Repetition is a interesting concept.
I am not referring to the repetition of empty rhetoric from our politicians nor am I referring to the shameless ‘Breaking News’ on the Television channels.
This is purely a thread for classical elements, a fact I am sure regular followers of this Blog know very well.
Yes..I am referring to the concept of Repetition in Classical music. Though one finds it in all major classical forms,’repetition’ in carnatic music is somewhat unique. Most of you who have listened to a Carnatic music concert must have noticed that the vocalist (or the instrumentalist) repeats a line (the number of times varies from Kriti to Kriti).A careful listener would have also noticed that each time the line appears with some additional quality. This additional quality is called as the ‘sangati’, a term I have used quite often in this thread.
Apart from this, the performer also takes up a line in one particular kriti , keeps repeating it and then starts singing swaras with the line repeated again at the end of each swara segment. This is called as the Niraval in carnatic music. Here again, the line would sound different , each time it is sung.
Let us now look at a very interesting verse:
kazhumala mudupathik kavuNiyan katturai
kazhumala mudupathik kavuNiyan katturai
kazhumala mudupathik kavuNiyan katturai
kazhumala mudupathik kavuNiyan katturai
கழுமல முதுபதிக் கவுணியன் கட்டுரை
கழுமல முதுபதிக் கவுணியன் கட்டுரை
கழுமல முதுபதிக் கவுணியன் கட்டுரை
கழுமல முதுபதிக் கவுணியன் கட்டுரை.
All the four lines identical..
Would you believe me if I say each line carries a different meaning?
The words have to be split to get the real meanings.
The first line is split thus:
kazhumal amudhu padhikka uLNee an kattu urai- You are born from the filth and die filthily.
Second line:
kazhu malam udhu padhi kavuNi ankaN thu urai- Pray to that Lord who removes the Maya, KaNmam, AaNavam(the impurities)
Third line:
kazhum alam amudhu padhi kam uNiyan kattu urai-The Lord who is in the guise of a mendicant is like the nectar and it is not easy to realize him(possible only for the ‘initiated’)
Fourth line:
kazhumalam mudhupadhik kavuNiyan kattu urai- Chant the verse about the Holy place Thirukkazhumalam(a.k.a. Sirgazhi) composed by Sambandar (who is from the Kaundinya gotra) .
This must be one of the best ever written poem/verse in Tamizh. As some of you might have guessed, this was written by Thirugnanasambandar- whose mastery over Tamizh language is amazing (and whose ‘palindrome’ verse was quoted in my second Natana Raaja post in this Blog).
Just like music and poetry, there is repetition in dance too. In a Bharatanatyam recital-mainly in the varnam piece- a single line will be repeatedly sung by the vocalist and the dancer would narrate a story in abhinaya generally related to the Lord on whom the song is composed. This is called as ‘sanchaari’.
In keeping with the objective of the thread, let us see the other three classical dance forms of India now.
Today’s Natana Raaja composition also shows us some facets of Kathak. More about this later. Before that, let us also briefly look at the two other classical forms-that appeared in the first Natana Raaja post in this thread.
They are Odissi and Manipuri.
Odissi, as the name suggests originates from the state of Orissa and is one of the most graceful dance forms.The movement of the head, chest and the pelvis-called as the Tribhangi- forms the core of this dance form.
Odissi is supposed to be one of the oldest dance forms and like Bharatanatyam, this too was mainly practiced by the Devadasis also called as Maharis.Over a period of time, two more types of schools emerged.Gotipau-where young boys dressed up like women and danced and Nartaki-which was essentially a Royal court dance.
Like the other dance forms, Odissi too has the pure dance item called as ‘Pallavi’where there are graceful movements of the eyes, neck, chest and the feet finally reaching a crescendo. There is an abhinaya piece as well-which is generally an Ashtapati of Jayadeva.
Manipuri is a subtle, graceful and unique dance form. Manipuri dancers do not wear ankle bells and also touch the ground very subtly while dancing. Devotion is the key in Manipuri dance. Delicate rounded movements mark this beautiful dance form.
Time now for the Natana Raaja composition of today. As mentioned earlier, it reminds one of a Kathak performance particularly towards the end.
The song is ‘Gokulame Needhira..’ from Chakravyham(Telugu-1990).
It is based on Darbari Kaanada, a Hindustani Raag.
This Raag was adapted from Kaanada of Carnatic music first by Tansen. There is of course a lot of difference between Kaanada and Darbari Kaanada in the way they are sung- though in principle there is a similarity.
The structure of Darbari Kaanada is: sa ri2 ga2 ma1 pa dha1ni2 Sa / Sa dha1 ni2 ma1 pa ma1 pa ni1 ga2 ma1 ri2 sa .
