What is azhuttam in Carnatic Music?

[melam72]

I recently chanced upon this recording of one Madurai Vasavambal:

https://youtu.be/3d9-icKGpA0

A question was recently asked in this forum as to what 'azhuttam' is in Carnatic music, and this is azhuttham.

An authority over the music.

An aggression in music.

Passion is azhuttam.

And when I say Bombay Jayashree's singing lacks azhuttham, this is what I mean - that there is no authority, no aggression; she sings it like singing a film song, almost to the point of crooning.

People are welcome to comment.

[ratanabhinav]

Azhuththam is a particular fashion of producing notes from one's vocal chords , giving emphasis and accent to notes. Those who wish to sing in this style may sing . Those who like this style may enjoy it .

[arasi]

Loved Vasavambal singing PUchi's composition. Yes, aggression (which is grip?) and passion aplenty (coming through the stylistic singing mode of the gramaphone of those days!). Her chiTTasvarAs were delightful.

[rshankar]

and this is azhuttham.

And this, to me, is the crux of the problem - the whole thing is very subjective - I'd prefer if people were honest enough (and confident enough) to say that "this is what I think (even if you may not agree)" instead of hiding behind a facade of stating a universal truth (which is not the case).... Accept that this is very subjective - and one man's/woman's azhuttam may be another's light-featherweight ---- and doesn't make them any less of a rasika (less of a porcine porker possibly, but not less of a rasika)....

In any case, who died and made you (or anyone else) the expert to pontificate on all matters carnatic??????? Not even Sri TMK has that privilege....

[arasi]

'azhutham tizhuthamAga uzhutham pazhuppu' enRum sollalAmO?

[arasi]

Joking aside, I really liked her singing, was surprised that I hadn't heard her or heard of her before. I wasn't going to compare her with BJ. If anything, since I've heard a number of Rajam Pushpavanam's songs the past few days, a contemporary of this vidUshi, I can say that RP has a beautiful voice, but in azhutham, I prefer this one. DKP, MS, KBS...the list is long...

[hnbhagavan]

What is one man's meat may be another man's poison.Talking of Azhuttham as mentioned by you,It is compltely lacking in Nithyashree.As you point out at others,I can very well say that her total popularity and survival is due to Lineage.
Although i am pointing this out,I feel certain likes and dislikes cannot be absolute.

[melam72]

I completely disagree.

Nithyashree's music has a lot of azhuttham, inasmuch that there is TOO much azhuttham, which results in screaming. Nithyashree subsists on very mediocre accompanists like M A Sundareswaran and M A Krishnaswamy and V V Srinivasa Rao, and she is able to do so because she has the authority and grip over the music.

Nithyashree is also a fantastically competent musician. Her 2000 concert in Music Academy still rings in my ears; she sung, if I recollect, a lovely Bhairavi RTP and sung a Bhairavimalika, with either Koniyadina Napai or Intha Soukyam as the main krithi. The recording is also available on Sangeethapriya. But yes, she is a magnificently competent musician. Comments like that of Subbudu to the effect of she can't be called D K Pattammal's granddaughter are just erroneous, in my view.

That Nithyashree's lack of inclusion in the Academy means that the Academy has to spend less on shattered windows is another thing altogether

[vasanthakokilam]

melam, it is a great topic but just an editorial comment. As you agreed on in the other thread, choose words carefully. For example,don't use words like 'Mediocre' etc when it can be avoided. That unnecessarily distracts from the main point which defeats the purpose for which you started this thread. We do not want any such deviation. When there are two ways of presenting what you want to present, choose the less inflammatory way.

back to the topic, my own personal thoughts... the problem is one of semantics. You are taking a word like 'azhuththam' and choose to define it in a specific way. That is fine but that may not be what others thing Azhuththam is. For you Azhuththam is 'Authority' and 'Aggressiveness' etc. for someone else it is proper use of gamakams . Both are valid, so let us not quibble over semantics since that is tiring.(not that we are yet.. ).

Yes, the one you included as reference, she shows authority and aggressiveness. But one thing to keep in mind is, in those days, the singers are asked to sing at high volume so that the recording will be proper. You can hear that in umpteen records of the yesteryears, they will shout at the top of their voice capability. That automatically brings with it a perception of aggressiveness. But she also sings with authority on the musical aspects as well. We need to separate them out with enough examples to figure out what Azhuththam actually is.