Cbe journal j ACTAR UPRART I EASTERN SECTION Of | ewruL nq..^. Cbe /ffimetc Bcabem ^ /Ifcabrag A QUARTERLY DEVOTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE SCIENCE AND ART OF MUSIC Vol. IV. 1933 Nos. 1 to 4 THE JOURNAL COMMITTEE Editor Mr. T. V. SUBBA Row, B.A., B.L. Editorial Committee Vxdvan Tiger K. V aradachariar. Mr. P. G. Sundaeesa Sastki, b a . P andit S. Subrahmanya Sastri. Mr. P. S. Sundaram Aiyar. T. L. Venkatakama Aiyar. S kipada Ramamurty P antulu, b.a. Manager K. S. Vjswanatha Sastri, b.a., b.l. Publishedby THE MUSIC ACADEMY, MADRAS 323, Thim bu Chetty St., G. T., Madras. Annual Subscription :— Inland: Rs. 4 ; Foreign: 8 she. Postpaid. THE TEACHERS’ COLLEGE OF MUSIC MUSIC ACADEMY, MADRAS at ‘Gana Mandir’ 10, Thambu Chetty St., G.T. In response to numerous requests from the public in general, upon the insistent representations from authorities in charge of the various Educational Institutions in the country and in realisation of a long cherished ideal, The Music Academy, Madras, opened a Training College of Music for Teachers. The College is called The Teachers’ College of Music, Madras, and is located at “ Gana Mandir,” 10, Thambu Chetty Street, G. T., Madras. * Instruction is imparted to pupils not only in the theory and practice of Indian Music, but also in the correct and approved methods of teaching music. The trained pupils will be competent to teach at least the School Final Class. The training class is for the duration of one year of three terms and for the present is confined to Vocal Music only. The working hours of the College are between 11 a.m. & 4 p.m. The fee for the whole course is Rs. 50—i f paid in advance—or Rs. 6 for each of the nine months comprising the whole course. At the end of the course an Examination will be held and diplomas awarded to successful candidates. The first in rank' will also get the Rajah Annamalai Gold Medal. Persons of both sexes are eligible for admission. Only those candidates whose proficiency in music is up to the Intermediate Standard of the Madras University, are ordinarily admitted. Preference is however given to those who are already employed as music teachers. Applications for admission shall be in the prescribed form. 1 The final selection of candidates for admission will be made by a committee before whom the candidates shall present themselves on such day as may be notified. « A copy of the syllabus will be sent on receipt of postage stamps for the value of two annas. For forms of admission and other particulars, apply with postage to The Correspondent, The Teachers’ College of Music, The Music Academy, Madras. m v j l I C C All editorial correspondence should be addressed to the Editor. All business correspondence should be addressed to the Manager. Articles on musical subjects are accepted for publication on the understanding that they are contributed solely to the Journal of the Music Academy. All manuscripts should be legibly written or preferably type-written (doubl on one side of the paper only) and should be signed by the writer (giving bis addres All articles and communications intended for publication should reach the o.*__ least one month before the date of publication (ordinarily the 15th of the 1st month in each quarter). The editor or the Academy is not responsible for the views expressed by individual contributors. All advertisements intended for publication should reach the office not later than the 1st of the first month of each quarter. All moneys and cheques due to and intended for the Journal should be sent to the Manager at No. 323, Thambu Chetty Street, G. T., Madras. ADVERTISEMENT CHARGES Per issue. Full page. Half page. COVER PAGES: Back (outside) Rs. 25 Front (inside) 20 Rs. 11 Back (Do) 20 11 INSIDE PAGES: 1st page (after cover) 18 10 Other pages (each) 16 9 Preference will be given to advertisers of musical instruments and books and other artistic wares. Special positions and special rates on application 5% discount for cadi with order Contents Page THE DECLINE OF TASTE—EDITORIAL 1 THOUGHTS ON SVARAMELAKALANIDHI—By S. Ramamurti Paotulu 2 THE MELAKARTA RAGAS: CAN THEY BE IMPROVED’—POSSIBILITIES FOR A NEW SET—By T, R. Ramakrisbnan, l .m.p 7 TH E SUDDHA SVARA SAPTAKA—By Hulugur Krishnachariar (Hubli) 9 LATER SANGITA LITERATURE—By V. Raghavao. b.a.. {Hons) 16 SANGITA SUDHA {continued from page 128) 27 ABHINAYA SARA SAMPUTA (continued) 41 LATER SANGITA LITERATURE—V. Raghavan, b.a., (Hons.) {continued Irom page 24) 30 TH E MADRAS MUSIC CONFERENCE. 