Abisheganaden, Alex (b. 31 January 1926, Singapore - ), musician, was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 1988. He is Singapore's first homegrown classical guitarist and double bassist, and dedicated much of his life educating and popularising the performance of music on the guitar. Although his full-time career was in the education service, he developed an enviable reputation as a highly versatile musician, equally adept in classical, popular and traditional genres.
Early Life
Alex Abisheganaden was born into a family of nine children. His family was unusual for Singapore at that time because it was English-speaking, English-educated and had embraced Lutheran Christianity. His father played the violin and older brothers, Paul, Gerard and Geoffrey, were accomplished musicians. Alex was to be no different.
Alex credits his late brother, Gerard, a fine amateur pianist and cellist, as his greatest influence in music. His first memories of music are hearing his father playing Christian hymns on the violin in the early hours of the morning and classical singing on Geoffrey's gramophone records in his Buffalo Road home. At 15, he inherited Gerard's guitar and taught himself to play using merely a textbook, the Ellis Through School for Guitar. Armed with the basics of playing classical guitar, he attained a technical proficiency equivalent to Grade Six on his own steam.
During the Japanese Occupation, Alex played the guitar in an Indian orchestra for the Azad-Hind radio station, which broadcast pro-Japanese, anti-British propaganda in support of the Indian National Army. Although he had neither nationalistic nor political leanings, it was gainful employment that kept him occupied on evenings from ten to midnight at its broadcast station at Cathay Building. Impressed by his singing and mastery of the Japanese language, the Japanese authorities invited him to sing Japanese folksongs and propaganda songs over the radio. After the Second World War, Alex completed his Senior Cambridge examinations and began a career in teaching.
Career in music
In 1949, he became a member of the Singapore Junior Symphony Orchestra and later the Singapore Chamber Ensemble, playing the double bass. He was provided with a double bass free of charge and received formal lessons from the Hungarian cellist Feri Krempl. In 1960, Alex became the first person in Southeast Asia to receive a Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music (LRSM) for performance on the double bass. He also attained Grade Eight for both guitar and voice, thus paving the way for a very versatile career in musical performance. In 1961, he received a grant for further study in the United Kingdom. He spent a year at London's Royal College of Music where he studied voice, bass and the guitar. His guitar teacher was the famous Australian guitarist John Williams. In 1967, Alex founded the Singapore Classical Guitar Society and was its main driving force for 25 years.
The teaching of classical guitar playing in Singapore took on a new dimension when Alex was commissioned to produce 26 episodes of the programme Music Making With The Guitar, which was broadcast on national Education Television (ETV) in 1970 and 1971. He also wrote the two textbooks that accompanied the series, which retailed at $1.50 a copy. This was the first time that the teaching of a musical instrument had been disseminated through the mass media, thus raising the profile and popularity of the classical guitar.
In addition, Alex has also composed popular songs for mass singing and various government campaigns. In 1976, his "Salute to Singapore" won the national song-writing composition organised by the National Theatre Trust. "Read For The Future" was the theme song for the National Reading Month in 1986, commissioned by the National Book Development Council of Singapore.
In 1981, he founded the NUS Guitar Ensemble (GENUS) at the Centre for Musical Activities of the National University of Singapore. This remains Singapore's premier guitar ensemble and its annual public concerts invariably include original works and music transcribed for guitar ensemble by him. The 25th anniversary concert of GENUS on 23 March 2007 was a tribute dedicated to Alex Abisheganaden
Alex also played an active part in the theatre. He was a founder member of Theatreworks, and has appeared in stage productions of Theatreworks, the Singapore Repertory Theatre and YMCA Sceneshifters, and in the National University of Singapore Society's opera productions. He recently made a cameo appearance accompanying harmonica player Yew Hong Chow on the guitar in the 2006 movie documentary Singapore GaGa by Tan Pin Pin
Alex is still very active in promoting guitar playing in the community. He is currently the Patron and Artistic Director of the Toa Payoh Guitar Club, whose ensemble includes guitarists of all ages and generations. His long-term ambition is to transform this ensemble into a national guitar orchestra.
Alex has composed works for the guitar, including original works, many transcriptions of popular songs and pieces for didactic and instructional purposes. One popular work is the 16-measure long "Katong Blues", which has much scope for variations and improvisation. Larger scale works include "Huan Ying-Vanakam", scored for sitar and erhu soloists and guitar orchestra, which explores common threads in Indian and Chinese music, and "Gela-Nexus" (an amalgamation of GENUS and his name) for guitar orchestra. Both works were performed by GENUS in 2007, in Singapore and Germany.
Alex still performs on the guitar and has taken an interest in the protest movement to be found in folk music involving the guitar. Such works combine narration and singing, over a background of guitar playing. He also occasionally accompanies his daughter, the eminent jazz singer Jacintha Abisheganaden, in special events.
In 2007, Alex received the Cultural Medallion grant. The grant supports the development and promotion of new works by Cultural Medallion recipients, and their international and national profile. He plans to use this grant to present popular ASEAN folk songs and his original compositions, to be performed by a new ensemble of more than 100 guitarists.
