13/06/2021
Remembering the Legend of Indian Music Sir Anthony Gonsalvis on his Birthday from Goa who ruled the Hindi Film Industry of India forever.
The legendary violin virtuoso
whose name is
Anthony Gonsalves
12 Jun 1927 ~ 18 Jan 2012
music arranger, composer, teacher
Born in Majorda village, Goa, his father, Jose Antonio Gonsalves, was a choirmaster at Majorda’s Mae de Deus church. He absorbed his father’s lessons in his teens & went to Mumbai to join fellow Goan musicians
His first job was as a violinist with composer Naushad in 1943. His talent was overwhelmingly apparent & he soon graduated to doing arrangements for composers. His first break as a music arranger was for Dholak in 1951. He worked with Anil Biswas, Gulam Haidar, Shyam Sundar, Madan Mohan, S D Burman, R D Burman & Laxmikant Pyarelal
He was a highly prized teacher. Every Sunday, his apartment at Sushila Sadan on Bandra’s Linking Road was thrown open to eager students, 2 of whom – R D Burman & Pyarelal – became famed composers. The song 'My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves' from 1977 film, Amar Akbar Anthony was Pyarelal's tribute to his teacher
During mid-1950s, he sought to merge symphonies of Goan heritage with Hindustani melodies & rhythms in films. He is remembered for his musical arrangements in Mahal, Naya Daur, Waqt, Dillagi, Pyaasa Haqeeqat & other films. In his 20 year career, he did over 1000 songs
In 1958, he founded Symphony Orchestra of India featuring Lata Mangeshkar & Manna Dey as soloists. The works were performed in the quadrangle of St. Xavier's College Mumbai
In 1965, he quit films & went to US via a travelling grant from Syracuse University in New York. He became a member of American Society of Composers, Publishers & Authors. He later returned to India in early 1970s & settled in his ancestral village & continued composing music, but never joined Hindi films again
In 2010, a 58-minute film in his honour by historian Ashok Rane was screened at International Film Festival of India. He died at age of 85