Todi and Tyagaraja

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. Todi and Tyagaraja (Edited excerpts from a lecture- singers of the Divya Prabandham, the demonstration for the Saraswati Vaishnava hymns. Vaggeyakara Trust held at the Narada RAJAM S. Such is the mystery that surrounds Gana Sabha on 21 December 2003). the origin of Todi. Nevertheless, for n Carnatic classical music, Todi centuries, Todi has captivated the is a major raga with ample scope souls and imagination of generations for elaboration and extensive of musicians and composers by its creativity. Though the exact period sheer ocean-like depth and vastness. I It has spawned more than 20 janya of its origin is not known, it can surely be said that through the last raga-s. In practice, no other raga three or four centuries it has grown yields itself so generously to so much and developed so much that today improvisation as Todi does. Every it is one of the most prominent and part of its progression allows endless scope for elaboration. It is a common important raga-s of Carnatic music. practice to elaborate Todi with The evolution and establishment varja prayoga-s (skipping of notes). of Todi as a magnificent raga was This is especially popular among largely enabled by great musicians nagaswara vidwans. and vaggeyakara-s. Among the We frequently hear musicians sing vaggeyakara-s, the Trinity, Tyagaraja Some suggest the possibility that it long phrases without showing the in particular, have contributed was prevalent in the southern regions shadja and panchama. There is an immensely in embellishing the but went by a different name. Neither opinion that when Todi is sung beauty and depth of this raga. is the source of the name ‘Todi’ clear entirely without the panchama it nor is there any recognisable meaning is called Suddha Todi, but it is not Although there are no direct that could be attributed to it, unlike considered an adequate reason to references to Todi’s ancestry in Sankarabharanam or Ramapriya. justify the coining of a new name for many of the prevalent texts, the 17th the raga. century music scholar Venkatamakhi Todi is said to be the rishabha classified it as the eighth mela. In the moorchana of the gandhara grama, Before we begin to appreciate Todi nomenclature of the Kanakambari- which is not in vogue today. While we or any other raga, especially in the Phenadyuti scheme it is Janatodi have heard from learned sources of creative dimension, we need to and in the Kanakangi-Ratnangi the past that the rishabha moorchana understand the rules and stages of scheme it is Hanumatodi. Somanatha raga was once called Arsabhi, it is raga improvisation or raga vistaara. called it a ‘turuska’ raga indicating its also known to correspond to the raga Authors of musical treatises like northern origin, a widely contested Sevvazhippalai in the Tamil pann Sarangadeva and Govinda Dikshita notion. The idea needs considerable schemata. The Odhuvamoorti-s – the have laid down a scheme consisting scrutiny as the current Hindustani singers of centuries-old Siva hymns of six parts for raga vistaara. Todi family (with exceptions like – deny knowledge of the existence of These are akshiptika, ragavardhani, the allied raga Bilaskhani Todi) this raga in their musical tradition, vidari, thaya or sthayi, vardhani and corresponds not to the Carnatic Todi but there seems to be some memory nyasa or muktayi. This scheme is not but to the Carnatic Subhapantuvarali. of Todi having been used by the being followed diligently today. 42 l SRUTI September 2012 VEDAVALLI SPEAKS Akshiptika is the initial preparatory Finally we come to the muktayi, The many hues of the Todi ga have stage of the alapana when the chosen where elaboration in the mandra been well documented in Baluswami raga is unambiguously introduced sthayi leads to a grand ending of the Dikshitar’s chittaswaram in the kriti by its characteristic phrases. alapana. Gajavadana of Kumara Ettendra. This unparalleled chittaswaram is a Next the raga is unraveled in The raga vistaara paddhati serves as veritable archive of not merely the ragavardhani. It is this stage that a guideline that gives us possibilities different gamaka-s of the Todi ga, yields most to elaboration in three rather than rules. Musicians of the but also minute variations in such speeds. The number of sangati-s past have used this paddhati to great aspects as frequency and length or phrases sung in different kala-s effect. possible in the same gamaka, thus need to be proportionate and producing subtly diverse effects. utmost care needs to be taken in Now we return to Todi and look at maintaining the intrinsic tempo the unsurpassed