Música em Contexto http://periodicos.unb.br/index.php/Musica Musical instruments in local taxonomies: the case of sri lankan string instruments as perceived through internet sources Chinthaka Prageeth Meddegoda University of Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo ORCID: https://orcid.org/ 0000-0002-0552-5426 [email protected] Meddegoda, Chinthaka Prageeth. 2018. “Musical instruments in local taxonomies: the case of sri lankan string instruments as perceived through internet sources”. Música em Contexto, 12 (1): 21-33. Disponível em http://periodicos.unb.br/index.php/Musica/article/view/23509. ISSN: 1980-5802 DOI: Recebido: 08 de agosto, 2018. Aceite: 1 de outubro, 2018. Publicado: 20 de dezembro, 2018. Musical instruments in local taxonomies: the case of sri lankan string instruments as perceived through internet sources Chinthaka Prageeth Meddegoda Abstract: As a mainstream Buddhist country since 300 BC Sri Lankan clergy did for a long time period not permit string instruments as Buddhist sources said listening or playing vina lute! may cause rebirth and hinder the #ay to $irvana% $evertheless& 'indu philosophy does promote string instruments through pictures and statues of gods and goddesses% (t is interesting to look at ho# musical instruments #ere categori)ed in 'indu and Buddhist cultures of India and Sri Lanka throughout the history until today as the guiding role of educated clergymen decreased and the globali)ed Internet o*ers other musical instruments being used or modi+ed for many previously unkno#n purposes% ,his research aims at a historical analysis of musical instruments used in Sri Lanka seen through di*erent perspectives such as political& religious& or mythological vie#s% ,he #ay ho# they are currently presented in mostly non-institutional internet sources is included% ,he value system that promotes string instruments as a sign of musical development forms the background of re.ections in Internet applications dealing #ith musical instruments% /ne e0ample is the promotion of the ravanhatta& a bo#ed spike +ddle& #hich is inaccurately presented as the 1+rst violin2 of the #orld% ,hrough intervie#s #ith music teachers and people #ho provide Internet services& the phenomenon of this multi-layered problem can be clearly addressed% In result& an alternative vie# on musical instruments used in Sri Lankan culture #ill be provided% Keywords: 3no#ledge cultures% Online resources% Musical instruments% Sri Lanka% 4avanhatta% Instrumentos musicais em taxonomias locais: o caso dos instrumentos de cordas do Sri Lanka como percebidos atrav s de fontes da internet !esumo: Sendo um pa5s predominantemente budista desde 300 A%C.& durante muito tempo o clero do Sri Lanka n6o permitiu instrumentos de cordas& pois fontes budistas disseram 7ue ouvir ou tocar vina ala8de! poderia causar renascimento e atrapalhar o caminho para o $irvana% $o entanto& a +losofia hindu promove instrumentos de cordas atrav9s de imagens e est:tuas de deuses e deusas% ; interessante observar como os instrumentos musicais foram categori)ados nas culturas hindu e budista da Índia e do Sri Lanka ao longo da história at9 hoje& ? medida 7ue diminuiu o papel orientador dos cl9rigos e a internet globali)ada oferece outros instrumentos musicais 7ue s6o utili)ados ou modi+cados para muitos propósitos at9 ent6o desconhecidos% @sta pes7uisa visa uma an:lise histórica dos instrumentos musicais utili)ados no Sri Lanka& vistos atrav9s de diferentes perspectivas& como visões pol5ticas& religiosas ou mitológicas% ,am"9m foi inclusa a maneira como eles s6o atualmente apresentados em fontes de Internet n6o institucionais% / sistema de valores 7ue promove instrumentos de cordas como um sinal de desenvolvimento musical forma o pano de fundo de re.e0Aes em re7uerimentos de internet 7ue lidam com instrumentos musicais% Bm e0emplo 9 a promoç6o do ravanhatta& uma espécie de rabeca violino!& 7ue 9 imprecisamente apresentado como o 1primeiro violino2 do mundo% Por meio de entrevistas com professores de m8sica e pessoas 7ue fornecem serviCos de internet& a comple0idade deste problema pode ser claramente abordado% Como resultado& ser: oferecida uma vis6o alternativa dos instrumentos musicais usados na cultura do Sri Lanka% "alavras#chave: Culturas de conhecimento% 4ecursos on-line% Instrumentos musicais% Sri Lanka% 4avanhatta% Música em Contexto | ISSN: 2595-0169 | Vol. 12 | N. 1 | dezembro 2018 | p. 21-33 Instrumentos musicales en taxonom$as locales: el caso de los instrumentos de cuerda srilan%ueses según se perciben a trav s de fuentes de Internet !esumen: Como un pa5s budista tradicional desde el aDo 300 a% C.