What does it mean to tune a kriti to a different ragam?

[arasi]

Srini,
As far as I know, not any old concert of JS is available on youtube. I would love to hear (and for others to hear) what you have. Though, I wouldn't know how to listen to it unless it's right there at a click--unlettered as I am in technology. I am still trying to find her seven to five+kaTTai singing voice from the early days! wonder

As for the Calcutta school, wonder if J&J (members of Rasikas.org) have anything to add...

[varsha]

As for the Calcutta school, wonder if J&J (members of Rasikas.org) have anything to add..

Busy planning for their AIR Sangeeth Sammelan concert , I guess
http://allindiaradio.gov.in/pages/sangeet-samelan.aspx
Download brochure for full details

[munirao2001]

srini_pitchumani Sir,

With reference to your post #72 on tuning/re tuning of Dasara Padas/Devaranamas, Mysuru Maharajas, becoming regent for British, got exposed to Western Classical, studied and employed Western Classical Musicians. They were also attracted to Hindustani Music. They did make demands on their asthana pramukha maha vidwans to learn western classical music and appreciate Hindustani music and tune or re tune compositions with the influence of both the system. One outstanding maha vidwan who took up the challenge was Venkatagiri Appa, a great maestro in Veena and Piano. Other noteworthy maha vidwans were Veena Seshanna and Subbanna, Bidaram Krishnappa, Karigiri Rao. This resulted in change from Tanjore School of music sampradaya to Mysuru School of Music with emphasis on plain notes/harmony. Mysuru Vasudevachar, a strong votary of his Tanjore School of music training and scholarship resented, did not accede to the requests of Maharajas and did undergo hardship of patronage and support for some years.

With regard to tuning and re tuning of Dasara Padas/Devara Namas, there were two distinct contributions-Vyasa Koota and Dasa kota. Madhwa pontiffs took the lead of creating compositions and they are known as Vyasa Koota. Their compositions were based on the Bhajana Sampradaya. Disciples of Madhwa pontiffs-Vyasa Raya, Vadi Raya, Narahari Tirtha, Raghavendra Tirtha, Sri Pada Raya and few more, created compositions with emphasis on art form music with well defined lakshya and lakshanas-raga and tala, very good variants on the preexisting Bhajana Sampradaya and Vyasa Koota compositions. The prominent disciples were Purandara Dasa, Kanaka Dasa, Jagannatha Dasa, Vijaya Dasa, Kamalesa Vittala and many Women composers. They all advocated and followed the sampradaya of Batdheesa Ragas-32-Sampoorna ragas and Suladi Sapta Talas. With set belief of Madhwa and Dwaita Religion & Philosophy of 'Hari Sarvottama, Vaayu Jeevottama' and 'Pundareeka Vittala' as Hari incarnation, established the sampradaya of eschewing asampoorna/vakra svara ragas and other non standardized talas, other than Suladi Sapta Talas, as they were only considered to suit the 'Hari & Vaayu, Sampoornatva and Sarvottamatva', Dosha rahita. Musicians with strong connectivity with Dasa koota parampara, followed the sampradaya, uncompromisingly. Musicians rendered based strictly on very rich Karna parampara, Karna parampara of simple varnamettus but establishing both the Sahithya and Raga Bhavams. The quality of music of Dasa Koota parampara inspired many later day vaggeyakaras, including greatest composers Kshetrayya, Shyama Shastri, Thyagaraja and Mudduswami Deekshita.

These greatest composers contribution perfected and made the art form of Karnataka Sangeetham, as one of the greatest of arts in World Music. Practitioners with their training and study of these greatest composers and other composers later times, desired contemporizing the Dasara Padas/Devara Namas. This resulted in re tuning and tuning the compositions commencing from 20th Century, not conforming to the sampradaya of Batdeesha ragas and Suladi Sapta Talas only. Simple but beautiful varnamettus of Dasara Padas/Devara Namas, yielded to trinity music in compositions and renderings. This has resulted in eclipse of varnamettus but beautiful renderings of Dasara Padas/Devara Namas conforming to the contemporary art music practice and appreciation. Fortunately, we do have Dasas of Vyasa Koota and Dasa Koota parampara with original compositions. If we continue their neglect and not archiving their renderings and music, art form of music will suffer the loss of karna parampara.