However, like most of the Hindustani raags, this raag is also defined more by the prayogs and pakads than by the Aroh/Avaroh.
The Gandhar(ga) plays a very major role in giving the raag its special flavour.It is a very special ‘ga’(called as ati-komal gandhar).
Moreover, the occurrence of repeat swaras- as double or triple combinations like sasasa ninini papa..-is a special feature of this Raag.
Let us now look at the composition.
Ankle bells, Pakhawaj..Flute .. We enter the world of delicate imagery.
The leisurely floats of Sitar, the elegant flute and the circular motion of the Violins prepare us for the ethereal experience.
The humming of Chitra is beguilingly soft. It is a tryst with melody even as the subtle patterns of the Raag Darbari are rendered..
The first line of the Pallavi itself creates a reposeful ambience.
The line ‘Gopika maanasa chora..’ moves with a chiseled refinement while the last line which is an interplay of octaves is an exquisite glow of finesse.
One sees a clear stream of music in the first interlude the flute plays with sensitivity with the ankle bells as the undercurrent and the violins giving the melodic essence of the raag. The rhythmic cycle is clearly delineated by the pakhawaj.
The CharaNams are full of joyful phrases.
The first line is soaked Darbari .One hears the perpetual mellowness of the Raag in the lines that follow.. The raag moves with gay abandon but at the same time without any maudlin frills.
The last line that depicts the circular motion (spin) in a Kathak performance is a marvel.
When the Pallavi is rendered again after the first CharaNam, it is embellished with the resounding tabla and the salutary tonal modulation is mesmerising.
The second interlude is dominated by the vocals with Chitra singing the swaras and Mano singing in ‘akaaram’. The diligent weaving of swaras rendered with considerable panache and felicity of expression giving us the light and shade contrasts of the Raag shows the musical brilliance of the composer.
The second charanam is followed by some beautiful melodic phrases.
First we hear the melodic strains of the violins playing the leitmotif.
Then we have Mano singing the swaras and we see the Kathak patterns in the percussion and the ankle bells.
The swara singing picks up with the swaras covering the entire spectrum of the Raag with the triple combinations (sasasa papapa ninini..)
It is a rhapsody of sorts.
Next is the turn of the violins again.
The phrases that follow show us the beauty of Kathak in a matter of seconds.
We see the gracious patterns in an orderly progression.
It is like a stream flowing in a mountainous terrain that finally cascades like a gushing waterfall.
The melting last piece of the violins in the end says it all..
Gokulame mee Sangeetam…
Showing posts with label KathakaLi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label KathakaLi. Show all posts
Tuesday, 24 August 2010
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Natana Raaja-Part IV
Poetry in motion..
This is how one can describe an infant on the cradle.
The way it kicks its legs..
The way it moves its hands..
The way it cries..
The way it grumbles..
What is this if not poetry?
Periyaazhwar, the 9th Century Tamizh poet who composed 473 verses- out of which 210 verses are on the ‘growing-up’ of Child Krishna where he imagines himself to be Yasodha - says,
‘When I put him on the cradle, he kicks it and breaks it.
When I keep him on my waist, he breaks my ribcage.
When I feed him, he dances and kicks my stomach.
Oh..No! I am unable to bear his mischief!!’
கிடக்கில் தொட்டில் கிழிய உதைத்திடும்
எடுத்துக் கொள்ளில் மருங்கை யிறுத்திடும்
ஒடுக்கிப் புல்கில் உதரத்தே பாய்ந்திடும்
மிடுக்கிலாமையால் நான் மெலிந்தேன் நங்காய்!
Though the mother sounds very tired, one can easily see the appreciation and the adoration for her child.
Does one not feel poetry, hear music, and see dance in this?
A child is as beautiful as the Poetry, as mesmerizing as Music and as graceful as Dance.
In this thread, we have been seeing about poetry and music.In the last three posts, we have also been seeing albeit briefly about the various classical dance forms of India.
Today, let us see the two beautiful but somewhat contrasting forms from Kerala-KathakaLi and Mohiniaattam.
KathakaLi-meaning ‘Story play’- originated from Ramanaattam and Krishnanaattam, the earlier Dance drama forms of Kerala. Known for its unique make-up and costumes, beautiful body movements in synchronization with the vocal and the percussion music and detailed gestures, KathakaLi is not an easy dance form to perform (though an easy form to understand).A typical KathakaLi artiste is also well versed with KaLaripayattu, the martial art of Kerala that improves the concentration, stamina and co-ordination.
There are essentially 5 features in KathakaLi-Facial expressions with special emphasis on the eye-movements, Hand gestures (Mudras), rhythmic movements of hands, legs and the body as a whole(Nrittam), Vocal music(the musician also narrates the story from time to time and recites the dialogues of the different characters) and the percussion music(cymbals and 3 different types of native drums each producing a unique sound of its own).
