gauLa

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SrinathK
Posts: 2477
Joined: 13 Jan 2013, 16:10

gauLa

Post by SrinathK »

I feel a bit rusty after being out of action for so long, but seriously, I searched this whole forum for a thread on gauLa and didn't find it. I found all the other gauLas, those rAgAs that suffix gauLa at the end of their names, but not THE gauLa. So it's high time...

gauLa is one of the truly wise old elders in the CM raga family. While probably not as ancient as a sangam period paNN, it finds mention as far back as the Sangeetha Makaranda (c. 1100 AD - over 900 years back) and the 13th century Sangeeta Ratnakara (that's over 700 years back). It has been known by this name since then with a few variations - gauLa, gauDa, and gaura.

A few alternate spellings for searchability - gowLa, gowDa, gowra, gauLai, gowLai.

This rAga seems to have been handled by virtually all major composers from that period onwards. For e.g. I have seen a huge list of Annamacharya compositions from TTD's website and the original rAgAs printed on those copper plates and it turns out Annamacharya has used it a lot in his time (amongst a set of nearly 90 original ragas, many of which survived with almost intact lakshanas till the time the SSP was written). Thyagaraja, OVK, Dikshitar and their parampara have composed in gauLa, followed by their shishya parampara, as well as Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar, Gopalakrishna Bharati and Mysore Vasudevacharya.

However, gauLa isn't near the level of a kalyANi or tODi or even nATa or varALi as far as popularity goes, and in recent days, its popularity has fallen behind many other ragas. It still gets used as a good opener or 2nd man, but beyond that I have seldom heard of it being given the full works.

gauLa's phrases are unique and well known. A janya rAgA of the 15th mEla mAyAmALavagauLa, it is an upAnga rAgA (which means it uses only the notes from it's parent mEla scale and no extra notes). The scale of gauLa goes as follows ;

Aro : S R1 M1 P N3 S
Avaro : S N3 P M1 R1 G3 M1 R1 S

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GPCF0YGfew

The RGMR twist on the descent is the highlight phrase of gauLa and this vakra phrase has been mentioned in the shlOka for it in the SSP as well. A straight PMRS is also possible and is widely used. While gauLa is mainly a scalar rAga that follows its scale faithfully, it also lends itself well to non-linear phrases and jharus connecting far away notes. It can be sung plain and with quite a bit of gamaka also. The glissandos between NPMR are beautiful.

Although a full 3 octave rAgA, in kritis you seldom see phrases going beyond the upper RGMR, and occasionally touching the P in swaras. However gauLa is explored to greater depth in the lower octave.

Also PMGMR is possible, and can be extended to PMGMRGMR. A full set of phrases can be known by studying the most popular kritis in gauLa.

In an era where so many popular rAgAs have changed significantly over time, gauLa is a remarkably well preserved rAgA whose characteristic phrases haven't changed over centuries. The mood of gauLa is sober, serious and introverted, the R1 being the note key to this bhava, assisted by S and N3. Between MPN, gauLa exhibits grandeur that can rival nATa. But it always returns to a grave mood above and below MPN.

gauLa is 2nd among the big 5 ghana rAgAs (nATa, gauLa, Arabhi, varALi and Sri) and is considered special for tanam, yet gauLa is rarely found being used in RTPs. I have heard TMK sing a pallavi by Arun Prakash at IITM in 2011 IIRC.

So coming to compositions in gauLa, let's first start off invoking Lord Ganesha with Sri mahAganapatiravatu mAm of Dikshitar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhU5eXl2aHg - by MS Amma in her Carnegie Hall concert.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAxfx8tO1vM - Lalgudi Jayaraman's rendition of it is my old time favourite.

Two points need to be noted. Dikshitar did not use chApu tAlas. He used tisra tripuTa or khanDa Eka for his compositions, so the mishra chApu version we sing now is most likely a 2x sped up version. The jatiswaram is also not by Dikshitar, it is a later addition. But it is a truly excellent piece of work - just genius. It is rich in phrases, covers all 3 sthAyis and can be rendered in multiple speeds, and LGJ renders it at slow speed, in chatushra tishram, at 2x speed and 4x speed.

