Turahee Yaatra (Trumpet Voyage)

तुरही यात्रा

For trumpet, piano, and percussion

Lakshminarayana Subramaniam

Special Supplement to the January 2020 ITG Journal तुरही यात्रा Turahee Yaatra (Trumpet Voyage) By Lakshminarayana Subramaniam

Lakshminarayana Subramaniam Born in  to accomplished musicians, Lakshminarayana Subramaniam was a child prodigy violinist from the city of Chennai in South India. Developing a passion for both science and music, Subramaniam earned an mbbs (a degree equivalent to the American md) from Madras Medical College in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, and became a reg- istered practitioner before pursuing a full-time career as a musician. His formal studies also include a master’s degree from the California Institute of the Arts. Subramaniam is credited with over  recordings as performer and/or composer. These include soundtracks for the films Surabhi (), Salaam Bombay! (), Mississippi Masala (), Ee Sneha Theerathu (), and Gour Hari Dastaan () as composer; Little Buddha (), Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love (), and Cotton Mary () as violinist; and Banaz: A Love Story () as composer and musician. Since , Subramaniam’s music has been performed by such leading orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, Swiss Romande Orchestra, Beijing Sym- phony Orchestra, Berlin State Opera, and Mariinsky Ballet. He has collaborated with such renowned artists as Maynard Ferguson, Yehudi Menuhin, Stéphane Grappelli, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Tony Williams, Stanley Clarke, John Handy, Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, George Harrison, and Stevie Wonder, as well as leading artists from his homeland of India. Subramaniam’s specialization, often fused with other styles with the above artists and ensembles, is Carnatic music, which is commonly associated with southern India and considered one of two main subgenres of Indian classical music—the other being Hindustani. Dr. L. Subramaniam, the pioneer of fusion in India, began collaborations with global musicians in  and created the Global Fusion concept.

Turahee Yaatra Non-Western music, including that from South Asia, is an underrepresented area of the repertoire for solo trumpet, and ITG’s Commissions Committee sought an innovative composer from this region to contribute a new work with the  commission. Lakshminarayana Subramaniam’s groundbreaking work with global fusion music was a logical choice, and the result is Turahee Yaatra, an interesting and unique addition to the solo trumpet repertoire. Subramaniam describes this work as his voyage with the trumpet. Like Carl Höhne’s Slavonic Fantasy, Subramaniam’s Turahee Yaatra captures Carnatic Indian culture through a multi-sectional design. About this piece, Subramaniam states: This work is based on a derived scale from a parent scale called Gowri Manohari, which is the rd Melakarta ragam out of the  Melakarta ragas. There is a polyrhythmic structure involved, including a five-beat cycle based on Khanda Chapu Tala, 3/4 (based on Rupaka Tala), and 6/8 rhythmic cycles. In addition, there is a trade-off section as per the Indian tradition, which is common in South Indian music where a motive is traded between different instruments. Then, this motive slowly expands by adding single notes and comes back, leaving those added notes ending with a short rhythmic cadence. Some of these polyrhythmic structures and ragas have been used in different compositions, including orchestral ones. The premiere performance was given on June , , at the International Trumpet Guild Conference in San Antonio, Texas, by Joseph Burgstaller, trumpet; Miriam Hickman, piano; and Michael Mixtacki, percussion.

Performance Notes Articulations and slurs were not provided by the composer, with the understanding that performers should seek their own interpretation. Hearing the Indian Classical violin as performed by Subramaniam and others will serve useful in attaining a desired musical effect. As an alternative for trumpet players who may find the section from measures  to  with the upward stems overly difficult, it is acceptable to play just the notes with the downward stems. While the work can be performed with trumpet and piano alone, percussion greatly enhances the musical effect. Notably, percussion parts in Subramaniam’s music are often improvised, so the part provided should be considered a sketch that may be enhanced and departed from as desired. Michael Mixtacki, who served as the percussionist for the premiere, supports these assertions as follows: I took some liberties with the instrumentation and played the tambourine section on an Egyptian Riq. If I recall correctly, I also had a large-frame drum mounted and utilized sounds from that in addition to the Riq during the bongos section. In general, in my opinion, players could take a more improvisatory approach to both instrumentation and rhythm specifics and instead follow the groupings of the meter during the longer sections of repetitive rhythm. I think I played most of the rhythms “as is” from  to the end, but added some very small embellishments throughout. Subramaniam writes: The opening section without percussion should sound almost like free improvisation, and this is applied to the trills as well. The rhythmic section with the percussion should be tightly in rhythm. If there are certain sections that are difficult, then alternative passages are provided. If the rhythmic section is difficult to play in the indicated tempo, then a slightly slower tempo may be adopted. Basically, this is a virtuosic showpiece that, if played in the written tempo, will convey the message. Subramaniam uses graphic symbols to represent tubular bells (see measure 1) and wind chimes (see measure ). When no pitches are provided for the tubular bells, then any note(s) that fit into the music may be played. The following chords are found in the piano part of the following measures:  (C minor),  (A minor),  (wind chimes),  (C minor), and  (A minor). Although not indicated, tubular bells may also be added in the following measures:  (C minor) and  (A minor). Regarding the tubular bells, Mixtacki added, “I believe I played a C in all instances where the specific chime notes were not notated; I think the Cs fit consistently into every chord. However, I do think that other notes from the piano chords would be appropriate as well.” Consider the tempo relationships in measures , , , and  an approximation. Maintaining these precise relationships may not be possible, and experimentation in finding the optimum tempo for each section is encouraged. The middle section of this music (measures  – ) resembles virtuoso Indian Classical violin performance and should be performed as briskly and energetically as possible.

(Notes by Luis C. Engelke, chair, ITG Commissions Committee)

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