by Vidhurinda Samaraweera

Origins

What is “Papara?” This article explores a genre of music native to Sri Lanka widely known as either “Papare” or “Papara” (not to be confused with dunking bread popular in Greece and Turkey). The origins of the name Papara can be traced back to the late 1950s. A song named “Dingiri Dingale Meenakshi” (டிங்கிரி டிங்காலே மீனாட்சி) from the Tamil film titled “Anbu Engey” (அன்பு எங்கே, translated, “Where is Love?”), released in 1958, increased in popularity in Ceylon (as Sri Lanka was called back then). Later, this song was adapted in Sinhalese by two local artists, namely Maurice Dahanayake and R. Subasinghe. The tune of this song is still popular, and it instantly reminds us of Papara music. This is owing to the cleverly devised onomatopoeia in the song imitating the playing of a trumpet which goes, “Papara Papà Pàpa Pàpa.”

Instruments Used

A Papara band has two sections: rhythm and melody. The rhythm section consists of percussion instruments specially made for Papara including snare drum, bass drum, and hand cymbals. Numbers vary from occasion to occasion; it could be as low as 1 player per instrument to an army of percussionists. Their role is to maintain tempo or shift it. Often, a Papara piece starts steadily and gradually picks up speed, accelerating into hyper tempos allowing the people gathered to dance with great energy. The melody instruments normally are brass instruments. Trumpets and trombones play an integral role in carrying the tune, but on occasion a euphonium and/or a saxophone may be seen.

Sri Lankan Papara Band (1)	Sri Lankan Papara Band (2)

Check out Papara from a sport spectator’s point of view.

Influences

In one of my previous articles, I delved deep into the influences of horn playing in Sri Lanka. There is evidence to show that Sri Lankan Papara has also been influenced by other cultures. In the article titled, “A Study on the Decline of the West Indian Influence on Sinhalese Music,” the author finds similarities in Sri Lankan Papara and the South Indian traditions of Melam and Kavadi (Wickramarachchi, 2006). Melam is a small group of percussionists and kombu horns found in Southern parts of India which can still be seen at Hindu Temples, and Kavadi is a form of devotional dance performed for a Hindu deity named Skanda Kumar. According to the article, The Rhythm Structure of Melam, a similar tradition is found in Kerala, in India called Chenda Melam, which is an ensemble consisting of instruments including kombu, cymbals, and other Indian percussion instruments (Vishnu Achutha Menon & Boobalakrishnan N., 2020). Hundreds of players may play this music together non-stop for hours with great discipline.

South Indian Melam

Apart from the Indians, the Portuguese who invaded the coastal areas of Sri Lanka in the 16th century also influenced local music. The Portuguese introduced instruments including the ukulele and guitar, and styles such as ballads to the locals. Baila was a style the Portuguese merchants and Kaffir slaves enjoyed. It is underpinned by 6/8 rhythmic patterns ideal for energetic dancing. Baila is heard in all corners of Sri Lanka at weddings, parties, and moments of celebration. Instruments like trumpet and saxophone became increasingly popular among the locals with the formation of the Police Band in 1873 under the British rule (Harish Sagar K., et al, 2021). Since then, with the advent of marching bands and funeral bands, and the influx of foreigners who imparted knowledge to the locals, the social fabric in Sri Lanka changed, and cross-cultural musical ensembles were established. Papara is only one such result combining Western instruments and derivatives of South Indian instruments, making it a uniquely Lankan affair. 

Why no horns?

French horns are never seen in these ensembles for several reasons. One is that horns are expensive instruments not readily available for purchase on the island. (More about this can be read in my previous article, Horn Playing in Sri Lanka.) Secondly, players do not invest time or effort into learning, relegating the horn to a more difficult level. The harmonic series of F, as opposed to B-flat, and the mouthpiece being quite small makes it even more difficult for the players. Neither are hand-horn techniques unique to horn known to many locals. Finally, Papara bands are required to play very loud, mostly over the noise of a large group of people in a vast, open space. It is fair to say the horn would not be as loud as the other brass instruments in the band. Moreover, to play for hours on end, as long as 8–10 hours a day, would be quite taxing. Papara bands that play at cricket games, especially test matches, play close to 8 hours, and some religious parades held in the southern part of the island last for days. The risk of injuries to lips and arms and/or legs are imminent the entire time. Wounded players could be indisposed for days which would threaten their main source of income. Most Papara players engage in odd jobs during performances since income from playing Papara is largely insufficient to sustain a living.   

Watch for Part 2 of this presentation in the next edition of the Horn and More.

Saudações!

Espero que estejam bem e que tenham tido um verão retemperador e refrescante, para poderem enfrentar a nova temporada cheio de energia e entusiasmo. Será, certamente, uma temporada desafiante, com muitas atividades e eventos em que a trompa e os seus intérpretes terão papel de destaque. É sempre um momento ótimo para planear a nossa agenda com as nossas atividades, mas também com aquelas que não se podem perder. Não faltarão oportunidades para quem procura melhorar as suas habilidades musicais ou, simplesmente, desfrutar do nosso maravilhoso instrumento.

