Srilanka, Feb. 5 -- In the second part of this series based on Eric Illayapparachchi's seminal essay on the Sinhala song, we start with his views on the 'Subhavitha-Peechang' (distinguished-cheap) conflict which dominated it for so long. Two towering figures come to mind immediately in this context-singers W. D. Amaradeva and H. R. Jothipala. The writer quotes Roland Barthes, Edward Said and musicologist Daniel Barenboim to illustrate his points, defining this Subhavitha-Peechang conflict as Apollonian-Dionysian. Apollonian represents higher levels of thought, the classical and the logical, while Dionysian encompasses indulging in sensory pleasures and 'lower' tastes (entertainment).

As Edward Said puts it: "This Apollonian-Dionysian ...