Parents in Swara!

The seven notes of the scale (swaras), in Indian music are named shadja, rishabh, gandhar, madhyam, pancham, dhaivat and nishad, and are shortened to Sa, Ri (Carnatic) or Re (Hindustani), Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, and Ni. Source: Wiki.

As can be seen, we get Ma and Pa in the Swara, which are short for Mother and Father! And fittingly, Mother comes before Father. Is this coincidence or ...?

Song of the month

Kangalidyatako Kaveri Rangana Nodadha

Translation from Kannada: What are the use of eyes if it does not see Srirangam's Lord Sriranga?

Set in Thodi, composed by Purandaradasa and sung by Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar.

Beautiful...

Chandram Bhajamaanasa

Chandram Bhajamaanasa song in Asaveri Raaga has been one of my all-time favorites. But I had not heard it for a long time. Today, when I went walking, I plugged on this song to my earphones and boy, did it feel good! In spite of having heard so many times, I still get goose bumps when the Raaga touches the unknown nerves. Truly beautiful!

Fees

My mom said she used to pay Rs 20 for 12 Carnatic Classical music classes in 1969 when the world was relatively pure and business was worth the money.
Thats about Rs 1.75 per class. Classes were one to one (tutor to pupil and not mass).
She also said she used to pay 20 paise for bus charge from Malleswaram to Yeswantpur.

Extrapolating to 2009:
Bus charge from Malleswaram to Yeswantpur is Rs 5.
Thats an increase by 25 times.
So, a 25 times increase of Rs 1.75 is roughly Rs 45.

This gives a fair idea of how much the charge should be for a Carnatic Classical music class.
If 8 classes are held in a month, monthly fees should be anywhere between Rs 350 and Rs 500.

Prof HVK

My First Violin Guru - Prof H V Krishnamurthy passed away on Nov 27th 2009. He was 83 years old. To say that I am sad is an understatement. He was one of the finest violinists in Carnatic music and has taught over 6 decades! He taught not just violin, but vocal, veena and even Zoology! To be conversant in so many fields flawlessly, one has to be brilliant, and Prof HVK was brilliant yet very humble and meek. Even at 83, he used to play notes of innumerous songs without even consulting the notes. I used to wonder at his memory!

When I first entered the class room, I was dazed at all the awards adorning the wall. Later when the class room was renovated, we had an ante-room prior to the actual class room. More awards filled this ante-room than ever. He even started the Vijaya College of Music out of which great musicians like R K Padmanabhan and others have blossomed. It is indeed sad that he is no more with us.

May his soul rest in peace...

Kamayagamu

Listen to this song in Kanakaangi, the first of the melakarta raagas. It is soothing...

Song of the month

Palinthu Kamakshi

I am loving it!!

:-)

Karnatriix

Check out Endaro Mahanubhavulu at http://www.karnatriix.com/album-namaste/

Empty

How would it be to attend a first class entire 3 hour Carnatic classical concert in a huge 500 seater auditorium filled with just dozen people, and half of them being organisers?

It really saddened me...

Kamalaambike in Sri Raagam by Weslayians...

This one just blew me away....

It is really heartening to see Classical Carnatic Music being sung by Westerners.

***

A related article:

Jon Higgins was an American vocalist who trained in Carnatic Classical music in India some decades ago. He attained great heights in Carnatic vocal music and was conferred the title, "Higgins Bhagavathar". He lived in India for many years and sadly, during one of his visits to his home country, was killed in an automobile accident...

There is a wonderful story involving in an incident that happened when Jon Higgins and his party of musicians went to the Krishna temple at Udupi. The American wore a dhoti and a kurta as was his custom in Madras, but he was much too fair complexioned to be an Indian, and the priests would not let him enter the temple as non Hindus were allowed inside….So Jon stood where Kanakadasa the untouchable had stood centuries ago, to catch a glimpse of the idol from a distance as best he could. His musician friends stood with him, refusing to go inside the temple if Jon was not allowed.Then it occurred to one of them to ask Jon to sing the famous song,"Krishna, nee begane baro," a composition in Kannada….

