Abstract:
The history of Sri Lankan music is extensive and has changed substantially since
then. Folk music from Sri Lanka portrays the diverse cultures and ethnicities of the
country. Cyril de Silva Kulatillake was a pioneer in Sri Lankan folk music and made
major contributions to the country's cultural heritage. This study aimed at studying
and writing about Cyril de Silva Kulatillake as he would not only expand our
knowledge about musical individuals but also enhance our understanding of music,
culture, and the epistemological issues of music history, music biography, and
ethnomusicology. The objectives of this study were to describe Kulatillake's musical
beliefs, ideas, and preferences and to assess his impact on the strength of the genre.
The case study method of qualitative research was used in this study. Data were
collected from interviews, documents, autobiographies, and reports. Content
analysis was used in evaluating the data. The results illustrated that Kulatillake
provided folk music with a scientific basis and tied it to ethnomusicology. He was
passionate about music, collected folk songs, recorded them, intelligently
documented them, and rearranged them. He investigated musical expression among
the public as a social activity in order to understand not only what music is but also
what it signifies to its practitioners and audiences. He was gifted in music and had
strong research, analytical, cultural awareness, and communication abilities. His
research has not just been theoretical; he has also produced and created a number of
works that draw on the rich tradition of native local music and dance, which have
been highly welcomed by a grateful public. As a researcher, writer, pedagogue,
artist, and administrator he followed in the footsteps of the great pioneer of musical
science. The study concludes that Kulatillake traced cultural identity and pride,
documented, taught, and presented it to national and international audiences, and
preserved it for future generations. Future research should focus on the vision,
philosophy, and methods of C. de S. Kulatilleke's remarkable contribution to the
survival of folk music in Sri Lanka.
