By Casey Monteiro
A musician, composer and local researcher, Carmo Gonzaga Miguel Agapito de Miranda (1911-1995) chronicled the rich music traditions of Goa throughout his life.
As an ode to his contributions to the music landscape of Goa, Fundaçao Oriente, Goa, is currently hosting ‘Agapito de Miranda, a Neglected Devotee of Goan Music’, which is an exhibition of his collection of manuscripts and other works.
The exhibition showcases his contributions to Goan music and also enriches our knowledge of our Goan musical heritage.
The title of the exhibition refers to the moniker which Goa's famed historian José Pereira used to refer to Agapito during his life time. The director of Fundaçao Oriente, Paulo Gomes, says that Agapito, who passed away in 1995, penned tomes of musical works especially related to Goan music.
THE RESEARCH
Agapito's documentation of these musical traditions throw great light on the musical traditions of Goa with emphasis on Catholic practices, states Prof Susana Sardo, who coordinated the research on Agapito's works which were carried out by a team from the University of Aveiro (Portugal) and the Institute of Ethnomusicology – Research Center of Music and Dance, which includes the librarian Cristina Cortês, the PhD Student Eduardo Reis Falcão and designer Álvaro Sousa.
AGAPITO'S LEGACY
Highlighting Agapito's legacy, Prof Sardo informs that he left a collection of 10 manuscript volumes of approximately 5,000 pages and 1,400 musical transcriptions containing musical scores, the corresponding lyrics in Konkani and ethnographic notes in Portuguese.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE EXHIBITION
At the exhibition at Fundaçao Oriente, one will see Agapito's manuscripts which are now digitized, informs Paulo Gomes. This was done with the support of Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian in Lisbon. Gomes further states that the exhibits will have an interactive element as well.
Prof Sardo says the exhibition is a way of getting to feel the personality of Agapito de Miranda through his works and personal objects.
The exhibition will remain open till February 10, 2023 (Monday to Saturday) from 9 am to 6 pm at Fundaçao Oriente, Panjim