Now in his eighties, Alex continues to devote much time to teaching both solo and ensemble guitar playing. An inspiring figure in the Singapore musical scene, Alex has touched the lives of many young musicians over the decades . By encouraging and helping them develop their musical talent at a formative age, it may be said that many musicians today owe their professional careers to the nurturing spirit and generosity of Alex Abisheganaden.
Timeline
1941 : Taught himself guitar playing.
1946 : Completed Senior Cambridge Examinations at Saint Andrews School.
1947 : Joined the teaching service, with concurrent pedagogical education at the Teachers Training College.
1947 - 1957 : Teacher at Rangoon Road Primary School.
1949 : Began lessons on the double bass. Performed in the Singapore Junior Symphony Orchestra and Singapore Chamber Ensemble.
1957 - 1963 : Principal in various primary schools.
1960 : First person in Southeast Asia to receive a Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music (LRSM) for double bass performance.
1961 : Received a grant to study music at London's Royal College of Music. Became a student of Australian guitarist John Williams.
1963 - 1970 : Inspector of Schools, Ministry of Education.
1967 : Founded the Singapore Classical Guitar Society.
1970 : Formulated the series and wrote the textbook for Music Making With The Guitar on national Educational Television (ETV).
1970 : Founder member of the Young Musicians Society, then part of the Ministry of Educations Extra-Curricular Activities Centre.
1976 : Conferred the Government of Australia Cultural Award. Won the national song-writing competition organised by the National Theatre Trust with
"Salute to Singapore".
1981 : Founded the National University of Singapore Guitar Ensemble (GENUS) and developed the first Niibori guitar orchestra in Southeast Asia.
Conducted the ensemble in annual concerts.
1988 : Awarded the Cultural Medallion.
1998 : Conferred Meritorious Award by the Composers and Authors Society Singapore (COMPASS).
2002 : Received Centre for the Arts (CFA) Special Recognition Award by the National University of Singapore.
2006 : Made a cameo appearance in Tan Pin Pin's documentary movie Singapore GaGa.
2007 : Received Cultural Medallion grant from the National Arts Council. A special concert 25 Years of GENUS! at University Cultural Centre was
dedicated to Alex Abisheganaden.
Education
1930s - 1942 : Saint Andrew's School
1942 - 1945 : Syonan Nippon Gakuen (Japanese School)
1945 - 1946 : Saint Andrew's School
1947 - 1950 : Teachers' Training College
Awards
1986 : Government of Australia Cultural Award
1988 : Singapore Cultural Medallion (Music)
1998 : COMPASS Meritorious Award
2002 : CFA Special Recognition Award
2007 : Cultural Medallion Grant
Concerts/Performances
Numerous concerts with GENUS and other performing groups.
Recordings
Maestro: The Music of Alex Abisheganaden [CD]. (2000).
Publications
Abisheganaden, A. (1970). Music making with the guitar. Vol 1. Singapore: ETV Service.
(Call no.: RSING 787.6151 ABI).
Abisheganaden, A. (1971). Music making with the guitar. Vol 2. Singapore: ETV Service.
(Call no.: RSING 787.6151 ABI)
Abisheganaden, P. (2005). Notes across the years: Anecdotes from a musical life. Singapore: Unipress.
(Call no.: RSING 780.59597 ABI).
Author
Chang Tou Liang
References
Abisheganaden, A. (1970). Music making with the guitar. Vol 1. Singapore: ETV Service.
(Call no.: RSING 787.6151 ABI).
Abisheganaden, A. (1971). Music making with the guitar. Vol 2. Singapore: ETV Service.
(Call no.: RSING 787.6151 ABI)
Abisheganaden, P. (2005). Notes across the years: Anecdotes from a musical life. Singapore: Unipress.
(Call no.: RSING 780.59597 ABI).
Koh, T.T.B. (Ed.). (2006). Singapore: The encyclopaedia (p. 21). Singapore: Editions Didier Millet in association with the National Heritage Board.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57003 SIN).
Purushothaman, V. (Ed.). (2002). Narratives: Notes on a cultural journey: Cultural Medallion recipients 1979-2001. Singapore: National Arts Council.
(Call no.: RSING 700.95957 NAR).
The mark of masters. (2007, May-Jun). Instep, 2.
(Call no. : RSING 700.95957 IS).
Low, Y. L. (1988, July). Plucking the strings to his heart. Singapore Tatler, 22-24.
(Call no.: RSING 959.57 ST)
Abisheganaden, A. (1983, June 12). 60 years playing the high notes [Microfilm: NL 14059]. The Sunday Times.
Abisheganaden, A. (1982, August 9). The music score: Alex Abisheganaden traces our musical history [Microfilm: NL 12662]. The Straits Times.
Chang, T.L. (2007, March 23). The guitar man [Microfilm: NL 27349]. The Straits Times.
Lum, M. (1993, October 3). Look, its Alex in a dress [Microfilm: NL 18860]. The Sunday Times.
Tang, K. F. (1988, March 1 ). Top artistes relax to get their ideas [Microfilm: NL 16106]. The Straits Times.
The information in this article is valid as at 2008 and correct as far as we can ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.