When the air was filled with the vibrant melody of his splendid voice there was no keeping away the crowds that gathered around to hear him. The priests, astonished, begged the singer to come in ...

Thought for the day

I enjoy listening to music more than playing. Thats the plain bare facts. But then I might still be too young a player to really enjoy while I am playing. It could be something that grows on you. Perhaps. But right now, when I am playing, there are 100s of things that I have to think and sweat out before I can play it right. The framework of the raga, the taala, the lyrics, the what-next dread, the bow-movement, the speed and clarity, the lubrication on the finger. Phew!

I mean, you listen to Endaro Mahanubhavulu, and you dance along with it, but if you are the one who are playing, you need to continuously remember whats coming next, how to improvise, how to keep the audience dancing along with the music...there is simply so much basics to stick to...and its at that moment, that I feel I am just imparting the enjoyment but not really enjoying the music myself because of the paraphernalia involved...

Well, many more years to go, I guess...for me to both play and enjoy at the same time...

Just...

Had been thinking about the following for a long time now but I guess I need to take it out of my system through this blog...

Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan's demise recently came as a shock to me. Somehow he seemed immortal. Then again, I guess he indeed is...

July issue of Reader's Digest had a story about how a child of age 16 went all the way to Delhi from Madras to meet President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam (upon invitation for Children's Day) and ended up singing Endaro Mahanu Bhavulu not just in front of him, but along with him!!!

KGKP had a series of music programs in Holenarsipura this weekend. Mother had been part of Goshti Gayana and related some of the wonderful moments of the trip:

A small child of 6 years old or even less reciting all 5 Pancharatna Kritis without even seeing the book. I mean what talent!!

An octagenarian with humped back sang the welcome song (Mahaganapathi) with such clarity, such gamaka, such devotion that it proved how one's learning stays forever in one's life if learnt well in the beginning...

Those were just a few happenings in the music side...

Melakarta, Katapayadi, Mathematics...

Today in class I learnt about Katapayadi sankhya and how the formula can be used to determine the melakarta raga index number. I was fascinated by it and thought I will blog about it. But I wiki-ed and found 2 amazing sites already loaded with fascinating information.

Melakarta

Katapayadi Sankhya

Its all about mathematics, algorithms and formula. I came to know that one can even determine the complete raga scale just by the name of the raga. Just blew my mind off!!

Patrick Ngcobo

By BBC's Ethirajan Anbarasan
Carnatic music normally takes years of patience and dedication to learn
Few would have thought that the Zulus of South Africa would have much interest in southern Indian classical music.
But South African Patrick Ngcobo has proved that ethnicity and language are no barriers when it comes to learning about music far from home.
When he decided to learn southern Indian classical music, better known as Carnatic music, his African friends in Durban ridiculed him, and his Indian neighbours were sceptical.
For them, it was abnormal for a person from the warrior Zulu tribe in Natal province to take up Carnatic music.