The rAga mudra appears as the word "gaura" in the charanam. If you ignore the jatiswaram, you see that Dikshitar has preferred to keep it to the middle and lower octaves and hasn't gone higher than the upper R1 here.

So here's our own Ravi & Sridhar rendering the version, without the jatiswaram, taught to them by T Mukta in tisra tripuTa
: https://archive.org/details/SriMahaGana ... mRagaGaula

This version is the only one that takes 2 deviations on lakshana in the pallavi alone - the use of R, GMP, at the very start and the use of a PN2P phrase. Everything else is as is, just at half speed.

Will wait for when my friend Dr. T R Aravindhan gets to it. The SSP version is identical to what we sing now, but obviously being tisra tripuTa it would be at half speed.

The 2nd thiruppAvai, vaiyattu vAzhveergAL, is also tuned to gauLa. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNvDZaBDGvk

Mysore Vasudevacharya's pranamAmyaham is another popular number.
MSG playing it here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce_fDpVwkEs - with a lot of Parur trademark instrumental sangatis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGIuCpo_vSI - GNB's rendition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMt4Pwznquw - KS Gopalakrishnan on the flute.

Maharaja Swati Tirunal also had a go at gauLa with kAma jAnaka -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFaaofZjA7I - Malladi Brothers. I wasn't able to get hold of the Alathur Brothers' old classic rendition of it.

Dikshitar has also composed thyagaraja pAlayAsu mAm, a majestic kriti in gowLa. Here is TMK giving it the full works : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbrbOED-q3c -- Oh yes, he now has his own Youtube channel now, so I can share his music without worry. :mrgreen:

A majestic rendition of this kriti is that by T Brinda - http://www.sangeethamshare.org/tvg/UPLO ... positions/ - the finely crafted detailing is concerto level.

MD has also used it in Sri vishwanAtham bhajEham, where the rAga mudra appears in the word gaulAngam.

We are not aware of any Shyaama Sastri compositions in gauLa.

Oothukadu Venkatakavi has a few kritis to his credit in gauLa.

chOra chaturya leela - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTzEKpq5Kx4 - by Chitraveena Ravikiran

aganitha mahima (one of the saptaratnas) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwDzUXNO2EE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_glbnzTb5s0 - by my favourite duo of my generation, Anahita and Apoorva.

The saptaratna is a mighty composition, in a format similar to Thyagaraja's pancharatna kritis, but the key difference here is that the melody and rhythmic structure are heavily shaped by the lyrical scaffold (a characteristic OVK feature where the melody and rhythm fits and wraps around the lyrics while it is usually the other way around for other composers - giving many of his compositions a dance suited flavour and imparting the swara passages with a distinct kalapanAswaram effect). It is verily a tour de force, exploring gauLa across all 3 octaves and is a "gauLa mine" of swara phrases, with the lyrical scaffold allowing some complex arithmetic in the melody.

senApatE namOstutE is another OVK composition - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKN0BNjNDF8 - by the Akkarai sisters (my other favourite duo).

But the most elaborate one of them of all is Thyagaraja's 2nd pancharatna kriti, duDuku gala, with it's elaborate and magnificent swara sahityams revealing all that is possible in gauLa and the true scope of this rAgA. He has truly poured out his heart in this one, taking a mood of repentance and humility and ascribing to himself every thing he considers a sin and pleads Rama to save him. gauLa's mood and rasa is ideally suited for a composition of this nature.

In duDuku gala, gauLa has been thoroughly explored and milked to the last drop. It is the only composition where the janTa gamakas in the swaras of gauLa are given full rein and handled so expertly and seamlessly. Virtually all possible phrases in gauLa can be understood from studying just this one composition. Thyagaraja has proved himself the master of combining flowing sarvalaghu with rhythmic patterns in his pancharatnas.

