Usage of Cello as a Western Instrument in Sri Lankan Music Industry

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine how the ‘Cello’ has been used in the Sri Lankan music industry, whether it has been successful. Within the invention of the 16th century in Italy, the cello has been evolving as a unique musical instrument blended with a wide range of genres so far. In this research, data collection includes fieldwork, interviews, internet preferences and discussions with subject matter experts following the qualitative method. There are extremely rare cello players and the instrument’s expansion is very limited in the country. Especially, it was a vital necessity for the researcher to conduct this research since there have been few written pieces of evidence on this subject and no books have been written on this topic in Sri Lanka. Compared to the rest of the world, being used as a matured solo instrument, the cello has been used in very few scopes for music ensembles, orchestration, compositions, solo, and concertos in Sri Lanka. Even when it comes to musical compositions, the usage of tone colours is very compressed and many composers are unfamiliar with the cello and its possibilities for music composition. It persists primarily in limited musical genres together with applied music in Sri Lanka, being employed to feature solely a dark mood or few ranges of scope through the cello for music composing and performing. The findings of this research clarified that the cello hasn’t been used very successfully for music performances and the music industry in Sri Lanka.