• Source: Antonio Moraes

Antonio Moraes (né Morais; 13 July 1924 – 14 January 2012), known professionally as A. Moraes, was an Indian playwright, theatre director, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer known for his work in khell (street play), folk plays, and tiatr (theatre) productions.




Early life


Moraes was born as Antonio Morais on 7 February 1922 in the village of Assolda in Goa, which was under Portuguese colonial rule at the time during the Portuguese Empire. He was born into a Goan Catholic family as the fourth son of day laborers Paulo Morais and Conceiçaō Maria Fernandes, his mother being a native of Xeldem, Goa. His three older brothers were Tiburcio (born 1918), Zpeferino (born 1916), and Miguel (born 1922). At the age of 10, his family moved to the same town where he commenced his education at the local parochial school in Benaulim. When Moraes was 15 years old, he was admitted to this same parochial school by his older brother Tiburcio, who worked as a seafarer.
During his time as a student, Moraes received instruction in several musical disciplines. He learned to play the rebec, studied the theory of solfeggio, and gained skills in musical composition. Moraes was instructed in violin by a teacher named Roque mestri, mastering a wide range of disciplines over a period of about 1 to 2 years. At a tender age, Moraes experienced the death of his father, Paulo. His older brother Tiburcio, who had previously worked as a toddy tapper before becoming a seaman, took on the responsibility of caring for him and his other siblings. As Moraes and his siblings were still minors, their mother Conceição struggled to support the family on her own. To supplement the household income, Conceição arranged for her children to take on work in other local homes as they grew older. After completing his schooling, Moraes finished his primeiro grau (first grade) in Portuguese education.
Moraes' musical talent was recognized by his brother Tiburcio, who brought him a trumpet after returning from a sea voyage, within a year or two of completing schooling. Moraes quickly mastered the instrument. He was subsequently recruited by brass band leaders in his vicinity and nearby areas to showcase his trumpet skills during various cultural events like "alvorada" (a musical tradition performed by residents of Goa during early morning hours on days of religious or cultural celebrations), village festivals, and funeral ceremonies. This musical work provided Moraes with a source of income. Moraes' trumpet playing caught the attention of John Rodrigues of Sanvordem, the brother of another popular local musician named Abdon Rodrigues. John formally invited Moraes to join his musical ensemble. Subsequently, Moraes transitioned his focus from a music career spanning 1944 to 1949 towards engaging in street plays known as zomnivhele khells.