In 21st Century, Pandits of Hindustani Music hailing mostly from Hubli/Dharwad/Raichur/Gulbarga/Shimoga/Mangalore took to the renditions of Dasara Padas/Devara Namas re tuning in Hindustani ragas. Mallikarjuna Mansur, Bhimsen Joshi, Gangu Bai Hangal, Panchakshari Gavai and many more pandits made them extremely popular. Their popularity resulted in re tuning the padas in to Hindustani Ragas by practitioners of Karnataka Sangeetham. In the recent past and present times, contemporizing to the current trend of popularity is the practice, paying lip sympathy to the sampradaya and convention.

We do have great written books and articles by Scholars on record on Vyasa Koota and Dasa Koota. AIR archives of recordings and few private records/albums do give the glimpses of these varnamettus and compositions. Dasa Sahithya Project of TTD under the able leadership of Sri Ananda Tirthachar doing great work in revitalizing the Vyasa Koota, Dasa Koota and Karna Parmpara-through publishing; programs; teaching projects.

Just for correcting-it is 'Madi-Panchi' of Madhwas, not 'madi-sanchi'

munirao2001

[vainika]

Back in 1989, Kannikeswaran and the Dayton folks celebrated a Dikshitar day in the Dayton temple where Prof.YS gave an all-Dikshitar concert with some rare pieces. Kanniks and his group, for their part, sang several rare noTTu-svarams acquired from his pATTi who had learnt all 33 of them from Anantakrishna Iyer in Calcutta, if I remember right. Wonder what Kanniks is upto these days !

Srini, info via Dr. Chandra Balachandran of The Institute of Geographical Studies, Bangalore:
Kanniks and his daughter are scheduled to be singing a noTTUsvaram on Saturday, 7 November, 2015, in Bangalore at an event 'Geography as Melody' on MD organised by Chandra.

See https://scontent.fmaa1-2.fna.fbcdn.net/ ... e=56CECC4B

[srini_pichumani]

Arasi madam, I finally managed to get this one kriti converted and uploaded on archive.org. Here is the link:

https://archive.org/details/TyagarajamB ... 1DetroitNR

-Srini.

[arasi]

Srini,
Thanks
Made my day--pet kriti, rAgA I'm partial to, and JS singing it! I hear it clearly as B.Rajam Iyer taught her this.

Wish other musicians take it up to sing in their concerts. Pleasing to sing, pleasing to hear, a 'muthAna MD song.

[harimau]

The November 2015 issue of Sruti magazine features an article by Dr Sumathi Krishnan on this topic. The author has threatened that she will continue it in future issue(s) of the magazine.

[satishsatish]

Thank you for the pointer, I shall review Dr Krishnan's article shortly.
Sruti--with their sharp focus, depth, quality of writing and editing--is for me a rare exemplar of excellence, a benchmark and an institution worthy of emulation.

My appreciation to all that contributed to this thread. Reading the various postings and taking notes has been very rewarding (and edifying too) and has vastly enriched my meager knowledge of this art form.

[ramamantra]

Doesn't mean anything. Just one more way of singing the kriti. More showing off - that's all.

[shankarank]

The syllable setting , landings, and kArvai extensions of this : https://youtu.be/ul0GUEz_HqU?t=1733 is quintessentially carnatic, but the rAgA choice is somewhat somber for a marriage - lacks the kutUhala of the khAmbOji.

Whereas the rhythmic setting in this is more somewhere in between nAma sankirtana and Carnatic music : https://youtu.be/W0aTa4knqeg?t=30

In the real namasankIRtana world - it has gone to simplified 8 beats: https://youtu.be/e5BF4dnGSlo?t=197

Lot of weight gets added to lot of compositions by going from 8 -> 7.

Of late with old threads being revived - thought of jumping on the trend!