‘The vaaLai fish jump and the
ladies bathe. This is the great ‘Thirkkolakka’
where the Lord whose matted hair is adorned by the crescent moon, and the
ashes- smeared body is covered by the loin cloth resides. Oh! What a form!!’
This verse was composed by the child prodigy Thirugnasambhandar at the age of 3.
It is said that even as he was
singing this verse, he kept the taaLam
with his tender hands and his father who like all affectionate fathers, worried
about the soft hands getting hurt and immediately gave him the cymbals.
It is a very interesting verse in terms of the beats.
Each line follows the 1 2 3 4 pattern and therefore one can call it as a
verse following Chatushra ekam.
But let is try keeping 3 beats for each phrase.
Madaiyil- 1 2 3
vaaLai- 1 2 3
Paaya- 1 2 3
Maadaraar-1 2 3
Similarly for the other three lines too.
See how the entire complexion changes when you recite it this way. Which
one do you feel conveys the meaning better and gives the essence?
Do this exercise and you will know the subtle and huge differences
between the different patterns (in this case Chatushram and Tisram).
In my previous post which was the first one in this ‘Laya’ series, we saw a brief
introduction to the taaLa
system, about the jaatis, the no .of syllables for each jaati, difference between aksharaas
and maatraas, three different kaalams and what is an aavartanam.
Today, let us see yet another concept- Eduppu.
In simple terms, Eduppu means
the start.
Generally, a song starts along with the taaLa cycle. This is called as starting in Samam. However, a song can also start before the taaLa cycle or after the taaLa cycle. In a Carnatic concert, this generally happens during the ‘Ragam Taanam Pallavi’ segment where a Pallavi
starts either before or after the cycle. If the song starts before the TaaLa cycle, it is called as the ‘ateeta eduppu’ and if it starts after the
beginning of the cycle, it is called as the ‘anaagata eduppu’.
In my previous post, we also saw how the same song followed two
different patterns simultaneously. Today, let us see a composition where the
song alternates between two patterns. One gets to see this kind of alternating
patterns mainly in a Carnatic Music Concert where a percussionist changes
the ‘nadai’. But this hardly happens
in a film song of course with the exception of one composer’s compositions.
‘Vanak kuile’ from Priyanka
starts in the Chatushram pattern
with the last two syllables ‘dhi mi’
being sounded by rhythm guitar. There are 15 Chatushrams in the prelude and the Pallavi starts just as the 15th one ends (in the fourth
beat of the 15th one to be precise). Ateeta eduppu with the samam
on ‘ku’of kuyil.
The percussive support is yet again by the rhythm guitar along with a
subtle cymbal.
The chatushram pattern is
beautifully divided as 4, 3, 5, 4 with the first 4 being left blank ( - - - - ta ki ta ta ka ta ki ta ta ka dhi mi
) in the first interlude with the percussion giving a tribal feel. There is no
percussion in the last flute bit though the Chatushram pattern is maintained.
We notice the change as the CharaNam
starts. The vocals now follow the 3-beat pattern Tisram with the rhythm guitar sounding one tisram, leaving blank
for the next tisram and playing the next two tisrams ( ta ki ta - - - ta ki ta ki ta
) while the cymbal sounds for each 1 ½ beats of Tisram. After 16 Tisrams, the vocals revert to Chatushrams.
There are 12 chatushrams in this
second half.
16x3= 48
12x4= 48.
Note that in this second half, the ‘ta
ka dhi mi’ s are played by the tribal percussion.
The second interlude is free flowing without any percussion. However, it
follows Chatushram and has 22 Chatushrams before the Tisram starts in the next CharaNam.
The composition is based on Lalita,
a raga derived from Mayamalavagowla.
It is a 6 swara raga without the swara ‘pa’.
The Maestro has taken liberty to use ga2- a non-existent note in this
raga-in the CharaNams. The raga also
deviates, albeit beautifully in the free flowing second interlude.
The composition starts with the the evergreen flute which plays with
vitality, zeal and with a distinctive grace. The neat and nuanced but subtle
bass guitar backs it in its unique way.
This backing continues in the Pallavi
as well.The voice of SPB is
sweet as ever and the nimble keys (in the phrase ‘malarilum’) give an outline of the raga wonderfully.
The beginning of the second interlude sees the sprightly scalar sketch
of Lalita. The chorus carries us to
a tribal region. The flute in a playful mood plays with comely elegance showing
us the greenery while the robust strings nod their heads.
The second interlude is an experience by itself.
We first hear the female voice which gives a poignant feel. The Brass
flute then plays with solicitude. The voice continues to haunt us even as the
mid octave strings join. The strings then play in higher octave. The keys paint
a vivid picture and the flute shines with beauty.
It is dexterous, politely pleasing and haunting.
Who wouldn’t want to get lost in such a forest?
