Puttalam Puttalam ( si, පුත්තලම, translit=Puttalama; ta, புத்தளம், translit=Puttaḷam) is the largest town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. Puttalam is the administrative capital of the Puttalam ...

, view Baila and "''Kaffirinha''" tradition to be as intertwined with wedding ceremonies as wine and cake. The songs are accompanied exclusively by

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

instruments. Sri Lankan Burghers (the descendants from Portuguese) are the other group of inheritors of Baila and "''Kaffirinha''", particularly in Baticaloa. The

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

and the

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

are the accompanying instruments. Along with some

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular recu ...

ic elements, the often light-hearted comical lyrics, deceptively philosophical and the wada (

debate Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred in public meetings, a ...

,) baila tradition appears to be uniquely Sri Lankan. The western coast, in particular

Modara Modara ( si, මෝදර, translit=Mōdara; ta, முகத்துவாரம், translit=Mukattuvāram), also known as Mutwal ''(anglicised version)'', is a municipal ward of Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka. The mouth of the river Kelani Gan ...

and

Moratuwa Moratuwa ( si, මොරටුව, ta, மொறட்டுவை) is a large suburb of Colombo, on the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka, near Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. It is situated on the Galle–Colombo (Galle road) main highway, south o ...

- Galkissa regions, are the traditional abodes of the art of Wada-Baila. The viola,

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

rabana Rоban or Rоbana ( Sinhalese: රබාන) is one-sided traditional drum type played with the hands, used in Sri Lanka.Its mainly played in Aurudu Kreeda (The Srilankan New Year). The body of these drums are made by carving the Jack or Vitex tr ...

as well as the

harmonium The pump organ is a type of free-reed organ that generates sound as air flows past a vibrating piece of thin metal in a frame. The piece of metal is called a reed. Specific types of pump organ include the reed organ, harmonium, and melodeon. T ...

and

tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల� ...

were used. The

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

and

military drums Military drums or war drums are all kinds of drums and membranophones that have been used for martial music, including military communications, as well as drill, honors music and military ceremonies. History Among ancient war drums that can ...

such as the

snare SNARE proteins – " SNAP REceptor" – are a large protein family consisting of at least 24 members in yeasts, more than 60 members in mammalian cells, and some numbers in plants. The primary role of SNARE proteins is to mediate vesicle fu ...

and

cymbals A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...

form part of the Papare bands popular throughout the coastal districts. In addition the

tavil A ''thavil'' (Tamil:தவில்) or ''tavil'' is a barrel-shaped percussion instrument from Tamil Nadu. It is also widely used in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamilnadu and Telangana States of South India. It is used in temple, fol ...

is used when accompanying religious processions such the

Kataragama Kataragama ( si, කතරගම, translit=Kataragama , ta, கதிர்காமம், translit=Katirkrāmam) is a pilgrimage town sacred to Hindu, Buddhist and indigenous Vedda people of Sri Lanka. People from South India also go there to ...

and the Devinuwara temple festival. The popular Baila singer Wally Bastiansz, who introduced the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

to the traditional baila, is referred to as the "Father of Baila in Sri Lanka". There is a popular Baila song by Saman de Silva in tribute to him. M.S. Fernando A.K.A. "Baila Chakrawarthi" was a key figure in Sri Lankan Baila history between the 1950s and 1980s. Nithi Kanagaratnam started Baila's in Tamil in 1967 and was also the key figures in the development of the genre.

Contemporary song

Today, this "''kaffirhina''" style (often referred to by its "6/8" time) has been adapted from

bongo drums Bongos ( es, bongó) are an Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. They are struck with both hands, most commonly in an eight-stroke pattern called ''martillo'' (hammer). The ...

and

to accommodate modern instruments — specifically the

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gui ...

and

synthesiser A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

/ workstation keyboards, octapad,

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

and

drum kit A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player ( drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsti ...

. Due in part to this evolution, it is most often heard during parties, school reunions, charity dinner dances, hotel concerts and weddings. Contemporary Baila is also characterized by comical lyrics, often loosely adapted from themes derived from Sri Lanka's history and/or folklore. There are four subgenres of Baila: * Chorus song: typical Baila song. * Waada song: this is a contest between several Baila singers, often spontaneous. Judges give them a topic and competitors must compose their own lyrics for the specific Baila rhythm. Marks are given in different criteria including quick-wittedness, meaningfulness, flow and rhyme. * Papare Baila: instrumental baila usually played outdoors using trumpets and drums influenced by marching bands. Popular in carnivals and cricket matches, the crowd joins in by singing and dancing. * Calypso baila: influenced by

Calypso music Calypso is a style of Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago during the early to the mid-19th century and spread to the rest of the Caribbean Antilles and Venezuela by the mid-20th century. Its rhythms can be traced back to We ...

, played typically with

acoustic guitars An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

and

. * Bailatronic: introduced by

Ranidu Lankage Ranidu Lankage (Sinhala language, Sinhala:රනිදු ලංකාගේ) is a Sinhala language, Sinhalese R&B and hip hop artist who raised the international profile of Sinhalese RnB/pop.Weerasuriya, Sanath. (2007-03-25Dance to the music of ...

, by mixing baila and electronic music together. Popular Baila artists include:

M. S. Fernando Mahagamage Samson Fernando, ( si, එම්. එස්. ප්‍රනාන්දු; 4 March 1936 - 9 April 1994), popularly as M. S. Fernando, was a Sri Lankan singer and musician. He is a major player in the development of Baila music and ...

, Anton Jones, Paul Fernando,

Desmond de Silva Desmond or Desmond's may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Desmond'' (novel), 1792 novel by Charlotte Turner Smith * ''Desmond's'', 1990s British television sitcom Ireland * Kingdom of Desmond, medieval Irish kingdom * Earl of Desmond, Irish a ...

