India's First Music Arranger, Anthony Prabhu Gonsalves died

Anthony Prabhu Gonsalves, India's first music 'arranger died on 18 January 2012. Born in Majorda, in Goa, Anthony Gonsalves' love for music led him to merge Goan  melody with Hindustani music.

He found his first job in the group of the composer Naushad in 1943. His carrer began with the Bombay Talkies. He taught R.D. Burman and Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma-( member of the Laxmikant Pyarelal team) and has worked with most of the legendary composers of the 1950s and 1960s.

He worked alongside musicians which include Anil Bishwas, Gulam Haidar, Shyam Sundar, Naushad, Sachin Dev Burman, Ghulam Mohammed, Salil Chowdhary and Madan Mohan. He founded a 110-musician strong Indian Symphony Orchestra featuring Lata Mangueshkar and Manna Dey as soloists in 1958. The orchestra was successfully premiered in the quadrangle of St Xavier’s College in erstwhile south Bombay.

His memorable music arrangements in Indian movies include: Dholak (1950), Pehli Nazar (1945),Mahal (1949)
In 1965, he quit the film industry and went to the United States and became a member of the American Society of Composers, Publishers and Authors. Upon his return to India he settled in his ancestral village of Majorda in Goa.

The famous song My name is Anthony Gonsalves, from the film 'Amar Akbar Anthony' was Pyarelal's tribute to Gonsalves.
During the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2010, a documentary titled Anthony Gonsalves: The Music Legend based on his life and works won the Special Jury Award.