Ignoring insults and sniping remarks, Patrick single-mindedly persisted.
Today, the 34-year-old sings in seven Indian languages.
He can slide from one Indian raga, particular melodic scales, to another with ease - his diction is remarkable.
It was so difficult for me to sit cross-legged for hours. Because of our food habits in Africa, our bones have become tight and I could not sit for long.
His perfect pitch, whether high or low, and fantastic range of voice and ability to sing in different languages is clearly the result of dedication, toil and hours of continuous practice.
It all started when Patrick happened to listen to a song of the famous South Indian classical singer, Dr KJ Jesudas.
"I have never heard such a melody before. The mesmerising voice took me to a different world. That was it. I wanted to learn the style and it became my dream to meet KJ Jesudas," recounts Patrick.
Luck favoured him when Jesudas performed in Durban in the early 1990s.
Impressed by Patrick's musical talent, Jesudas offered to teach him Carnatic music if he could go to the city of Madras, in southern India.
With poverty knocking at his door, Patrick went from pillar to post to find resources to go to India. But it was not easy.
"I had no money, no relatives or no friends in India. Thanks to some sponsors I finally set foot in Chennai (Madras). That is it. I had no contact with my family for three years, they did not even hear my voice," says Patrick.
He was also fortunate when Jesudas offered him a place to stay at his residence.
But life was not easy in Madras. From food to clothing everything was alien and the rules were rigorous.
He abstained from alcohol, meat and relations with women. With all his time occupied by learning Carnatic music, socializing was minimal.
"It was so difficult for me to sit cross-legged for hours. Because of our food habits in Africa, our bones have become tight and I could not sit for long. I managed, but even now I use a cushion while performing," says Patrick.
KJ Jesudas (left) is extremely happy with his African disciple.
Carnatic music normally takes years of hard work, patience and dedication to learn.
In addition, a student has to get the pronunciation right while singing the songs either in Tamil, Telugu or Malayalam.
As a beginner, Patrick first had to sort out the language barrier and pronunciation difficulties, which all took time.
"Sometimes it was too frustrating. I used to practice from five in the morning till midnight. It took six months to learn one verse from a particular keerthana, or a song. But eventually, I got there."
Talking to the BBC from Madras, KJ Jesudas is extremely happy about his African disciple.
"Right from the beginning, I was impressed with his hard work, perseverance and devotion. His observation is remarkable. He is a classic example of what dedication can bring to a person irrespective of his or her background," he said.
Patrick returned to South Africa in 1996 and started performing in public.
'Rare opportunities'
The black Carnatic singer naturally drew attention and made headlines. To satisfy his local audience, he even started composing songs in Zulu based on Indian ragas.
The Zulu singer believes because of his ethnicity he is being sidelined in South Africa.
With a huge Indian population (1.2 million) in South Africa, Patrick thought he could be a professional singer and also teach Carnatic music.
"Being the first black person to learn Indian Carnatic music, I thought I would be encouraged. I am disappointed to say that I rarely get opportunities to perform in South Africa," he laments.
The Zulu singer believes because of his ethnicity he is being sidelined in South Africa.
While he gets chances to perform in places like Botswana, it is not sufficient to satisfy his musical thirst.
Being the eldest in a family of seven, Patrick has other responsibilities.
Now he specializes in gardening services and also runs a taxi outside Durban.
But he continues to practice his music while cutting trees or driving the cab.
One day, Patrick believes his chance will come to prove his mettle.
"My dream is to perform around the world and show the greatness of the Carnatic music," he said.

Courtesy:BBC

The disturbance at Thani Avarthanam

Many amongst the audience in a Carnatic concert are downright bad. People who come to listen to the main artiste, get up and exit in the middle of the main piece after the main artiste hands over the stage to accompanists for the Thani Avarthanam. This sudden sporadic getting-up-and-exitting in an auditorium filled with music patrons causes a lot of hustle and bustle and not only does it disturb the setting of a performance but also demotivates the accompanists from even starting off. It is a shameful and cheap thing to do on the part of audience and a direct insult to the accompanists and to their years of dedication and effort put in for performing at such class and with such maestros.

Doubtless, the best person to drive some sense to people at such a juncture is the main artiste himself. To insult back at the insultors in front of other music patrons. Malladi brothers is the only main artistes whom I have seen who have stood up for the accompanists. In one of the concerts in NMKRV in Feb 2007, when Thani Avarthanam started and people started getting up, one of the brothers, spoke in to the phone rasply, words cutting like a knife through the auditorium, and the decibel raising with every word: "Is it fair?"

The true music patrons applauded for those 3 words. The accompanists's gratefulness showed on their faces.

In another Malladi brothers concert in BTM that was held recently, he sent out a message even before he started off with the main piece: "There is no interval in this main piece. I request the audience to sit through till the Thani Avarthanam is completed."

