Kalapramanam classifications

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shankarank
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Joined: 15 Jun 2009, 07:16

Kalapramanam classifications

Post by shankarank »

Taking off from Sindhu Kannada rAga thread post snippet of @The Lost Melodies:
The Lost Melodies wrote: 07 May 2021, 20:46
But here the rAgA phrases themselves are slow.
Not at all. Divakara tanujam, if rendered as prescribed by Sri Subbarama Diksitar swings between rendunkettan kaalam to slightly brisk pace (than what is heard now). This can be seen in the kriti 'parthasarathi' of SuRa too.

Here is a beautiful rendition of this kriti:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDsDLyudWQE

This can be anywhere graded between rendumkettan or slightly brisk (than other kritis in this raga).
This is undoubtedly a cauka kAla kriti with madyama kAla caraNams and jathi.

The kalapramANam (cauka, madyama, dRta) cannot be classified based on exact speed in terms of seconds per beat etc. The actual physical speed chosen by a performer depends on his voice felicity and for a cauka kAla kriti itself can vary widely. There is a fuzzy physical limit.

The ambiguous kAlapraMANam (rendungETTAn is such a negative word) comes about in certain compositions - I think only SrI tyAgarAja's or his descendents depending on the inner syllabic placement intervals(antaranga viSranti of the padas), where a Mridangist goes into a dilemma on what sollukaTTus ( syllabic forms) to play for it.

If a Mridangist as in Parthasarathy kriti above is able to comfortably place his arudhis and tight phrased landings without issue and maintain a nice pace in a cauka kAla naDai, then there is no ambiguity!

The muddu mOmu kriti of tyAgaraja is usually sung in madyama kAlA. When it is slowed down , it becomes the ambigous one. Trying to do a takadhimi takajunu would cause it to run. It will also hinder the kARvai freedom , laya niRNayam (poise) , the syllable awareness and interval extensions beyond the beat and back to sync flexibility of the singer.

At the same time doing a slower pace nadai, placing packed arudhi sollus will become challenging and demands utmost dexterity.

SrI SyAma Satrigal's nIlayatAkshi in paraju is another.

There may be more examples - I just thought of a couple!

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