French Statesman, Historian and Poet, Alphonse de Lamartine said, “music is the literature of the heart, it commences where speech ends.”
Thus, is the potential of the latest song by vocalist, Sanjeev Niles, ‘let there be darkness’, which reminisces a moment of passion, lost in time, and the longing that follows.
Niles’ vocals weave in and out of the song, intertwined with the soulful tunes of piano, violin and cello, creating an intense longing for long lost romance. Subtle emotions are born and memories relived within the musical notes that reach out to the listener’s heart.
Niles’ voice breathes life and provides just the right amount of emotion to the theme. However, he remains mysterious when asked whether the lyrics were created as a result of personal experience. “Well not really, or I’d rather not say actually,” he says, adding that the song is more a culmination of personal experiences and views of the world and lyrical influences of other music which he listens to.
He adds that the poetry in the lyrics is for each person to interpret as it would apply to them personally. If the song speaks to them in a certain way and brings out certain memories and thoughts, that is the meaning of the song each individual would carry with them, he hopes.
A wordless perfection
Speaking of the melody of the song, Niles says, it came to him some time back during a sudden burst of creativity. I had different ideas of what to do with it and what instruments to use,” he says. Niles was keen on having actual live instruments played for the song, which led him to choose piano, violin and cello, instruments for which he could find good players without much hassle. He recalls having had to write down the entire piece of music, with each and every part to be played.
Piano was played by Nuran Gomez, who Niles had known since his time singing with the Colombo Philharmonic Choir, some years back. Nuran was the first instrumentalist Niles contacted.
“He agreed to play the piano and did an exceptional job in the studio,” Niles says.
Then, through Nuran, Niles met the violinist, Nishantha Warnakulasuriya, (who plays for the Symphony Orchestra and other ensembles,) who also agreed to collaborate with them. He had some parts which I thought were quite difficult to play, but I was pleasantly surprised to see how easily he played those sections, Niles says.
“Rochana Ramanayaka who played the cello, was discovered on YouTube, when I watched a video of a Sinhala song, and contacted him through Facebook and Ramanayaka agreed to be part of the team” said Niles. An extremely skilled cellist, Ramanayaka plays in Chamber Music Society ensemble, takes part in ensembles for Sinhala film music and collaborates with many other leading artists performing Sinhalese music in Sri Lanka, including Nanda Malini and Victor Ratnayake, Niles says.
“All three instrumentalists elevated this song to the next level and took it to another dimension. I am glad I was able to work with them,”he notes. To watch the music video, one can visit youtube.com/sanjeevniles
Audience wise challenged
Speaking of the audience for English Originals in Sri Lanka, Niles adds that independent artistes in the country who compose original English music, like himself, find it difficult in the industry. He says, the crowd follows the covers, bands and listens to the radio which plays only songs by International artists.
Hence, he requests everyone reading this article, to reach out and support any Sri Lankan artistes, making original music, which can move listeners.
“Share their music with friends, purchase their music online, buy their merchandise, come for concerts. In whatever small way if we get help from each person who likes what we do out there, then we can stand on our own and be on par or even better than the international artistes,” he emphasizes.
Exposed to music since childhood, at the church and at his school (S. Thomas’ Preparatory School), Niles first sang in his school choir. Eventually, he began singing in other leading choirs in Colombo, including the Colombo Philharmonic Choir, Merry An Singers and The Camerata Choir.
His previous songs include Kingdoms of the Earth, A Lament unforgotten and Cadence of your tears (with Suresh de Silva of Stigmata).
Niles says, his current plan is to release more individual songs. He has released four so far, and once he builds up a decent collection, he might combine them into an album, he says.
To Niles, music means a lot. He says, without it, he would be nothing - just another face in the crowd. “Music gives me purpose,” he says, adding that although there is no financial reward for him at the moment, he wants to make the best music he can during his time on earth.
“If I don’t do that, I would not have used God’s greatest gift to me on this earth, for the purpose for which it was intended,” he insists.