OST @ MA 26.12.2011

[semmu86]

O.S.Tyagarajan - Vocal
T.K.V.Ramanujacharlu - Violin
Trichy Sankaran - Mrudangam
B.S.Purushothaman - Kanjira

1. karunimpa - sahAna varnam - Adi
2. muddumOmu - sUryakAntam - Adi - (S)
3. OrajUpu - kannaDagOwLa - Adi
4. gnAnamosagarAdA - pUrvikalyANi - rUpakam - R,N,S
5. eduTa nilachitE - SankarAbharaNam - Adi - R,N,S,T
6. ShanmukhapriyA - RTP - misra jhampai (2-kaLai - 1/2 idam eduppu after samam)
7. muruganin maru peyar azhagu - behAg- kanDa chApu
8. nAdupai - madhyamAvathi - kanDa chApu

Classical stuff, great thani, sparkling misra naDai. Sankaran Sir was in top form.

I forgot the lyrics of the pallavi (Something like muruganai shanmuganai............thirumAl maruganai). I will just give the notations alone

Notation is edited : : Pls refer post #9 for the correct one.....

Pallavi was beautifully executed by OST including the trikAlam, thisram and the anulOmam...

There was a mini thani for the pallavi too (pharans, mOhrA and kOrvai). TS showed great presence of mind playing the kOrvai which OST sang while concluding the pallavi..............

It was a typical OST concert right from word go. Classical stuff all the way. T.K.V.Ramanujacharlu, was absolutely wonderful. One of my favorite violinists in today's scene, he was top notch, esp in SankarAbharaNam..... With due respects to BSP, he sounded a bit off color to me today, maybe he was playing out of reverence to TS, or he had an off day, but to me he just failed to create an impact..

[lovecarnatic]

Heard that Shankarabharanam was outstanding... unfortunately, could not attend the concert

[shankarabharanam]

Just back from the superb concert... Was fortunate to have made it. Shankaran sir was in top form.. right from the word go OST just maintained the tempo.. tkv remained a shadow and gave a wonderful accompaniment.. no words to say about thus concert

[squims]

Ah, the first report of OST mama's concert this season on here! Glad to hear about it.
Thanks for a great review semmu!

[bilahari]

GnAnamOsagarAda seems to be the PK composition of choice this season!

Thanks a lot for the review, Semmu. See you this evening at Raga Sudha.

[carnatricks]

nice list. though i dont understand the pallavi structure i like the way semmu86 has painstakingly explained with the mridangam equivalents. any chance you are a student of the instrument?

[raghavt]

Yes Semmu86 is Could you please xplain the tani stuff Sankaran sir played???

[vasanthakokilam]

yes, only a laya geek will get into those details and we love him for it!!

Semmu, regarding the pallavi structure, it looks like the purvanga grouping is like a yati ( increasing 3, 4, 5 ). Is that what you were conveying? Can you also put down the counts, so it adds up to the 28 counts of the purvanga of 2 kalai misra jampa.

Thanks.

[semmu86]

VK, yes the pUrvAnga is srotOvAha yati (Increasing counts)... Let me try to notate in a more understandable way.. Pls ignore the notation in the first post.....

tha ki ta .... (7)
tha ka dhi mi .... (8)
tha ka tha ki ta (5)
tha.. thi.. (6)
Thom... (4) (arudhi kArvai) (This thom lands at the anudrutham)
tha ka dhin na. (5)
tha dhi ki na thom (5)

So 7+8+5+6+4+5+5 = 40 Aksharas (Misra jhampa 2- kaLai i.e, 10x2x2 = 40)..

Carnatricks, notating the pallavi is a tricky one, as the notation comfortable for X, need not be/ Might not be so for Y. This can be explained more clearly in person, and am sorry if this still sounds confusing. Hope you get the pallavi structure

[vasanthakokilam]

Thanks Semmu. Nice structure. With the eduppu after 2, it all tallies up to get 26 for the purvanga and 14 for the uttaranga. Thanks.

[semmu86]

Yes VK, you got it.... Though i must hasten to say, that the 14 for the uttarAngam includes the 4 (arudhi kArvai). Technically, arudhi kArvai some people refer it as a separate entity and the uttarAngam if we see, it is only 10.

[vasanthakokilam]

Semmu, got it. Noted for future references. Thx.

[rananthga]

I listened to this concert also. While I adore Sankaran's playing, I felt his thani was a bit below par for what he's capable of. Perhaps he also played it a bit subdued as it is a very important concert (all are welcome concert in MA after his elevation to SK).

Since the neraval is at 2 aksharams after samam, mishra nadai cannot be played such that the final mishram korvai comes to edam. Mishra nadai is usually played for sama eduppu of nerval or 4 aksharam (arai edam). I dont understand why someone of TS's caliber made this choice to play mishra nadai for this song. He could have chosen Thisra nadai, which lends itself to all edams (kaal, arai, and mukkaal).

