Oslando Anthony Xavier de Souza

Oslando de Souza 21.09.1930 -

Hailing from the Ararim ward of Saligao in Bardez, Oslando de Souza has made a considerable contribution to Konkani music. He has showcased the traditional folk songs Mando and Dulpod as well as humorous songs which he sang and recorded on cassettes and Compact Discs. They will forever remain as evidence of his great work.

Oslando recorded his first presentation, 'Poilo Pavs' on HMV in 1971. The Mando 'Poilo Pavs' was his original composition which became very popular. Then in 1975 he presented his second work again on HMV. This bore the title "New Konkani Hits" and included numbers which he had himself composed and set to music.

Then came the era of audio cassettes. Between 1978 and 1991, he produced four cassettes of Mando-Dulpod, folk songs and traditional Konkani songs: 'Soul of Goa' (1978), 'Goa Meu amor' (1981), 'Boas Festas' (1984) and 'Nostalgia' (1991). "Boas Festas" contains the traditional Goan 'Alvorada'. All these cassettes are now presented in the CD format as well. The specialty of all these songs is that Oslando has taken immense pains to present them in their traditional style. Apart from recording, Oslando presented several programmes of Konkani folk songs on All India Radio, Mumbai. Together with his orchestra 'Oslando & His Folklorists' he participated in such programmes as "All-India Folk Music Radio Festival" and "All-Asia Folk Music Radio Festival". His group has also presented several programmes of folk songs and folk dances on Mumbai Doordarshan. Oslando's most memorable TV show was the special presentation of "the Pick of the Week", a programme beamed by Doordarshan on 22nd December, 1986 exhibiting the artistic revival of the social graces and charm of the famous Goan Mando dance - performed with period costumes exactly as it was once danced by the Goan landed aristocracy some 100 years ago!

Oslando, with his orchesrtra, has presented some live programmes on the Mumbai stage and contributed to Western music as a choral singer and as a conductor. He is best known for his unrivalled male-voice singing quartet 'The Minstrels'- which he led with distinction for over three decades! As an English pop singer, he has presented the music cassettes, 'Family Fiesta' and 'Christmas Fever'.

Recently, Oslando has brought out a 336 page Music book in English, 'The Christian Goan Konkani Folk & Art Songs (A New Perspective)'. This book is divided into three parts: Comprehensive information about the Music of Goan Catholics, several Mando and Dulpods together with their music scores and some 16 songs and hymns composed by himself together with their music scores.

Fr Nascimento J Mascarenhas pays tribute to Oslando de Souza, who passed away in Mumbai, and whose funeral is being held in that city on Sunday, Feb 21, 2016.

If Catholic Goans can claim to have music in their blood, then credit should go to the Portuguese who taught their new converts in the 16th century to sing church music to the accompaniment of the violin played by the newly-trained choirmaster. Over the ensuing years, the violin became the core instrument of any musical group -- from the simple house party to the classical orchestra.

Oslando de Souza was one of Goa's most renowned exponent of Goan traditional and folk music. He was born in Abadan (Persian Gulf) in 1930 where his father, Franklin de Souza, was employed in an oil company. His mother Flory nee de Mello, also was from the ward of Arrarim in Saligão.

Oslando was brought to Saligão when he was just about one year old, and did his entire schooling in Mater Dei after the mandatory Portuguese schooling in the village 'aula'. During his younger days, learning to play the violin was almost a ritualistic routine for the village Catholic boys, and Oslando's summer holidays were spent in the village parochial school learning music notations. It is here that the school 'mistir' became Oslando’s first violin tutor.

Later, he had the good fortune of being tutored by Anselmo Mascarenhas (paternal uncle of the author, who we read about in a guest article earlier), "a violin teacher par excellence: according to Oslando.

After matriculating from high school, Oslando joined St. Xavier's College-Bombay for the B.A. course, but gave up half way to take up a promising job in a multinational firm -- a career that lasted 40 years from the age of 21 until he retired in a managerial position at the age of 60 years.

In Bombay, Oslando did not attend any school of music as he did not intend to pursue a career in music, but his proficiency in sight-reading of music notations attracted him to church choirs wherever he resided and other secular choirs like the Madrigals' Choir under the direction of the renowned Victor Paranjoti.

Meanwhile, his grounding in the violin attracted

him to various classical instrumental orchestras in

Bombay as an amateur performer. As a young man,

Oslando's favourite musical instrument was the

violin until the guitar became the rage with the

advent of the Beatle era. So he taught himself to

play the guitar and soon became good enough to

teach others.

It helped him learn music harmony, which knowledge he used to make musical arrangements for four voices and lead his own English choral groups.

Oslando's love for Goan music has made him one of Goa’s noted folklorists. As an accomplished singer-guitarist, composer, music arranger and conductor all rolled into one, he produced several albums of Portuguese and Goan folk music and performed on All India Radio/TV on several occasions.

His greatest contribution to Goan Folk music is his

book, The Goan Konkani Folk & Art Songs that

encapsulates the history of Christian Goan Folk

Music and explains the origins of the Dulpods and

Dekhnis and the birth and evolution of the Mandó in

a form that is comprehensible to the common man.

For those who can read music, there's a section containing music and lyrics of the most popular traditional folk and art songs listed under various "ready to sing" segments. Oslando's involvement in music has been a lifelong hobby that he pursued with passion and as a true labour of love.