INDIAN MUSIC NEWSLETTER a Quarterly Information Paper for Lovers of Indian Music in the West
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Issue no. 14 January-February-March 1985 INDIAN MUSIC NEWSLETTER A quarterly information paper for lovers of Indian music in the West. THE MUSIC OF SOUTH INDIA In Indian music today there are two main schools, Hindustani, or North Indian music, and Carnatic, or South Indian music. Though similar in concept - both melodic and governed by the strict rules of raga and tala - they are nonetheless entirely different forms of musical ex- pression. There was a time when a single system prevailed throughout India, but as early as the 12th century a division had already begun. Successive waves of Mus- lim invaders during the Middle Ages profoundly inf1uenced Indian life and culture in the North, whereas the South remained relatively untouched, and was left: in peace to continue its cultural development. Carnatic music belongs to the four Dravidian states of South India; Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. On the map the dividing line is roughly from Goa on the west coast through Hyderabad to Vijayawada on the east. The traveller through South India today is confronted with a world diHerent The saraswati vina. Tirugakarnam Ramachandra lyer in so many aspects from the North, in which resembles that of the West; it ern western music. peoples, languages, landscapes, food and divides the octave into twelve semitones of The South is very rich in superb concert cultural attitudes. With their own kind of approximately equal length. However, if violinists and f1autists, notably Lalgudi refinement characteristic of the Dravidian we compare the Indian tones with those of Jayaraman and M.S. Gopalkrishnan (vio- mentality, it is not surprising that musi- the Western tempered scale, we find that lin), and T.R. Mahalingam and N. cally the South developed its own style. In there are minute - but audible - Ramani (f1ute). But instrumentally, apart its present form Carnatic, or South Indian microtonal pitch diHerences, slightly abo- from the nagaswaram (a double-reeded music is five centuries old and still ve or below the corresponding Western longer version of the shehnai of North flourishing, its centre in modern times tone, refining the melodic structure. India), and the rarely-heard gottuvadyam being the city of Madras on the east coast Through this sophisticated melodic struc- (the slide vina), the South has far fewer of Tamil Nadu. ture (raga) and its relation to the cyclic concert solo instruments than one would Carnatic music is understandably less rhythmic structure (tala) a vast range of imagine for such a rich system of music. It known in the Western world than its musical possibilities is explored, uplifting is primarily a vocal art form. Carnatic northern counterpart. Few of its great and inspiring both performer and listener. music involves a more complex use of exponents have ever found their way Though basing its format on composed percussion than the North; the Southern westwards. Apart from the Wesleyan music, the Carnatic system uses improvi- concert drum, the mridangam, is often University in the U.S.A., which provides a sation extensively, in the forms known as accompanied by the ghatam (clay pot), the permanent teaching centre, facilities for alapana, ragam, thanam and pallavi. It is kanjira (tambourine), and the morsing Westerners to study Carnatic music out- perhaps in these forms, in all the sheer (jews' harp). side India are few and far between. Few bravado and spirit of adventure which are Though the distant origins of Indian also are the outsiders who have ever inherent in them, that the vVestern ear can music go back to Vedic times, the first mastered the art. By far the greater first begin to grasp what an amazing world major consolidation of form in Carnatic number of concerts given in the West are is contained within the realms of South music came about through the poet-saint by North Indian musicians. With Hindu- Indian music. Purandaradasa (1486-1564), in the time of stani music becoming undoubtedly more When Indian music first made its mark the great Vijayanagar empire, a golden listened to and appreciated in South in the West in the sixties, it was mainly age in South Indian history. Purandara- India, the reverse cannot be said to be through the sitar and sarod of North India. dasa has come to be known as the father of true. An indigenous art form, with its Carnatic music has had exposure in the Carnatic music, so systematising and intense use of gamaka (bending or slurring West but it still remains little known. It is refining it that it has remained basically of tones), Carnatic music presents a real perhaps best represented in the Western unaltered until the present day. A prolific challenge to the uninitiated ear, and only world through the saraswati vina. Some of composer, scholar, bhakti and aesthete, he time will tell if its true worth will ever be its great players, like S. Balachander, developed