This highly stylized classical performance involves a lot of co-ordination and is a team work. Generally, stories from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana are performed and it is said that some of the legendary dancers would literally transform themselves on the stage making the audience feel as though they were watching the real characters live in action.
Mohiniaattam, the other classical dance form of Kerala means the ‘Dance of the beautiful woman’.Though ‘Mohini’ means a beautiful woman, here it is referred to Lord Vishnu who is believed to have taken the form of a very beautiful woman twice- during the churning of the Ocean -for the nectar- to distract the Rakshasas(the Demons) and then to kill a Demon called Basmaasura.
This dance form has slow graceful movements. The sensuous movements, the subtle footwork, the unique costume in white and golden colour, jasmine flowers woven around the tied hair and the classical style of music make Mohiniaattam a very beautiful dance form.
Devotion to the God forms the fulcrum of Mohinaattam. The Hero is generally Krishna and a typical performance has a jatiswaram, a varnam, a padam, and a Tillana very similar to a Bhartanatyam recital though the ‘adavus’(basic dance steps) are different from that of the latter.
Let us now look at the Natana Raaja composition of today that reminds one of both these forms.
The speciality of the composition is the interspersing of some lines from two Ashtapathis- that were composed by Jayadeva in the 12th century are one of the most beautiful Love poems that also gives the essence of the Jeevatma-Paramatma philosophy-and the poetic cry of a child.
The composition is ‘Aalolam peelikaavadi theril..’ from the Malayalam film Aalolam(1982).It is based on Malayamarutam.
Malayamarutam is a janya of the 16th melakarta Chakravaagam and its structure is
Sa ri1 ga3 pa dha2 ni2 Sa/Sa ni2 dha2 pa ga3 ri1 sa.
The composition starts with the alluring flute which is couched in melody. It is sublime music as the santoor joins the flute as the Tabla nods its head in appreciation.
The song in the dainty voice of Yesudass is a document of delicacy.
One sees the aesthetic instincts of the composer as the Pallavi glows like a bright Kerala Lamp even as the rhythm undulates back and forth making us all sway.
The ebb and flow of the percussion in the beginning of the first interlude is scintillating and it conjures up images of a mischievous child playing hide and seek with us. The synthetic blend of the western and the eastern instruments is another beauty. The synthesizer and the Bass Guitar are ingeniously integrated while the lilting flute is laced with the charming Guitar and Malayamarutam smiles with a burnished shimmer.
The first two lines of the first CharaNam are fluently phrased. The third line has the poise and the fourth line has the pace.
It is mesmerizing ravishment.
As the CharaNam ends, we hear the special tone of the native Kerala drum followed by the first line of the 6th Ashtapati in which Radha complains about Krishna to her friend saying ‘why can’t he reform his ways and meet me?’.
This line alone is set in Kambodi ragam.
The innocent cry of the child at the end of this line gives a very special feeling.
The second charaNam is different from that of the first.
We see the clear stream of the Yamuna river..
We see the cross currents..
We see the graceful dance of the Gopikas and Krishna..
We see the kaleidoscope of colours..
We see the Nature’s regeneration..
We see the interplay of the human and the divine..
Exhilarating!!
The 19th Ashtapati of Jayadeva , ‘Priye Charusheele’ in Mukhari ragam, a rakti ragam known for its pristine beauty appears in the end with a pearly shine. The lines rendered with fervour take us to the realm of serenity.
‘Thwamasi mama bhooshanam..thwamasi mama jeevanam..thwamasi mama bhavajalati ratnam..’
You are my ornament..You are my breath..You are my jewel in the endless sea of life..
This is how one can describe an infant on the cradle.
The way it kicks its legs..
The way it moves its hands..
The way it cries..
The way it grumbles..
What is this if not poetry?
Periyaazhwar, the 9th Century Tamizh poet who composed 473 verses- out of which 210 verses are on the ‘growing-up’ of Child Krishna where he imagines himself to be Yasodha - says,
‘When I put him on the cradle, he kicks it and breaks it.
When I keep him on my waist, he breaks my ribcage.
When I feed him, he dances and kicks my stomach.
Oh..No! I am unable to bear his mischief!!’
கிடக்கில் தொட்டில் கிழிய உதைத்திடும்
எடுத்துக் கொள்ளில் மருங்கை யிறுத்திடும்
ஒடுக்கிப் புல்கில் உதரத்தே பாய்ந்திடும்
மிடுக்கிலாமையால் நான் மெலிந்தேன் நங்காய்!
Though the mother sounds very tired, one can easily see the appreciation and the adoration for her child.
Does one not feel poetry, hear music, and see dance in this?