Career


Moraes played a prominent role in the mid-20th century khell (street play) culture of Goa. He originated from a locality within the region known as a significant center for traditional carnival khell celebrations and performances. His initial progression was being involved participating in performances at carnival khells and tiatrs. Moraes began his career by creating music and content for carnival-themed khell productions. Santiago Pereira, a popular khellam-mestri (street play instructor), introduced him to this theatrical tradition. Moraes soon developed a reputation of a writer, crafting several original carnival plays over the course of two years. His carnival plays, which featured strong musical elements, gained popularity among Goan audiences. Some of his popular works included Munddkar Nores (Tenant Nores), Utor (Word), Xalli, Amjele Put Inspekttor, Sorg (Heaven), Mhojim Bhurgim (Our Children), Amje Put Dotor, and Zolmachi Khomptti, among others. The plays Xalli and Zolmachi Khomptti were particularly beloved by carnival attendees. In addition to his playwriting, Moraes also made innovations in the realm of costume design for carnival khell productions. Dissatisfied with the traditional use of pajama cloth costumes, Moraes began creating more elaborate and character-appropriate attire for the performers in his plays. Moraes left a significant mark on Goan carnival traditions through his body of dramatic and musical work, which helped shape the cultural landscape of the region during the mid-20th century.
Moraes introduced significant changes to traditional khell performances. Khell productions had historically utilized the instruments "dhol" and "kax" (percussion). Moraes replaced these with a drum set and incorporated the banjo as well. He also broadened the instrumental palette of khell by adding trumpet, clarinet, and saxophone. Similar khellam-mestris similarly emulated this behavior. Another contribution by Moraes was his engagement of the first female artist, Anita de Chinchinim, to perform in a khell production in 1959, he also introduced another female cast, Milagrin from Colva in the same production. This marked a departure from the previously all-male casts of khell performances. In February 1959, Moraes introduced the first performance of a khell play during carnival season, which was presented on a custom-built stage by Domingo Pidade "Dumpidad" Sequeira at Sirvoddem in Navelim. This innovation in staging helped elevate the khell theatrical form. Moraes is credited as the first individual to produce a "khell tiatr" - a distinct type of khell performance. For this pioneering work, he is regarded as the founder of the khell tiatr genre. The khell tiatr productions initiated by Moraes expanded to the city of Bombay in 1962. His khell-tiatrs were performed at various venues in the city, including P. T. Bhangwadi, St. Mary's Hall Mazagaon, and locations in Parel, Santa Cruz, and Bandra, among others. During their time in Bombay, the popular Goan tiatrists M. Boyer and Jephsis Hitler were affiliated with Moraes' theatrical ensemble. Moraes' pioneering innovations and adaptations played a pivotal role in the growth and popularization of the khell theatrical form.
Moraes founded an acclaimed wedding musical ensemble bearing his name, "A. Moraes," known for its sought-after performances. However, his primary artistic focus was on his work as a trumpet player for Goan tiatr productions. Moraes served as the musical director and bandleader for several acclaimed tiatr dramatists, including Aleixinho de Candolim, Nelson Afonso, M. Dod de Verna, M. Boyer, and C. Alvares. He frequently showcased his talents as a performer in the annual tiatr competitions conducted by the Kala Academy. Beyond his tiatr work, Moraes also created musical content for Goan folk theater productions broadcast on All India Radio, and produced his own original folk plays. Moraes exhibited proficiency as a lyricist, often crafting new songs upon request. He launched three albums featuring his original musical creations, for which he also orchestrated the arrangements. The album titles were Devacho Ghutt, Pormollit Fulam, and Ami Tiatrist. According to tiatr scholar Michael Jude Gracias, Moraes made significant strides in transforming the traditional carnival fell or khell performance into a more refined stage production, pioneering the term "khell tiatr". This innovative staging format was subsequently continued by other popular tiatr artists like A. M. Pacheco, Ligorio Rodrigues, Patrick Dourado, Epa de Paroda, Vitorino Pereira etc., until Rosario Rodrigues subsequently pioneered the development of the non-stop drama style. By the end of his career, Moraes had written and directed more than 50 khell tiatr productions.
Writer and historian Wilson Mazarello has documented the contributions of Moraes to its development. Mazarello's research indicates that while the khell had already been incorporated into stage productions, Moraes was the individual who dedicated himself to systematically improving the quality and presentation of the khell. Mazarello notes that Moraes was singularly committed to enhancing the standards of khell performances. He aimed to elevate the artistic standards of the khell tradition, pushing it towards higher levels of refinement and complexity. One of Moraes' key innovations was the replacement of the traditional "modd" a march-like drumbeat with a melodic musical introduction to the opening song. Furthermore, he incorporated musical intervals between song verses, enhancing the overall artistic expression of the performance. Furthermore, Mazarello's account highlights Moraes' modernization of the khell's musical structure. Moraes assembled a full orchestra, incorporating instruments such as trumpet, saxophone, rhythm guitar, bass guitar, and a complete drum set-mirroring the musical accompaniment commonly used in Konkani tiatrs. This evolution was made possible by Moraes' proficiency in music, as he was a musician with the ability to read, write, and create musical compositions, having studied under the tutelage of mestri Santiago Pereira of Paroda, Quepem. Through his innovative approaches, musical sensibilities, Moraes played a pivotal role in elevating the production values and artistic merit of khell tiatr performances, leaving a mark on this theatrical tradition.
Moraes made several contributions to the evolution of the khell (street play) and khell tiatr performance traditions in the mid-20th century. Prior to Moraes' interventions, khell productions utilized a whistle or other auditory signal to cue the musicians to begin playing the introductory music. Moraes moved away from this practice, instead providing the musicians with verbal prompts or keyword indications within the dialogue to trigger the start of the musical introduction. Another longstanding convention in khell theater was the uniform dress code, whereby each performer in the troupe adorned themselves in corresponding cotton garments styled as pajamas. Moraes diverged from this customary practice by meticulously designing each actor's costume to suit the specific character they were depicting during their performance.
The performance of female roles by male actors was also a well-established practice in khell, as women were often reluctant to participate in these productions. Moraes made concerted efforts to involve female performers, and was successful in casting Anita Pereira (later known as Anita de Chinchinim or Anita de Goa) in the lead role of his 1959 production Munddkar Nores, marking the first time a woman had appeared on the khell stage. Recognizing the necessity to unify the khell and tiatr theatrical styles, Moraes started labeling his works as khell tiatr to symbolize this fusion. This new terminology was subsequently adopted by other Goan theater groups, solidifying khell tiatr as the accepted name for this evolving performance style. Moraes' innovations are credited with elevating the overall quality and professionalism of khell productions, setting a new standard that was widely emulated by other theater companies in Goa.
The success of Moraes had a significant impact on the broader theatrical landscape of the time. Other mestris (playwrights or directors) working within the Konkani theater tradition were inspired to emulate the production qualities and innovations pioneered by Moraes. This led to the widespread adoption of a new format for Konkani stage productions. Whereas previously such works had simply been referred to as "khells" (street plays), playwrights like Patrick Dourado, Succur Piedade Fernandes, and Vitorino Pereira began branding their productions as khell-tiatrs. The fundamental framework of the innovative khell-tiatr format comprised two distinct plays (don parteo), each lasting around 90 minutes. One play would be staged before the intermission, and the other after it, leading to a combined duration of slightly over 3 hours.
The concept of staging two plays in the khell-tiatr model, following Moraes' lead, was readily adopted by the succeeding generation of acclaimed mestris. These included Rosario Rodrigues, Minino de Bandar, Ligorio Fernandes, R. Moraes, A.M. Pacheco, Rosario Dias, Roseferns, Christopher Leitão, and Pascoal Rodrigues. For over a decade, this format remained the dominant paradigm in Konkani theater, contributing to the commercial success of these playwrights and their respective theater troupes. However, the mestris of this era still strove to elevate the Konkani theatrical tradition to the standards set by the original tiatr works. Ongoing efforts towards refinement and improvement were required to fully realize that level of quality.




