Interview with the Master Craftsman
I had the opportunity to speak to Mr. Victor Burnley about Parang. Where are it oringins. What role he plays in parang today and in the future. My first impression left me deflated. Our visit to Lopinot lead me to imagine a character, a great pioneer of the parang traditions.
On the 28th August 1924 Victor Burnley was born in the village of Lopinot. He lived there for many years, but today makes his home in Arima. We sat down to talk abit about his feeling on the artform of parang. Immediatly, I noticed his frailty. His soft raspy voice gave me the feeling that we would not speak at length. I was mistaken. He related to that he had been able to play the cuatro at the early age of 10, although not formerly trained in music. However in his day he played to crouds of persons.
Victor come from a long line of paranderos, as a little boy he would look at his father play instruments like the cuatro and madolin. To see the entire interview go to www.youtube.com/user/KESparang