Hats off to Malladi Brothers! Being in the lineage of disciples of Saint Thyagaraja, nothing less was expected of them!

The Start

Came across the below set of lines recently. Just felt like reproducing verbatim:

Carnatic music is one of the two main styles of Indian classical Music. It has its main emphasis on vocal music as most of the compositions, even while playing on the instruments are sung. It has two main elements, those being the Raga (the modes or melodic formulae) and the Taala (the rhythmic cycles). Nearly every rendition of a carnatic music composition is different and unique as it embodies elements of the composer’s vision as well as the musician’s interpretation. This art form is traditionally taught on the lines of the system formulated by Purundara Dasa. It involves the student to begin with the Swaravalis (graded exercises), the Alankaras (exercises based on the seven taalas), and then to Geetams (single songs) and then to SwaraJaatis. As a student advances further, he shall learn the Varnams and the Kritis. Quite obviously, it may take several years before a student can give his own concert.

Cognitive Neuroscience

It is quite a vivid fact that a normal man only uses one side of his brain. And consequent to the above fact, it also goes hand in hand with the conclusion that a person who has developed the skill of using both sides of his brain as being extra-ordinary. Well, I am neither an expert in this topic nor have I done any research, but, as a layman, I am safely assuming that multi-tasking is a simple example of utilizing both sides of the brain.

That being the case, I would now like to think about the various shades of subtle multi-tasking that actually happens in Carnatic Music. Here is the list of things that have to be synchronized during the rendition of even a simple composition:

~Thaala: The hand that goes up and down for the appropriate subsection of ever group of notes. There are 7 types of Thaala and each has its own pattern. A whole composition can lie within one Thaala or can even shift between Thaalas.

~Swara: Each composition is based upon the subset of the basic notes “Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Da Ni Sa”. So, in effect when a song is being sung, its Swara also is to be kept in mind, because the lyrics of the song have the Swara as its platform.

~Raaga: Innumerable permutations and combinations of the basic notes have led to the creation of hundreds of Raagas. Since each of the basic notes also have other shades, like Ri1 Ri2, Ga1, Ga2, the permutations and combinations multiply into a whole new array of Raagas. Again, each composition is based upon a particular Raaga, so when the singer sings Alapana or Swara, he should lie within the framework of the particular Raaga to which the song belongs to.

~Breath: During singing, it is most important to breath in and breath out as and when there are breaks in the lyrics. And it has to be done seamlessly without the audience ever coming to know the breath in take.

~Finger: In an instrument such as Violin, a fraction of space will mean an entirely different note. One can easily fathom the importance of precision. Also, to make an instrument sing like a singer, one has to add the Gamaka.

~Coordination: In a live concert, an automated, unspoken synchronism has to be established amidst the performers to lie within the same tempo and deliver a class rendition.

Assume a song being sung. Here is the list of things that the singer should remember:
~Alapana in that Raaga.
~Thaala as per that song, during matching exactly to the last note.
~Lyrics based on the pre-defined Swara.
~Synchronize with other performers in the concert.
~Bring in a dose of Individuality by adding in that bit of devotion and musical acumen to make it one’s own; else, after all, it will just remain nothing but someone else’s song rendition.

Similarly, for an instrumentalist, he should remember the Thaala of the song, the Raaga of the song, the Swara of the song, the Gamaka as and when needed. But then, the above is just for the mind. To make it come out, assuming Violin, the physical activity of one hand to move the bow across the Violin to and forth (one note one bow; two notes one bow; four notes one bow as per the tempo) and the other hand in deftly moving the finger with clear cut precision and speed over the strings. Like wise, in Veena, one hand is in constant motion to set the note and the other hand’s fingers are always getting the music out.