A child is as beautiful as the Poetry, as mesmerizing as Music and as graceful as Dance.
In this thread, we have been seeing about poetry and music.In the last three posts, we have also been seeing albeit briefly about the various classical dance forms of India.
Today, let us see the two beautiful but somewhat contrasting forms from Kerala-KathakaLi and Mohiniaattam.
KathakaLi-meaning ‘Story play’- originated from Ramanaattam and Krishnanaattam, the earlier Dance drama forms of Kerala. Known for its unique make-up and costumes, beautiful body movements in synchronization with the vocal and the percussion music and detailed gestures, KathakaLi is not an easy dance form to perform (though an easy form to understand).A typical KathakaLi artiste is also well versed with KaLaripayattu, the martial art of Kerala that improves the concentration, stamina and co-ordination.
There are essentially 5 features in KathakaLi-Facial expressions with special emphasis on the eye-movements, Hand gestures (Mudras), rhythmic movements of hands, legs and the body as a whole(Nrittam), Vocal music(the musician also narrates the story from time to time and recites the dialogues of the different characters) and the percussion music(cymbals and 3 different types of native drums each producing a unique sound of its own).
This highly stylized classical performance involves a lot of co-ordination and is a team work. Generally, stories from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana are performed and it is said that some of the legendary dancers would literally transform themselves on the stage making the audience feel as though they were watching the real characters live in action.
Mohiniaattam, the other classical dance form of Kerala means the ‘Dance of the beautiful woman’.Though ‘Mohini’ means a beautiful woman, here it is referred to Lord Vishnu who is believed to have taken the form of a very beautiful woman twice- during the churning of the Ocean -for the nectar- to distract the Rakshasas(the Demons) and then to kill a Demon called Basmaasura.
This dance form has slow graceful movements. The sensuous movements, the subtle footwork, the unique costume in white and golden colour, jasmine flowers woven around the tied hair and the classical style of music make Mohiniaattam a very beautiful dance form.
Devotion to the God forms the fulcrum of Mohinaattam. The Hero is generally Krishna and a typical performance has a jatiswaram, a varnam, a padam, and a Tillana very similar to a Bhartanatyam recital though the ‘adavus’(basic dance steps) are different from that of the latter.
Let us now look at the Natana Raaja composition of today that reminds one of both these forms.
The speciality of the composition is the interspersing of some lines from two Ashtapathis- that were composed by Jayadeva in the 12th century are one of the most beautiful Love poems that also gives the essence of the Jeevatma-Paramatma philosophy-and the poetic cry of a child.
The composition is ‘Aalolam peelikaavadi theril..’ from the Malayalam film Aalolam(1982).It is based on Malayamarutam.
Malayamarutam is a janya of the 16th melakarta Chakravaagam and its structure is
Sa ri1 ga3 pa dha2 ni2 Sa/Sa ni2 dha2 pa ga3 ri1 sa.
The composition starts with the alluring flute which is couched in melody. It is sublime music as the santoor joins the flute as the Tabla nods its head in appreciation.
The song in the dainty voice of Yesudass is a document of delicacy.
One sees the aesthetic instincts of the composer as the Pallavi glows like a bright Kerala Lamp even as the rhythm undulates back and forth making us all sway.
The ebb and flow of the percussion in the beginning of the first interlude is scintillating and it conjures up images of a mischievous child playing hide and seek with us. The synthetic blend of the western and the eastern instruments is another beauty. The synthesizer and the Bass Guitar are ingeniously integrated while the lilting flute is laced with the charming Guitar and Malayamarutam smiles with a burnished shimmer.
The first two lines of the first CharaNam are fluently phrased. The third line has the poise and the fourth line has the pace.
It is mesmerizing ravishment.
As the CharaNam ends, we hear the special tone of the native Kerala drum followed by the first line of the 6th Ashtapati in which Radha complains about Krishna to her friend saying ‘why can’t he reform his ways and meet me?’.
This line alone is set in Kambodi ragam.
The innocent cry of the child at the end of this line gives a very special feeling.
The second charaNam is different from that of the first.
We see the clear stream of the Yamuna river..
We see the cross currents..
We see the graceful dance of the Gopikas and Krishna..
We see the kaleidoscope of colours..
We see the Nature’s regeneration..
We see the interplay of the human and the divine..
Exhilarating!!
The 19th Ashtapati of Jayadeva , ‘Priye Charusheele’ in Mukhari ragam, a rakti ragam known for its pristine beauty appears in the end with a pearly shine. The lines rendered with fervour take us to the realm of serenity.
‘Thwamasi mama bhooshanam..thwamasi mama jeevanam..thwamasi mama bhavajalati ratnam..’
You are my ornament..You are my breath..You are my jewel in the endless sea of life..
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