Four classical instrumental gurus from Andhra Pradesh were honoured during the fifth annual function of the Berhampur Musical Band Association (BMBA) held in the city on Sunday evening. Some 40 band masters of the city had come together to form the association to keep alive the tradition of brass band and to enhance quality of modern band troupes. It continues to promote culture of classical music among the new generation. The association has also come up with instrumental albums of famous songs based on classical tunes through brass bands.
The association celebrated its fifth anniversary at the Veer Brahmendra Swami temple complex. All the senior gurus of different bands from the city and outside attended the function.
According to association president S. Varaprasad Rao and its secretary P. Ramkrishna, it was also an occasion to chalk out plans to keep alive the traditional quality of bands while making them match the needs of the new generation.
The four musicians who were honoured during the ceremony were also TV and radon artists in Andhra Pradesh. They were saxophone gurus from Vizianagaram -- K. Sagar and P.V. Ramana Murty, dhol maestros K. Govind Rajan and K. Sitaram from Visakhapatnam.
All the four instrumentalists performed during the function. Through their performance they proved how classical tunes and rhythms can still be crowd pullers for any band.
Training programme
Association adviser Y. Nageswar Rao said in near future they would start training programme to teach use of traditional brass band instruments to interested youth. He said the association was now trying hard to reduce sound pollution through their bands during their performances. Owing to it, more and more bands have started to use brass band instruments rather than using electronic musical instruments with their sound magnified by amplifiers and huge sound boxes. “We are again trying to get back to the days when bands were melodious rather than catering cacophony in the name of foot-tapping music,” says Mr. Rao.