& el clero de Sri Lanka no permiti= los instrumentos de cuerda durante mucho tiempo& ya 7ue las fuentes budistas di>eron 7ue escuchar o tocar vina la8d! puede provocar el renacimiento y di+cultar el camino hacia el $irvana% Sin embargo& la +losof5a hind8 promueve instrumentos de cuerda a trav9s de im:genes y el estado de los dioses y diosas% @s interesante observar cómo se clasi+caron los instrumentos musicales en las culturas hind8 y budista de la India y Sri Lanka a lo largo de la historia hasta el d5a de hoy& a medida 7ue el papel de gu5a de los cl9rigos educados disminu5a y el internet globali)ado ofrece otros instrumentos musicales 7ue se est:n utili)ando o modi+cando para muchos desconocidos% +nes @sta investigación apunta a un an:lisis histórico de los instrumentos musicales utili)ados en Sri Lanka vistos desde diferentes perspectivas& tales como puntos de vista pol5ticos& religiosos o mitológicos% Se incluye la forma en 7ue se presentan actualmente en las fuentes de (nternet en su mayor5a no institucionales% @l sistema de valores 7ue promueve los instrumentos de cuerda como un signo del desarrollo musical constituye el fondo de las re.e0iones en las aplicaciones de (nternet relacionadas con los instrumentos musicales% Bn e>emplo es la promoción de la ravanhatta& un viol5n con púas en arco& 7ue se presenta de manera ine0acta como el Eprimer viol5nE del mundo% @ntrevistas con profesores de m8sica y personas 7ue brindan servicios de (nternet& se puede abordar claramente el fenómeno de este problema de m8ltiples capas% Como resultado& se proporcionar: una visión alternativa de los instrumentos musicales utili)ados en la cultura de Sri Lanka% "alabras#clave: Culturas del conocimiento% 4ecursos en l5nea% Instrumentos musicales% Sri Lanka% 4avanhatta% Música em Contexto | ISSN: 2595-0169 | Vol. 12 | N. 1 | dezembro 2018 | p. 21-33 'hinthaka "rageeth Meddegoda Musical instruments in local ta0onomies Introduction educated clergymen decreased and the globalised internet offers manifold other or @thnomusicology is a discipline "eing ne# musical instruments "eing used or categori)ed under social sciences andFor modi+ed for many previously unkno#n humanities% Beyond this& it has a reputation purposes. of "eing an engaged discipline that deals ,his paper delivers a historical analysis of #ith ethical issues& e7uality among peopleGs musical instruments used in Sri Lanka seen cultures& their rights& and their participation through di*erent perspectives such as in the distri"ution of #ealth in the human political& religious& or mythological vie#s on #orld% ,his engagement is su">ect to musical instruments and ho# they are dynamic changes em"edded in and currently presented in mostly non- e0pressed through discourses on the 7uality institutional (nternet sources% String of its kno#ledge contri"ution. instruments in general play an important role ,his paper #ill "e dedicated to the many insofar as they are #idely propagated as a issues coming #ith online contri"utions sym"ol of musical development% ,he value introducing or e0plaining a speci+c musical system shaping the "ackground of this idea instrument& the ravanhatta% ,he discussion is also re.ected in (nternet applications aims at sho#ing alternatives to a self- dealing #ith musical instruments% /ne infecting practice of re-coloni)ing academic e0ample is the promotion of the ravanhatta& #riting& particularly in terms of methodology& a "owed spike +ddle& #hich is supposedly #ithout limiting the use of internet sources& the H+rst violinG of the #orld% on the contrary& through making ,hrough discussions #ith music teachers and progressively use of it% people #ho provide (nternet services& the phenomenon of this multi-layered problem (ackground involving various coloni)ing systems from early history up to modern globali)ing and Sri Lanka is a mainstream Buddhist country anthropocentric universalism can "e clearly since 300 BC& according to some historical addressed% (n result& alternative vie#s on sources% 4eferring to the oral tradition and musical instruments used in Sri Lankan cannons of ,heravada Buddhism& the culture and their #idely accessi"le online Buddhist clergy did not permit string representation #ill "e made understandable% instruments& as listening or playing the vina (n 'indu religious and philosophical vie#s& lute! may cause re"irth and hinder the #ay singing and playing instruments hold very to $irvana% Neverthless& 'indu philosophy important place in many #ays% (n the Bhakti does promote string instruments through margaI of 'induism& dedication of pictures and statues of gods and goddesses% everything to Jod and ultimate attainment (t is interesting to look at #hat are the of Jod "y the devotee is the highest form of musical instruments and ho# they #ere categori)ed in 'indu and Buddhist cultures in (ndia and Sri Lanka as the guiding role of I Approach to salvation "y #ay of ardent devotion to a deity%