“ Brindavanamum Nandakumaranum.. ,” as the piano prelude of the popular number of yesteryears wafts across as a gentle breeze, Christopher Sherwood reminds, “The sound is original as it comes from a gramophone record. The quality of audio equipment playing the record is also a deciding factor.”
Choir master and musician Christopher Sherwood has 700 such old records in his kitty ranging from old Hindi songs to Tamil movies, Christmas songs to English movie themes. “Collection of old LP records is a passion I have nurtured from childhood, though I could materialise my dream only after I turned 30,” he says.
Born in a family of music lovers in Chennai, it was only natural that young Christopher Sherwood liked to hear and sing songs. “Music sensibility was there right from my childhood,” he smiles. He was interested in rhythms and sounds. He used to spend hours together listening to the sound of a running train. “Though science says there is no particular gene which can be associated with music, there are certain sensibilities which can be inherited. Like the sensibility for pitch discrimination,” he says.
His father Sam Sherwood sang well and also played violin while his mother Karunambal Manickam had some interest in music, which was noticed by her father, who got her a pedal organ and a gramophone player. “Those days I used to dabble with the gramophone and loved to hear ‘ Aduvome Pallu Paaduvome’ song of D.K. Pattammal. It was such a pleasure,” he says.
Christopher Sherwood remembers the day he bought his first LP record. “I was fascinated by the sound and wanted to have the latest in the market. That was a record of Christmas songs and that day it rained cats and dogs in Chennai. Unmindful of the rain I boarded a bus from Alandur to Mount Road to purchase the record,” he says.
He came to Madurai to teach in the American College and also became the college choirmaster, thanks to David Gere, the representative of Oberlin Shanshi University who had come on an exchange programme. Brother of actor Richard Gere, he exposed Sherwood to lot of songs. The passion for collecting records which was dormant in him got rekindled. “I have the habit of looking for old records. If I find one I immediately buy the record. Most of my collections are bought from friends. Some are very exclusive,” he says.
Christopher Sherwood has 10 to 15 exclusive ones. Usually LP records come in different sizes, 78, 33 and 45 RPM (revolutions per minute) and are made of hard plastic, but he has some records which are rubberised ones and are flexible. “Even I have not listened to them fully but when I play them I can hear some beautiful music,” he says.
He has a Victrola one-sided record which is more than 100-year-old and mini LP extended and long play records. He has one on Russian songs, Sri Lankan folk songs and another one with the cover in Dutch language, though the voice speaks in English. “It is a record on heart sounds. I don’t remember from where I bought it but it is a good study material for medical students. The voice explains on beats of healthy heart and those of defective hearts as heard from a stethoscope,” he says.
Meticulous in cataloguing all his collections, he also has a big list under favourite category. “You should hear the theme music of Dr. Zhivago . The aura creates a visual in your mind,” he says
Now retired, Christopher Sherwood spends ample time in teaching and listening to classic music. He has four turntables to play these records. “I collect these records as I want to preserve these for posterity,” he says.
HIS RARE COLLECTIONS:
Blues Heritage Jazz music by King Oliver, Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith.
Visually challenged jazz musician Ray Charles and his music. “I got this record from Christiana Singh, professor in Lady Doak College. Born in Albany, Georgia, Ray Charles’ improvisations of African rhythms with European melody using European instruments are pleasure to listen,”
La Paloma by Billy Vaughan.
The best of Hugo Montenegro.
His Hindi collections include Madhumathi and Aradhana .
Tamil movie Veera Pandiya Kattabommman Original sound track.
Paava Mannippu (for its melody)
Mannathi Mannan (for the song Acham Enbathu Madamaiyada)
Manohara (for dialogues)
(My Collection is a fortnightly column. We invite readers to tell us about their personal and rare collectables. E-mail maduraimetroplus@thehindu.co.in)
