Rakti in Raga and Laya
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VEDAVALLI SPEAKS Sangita Kalanidhi R. Vedavalli is not only one of the most accomplished of our vocalists, she is also among the foremost thinkers of Carnatic music today with a mind as insightful and uncluttered as her music. Sruti is delighted to share her thoughts on a variety of topics with its readers. Rakti in raga and laya Rakti in raga and laya’ is a swara-oriented as against gamaka- complex theme which covers a oriented raga-s. There is a section variety of aspects. Attempts have of exponents which fears that ‘been made to interpret rakti in the tradition of gamaka-oriented different ways. The origin of the singing is giving way to swara- word ‘rakti’ is hard to trace, but the oriented renditions. term is used commonly to denote a manner of singing that is of a Yo asau Dhwaniviseshastu highly appreciated quality. It swaravamavibhooshitaha carries with it a sense of intense ranjako janachittaanaam involvement or engagement. Rakti Sankarabharanam or Bhairavi? rasa raga udaahritaha is derived from the root word Tyagaraja did not compose these ‘ranj’ – ranjayati iti ragaha, ranjayati kriti-s as a cluster under the There is a reference to ‘dhwani- iti raktihi. That which is pleasing, category of ghana raga-s. Older visesha’ in this sloka from Brihaddcsi. which engages the mind joyfully texts record these five songs merely Scholars have suggested that may be called rakti. The term rakti dhwanivisesha may be taken th as Tyagaraja’ s compositions and is not found in pre-17 century not as the Pancharatna kriti-s. Not to connote sruti and that its texts like Niruktam, Vyjayanti and only are these raga-s unsuitable for integration with music ensures a Amarakosam. elaborate raga alapana, they afford highly enjoyable melody. Rakti could therefore be taken to connote Rakti in raga limited scope for tanam exposition as well. However, these raga-s sound this very melodious quality, and The raga scheme was subjected to extremely attractive when they raga-s thus oriented can be called several transformations and divisions occur as short and fast changing rakti raga-s. However, with the before it attained some sort of ragamalika pieces at the end of the passage of time, there has been stability during Venkatamakhi’s main tanam. a change in the definition of period. There are several categories fundamental ideas like melody. of raga-s, but only a few among At a certain period in Carnatic Raga-s like Saveri, Sahana, and the plethora of raga-s have been music, when raga swaroopa Natakurinji, for instance, are not accorded the status of ‘rakti raga-s’. was considered all important, entirely dependent on the arohana We have the ‘ghana raga-s’ – a name raga-s such as Saveri, Sahana, and avarohana, but gain their given to the ‘ghana raga panchakam’ Natakurinji, Reetigaula, Dhanyasi, form and beauty from the nuances or the cluster of five – Nata, Gaula, Anandabhairavi, Kedaragaula, Surati, Arabhi, Varali and Sree, which of the phrases unique to them. are represented by Tyagaraja’s five Devagandhari, Yadukulakambhoji, The creation of these phrases in the compositions, popular today as Nayaki, Neelambari, Huseni, Begada artists’ exposition of these raga-s the Pancharatna kriti-s. Why are and Mukhari were known as rakti is guided by the dhwanivisesha or they called ghana raga-s? Are raga-s. These are but a few examples. special sound. Such techniques they heavier in any sense than Many senior musicians today may in handling rakti raga-s can only other raga-s? Do these ‘ghana’ not accept a Dharmavati or a be learnt from a guru or derived raga-s lend themselves as sub- Charukesi as a rakti raga because from their usage in compositions of stantially to elaboration as Todi, they consider them to be great composers. 65 l SRUTI June 2011 VEDAVALLI SPEAKS Rakti in laya This very significant aspect is almost unique to the nagaswara tradition. Numerous nagaswara stalwarts performed rakti in laya, but this has become a practice of the past. It is unfortunate that nagaswara vidwans who played rakti did nor pass on their legacy to future generations. If rakti in raga expresses the lifeline of the raga, rakti in laya relates to the core of laya. In. the past, nagaswara vidwans were bound by rules of what to perform during temple festivals. As part of this convention, the duration of each piece that Vedavalli interviewing vidwan K. Venugopala Pillai as nagaswara artist the nagaswara vidwans played was SRGK Kalyanasundaram looks on ascertained by the various stages the tala. The nagaswara vidwans, Aridi is a common feature of rakti in the procession of the deity accompanied by tavil vidwans, would and pallavi. As rakti is normally around the temple. For instance, a play the rakti in three speeds and played in rakti raga-s (like Huseni), little before the procession began with gati bhedam. Jati-s for rakti it perhaps derives its name from till it reached the termuttu or the were often composed by tavil this feature. However, the tradition chariot house, it was normally the in Tiruvarur does not conform to time to play the mallari, followed vidwans, which were converted into this norm; there rakti was played by a raga alapana, a laya- musical compositions set to raga after the mallari. The procession oriented piece called rakti, a few by the nagaswara vidwans – together of the deity through the ‘keezh composi-tions, concluding with a they created spectacular musical and teru’ was accompanied by a raga Tiruppugazh or such pieces. This rhythmic fireworks. K. Venugopala alapana and as the procession performance would last for the Pillai, son and disciple of the reached the end of the street, the entire duration of the deity’s legendary laya vidwan Ammachatram vidwans would begin the rakti procession around the four streets Kannuswami Pillai was one of which was invariably set to Chapu of the temple till it reached the those who inherited this legacy. tala. (It is interesting to note that main entrance. The rakti tradition, nurtured and developed through healthy earlier Chapu meant Misra Chapu Rakti is set to a tala like a pallavi. competition between talented unlike in contemporary times where This formation is made up of nagaswara and tavil vidwans, one differentiates between Misra jati-s. Just as pallavi has words, rakti possibly laid the foundation for Chapu and Khanda Chapu.) Rakti has jati-s, and both have an aridi. pallavi singing. was played in three speeds as well The jati-s were set to a specific raga as in tisram, followed by kalpana- and the nagaswara vidwans explored The late Chidambaram Radhakrishna swara. A significant feature of the the various rhythmic permutations Pillai was one of the doyens of the festival lasting 22 days was that and combinations possible. Rakti rakti tradition. We have the the rishabha vahana procession was generally set in misram. A rakti good fortune of gaining access was accompanied exclusively by performance, by definition, included to his interviews on rakti, mallari rakti played in Kambhoji raga. On very complicated variations in the and such topics. In his view, the other days of the festival, rakti was gati followed by kalpanaswara – the primary difference between pallavi played in raga-s like Todi, complexity of which would at times and rakti is the fact that rakti is Sankarabharanam, Kalyani, Bhairavi, reach such heights that the audience always played in misram whereas Yadukulakambhoji, Poorvikalyani, would be unable to keep track of pallavi has no such restrictions. Navaroj and Arabhi. n 66 l SRUTI June 2011.