The Eternal Pulse: Creating with konnakkol and its adaptation into contemporary vocal performance Lisa Young (Elissa M.) M. Mus. Perf. Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music Monash University - Faculty of Arts Melbourne - Australia Exegesis, audio recordings, video footage and video demonstrations submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Music Performance 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... i STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ........................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .......................................................................................................... iv ORTHOGRAPHY/DIACRITICS/ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................... vi TERMS USED ........................................................................................................................... vii AUDIO AND VIDEO MATERIALS ..................................................................................... viii NOTATED EXAMPLES/TABLES ............................................................................................ x APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................... xii CHAPTER ONE: Introduction to the Research ...................................... 1 1.1 Research Outline ............................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Introduction to the Art of Konnakkol ............................................................................... 6 1.3 Introduction to the Research and the Author ............................................................. 11 1.4 Aims of the Study ............................................................................................................ 12 1.5 Konnakkol, Solkattu, Jathi and Thathakaram delineations ............................................. 13 1.6 Delimitations of the Research ........................................................................................ 14 1.7 Introduction to the Research Questions ....................................................................... 15 1.8 Research Questions ......................................................................................................... 16 1.9 Method of Inquiry and Research Approach ................................................................ 16 The Eternal Pulse The field research CHAPTER TWO: The History and Practice of Konnakkol in the Carnatic Tradition ....................................................................................... 19 2.1 Etymology of Konnakkol, Solkattu and Jathi .................................................................. 19 2.2 Notation, Lineages and the Resulting Diversity of Styles ......................................... 20 Syllable variations 2.3 The Traditional Konnakkol Artist ................................................................................... 27 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 28 CHAPTER THREE: Konnakkol Performance in the West and Literature and Materials Review ............................................................. 30 3.1 Pre 1990: The Emergence of Indian Rhythmic Recitation in the West ..................... 30 3.2 Contemporary Konnakkol Vocal Performance Practice: 1990 to the Present ............ 32 3.3 Literature and Related Material Review ...................................................................... 34 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 40 CHAPTER FOUR: Creating With Konnakkol - The Creative Functions of Konnakkol in Contemporary Practice ............................. 42 4.1 Cross-Cultural Collaborations and Rhythmic Interpretation .................................... 42 4.2 Konnakkol as a Reference for Rhythmic Analysis and Comprehension .................... 47 4.3 Konnakkol Language in Contemporary Creative Practice .......................................... 49 The sound and timbre of konnakkol Atypical syllables Foreign accents and interpretation in konnakkol recitations The use of pitched konnakkol Variations in the intoned contour of konnakkol recitation 4.4 Improvising and Composing with Konnakkol ............................................................. 58 Improvising with konnakkol Composing with konnakkol The Carnatic tradition in composition 4.5 The Experience of Pulse and Rhythmic Placement .................................................... 65 Experiencing rhythm as shape 4.6 Intention in Performance ................................................................................................ 67 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 70 CHAPTER FIVE: Creating The Eternal Pulse ....................................... 71 5.1 The Intention and Aims of the Work ............................................................................ 71 5.2 Ensemble Interconnectivity ........................................................................................... 73 5.3 Eternal Pulse and Internal Pulse ................................................................................... 74 Laya Ratna 5.4 Personal Approach: Language Development - Vocal Sound-Bank ......................... 80 Assembling a unique vocal expression 5.5 Personal Approach: Composition - Creating, Defining, Reflecting ......................... 83 The initial vision Evolving konnakkol structures Vocal tone and techniques in konnakkol expression Pitched konnakkol Carnatic techniques Text Development sessions with Robertson and the quartet The emerging plan 5.6 Notation Process .............................................................................................................. 95 Konnakkol notation Notating metric modulations 5.7 Analysis of Rhythmic Techniques used in The Eternal Pulse ..................................... 96 Highlighted rhythmic elements 5.8 Performance Approach and Ongoing Adaptations of the Music ........................... 105 Performances and ongoing adaptations with different ensembles Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 107 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................... 108 AREAS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ..................................................... 113 GLOSSARY OF TERMS ......................................................................... 114 APPENDICES ............................................................................................ 119 Appendix A: Printed Materials: Notated Charts from The Eternal Pulse and Field Interview Questions ...................................................................................................... 119 Appendix B: Spelling Variations of select Carnatic musical terms .................................. 146 Appendix C: Electronic References for sources for that accompany this exegesis ....... 147 REFERENCES ............................................................................................ 148 Personal Communications .................................................................................................... 148 Printed Documents ................................................................................................................ 149 Electronic Documents ............................................................................................................ 151 Electronic Information Sources ............................................................................................ 153 Discographies and DVDs ....................................................................................................... 154 The Eternal Pulse: Creating With Konnakkol and its Adaptation Into Contemporary1 Vocal Performance2 Lisa Young ABSTRACT This research examines the use of konnakkol in the creative musical practice of select contemporary artists, resulting in the creation and performance of a new composition for jazz quartet, and demonstrating how the konnakkol art form continues to evolve and be adapted on the world stage. Commonly described as a sophisticated style of vocal percussion, konnakkol is the performance art form of the intoned rhythmic recitation of solkattu, the vocalised rhythmic syllables of South Indian classical music and dance. My ethnomusicological field research finds that as a musician’s companion, the Carnatic3 system of solkattu/konnakkol4 has a broad range of practical and creative functions. In- depth interviews with konnakkol artists Kaaraikkudi Mani (India), Suresh Vaidyanathan (India) and Lori Cotler (USA) provide insight into the way these musicians work creatively with konnakkol in traditional and cross-cultural projects. The research demonstrates how artists fluent in konnakkol move beyond its original pedagogical role to employ its use as a highly creative tool, in which konnakkol provides a conceptual framework for metred numerical calculations, improvisation, composition, rhythmic comprehension and analysis, transference of musical ideas, and expression