Goa has a radiant musical landscape where different sounds meet in synergy, creating a musically-rich atmosphere that reflects a mix of diverse cultural influences.
Certainly, music is integral to everyday life in Goa. When one listens to Goan tunes, no matter where they’re from, it sparks curiosity about its origins—the stories woven into the sounds and the voices behind them. And what Susana Sardo is doing is finding answers to these curiosities.
“Music is everywhere in Goa,” says Sardo, a renowned ethnomusicologist from Portugal, known for her thorough and close study of Goan music, its roots, evolution and social implications.
For those new to ethnomusicology, it is an age-old discipline, dedicated to researching music as a process, not only as a sound.
“We (ethnomusicologists) are interested in understanding who is making music, why they are making it, what kind of music they are performing, and what impact or results this performance has on people and communities,” says Sardo.
It’s not just a collection of recorded sounds, but also an exploration of music and its impact on society, utilising the research to bring about a positive change in the world.
“We (ethnomusicologists) are interested in understanding who is making music, why they are making it, what kind of music they are performing, and what impact or results this performance has on people and communities,” says Sardo.
JOURNEY TO GOA
“I came to Goa for the first time in 1987. I had come for preliminary work on my PhD and wanted to focus on ethnomusicology. I needed to see if there was any kind of music here that I could research and understand the environment in Goa,” recalls Sardo, now a full Professor of Ethnomusicology at University of Aveiro, Portugal and Visiting Research Professor at Goa University for the J H Cunha Rivara Chair.
“At that time, I realised that music (in Goa) was connected to religion, class, caste, and places. There were different layers of music—like Western art music, with many composers who were never studied. We have tiatr and many composers connected with tiatr. We also have traditional music transmitted orally, such as mando, dekhni, fugdi, dhalo, fell, khel, mussoll—all these music traditions are performed in different contexts by different people, with various Konkani dialects,” explains Sardo, discussing the early years of her research.
Finally, Sardo delved into researching music associated with Goa’s Catholic community, with a particular focus on mando, as she had strong connections within the community.
MEMORABLE MANDO PERFORMANCE
One of the most memorable moments for Sardo during her research in Goa was the first mando performance she attended. She was extremely taken aback by the heavy Western influence on Goa’s music scene.
“When I listened to mando for the first time, I wrote to my supervisor saying I want to go back because there's nothing to study here. If I'm in India I need to listen to something that is strange to my ears, not this. This is Western music and very colonial. I don't want to study this,” remembers Sardo who shares anti-colonial sentiments.
“But, what made me stay back (in Goa) was Konkani. I was surprised to see that the mando was so connected with the Western art music. The choirs were sophisticated like the choirs in Europe. So, if they were following European aesthetic patterns, why were they singing in Konkani? Why not Portuguese? The families I was working with could speak Portuguese very well,” adds Sardo.
Gradually, Sardo realised that mando was used as a tool by Goans to discuss their problems, sufferings, everyday life, and more without being noticed by the colonisers.
What made me stay back (in Goa) was Konkani. I was surprised to see that the mando was so connected with the Western art music. The choirs were sophisticated like the choirs in Europe. So, if they were following European aesthetic patterns, why were they singing in Konkani?
Susana Sardo
Since the aesthetically European songs were sung in Konkani, the colonisers could only appreciate the sound of music without truly understanding it.
“The colonisers were left confused as they didn't realise that they are being deceived. The songs were aesthetically beautiful but the lyrics within discussed things only meant for Goans themselves,” explains Sardo.
Sardo worked with many families in Goa who were connected with the performance of mando as well as observed the Mando festival, which she thought was an interesting phenomenon.
“I am not interested in knowing how music is a reflection of Goan society, rather how music helps in building the society,” says Sardo who continues to deeply observe and study Goa’s evolving music scene.
“I am not interested in knowing how music is a reflection of Goan society, rather how music helps in building the society,” says Sardo
SOUNDSCAPE OF GOA
Sardo appreciates the rich soundscape of Goa which sets it apart from other parts of India. In Goa, many tourist programmes include music as an essential element of entertainment which is usually a blend of different styles and genres of music from Portuguese to Latin.
Sardo says that the inclusion of music in tourist programmes is pretty rare in the rest of the world. She recalls being at Santa Monica jetty in Goa and listening to groups perform Portuguese and Konkani songs.
Depending on the crowd, whether it was foreign or domestic, the groups would also add Latin, European, and Bollywood numbers to the playlist, making music a core part of tourism in Goa.
MOVING FORWARD
Sardo continues to do fieldwork on Goan music, and through her lectures on ethnography of Goan musical practices, she constantly works towards educating students and the community as a whole on the relevance of viewing Goan music through an ethnomusicological lens and developing a deeper understanding of it.
Her dream is for Goa University to have its own department of ethnomusicology so that Goan students can conduct research on Goan music under expert guidance.