After the raging success of the first edition of ‘Greatest Konkani Song Hits’, Francis
Rodrigues is back with its second edition after a decade. The book is of great
significance for music lovers, especially those who would love to play these
songs on the piano or guitar. Based in Canada, Francis is originally from
Varca, having then moved to Vasco. An accomplished musician, attorney and chess
player, he also runs a sports goods business with his partners. “We are
operating in three cities in Canada and will be expanding into New York. I work
on the book from 9pm to 6am. It’s a pleasure to work on this and I get a real
kick out of it because nobody has done this before. If someone wants to play it
the proper way, it is all here in the book,” says Francis.
‘Greatest Konkani Song Hits 2’ will be
released at Menezes Braganza Hall, Panjim on December 29, 2019 at 3pm. The book
features 33 songs including ‘Nachoiea Kumpasar’, ‘Cu Cu Ru Cu Cu’, ‘San
Franciscu Xaviera’, ‘Mando Goencho Khoro’, ‘Chakka’, ‘Ya Ya Maya Ya’, ‘Hi Pori
Koneachi’, ‘Portuguese Folk Medleys’, ‘Kedna’, ‘Noxibak Rodtam’, ‘Goenkarponn’,
‘Abghat Kelo’, ‘Voddekkara’, ‘Aikat Mhozo Tavo’, ‘Ami Dogui Sezara’, ‘Juliana’,
‘Sorga Rajeant’, ‘Sao Joao’, ‘Chan’neache Rati’ and ‘Tuzo Mog’, among others.
“Within a few months of the release of the first book, music
stores kept requesting for the second edition. Many families in Goa and abroad
had copies of the book and children and young musicians were referring to it.
Konkani music has changed a lot in the last 15 years. For the second edition, I
selected songs based on my experience in music and what people liked,
especially based on YouTube views. On YouTube, there are songs like ‘Mhaka
Kiteak Podla’ by Friz Love, which are relevant and have 2-3 million views. A
lot of people got interested over the years and recommended what they wanted in
the book. Many libraries have also asked for it,” says Francis, who plays the
piano and guitar. His two sons, Kirk and Gary, also played music but are now
focusing on their studies and careers. Kirk is doing his PhD in engineering and
Gary works for Amazon in Canada.
The book has research on each song, their origin, the people
behind the songs and even the European background to the music. Each song has
been translated into English, keeping the true meaning and emotion of the song.
“The research has to be perfect; you cannot make mistakes. Two people used the
book to get PhDs. Marialena Fernandes from Vienna was one of them. She asked me
if she could use the book for her PhD on ‘The Konkani Song – Roots –
Development – Documentation’,” he adds.
The book with many firsts also has music arranged for choirs. “I
have arranged folk music for choirs so they can sing for concerts to make it
popular in the concert world. People think that these are pop songs but songs
like ‘Noxibak Rodtam’ and ‘Cu Cu Ru Cu Cu’ in choral music sounds good and
people will come to see what it is like,” he says.
The book has great illustrations by Goa State Cultural Award winner Alexyz Fernandes, who studied the theme behind each song in order to draw it. “These magnificent covers for both the books are by Alexyz, who has also done cartoons for the book. ‘Meera Meera’ happens in Mapusa so he has drawn a heartbroken man sitting outside Luizinha Stores in Mapusa on Friday, a busy market day,” says Francis.