The rendition by Maharajapuram Santhanam is a classic : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjMTYcW2d3A

You can get to see all your favourite musicians singing it in one place here, so I need not share many recordings of this kriti :mrgreen: : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIhe0izKyFM

There are many other compositions in this rAga mentioned in the lists, but getting hold of them is proving to be not so easy. I haven't found an RTP recording yet, and am still looking for Veena Dhanammal's 5 ghana rAga tanam featuring gauLa in it.

It appears ultimately though that gauLa has not been explored much beyond this, even though there is plenty of scope for more. I have not heard any of the rarer numbers in it. I wonder if our audiences, composers and musicians do not prefer it's serious mood. Having said this, there are some reasons for this. For one, doing elaborate AlApanAs in gauLa is actually quite difficult. It seems to be one of those rAgAs that expands more through the kritis and swaras than through pure rAga singing.

So my parting thoughts -- gauLa is a uniquely beautiful rAga, an all time classic, full of rasanubhava, owning some very heavyweight compositions in CM to its credit, a big stress reliever, and a powerful ally for those days where you need a calm and meditative atmosphere.
Last edited by SrinathK on 09 Dec 2019, 17:33, edited 18 times in total.

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: gauLa

Post by rajeshnat »

Few more to list
-----------------
# Sanjay Subrahmanyan has terrificly sung a brilliant varnam in gowlai .
gananatha - gowlai - Mayuram Vishwanatha sastri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JropZYGPIts

# You have mentioned that duddugala by santhanam . personally I like SSI bit more than santhanam, what verve by one and only semmangudi to sing pancharathnas . Never mind, I am assuming we have not found the recording of maharajapuram vishwanatha Iyer who must have sung pancharatna gowlai bit better than ssi and santhanam which we all donot have.There is an extraordinary rendition of santhanam singing a GKB krithi with his stock accompanist nagai muralidharan and Tiruvarur bhakthavatsalam

saranagatham enru nambi - gowlai -GKB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOfhJu4fjWE

I have recollection of maharajapuram ramachandran singing neraval in a live concert and also his appa santhanam singing neraval in karuna katakasham of the same song which was a concert in tiruppur/erode just few months before he moved on.

# There is also the musical genius Tanjore S kalyanaraman singing a purandaradasar gowlai krithi gajavadana beduve (it is purandaradasar krithi you always have atleast 2 raga versions for every PD Krithi)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UteCfIzjDPE

SrinathK - Take your time and also write reviews please this month being december. Dont let down both your known and unknown vidwans/vidushis.

Sreeni Rajarao
Posts: 1283
Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 08:19

Re: gauLa

Post by Sreeni Rajarao »

Lakshman-ji,

If possible, please post a list of varNa-s in gauLa.

Thank You!

ajaysimha
Posts: 831
Joined: 19 Apr 2018, 18:16

Re: gauLa

Post by ajaysimha »

very nice write up - srinath.

can you brief about the usage of swaram ri in gaula and saveri?

SrinathK
Posts: 2477
Joined: 13 Jan 2013, 16:10

Re: gauLa

Post by SrinathK »

A demonstration is infinitely better for such fine experiences. Words are hopeless here. :ugeek:

ajaysimha
Posts: 831
Joined: 19 Apr 2018, 18:16

Re: gauLa

Post by ajaysimha »

SrinathK wrote: 10 Dec 2019, 20:15 A demonstration is infinitely better for such fine experiences. Words are hopeless here. :ugeek:
agreed! but most of the times it always pulling ri from sa right ???

shankarank
Posts: 4043
Joined: 15 Jun 2009, 07:16

Re: gauLa

Post by shankarank »

I think the dwelling shifts more to "ga" in SavEri, whereas dwelling is in "ri" for gaULA. It seems they exactly exchange their roles. Quick fleeting pass Vs. dwelling. Saveri's "ri" on the higher side is also a drop from "ga".

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