Nihal Nelson Nihal Nelson ( si, නිහාල් නෙල්සන්; 9 January 1946 – 13 December 2022) was a Sri Lankan vocalist, songwriter and composer. One of the most influential singers in Sri Lanka, and considered 'undefeated on the concert st ...

, Maxwell Mendis, Sunil Perera ( The Gypsies), Saman De Silva, Dhanapala Udawaththa, Rajiv Sebastian, Claude de Zoysa, Mariazelle Goonetilleke, Nithi Kanagaratnam, A. E. Manoharan, and Dalreen among others. Baila has also influenced the music of many popular artists such as:

Annesley Malewana Annesley Malewana () ( Sinhala: ඇනස්ලි මාලේවන) is a Sri Lankan musician. Often considered "The Prince of Sinhala Pop", Malewana is well known for being a master of contemporary Baila worked with popular musical bands The M ...

Clarence Wijewardene Vithana Kuruppu Arachchilage Clarence Arthur Somasinghe Wijewardena Justice of the peace#Sri Lanka, JP ( si, ක්ලැරන්ස් විජේවර්ධන, ta, கிளாரன்ஸ் விஜேவர்தன; 3 August 1943 � ...

, C.T. Fernando, Anil Bharathi, Christopher Paul, Priya Peiris

La Bambas La Bambas was an influential Sri Lankan music group, composed of Priya Peiris, Rolinson Ferdinando, Brian Fernando, Erinton Perera and Lasla Fernando. They were one of the first Sinhala groups to utilize a box guitar, and were popular in Sri Lanka ...

, Super Golden Chimes, Los Flamingos, Sunflowers (band), The Gypsies, and even

Pandit A Pandit ( sa, पण्डित, paṇḍit; hi, पंडित; also spelled Pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt.) is a man with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge whether it is shashtra (Holy Books) or shastra (Wea ...

W. D. Amaradeva Sri Lankabhimanya Wannakuwattawaduge Don Albert Perera ( si, වන්නකුවත්තවඩුගේ දොන් ඇල්බට් පෙරේරා; ta, டபிள்யூ. டி. அமரதேவா; 5 December 1927 – 3 Nov ...

has produced a large number of these artists and is often referred to as the unofficial home of Baila.

Gerald Wickremesooriya Gerald Wickremesooriya ( si, ජෙරල්ඩ් වික්‍රමසූරිය; 1920 – 9 January 2006) was the founder of the Sooriya Record label that produced many popular hits from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. Personal life G ...

and his Sooriya records played a significant role to promote this genre of music. Radio broadcaster

Vernon Corea Vernon Corea (11 September 1927 – 23 September 2002) was a pioneer radio broadcaster with 45 years of public service broadcasting both in Sri Lanka and the UK. He joined Radio Ceylon, South Asia's oldest radio station, in 1956 and later the Sr ...

promoted Baila music in the English-speaking world via the English-language programmes aired on

Radio Ceylon Radio Ceylon ( si, ලංකා ගුවන් විදුලි සේවය ''Lanka Guwan Viduli Sevaya'', ta, இலங்கை வானொலி, ''ilankai vanoli'') is a radio station based in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) and the first ...

and

BBC Radio London BBC Radio London is the Local BBC Radio, BBC's local radio station serving Greater London and its surrounding areas. The station broadcasts across the area and beyond, on the 94.9 FM broadcasting, FM frequency, Digital Audio Broadcasting, DAB, ...

during the late 1960s and 1970s. The Roshan Fernando foundation is a charity committed to the welfare of baila and other musicians. In December 2006 a nonstop dance CD with the greatest Baila hits titled ''Sri Lankan Open House Party'' was released in Sri Lanka. The music was directed by renowned composer Suresh Maliyadde while the music on the CD was provided by Niresh Perera (The Gypsies) on drums, Mahinda Bandara Fortunes) on guitar, Tilak Dias on bass, Tissasiri Perera on keyboard, and Visharadha Monaj Pieris on percussion. Singers who were empowering these all time evergreens are Kanishka Wijetunga, Ganesha Wijetunga, Mariazelle Goonetilleke, and Suresh Maliyadde. There are Baila songs in Tamil, which were popularized by Nithi Kanagaratnam, Stany Sivananthan, Tobel Ragal, Kanapathipillai, Emanuel, S Ramachandran, Ceylon Manohar (A.E.Manoharan), M.P.Paramesh, Amuthan Annamalai, et al. The Sinhala Baila song ''Pissu Vikare (Dagena Polkatu Male)'' by

H. R. Jothipala Hettiarachchige Reginald Jothipala ( si, එච්.ආර්. ජෝතිපාල; 12 February 1936 – 7 July 1987), popularly as H. R. Jothipala, was a Sri Lankan playback singer in the Sinhalese language, Sinhala cinema as well as a film ac ...

, Milton Perera,

is a cover version of the

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

song ''Dingiri Dingale (Meenachi)'' from the 1958

film ''

Anbu Engey ''Anbu Engey'' () is a 1958 Indian Tamil-language drama film, directed by D. Yoganand and produced by V. Govindarajan. Its story was written by Murasoli Maran and screenplay by Rajendra. The film stars S. S. Rajendran, K. Balaji, Pandari Bai ...

''. And it was covered again in Sinhala as a folk song named ''Digisi/Digiri Digare (Kussiye Badu)''.

References

;Notes ;Footnotes

External links

Sri Lanka Music Directory
{{Lusophone countries music 20th-century music genres 21st-century music genres Sri Lankan music African diaspora in Sri Lanka

History

Contemporary song

See also

References

External links