David Shulman on Carnatic Music

[shankarank]

Because he speaks in English? Someone speaks English, then it is to be respected as a view expressed to be discussed as a view bereft of the viewer

WTF? Aren't we all speaking in English? Or are you yelling at the screen in Tamil and Google is translating for you? That actually may explain a few things

Locals understand only English nowadays - I may have better luck!

He says "CM is composition centric and HM is not as much". If any local had said this, you would have let it go in a breeze. Just because his name happens to be David Shulman which happens to be Abrahamic, you are jumping up and down. Zero credibilty!

Locals are in awe of the gentleman. So I have better luck Arguing with him than with locals.

Actually locals were not saying CM is composition centric. Locals were also defensive about that only. But all they could say was our notes oscillate more in comparison with HM. Unfortunately they used English words "Composition" and "Composer" - means verbatim what is composed - except that even dIkshitar's works were written down 2 generations down only.

They called pApanAsam sivan as tamizh tyagarAja, because he used some similar tunes, but really could not understand why PS's compositions have a chance on the stage - while subrahmaNya bharathy's didn't? TMK at least has some clues - that the latter is not amenable to his musical abstraction it seems!

So locals never said to my knowledge that we are composition centric. They only said we are all dunces and vAggEyakkAras gave compositions only to explain the rAgA. They are all lakshana gItams or lakshana vaRNams or lakshana kritis.

But they left out an important part that syllabic intervals and relative stresses are also music and syllabic overlay over tALA produces music as well!

The Audience also clueless, including a sabha secretary from nanganallUR , who sat in KGS for TMK's concert accompanied by Nagai Muralidharan, TS and Srisundarkumar was saying - why there is need for uppapakkavAdyams when a senior Mridangist is there. Seconded by another oldie next to him!

Such were the dunces of the clueless civilization!

[kvchellappa]

I like your free rein of the mind delving into some subtleties and wherever it would flow like the torrential rain water which does not respect the shores of a stream.
To my mind, many locals emphasise that CM is kriti-centric, and of course those who understand music as you do will also agree with you meaningfully on the other aspects you mention. If it was only about kriti, manodharma would have not been there as I see it. So, no new point appears to have been made.
By the way, I am reminded of the Principal of Loyola College address us as 'You Indians'. He was very much one though converted.
That reminds me of a charge you made in another post about SBI, Madurai. I asked for details in a private mail. Could you please give so that I can cross-check? My enquiries did not corroborate what you wrote.
I followed the adage, 'If you can't beat them, join them' in digressing.

[shankarank]

I found your email - replied to it with names and years - I saw it only recently after a big gap of time when searching through history - I did not reply since it was too old a posting. You tenure in SBI Madurai I believe precedes that incident by 10 years or so.

[kvchellappa]

Thanks

[shankarank]

Here is somebody that Gautam Tejas could influence to sing his music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCeEXqca-Bc

Something I happened to receive in whatsapp - I am no means a purveyor of such things. Would this be considered text centric? And is the substance only with the nature of the voice - any bit of manOdharma in there?