a form known as the kritti, a fully recognised, even among the growing Emmani Shankar Shastri and V. Dorais- composition, entirely metered in struc- number of Westerners who are able to wami Iyengar, have been heard in Europe ture, into which is woven the essence of appreciate the delicacies of oriental and and the U.S.A., and two great Carnatic raga and tala, a form with ofi:en profound exotic music. violinists, L. Shankar and L. Subrama- lyrics but which remains predominantly Carnatic music, in common with the niam, are currently experimenting with musical. It was a progression out of the Hindustani system, uses a tonal system incorporating their techniques into mod- simpler, already existing, more devotional 2 their compositions. M.S. Subbulakshmi, M.L. Vasanta Ku- Outstanding among them was Tyaga- mari, D.K. Pattamal, and Radha and raja. Descended from Telugu Brahmins Jayalakshmi, who sing as a vocal duet, or from Andhra Pradesh, trained early in life jodippattu, like the jugalbandi of North in Sanskrit, astrology and vina playing, he India. Well-known male vocalists include developed into a man of yogic vision and Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Maharaja- musical excellence. His krittis are full of puram Santanam, C.N. Balasubrama- rich rhythms, exquisite language and niam, S. Ramanathan, Balamurali Krish- symbolic meaning. 700 of them exist na and the late M.D. Ramanathan. today, in 260 diflerent ragas. His texts, though mostly devotional, range from the The Concert highest yogic ideals to matters of govern- A Carnatic concert is generally three ment and social welfare. Like Puranda- hours long, without a break. To the radasa, he lived only by singing and soloist's right sits the mridangam player, begging and spurned the patronage of and to his left the violinist. Behind, the royalty. indispensible tamboura provides the dro- Muttuswami Dikshitar's music is noted ne, often played by a student who will for its manliness and power. Inf1uenced by provide vocal support during the compo- the ancient Hindustani style of singing sed sections of the concert. Also in the known as dhrupad during a six-year stay background will sit any additional per- in Benares, his compositions are slow-mo- cussionists to make up the ensemble of up ving. He wrote only in Sanskrit, resurrec- to seven musicians. A recital begins with a varnanl, similar '(yagaraja ted old ragas and his music is heavily ornamented. It has been described as to an etude, a warming-up composition, kirtana form which placed more emphasis 'ethereal architecture'. He is considered to entertaining in its own right, and close to on lyrical content than musical sophistica- be the great"master of raga and his work the basic structure of the krittis that will tion. His other major contribution was to the most challenging for the Carnatic follow but less complex. A kritti, a rondo- initiate the methodical study of Carnatic musician. like form, has as its basic element the music, beginning with the practice of Shyama Shastri wrote 300 krittis, of pallavi, anupallavi and charanam, melodic scales, exercises, simple songs (gitas), more which about 30 are popular today. His patterns within the mould of raga set to complex songs (varnam) and finally krittis. pieces, written in Sanskrit and Telugu, are literary texts. Each of these sections of the This method is used exclusively in the noted for their rhythmic beauty. kritti explores diferent areas of pitch teaching of Carnatic music today. Through the inspired contribution of register, with other types of variation set Purandaradasa's life was a remarkable these three saints from Tiruvayur, the between these forms. The whole piece journey. A certain miraculous incident in golden age ofCarnatic music had arrived. gains complexity through the repetition of his domestic affairs convinced him ab- It has been carried into the 20th Century phrases at diflerent speeds. Unlike Hin- solutely of the errors of his avaricious way through a long list of great musicians of dustani music, which uses a gradual of life as a wealthy trader. So profoundly old, names like Musiri Subrahmanya Iyer, building-up of tempo, increase of speed in did this incident affect him that he gave up Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Chembai Carnatic music is always a doubling of his worldly life and went on to live the life Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, Patnam Su- tempo (or tripling,quadrupling and so on). of a renunciate, as a disciple ofthe greatest bramanya Iyer, Veena Dhanamal, etc. Within a kritti are passages where the yogi of that time, Vyasaraya. Puranda- Today the list is equally impressive, musician can improvise melodic varia- radasa became one of the immortal names including great female vocalists such as tions, but keeping to the text (niraval), in the history of South Indian music. A hundred years after Purandaradasa, in the mid-17th century, Venkatamikhi established a system whereby the immen- sely complex language of raga could be classified.