The Maha Melaragamalika (Part 3) Sumithra Vasudev
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ANALYSIS The maha melaragamalika (part 3) Sumithra Vasudev n the third and concluding seventh and twelfth, all the six ragas will have the vivadi swara in the poorvanga. part of this series on the Melodically it is very difficult to make such a combination of ragas sound pleasant, Imonumental composition of but this has been accomplished very beautifully by Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan. Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan, let us The melakarta ragas may be categorised in many ways. For the present study we will look into some of the aspects of take one categorisation as ragas with vivadi swara combinations like Kanakangi, the melody of this ragamalika. Roopavati; and ragas without vivadi swara combinations like Charukesi, Latangi. In the first two articles on the Another manner of looking at them could be as ragas that have developed over melaragamalika, we analysed the time in such a way that apart from the aroha-avaroha krama they have phrases or structural and lyrical features of prayogas that are characteristic to them (for example, Dheera Sankarabharanam, the composition. Hanumatodi); and ragas that are mostly dependent on the aroha-avaroha krama With regard to melody, we will (for example, Gangeyabhooshani, Dharmavati). Based on these two categories, let primarily discuss the manner us look at how the ragas have been delineated in the sahitya portions, the swara in which the ragas have been portions and in the connecting swara portions of the ragamalika. delineated and handled in the The swara portions of each raga section have a variety of permutations and ragamalika. While deliberating on combinations; you wonder how the composer has given such different patterns, this aspect it must be borne in mind all within the structure of 16 +16 swaras. (Please watch Sruti’s YouTube Channel that this ragamalika comprises the http://tiny.cc/im9ugz for practical demos) 72 melakarta ragas where, the raga of each section in a given Examples chakra will have only one or two swaras in the higher tetrachord u Sometimes you find an eight-swara pattern : Jhankaradhwani – ‘n s n s - r s r, ; (or uttaranga) which are different g r g m - g r s,’. from its preceding and succeeding u At times the pattern follows a progression in number : Charukesi – ‘m p m, - ragas, while the lower tetrachord g r g m g, - g m r g s r g m’; (or poorvanga) remains the same. In the case of vivadi swara based Gamanasrama – ‘m p m – d p m –n d p m- s s n d p m; g g m – r g m – s r g m – chakras, namely, the first, sixth, p m g r g m’. u In some instances the progression is only in the melody : Viswambhari – ‘p m g r s, - p m g r g, - p m g g m, - p m g m p, ….’ u Karvais of different durations, and patterns based on that, have been used to effectively break the monotony that might otherwise have set in : Ramapriya – ‘p, m g, r g m – p, m p, d n d – p, d n, s n d – p , d m, g r g’; Gaurimanohari – ‘m,,,,, g m g r g r r s r g – m,,,,, p d n s n n d d p p – m,,’. u A karvai at the beginning of the avarta, which gives the ‘usi’ feel, has also been used in some instances : Vanaspati – ‘|| , n d n s n s,, - r s r g m p, | , - d p d n s n d….’ u There are also examples where the flow does not necessarily fall into a specific pattern : Kharaharapriya – ‘r g r s n d n s r s r g m g m, - p d n s r g r s n d p n d p m g r s’. u In the connecting swara portions, sometimes the pattern of the swara follows the melody of the successive sahitya portion (similar to the idea of poruttam): For example, Ramapriya: 86 l SRUTI December 2019.