PADURU PARTY - OUR FUN - Ranasinghe 2,s House Party [ W.D.AMARADEWA ( IRA HANDA PAYANA LOKE )

W.D. AMARADEWA Born - December 5, 1927 (age 83)
Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Nationality - Sri Lankan
Other names - Wannakuwatta Mitiwaduge Don Albert Perera
Education - Visharadha Bhatkhande Music Institute
Occupation - University Lecturer
Spouse - Wimala Amaradeva
Children - Ranjana Amaradeva, Subhani Amaradeva, and Priyanvada Amaradeva Wannakuwatta Mitiwaduge Don Albert Perera (born December 5, 1927 in Moratuwa, Sri Lanka), better known by his adopted name Amaradeva, is a Sri Lankan vocalist and musical composer. Primarily using traditional instruments like sitars, tablas and harmoniums, Amaradeva incorporates Sinhala folk music with Indian ragas in his work.
In the mid-1950s, Amaradeva in his Janagayana project consulted experts of the Kandyan dance tradition like Pani Bharata, Kiriganita, Gunamala, Ukkuva and Suramba in his path to understand what constituted Sinhala folk music. Noting that it mostly revolved around a single melody, he decided to add verses that would lead up to the central melody which would now be a chorus thus forming two parts (unseen earlier in traditional Sri Lankan music) removing restrictions that had existed earlier. In doing so, Amaradeva created a uniquely Sinhalese music style that stayed true to folk tradition while incorporating outside influences. His work was vital in the creation of the sarala gee genre practiced subsequently by artists like Victor Ratnayake, Sunil Edirisinghe and Sanath Nandasiri.
Pandit Amaradeva has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Philippine Ramon Magsaysay Award (2001), Indian Padma Sri Award and Sri Lankan "President's Award of Kala Keerthi" (1986) and Deshamanya Award (1998). He has also represented Sri Lanka in many forums including the UNESCO 1967 Manila Symposium, and composed the melody for the Maldives national anthem, Gaumii salaam, at the request of British Queen Elizabeth II in 1972.

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  Music