Personal life


Moraes resided in the locality of Pulwado in Benaulim, Goa. His elder brother, Miguel Morais, was also actively involved in the production of khell tiatrs, a type of Goan folk theater. Miguel was more widely known by his stage name, Xempea Minguel. The two brothers shared a close fraternal bond, with Miguel exclusively participating in Moraes' theatrical productions. Moraes was meticulous in ensuring that each time Miguel participated in his theatrical productions, they were advertised under the name of his brother, known as "Xempea Minglilo Fell". On 25 March 1990, Miguel died at his residence in Pulwado, Benaulim, at the age of 68. Moraes married Antonieta Fernandes, a homemaker from Chinchinim, Goa, on 9 May 1961. The couple first had a civil marriage registration in Quepem before their church wedding in Paroda. Together, they had five children three sons, Mario (born 1967), Carlito (born 1962), and Pedro (born 1964), as well as two daughters, Sanita (bom 1969) and Kuanita (born 1972).
Antonieta, the wife of Moraes, frequently took part in Moraes's theatrical works, commonly known as khells (street plays). One of the khell tiatrs (Konkani plays) in which Antonieta showcased her talent was the production titled Axek Lobdolo (Engulfed in Greed). In addition to his work in the performing arts, Moraes engaged in several other occupations, including as a tailor, toddy tapper, and carpenter. Moraes had two sons who followed in his footsteps in the Konkani performing arts. His son Mario, more commonly known as Seby, worked as a trumpeter on the Konkani stage. Moraes' other son, Carlito, showcased his musical talent as a drummer by contributing to his father's tiatrs. Following this, he pursued his musical journey by joining the band V4U where he continued to display his drumming skills. Towards the end of his life, Moraes eventually withdrew from active involvement in the Konkani theater scene. In a personal account he penned around 2007, Moraes noted that his advanced age had rendered him unable to play musical instruments, and that he had grown increasingly dependent on his personal physician, Dr. Telaulikar, to whom he entrusted some of his unpublished biographical information. Moraes died on 14 January 2012, aged 87, at his residence in Pulwado, Benaulim.




References

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