1932. OFFICIAL REPORT 83 THE SCALE OF NOTES FOR SAMA GAN A-By S. Sankaranarayanan 130 INDIAN DANCE—By Sri Ragini Devi 133 MECHANIZATION OF SOUTH INDIAN MUSIC—By G. V. Narayanaswarai Iyer 134 EXTRACTS FROM PERIODICALS : How To Sing 137 Taste 158 Doing It Badly 161 Hearing Inwardly 162 OBITUARY 163 REVIEWS 164 NOTES AND COMMENTS 169 THE TEACHERS' COLLEGE OF MUSIC 178 COMPETITION RULES : Sir Purandara Das Padam 180 Ashtapadi 180 1933 Conference 181 GENERAL BODY MEETING 1933 1«3 BOOKS A PERIODICALS RECEIVED 185 1932 CONFERENCE CONCERTS 185 THE ACADEMY'S CONCERTS 186 1933 CONFERENCE CONCERTS 187 LIST OF PORTRAITS Some Famons Musicians of S. India Frontispiece The Madras Music Conference, 1932 The Honbie Dr. Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar, Kt „ l .l.d. Facing page. 85 ,, and Vidvan Tiger K. Varadachariar etc, on the Opening Day 92 The President of the Academy, the President of the Conference and other Vidoane assembled therein 97 ERRATA Page Column Line from Line from For Read Omit the top the bottom Contents’ Do Right 6th ‘27’ ‘25 ’ 1 Right 14th ‘ of. 2 Left 17th ‘ author’ ‘ editor ’ Do Right 3rd ' datails ’ ‘ details ' 43 (head­ ‘ Sangita ‘ Abhinaya Sara line) Sudha ’ Samputa ’ Do Right 12th ‘ rfersr ’ ‘ HTfo 5 44 Do 9th ‘ f?rrfijJTr ’ ‘ jcRaffaf ’ 45 (head­ ‘ Sangita ‘ Abhinaya Sara line) Sudha’ Samputa ’ 47 (head­ ‘ Sangita ‘ Abhinaya Sara line) Sudha’ Samputa ’ 162 Right 2 ‘ Form ' ‘ From ’ 168 Left 18th ‘to attain, to pos­ ‘ to seek, to sess and to seek ’ attain and to possess ’ Do Do 11th ‘i t ’ ‘a civic com­ munity ’ 171 Left (Footnote) ‘180’ ‘ 179’ 172 Left 5th . .. ‘ has’ ‘ had’ 172 Do 4th ‘28’ ‘29’ 177 Left ‘ 185’ ‘ 184’ (Footnote) SOME FAMOUS MUSICIANS OF SOUTH INDIA Ghatam Ramnad Patnam Pandi M aba Narayanaswami Sreenivasa Subram ania D oraisw am i Vaidyanatha Narayanaswanii Radbakrisbna A iyar A iyangar A iyar T ev ar A iyar A ppah A iyar (Umayalpuram) (Vulady) tTbe jo u rn a l Of Ube dbustc Hcabems flftabras A QUARTERLY DEVOTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE SCIENCE AND ART OF MUSIC VOL. IV. 1933 No. 1 to 4 THE DECLINE OF TASTE rJ',HE history of South Indian load of monotonous sangatis, over­ Music during the last quarter burdens the graceful and delicate of a century is the lamentable musical forms of the master com­ change over, from the reign of soul­ posers. A certain measure of lati­ ful melody, to the tyranny of the tude for indulging in phrase exten­ mechanical drum. Raga has been sion may not be improper, where it dethroned and Tala has usurped the is governed by good taste and a supremacy. The practice of mathe­ regard for and understanding of the matical svara permutations has fro­ bhava of the compositions. It is not zen up the fountains of creative joy true freedom which ill accords with of the emotional spirit. To-day it is discipline- Another weakness which the scale that is attacked; the raga is characteristic of the age we live in, is seldom rendered. This mechani­ is the craze for speed thrills- No cal attitude of the musician has had more is heard of the soft and restful its reaction upon public taste- A rendering of the great passion singer has come to be esteemed less modes, with graceful glides and long for those exquisite touches of melody drawn notes, the favoured haunts that move even non-sentient beings, where the spirit of the raga for­ than for the number of svara avruttas ever dwells I The age of Mdody is with which he can overwhelm the gone i that of the Drum-, the Mor- drummer. Equally reprehensible is sing and the Kanjira has succeed­ the vice which, with an interminable ed 1 THOUGHTS ON SVARAMELAKALANIDHl By | Mr. S. Ramamurti P antulu With the rapidly growing interest in music century, when music was observed to have in this province, of which we see much evid­ drifted so far away from the older theories ence to-day, and the diffusion of musical know­ of Bharata and Sarngadeva that it became ledge, the need is being felt for reliable publi­ impossible to detect even a faint shade of cations containing authentic versions of our resemblance thereto, or to put it more cor­ old treatises on music, so as to help us in a rectly, to reconcile the ancient theories with correct understanding of the basic principles, the subsequent practice. We have other the foundations and the structure out of treatises of this type written with the same which the music of the present day has evol­ object (codification of the then existing music ved. It is therefore gratifying to note that so as to prevent it from still further straying Mr. M. S. Ramaswami Ayyar has brought out away from its main boundaries) such as Raga a new edition of Svaramelakalattidhi with Vibodha, Shadraga Chandrodaya, Sangita text in Devattagiri, accompanied by a free Parijata etc. As pointed out by Mr. Rama­ ||) English translation thereof and preceded by swami Ayyar, Svaramelakalattidhi being an explanatory and exhaustive introduction, apparently the first attem pt of the kind dur­ neatly printed and got up by the Diocesan ing that period, its value as reflecting the Press, Madras.