Necessity is the mother of invention. When Fr Ramiro Luis, assistant professor, Psychology, St Xavier’s College, Mapusa, was organizing a musical concert for Crescendo Music School, of the college, he wanted a trumpeter to complete the band. He didn’t find one after approaching all the trumpeters in Goa who were either playing for concerts or tiatrs. This made him realize that there is a requirement to create a new generation of trumpeters who will uphold the tradition of the brass band. Teaming up with renowned trumpeter Nolvert Cota, they will be conducting classes for trumpet from August 3, from 3pm to 6pm, at the college premises.
“Brass instruments are something that are not very popular now.
With instruments like drums and trumpets, you have to convince the
neighbourhood about the practice. When people are practicing the saxophone,
drums or trumpet, the neighbourhood also has to accept it. Brass music is
fading away and there are people who associate it with Jazz and consider it as
elite music while marginalizing it with tiatrs. The music provided by the
trumpet for the intros and interludes of tiatrs adds more richness to the show.
I tried calling all the possible trumpeters and no one was available for the
show. It was a humiliation that Goan music is incomplete without the trumpet
and yet we couldn’t find one trumpeter for the how. We had to perform the show
with trumpet tones on the keyboards but that doesn’t match the original sound
of the trumpet. That is when we decided to train and bring new people into the
market,” says Fr Ramiro. The music school also trains students in violin,
keyboards, classic guitar and rhythm guitar.
Nolvert Cota comes
from a family of great musicians, including his father Late Luis Cota and grandfather,
Late Jose Santana Cota from St Cruz. Nolvert previously guided students with
the basics on the trumpet at the Garden Central Music Studio, Panjim, along
with Rui Lobo. “I’m looking forward to children as young as ten years who can
buzz. As long as they can buzz, they can learn the trumpet. The first phase is
difficult as the mouthpiece is not like any other mouthpiece. Their lips might
get cut while pressing against their teeth while getting a grip of the
mouthpiece but later it will be easier for them to play the trumpet with ease,”
explains Nolvert.
After his father,
late Domingos Caetano Braganca, Semy Braganca is the only musician in Goa who
plays the trombone. A few years back, he was training students at the Kala
Academy music school, Panjim, in trumpet. His batch of students have turned out
to be outstanding musicians today, who perform in Goa and abroad including
Senon De Souza, Selwyn Braganza, Dexter Furtado and Nixon Fernandes. “The
training has to be a continuous process followed by thorough practice. The lips
have to be adjusted well to the trumpet. Even if I take a break of one or two
weeks, it becomes very difficult to play the trumpet and it takes another 2-3
days for the lips to adjust, as the mouthpiece has to be set right or the cheeks
will get tired,” says Semy, who has performed with noted musicians in various
live performances in India and abroad.
His fifteen years of
service in the Navy Band helped him perfect his trombone skills but he is
saddened by the fact that no one plays the instrument professionally. “When
Jerome Rodrigues was serving as the conductor of the Goa State Symphony
Orchestra at Kala Academy for a brief period till 2009, he wrote music for the
children. Unfortunately, there are no more orchestras in Goa to hone their
skills in trumpet to take them to the next level. The next performances are
tiatrs and other musical shows. There are grades for trumpet which are
conducted by Trinity College London exams once a year. Students are afraid to
try the long note exercise to hit the high notes. On the trombone, you have
positions, you move slightly forward and you get a sharp note, while you move
backwards, you get a flat note,” adds Semy, who is working for the Directorate
of Health Services, Panjim, and his twin daughters are learning the keyboards
under the guidance of Albert Barretto, a noted musician.
Senon De Souza from
Azossim-Mandur was just in Class XI when he joined Kala Academy music school to
learn the trumpet under the guidance of Semy Braganza. He plays the trumpet,
violin and the keyboards and during Covid, he entertained people online by
creating YouTube videos with his music. He played music for more than 150 music
videos and arranged for more than 25 YouTube songs. “Konkani music doesn’t go
well without the trumpet. It feels incomplete. During Covid, I used to play the
trumpet part in my studio, set up at home and record and mail it to various
artistes who were producing the videos. I did most of my work with Cannon
D’Souza. It is very important to continue playing the trumpet and these
sessions kept me busy during the live performance lull,” says Senon, a member
of a Jazz-funk band ‘Reverse Gear’ and Mando group Goenchim Kirnnam.
Senon has performed
in over 130 tiatrs and arranged music for more than 45 tiatrs and 10 Konkani
albums. He has been a part of the band for Herald Group’s Goencho Avaz and had
arranged music and led the band for Nightingale of Goa 2022 and Kor Kantar
Taleigao 2022. “There is a misconception that you need a lot of energy to play the
trumpet and that it can affect the lungs. The trumpet is not so difficult if
you learn it with the right technique and blow it right by buzzing of the lips.
It is important to develop the tone which requires time and practice. If you
don’t play the trumpet for even a month, you lose touch and have to start
practice to get a grip on the trumpet,” explains Senon, who works as a computer
science teacher.
Every year, on
November 22, the Church of Our Lady of Merces, celebrates the Feast of St
Cecilia, who is considered as the patron saint of musicians. Francis Azavedo
(Putush), is the third generation of musicians in his family and takes the lead
in celebrating the feast. An accomplished trumpeter, he has nearly eight
trumpets in his home and encourages youngster to play different instruments.
“Many children have stage fear even though they have interest in learning
music. I always give opportunity to young musicians to perform with senior
musicians. There is a particular technique to blow the trumpet and it is
initially difficult while learning. Students just need to form a habit and
continue practicing,” says Francis, a Sub Officer in the Fire Brigade, who has
been serving the department since 1988.
Norman Cardozo has
created a special place for himself in the Konkani music industry performing
with legendary singers. His group of musicians are always ready to entertain
the crowds with great music and he knows the one important factor that attracts
the audience is the brass instruments. “My band always has brass instruments
with three trumpeters, Nolvert Cota, Fernando D’Souza and Franky Alvares, one
trombonist, Semy Braganza and one saxophonist, Antonio Azavedo. As soon as I
get a show booking, I inform my band mates to block the dates and we start
practicing. We do live shows so the audience response is very important. Young
musicians don’t approach me to perform with us, I don’t know if it is stage
fear that is holding them back,” says Norman.
To
conclude, Nolvert explains the stark reality in the current music industry, “In
the past five years, I have seen five brilliant musicians, three trumpeters and
two keyboardists, shift to Europe. If we don’t encourage new talent to take up
music, there might be a shortage of good music,” he says.