This multi-tasked activity of singing while hands apply the Thaala and remembering the notes as per the original framework of Swara and Raaga, of playing an instrument with both hands and fingers deftly moving about while remembering the song and its basic framework of Swara and Raaga, is, I believe, sufficient enough to induce using one’s both sides of the brain. This, I have been told, is Cognitive Neuroscience. It is, in other words, a gym for the mind.

If kids are made to practice the above at a young age, when the grasping capability is at its peak, it is without doubt, that the ‘normal’ IQ levels tend to automatically become ‘Extra-ordinary’ due to this simple science of using one’s both brains through learning of Music.

PS: This is just an attempt to answer my own question.

Kalkeri

http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2212/stories/20050617000307000.htm

http://www.hindu.com/mag/2006/03/26/stories/2006032600230500.htm

http://www.frvmedia.com/4-productions.php?xlang=en&xmode=6&xid=205&xtri=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIVwCppYvWo

Wow.

Happenings

Plethora of happenings currently with respect to Carnatic Music.

Last week, University of Maryville had a 3-day session on Music Therapy (including Carnatic Music), each day concluding with a concert in the evening, including the one by the Mysore Violin duo. I could attend only one such concert. It was by Thrissur Brothers.

They were so young. They were accompanied by their father on Mridangam. He, too, seemed so young (almost looking like a third brother) that audience was shocked to know he was actually their father. Notable in the concert was the first rendition by the brothers on Veeribhoni in the third order (moorne kaala). How can anyone ever sing Veeribhoni so fast? It left me stunned! Just shows how much mastery they have over the language.

Yesterday, I attended a beautiful Vocal concert by TV Shankaranyanan at Bangalore Gayana Samaja. He was so joyous and happy and smiling throughout the concert. It was plain to everyone as to how he loved singing and thriving and enjoying! It was a pleasure not just to hear but to see him! He received Swara Murthy VNR Rao Memorial Award for this year today.

Today morning, students of Vijaya College of Music performed with an instrumental ensemble of Violin, Flute and Veena at Gayana Samaja. The Prinicipal, HV Krishnamurthy, (also my revered Guru), received Veena Seshanna Memorial award for this year for exemplary contribution to Carnatic Music for over 6 decades.

In the evening, I attended my first ever concert of RK Padmanabha at Sri Vidya Kala Kendra, a Music school guided by RKP. His is one that of Deep Voice and Masculine Melody. He rendered 5 self-composed songs on the Great Shankaracharya.

Next Saturday, as usual, the monthly concert is scheduled at Vijaya College premises. Also, there is a music competition for kids at Sri Vidya Kala Kendra.

Week after that, more hectic activity. Continuous daily programmes (various art forms like music, dance, Yakshagana, etc) at Sri Vidya Kala Kendra from Aug 5th to 12th by young students (including a violin concert from Mysore M Nagaraj’s son Karthik). Coinciding with the same time period, daily concerts, conference on Music, at Gayana Samaja, including the concerts of celebrated Mysore Violin duo, Shankar Subrahmaniam and Malladi Brothers (who come from the Tyagaraja Disciple lineage) to conclude.

I realized that a sportsman can be at his best only for 2 youthful decades at the most, like Graf, Tendulkar, Pele, Schumacher, Federer and others. But a musician can be a musician all through his life. It is nothing short of tapas.

Such professionalism, such dedication, such a purpose in life, and yet such humbleness in each. At the end of every concert, when the artistes are honored, the few words that are spoken on each of them shows of what true character they are made of and such down-to-earth attitude. And hearing them, hearing about them, hearing about the behind-the-camera people (who aren’t in the limelight yet are significant contributors to Carnatic Music), makes me feel such a mere mortal.

And then, today RKP said in his concert, “Innu swara sikkilla, innu hadakke baralla….adhu yavaga sigattho, awaga naanu dhanya naade…” [I still haven’t got the swara, I still don’t know how to sing. When I do come to know, then, I am blessed]

MUSIC

M = Morality
U = Universality
S = Spirituality
I = Individuality
C = Creativity