Music is an integral part of tiatr. Tiatr without music would be like Mona Lisa minus her smile. If tiatrist earn fame and appreciation from the audience for their performance on stage, the musicians who infuse life into a tiatr performance with their lilting music mostly remain hidden in the backdrop. The musicians playing the brass instruments like the trumpet and the saxophone form the nucleus of the band that provides music for tiatrs and are responsible for writing the musical notes (solfegio) and leading the other musicians in the group. These musicians, who are mostly products of the now defunct music schools run by the parishes in Goa were taught to read and write music by the disciplined parish choir masters of the pre liberation era. 

One amongst the many such musicians who has served the tiatr stage with dedication for the last more than fifty years is Filipe Mascarenhas, well known on Goan music scene as Filipe de Sanvordem. Born on August 6, 1942, he joined the music school run by the Chapel of Our Lady of Fatima at his native village in Xelvona at a very young age. Here, he learnt to play the violin, clarinet and the saxophone under the tutelage of Mestre Joao Coutinho. After gaining the required expertise in playing the above mentioned musical instruments he started his career in music by joining a troupe presenting the ‘Zomnivello Khell’ as a music director. His penchant for writing original intro’s and catchy interludes for songs made him a favorite amongst the directors of the ‘Zomnivello Khell’. Socor De Verna, Santiago Pereira, Patrick Dourado, Antonio Moraes, Shali bai De Paroda, are some of the traditional ‘Khell’ directors who availed of his services as music director. He later on teamed up Fidelis, a trumpeter from Chandor, together, they formed their own band that provided memorable music for many all time hit tiatrs of  late C Alvares, late J P Souzalin, late M Boyer, late Jacint Vaz , late Remmie Colaso, late Prem Kumar. John Claro and others. The flawless musical combination of Fidelis and Filipe lasted for nearly a decade till Fidelis breathed his last. Filipe has also provided the musical score for tiatrs of many directors of the present generation of tiatrists, like Prince Jacob, Anil Olga, Jose Rod, Roseferns, and others. Besides he has also arranged, written and played music for many audio albums. Currently, he is working with John D Silva’s S B Art as a music director. Recently, when Kala Academy, Goa and Tiatr Academy of Goa celebrated the Tiatr Day on April 17, 2012, Filipe was one amongst the many tiatr artistes who were felicitated for their yeomen service to the tiatr stage. Speaking about his passion for music, Filipe says “As a kid I was very passionate about music, today, even after 50 years of service in the field of music, my passion and dedication for music has not waned, I will continue to serve the tiatr stage till my health permits me to do so” For those aspiring to take up music as a career Filipe has this advice “work with dedication and sincerity, and you will become a successful musician” he concludes.