beauty of some of its A special feature of Todi is the varja or kalapramana of the raga. The aspects. It is more pertinent to look at prayoga or phrases where notes are lower kala sangati-s include long the growth of this raga in the past two skipped. This enhances the beauty karvai-s or longish extensions of centuries into a major raga in Carnatic and rakti of the raga. In the fourth notes. The sangati-s do not follow music rather than go into proving charana chittaswaram of the Todi each other in the order of the speeds its antiquity. To repeat the obvious, varnam Eranapai, we see the aspect of they are sung in. They are normally Todi is a vast raga with such infinite varja prayoga brought out beautifully rendered combining all the three scope that all the aspects of raga where the whole chittaswaram speeds. However in vilamba kala, the vistaara can be achieved comfortably is panchama varja. Almost all phrases are predominantly in the in it. How is this achieved? There composers including the Trinity, pre- lower speed and respectively so in are many raga-s based on phrases Trinity and post-Trinity composers madhyama and durita kala-s. or prayoga-s and improvising a down to Papanasam Sivan and later raga alapana means elaborating and composers, have been captivated by Ragavardhani is followed by vidari expanding these phrases. But Todi this ocean of aesthetic possibilities which is sung in the madhya sthayi. is very unique in that every swara is called Todi. Todi lends itself to Then comes sthayi which is a gradual a jeeva swara or life note and nyasa many compositional forms such note-by-note build-up in the upper swara or ending note. It allows for as chauka and tana varnam-s, octave. In this phase the musician elaboration of every gamaka and padam-s, geetam-s, kriti-s and attempts to reach as high as it is every note. The gandhara, for keertanam-s. Among these, two of comfortably possible in the tara instance, has innumerable hues and the most unique are the swarajati by sthayi, However it is not mandatory myriad shades. It can be moved in so Syama Sastry and the swarasthana to reach the panchama. A voice that many different ways and it yields to varna of Ramaswami Dikshitar. This easily manoeuvres the tara sthayi is different types of gamaka-s. swarasthana varnam is entirely in called a ‘sthayi saareera’. It is said that the great musician Konerirajapuram Vaidyanatha Iyer Sthayi comes from the root “stha” Konerirajapuram Vaidyanatha Iyer, – sthaapita, to establish or to create a while elaborating on Todi, could base. It is said that musicians of the move the gandhara in a particular early 20th century, when performing way and fashion an entire gamut of a pallavi would sing niraval for the sangati-s around that one movement. pallavi, first in its original sthayi and Then he would move on to another then create a base again in the tara variation of the gandhara and sthayi to elaborate it further in the again build an entirely new set of upper octave. Even in tanam singing, sangati-s to complement that gamaka. there was a practice of using the It was no wonder that his concerts upper shadja as a base, a sthayi, and lasted many hours. Todi Sitaramayya, creating numerous madhyama kala a predecessor of Konerirajapuram, sangati-s in akara around it. This gained the title ‘Todi’ because of the intense and creative Todi experience practice could be seen especially he consistently crafted. among the nagaswara vidwans. 43 l SRUTI September 2012 VEDAVALLI SPEAKS swarakshara, each syllable of the lyric Enduku dayaradura – madhya sangati-s, apt examples of which are being the same as its corresponding dhaivata Endu daaginaado and Vaaridhi. The note. Todi yields itself beautifully to Needaya raavale – madhya nishada sangati-s in these kriti-s also serve such creativity. Koluvamaregada – tara shadja as lessons in effectively combining speeds while singing raga phrases. Among the composers, Tyagaraja Emani maatlaaditivo – tara shadja perhaps has the most prolific Tappi bratiki – tara shadja Todi cannot be said to represent any collection of compositions in Todi. Kadatera rada – madhya shadja particular rasa or bhava. Although His compositions illustrate most of Proddu poyyenu – madhya shadja it is normally assigned the label of the aspects of the raga. Re manasa – madhya gandhara karuna rasa, Todi is too prolific to be restricted to a particular rasa or bhava. As though to illustrate the point that The kriti-s also capture precisely the Tyagaraja’s kriti-s themselves clarify every note in Todi is significant and raga vistaara possibilities in all the this point.

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