Aí claramente já estou ansioso pelo IHS57, que irá decorrer de 24 a 28 de Junho de 2025 na James Madison University em Harrisonburg. Irei acompanhar todas as novidades e atualizações que o anfitrião Ian Zook, anfitrião nos trará nos próximos meses (incluindo nesta Newsletter).

A brilhante equipa da ‘Horn and More’ preparou uma interessantíssima edição para outubro, com vários artigos de várias origens que demonstram o quão abrangente é o nosso mundo da trompa.

Esta edição marcará a última contribuição de Daniel Grabois como Editor da Coluna Pedagógica.  Uma palavra de agradecimento pelo fantástico trabalho que desenvolveu e pelos excelentes artigos que nos disponibilizou. Artigos para ler uma e outra vez e arquivar para futuras consultas. Obrigado Dan e continuação de muitos sucessos!

Como vice-presidente e coordenador internacional da IHS queria deixar duas últimas notas que considero muito relevantes. Se segue a nossa Newsletter com interesse e valoriza todo o trabalho altruísta feito pela equipa da ‘Horn and More’, e pela IHS em geral, por favor considere ser membro da nossa associação, caso ainda não o seja. Com a sua contribuição e apoio poderemos ser uma associação ainda mais forte, inclusiva e internacional. Em segundo lugar, caso seja membro pondere envolver-se com a IHS de forma ativa, há muitas formas de o fazer! Mantenha-se conectado com a nossa webpage

Tenha uma grande temporada 24/25 e “let the bell ring”!!

Bernardo Silva, Vice-Presidente da IHS

by Ian Zook

Volume 18 — Edmond Leloir

As readers of this column may agree, there are many joys in listening to and researching recordings of the past. It is that much more rewarding when there are unexpected surprises, such as we get to share together this month! I had sourced an album of Belgian hornist Edmond Leloir performing Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro, Op. 70, certainly one of our most celebrated standards of the repertoire. What I didn’t realize until I read the reverse album jacket and listened to the record, is that the famed conductor Ernest Ansermet orchestrated Schumann’s piece, and Edmond Leloir serves as soloist. Released in 1958 on London Records, this recording features L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, conducted by Ansermet.

Briefly, Edmond Leloir (1912-2003) was born in Brussels, Belgium and made his performance career in Switzerland. He performed in Bern, Winterthur, and Zürich, before attaining the position of solo horn of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR). He retired from the orchestra in 1977, having invested 31 years leading the horn section. Additionally, Leloir was very well known as an editor and publisher of a vast catalog of music, rediscovering numerous out-of-print or otherwise forgotten works. He was recognized as an Honorary Member of the IHS in 1983. For a much more detailed account of his life and contributions, I recommed reading his listing on the IHS website along with Jeroen Billiet’s fascinating dissertation Brave Belgians of the Belle Époque: a study in the late-romantic Ghent horn playing tradition.

To understand why Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro would be orchestrated, it’s valuable to learn about the interests and influence of Ernest Ansermet. A math professor early in his career, he transitioned into conducting, cutting his teeth with Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. He founded the OSR in 1918 and then focused the orchestra on interpretations of the difficult contemporary music of that era—works by Stravinsky, Dutilleux, Honegger, Prokofiev, and Britten, among others. Anserment did have a penchant for composition, and also arranged Debussy’s piano duo Six épigraphes antiques. It is likely that Anserment arranged Schumann’s work as a gift to Leloir, as their relationship was rooted in mutual musical respect and admiration.

Schumann’s use of contrast in Adagio and Allegro is evident. He drew inspiration from the fictitious characters Eusabius and Florestan, paeans of the Romantic ideal in both his compositions and in his writing as editor of the New Periodical for Music (Neue Zeitschrift für Musik). Writer Marie C. Miller addresses this topic: “Eusabius was the lyrical, the quiet introspective. Florestan was the more flamboyant, impetuous personality. Florestan, the truer Romantic of the pair, often displayed a mercurial state of mind and quickly changing personality.”

The piece opens with a tender, melancholy horn melody supported in this context by a mixture of arco and pizzicato strings with the oboe answering in dialogue:

As the Adagio section ends, Leloir effectively blends his very broad tone into the cello section countermelody. His launch into the Allegro is vigourous and full-throated, leading to a cadential apex in the strings that is much more reminiscent of Strauss in orchestration:

The transitional section, perhaps another pleading moment from Eusabius, really leans forward in tempo. The string section provides a churning sustain of sound as a noticeable sonic departure from the usual left-hand offbeats in the piano accompaniment:

Known for it’s endurance demands related to phrase length and range, Adagio and Allegro orchestrated as a concert piece is nearly of concerto-like dimensions. Leloir’s playing overall is quite heroic to match. He siezes upon this sonic challenge and truly rides above the weight of the orchestra throughout, even turning it up a notch through the ending:

In summary, it is interesting to listen to this reconception of a treasured staple in our repertoire. A true piece of chamber music, Adagio and Allegro rewards the duo who can malleably merge tones, phrasing, and tempi to give a voice to something unique. Perhaps something is lost in the horn’s necessary projection here with orchestra, or for the need for all involved to follow the interpretation of a conductor rather than listening and responding to one another. In either case, it provides ample room for discussion. Thanks for reading Horn on Record!