How Carnatic music is moving towards inclusive literature

The first lecture of the 14th day of the academic session of the Music Academy was ‘Sarva Samarasa Keertanaigalam Sanmaragaka Keertanaigalam’ by Sister Bastian. He discussed the profound contribution of Vallalar, who is believed to have learned and written 6,000 verses incorporating his life experiences. He attributed his creations to divine intervention. Vallalar’s song ‘Ennakum Unnakum’ reflects this divine relationship.

Despite being written 2000 years ago, Vallalar’s works remain relevant even today. Vallalar was not only a poet but also a doctor, educationist and reformer. Known for his strong voice, he often sang in a high pitch. He deeply admired and took inspiration from figures like Vedanayagam Pillai and Sundarar, one of the 63 Alvars. Vallalar’s songs reject caste and creed and encourage universal love.

Scholar TM Krishna reflected on the unusual pairing of Vallalar and Vedanayagam Pillai, saying that although they led separate lives, their philosophies were on common ground. Krishna saw their distinct but parallel journeys in search of God (‘Thedal’). Drawing comparisons between Vallalar and Narayana Guru, he praised their ability to integrate social activism with spiritual teachings. Krishna recounted his introduction to Vallalar’s compositions during concerts in Vadalur and mentioned other composers, including Alathur Venkatesh Iyer and Guruvayoor Ponnammal, who had sung Vallalar’s compositions.

He emphasized the role of Thiruvaduthurai Adheenam in providing a space for classical music crossing the barriers of caste, creed and religion and compared it with the Madras Music Academy of his time. Krishna cites the 1933 writings of Arthur Popley, which states that many Christian songs were tuned to Carnatic ragas such as Desiyatody, Shuddhadesi and Saindhavi. Krishna also shared an interesting anecdote about the popular song ‘Iraivanidam Kaiyendagal’ in Namasankeertanam, which was composed by Nagore Hanifa. The song has been presented as both an Islamic and Hindu devotional song. This example underlines the transcendent nature of the philosophies of Vallalar and Vedanayagam Pillai, proving that spiritual expression cannot be limited to any one tradition or identity.

The second one was done by Lake-Dam Sangeet Kala Acharya awardee Geeta Raja along with some of her disciples on the topic ‘Raga expressed in Padam and Javalis’. His session delved into the importance of padams and javalis in Carnatic music, especially as expressed through the Dhanammal family tradition. He recalled his experience of learning under the inimitable T.Brinda, and emphasized the deep impact this training had on his understanding of ragas.

Geeta explained that padams are characterized by their long sanchar (melodic tempo), especially in vilambha kala (slow tempo), and are traditionally set to talas such as Rupaka, Triputa and Mishra Chapu. The beauty of the padmas lies in their complexity, and they cannot be noted precisely because of their intricate gamakas (embellishments). Therefore, the Padma is passed down through oral tradition.

In contrast, Geeta said that Javalis are fast-paced compositions, but have the same expressive quality as Padam. Moving through selected ragas, he performed and analyzed several compositions to clarify these concepts. He started with the Shankarabharam Padam ‘Maname Bhushanamu’ set in Mishra Chapu taala composed by Govindasamy Ayya. Like most padams, it begins with Anupallavi. Geeta performed raga alapana by changing the lyrics of the padam with syllables like ‘tha dha ri na’, which is a technique used in alapana. He pointed out the connection between the varnamettu of this padam and the varnamettu found in other compositions such as ‘Manasu Swadhimanai’ and ‘Mahalakshmi Jaganmath’.

Next, Geeta turned to Raga Bhairavi singing the Kshetray Padam ‘Ram Ram Pranasakhi’ (Aadi Taal). He highlighted its unique eduppu (starting point) which occurs in five counts after the ‘Samam’ which he called the five ‘Maatharai’. The specific use of Nishadam in this Padam was compared to Muthuswami Dikshitar’s composition ‘Balagopal’. He further explained the unconventional use of specific melodic phrases in ‘Yela Radayane’, a javali in Bhairavi, where TM Krishna points towards the substitution of ‘P M G R S’ for the typical ‘P G R S’ in the phrases of the raga in similar contexts. pointed to. ,

The Geeta concludes with ‘Smar Sundaranguni’, a javali in the paras composed by Dharmapuri Subbarayaar, which highlights the unusual use of per madhyam in its ‘dpp m’ phrase in the charanams, which does not strictly follow the traditional grammar of the raga. Does.

The session also included interesting discussions among experts including Rita Rajan, who praised the notation of Kshetriya Padams by Sangeetha Kalanidhi Vedavalli and talked about the possible influence of Thevaram on the eduppas of the Padams. He said that ‘Ram Ram Pranasakhi’ might have been composed taking inspiration from the composition ‘Tanauni Browa’. Rita also mentioned that in Andhra traditions ‘Rama Rama Pranasakhi’ is sung in raga Ahiri and Jhampa tala. Sangeeta Kala Acharya Suguna Varadachari explains how he learned Javali ‘Ni Matale Mayanura’ in Mishra Chapu and explains the evolving nature of Javali productions over time as compared to the popular Adi Taal version.

In his summary, TM Krishna highlights how the Dhanammal family transformed the compositions they inherited, using the example of Subbaram Dikshitar’s composition ‘Kanthimathi’ on his compositional flexibility in challenging the grammatical boundaries of ragas. Insisted. He also highlighted some of the key phrases found in the padmas presented earlier – the unusual thukal madhyam in ‘Bala Vinayave’ which yet sounds like authentic Kamboji – thereby raising a question to ponder in the minds of present-day musicians. Is, “Should we keep ourselves within the bounds of the established strict grammar of ragas?

Overall, the presentation provided valuable insights on Padmas and Javalis. His lectures significantly contributed to the ongoing discourse on Carnatic music, enriched the understanding of padams and javalis and their meanings, and shed light on the musical heritage of the Dhanammal family.