I was also expecting a mishra kuraippu (that was popularized by his guru PSP) but only saw a plain chatusra kuraippu.

[semmu86]

I felt his thani was a bit below par for what he's capable of.

His lofty standards of the 60's and the 70's is no more evident these days. It is hardly 30-40% of that. Ravages of age and lack of practise.....

Since the neraval is at 2 aksharams after samam, mishra nadai cannot be played such that the final mishram korvai comes to edam. Mishra nadai is usually played for sama eduppu of nerval or 4 aksharam (arai edam). I dont understand why someone of TS's caliber made this choice to play mishra nadai for this song. He could have chosen Thisra nadai, which lends itself to all edams (kaal, arai, and mukkaal).

If you happened to attend today's morning MA lecdem on "Mrudangam - As a leader and follower", TS touched upon this point too. He stated for certain edams, certain types of naDai's are not possible to play (I also raised a similar point in the "tala & laya" section sometime back), and its purely the convenience factor which comes into play. But then there can also be a counter point saying that, even though the niraval sometimes be at 2 aksharams after samam, sometimes vocalists, when they sing koraippu kalpana swaras, they do that at samam and not at edam to edam. But yeah, i agree 100% to your point that an artiste of TS' caliber, shud have played a thisram to that eDuppu, from a purely technical and grammatical point of view.

I was also expecting a mishra kuraippu (that was popularized by his guru PSP) but only saw a plain chatusra kuraippu.

Time constraints. OST had a pallavi too, waiting in the wings.

[rananthga]

I missed the lec-dem on leader/follower today - thanks for sharing a key aspect from that.

But then there can also be a counter point saying that, even though the niraval sometimes be at 2 aksharams after samam, sometimes vocalists, when they sing koraippu kalpana swaras, they do that at samam and not at edam to edam.

Yes, this is ideally NOT the right thing to do. The koraippu sawaram should also be edam to edam. This is a VERY hard thing to do, so not everyone may be doing justice to this. But imagine if the vocalists were to do a KORVAI (not koraippu swarams) at samam to samam for a neraval at edam - it wouldnt be OK isnt it ? (irrespective of the caliber or expertise of the vocalist).

The Thani avarthanam should be an extension of the song (or the nerval place) - and follow the same rules as the neraval edam. No korvai at any point in the thani should end at any other place other than the nerval edam.

My only wish is that senior vidwans like TS (esp. those that have been awarded the SK) should role model for aspiring mridangam / percusssion artistes in doing the right things right. BTW - I ADORE TS's playing and a HUGE fan, and am in no way qualified to "critique" him, but I thought I should share this view with highly discerning rasikas like you all.

[bilahari]

Rananthga and Arvind, thanks for the interesting discussion.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but why is it less OK for a kOrvai to be samam-samam than koraippu?

[semmu86]

But imagine if the vocalists were to do a KORVAI (not koraippu swarams) at samam to samam for a neraval at edam - it wouldnt be OK isnt it ? (irrespective of the caliber or expertise of the vocalist).

There is a catch here. The vocalist will invariably sing the final kOrvai at the eDam, purely because, the final kOrvai will invariably be in chatusra gathi and its not so difficult to sing it to the eDam, with hours of rehearsal of-course On a tangential note, this mathematical exercises of the artists is what Prof. TRS calls "elementary stuff" and that the true vidwath lies in the artist's capacity to do niraval

The Thani avarthanam should be an extension of the song (or the nerval place) - and follow the same rules as the neraval edam. No korvai at any point in the thani should end at any other place other than the nerval edam.

Sometimes what happens is, the eDam will get highlighted initially by the usage of a custom-made arudhi or a kOrvai for that particular eDuppu, and then artists proceed to play certain naDais from samam-samam. This may not be grammatically correct, but i would say this is equivalent to the "poetic license", where grammar takes a back seat, but not an iota of classicism is compromised.

@ Bilahari :- For e.g, If you take "chakkanirAja" krithi, it starts after 3/4 from samam (Hope you get that part of it). The reason it is less OK for a final kOrvai not ending in eDam is, if it ends in samam in this example, you need to fill the remaining 3/4 aksharas to land at the starting point for chakkanirAja. The whole idea is, be it the final kOrvai which the main artiste sings/ plays, or the final mOhrA-kOrvai of the percussion artists, the landing point of the kOrvai and the take off point for the krithi should be at the same point.

[vasanthakokilam]

>the landing point of the kOrvai and the take off point for the krithi should be at the same point.

That makes sense so there is a seamless transition and the thrilling effect of the 'take off' by the artist from the percussion is easily felt by the audience. If there is a gap or an overlap, the effect will be lost. Understood.

Just as an aside, contrast that with the theermanam the percussionist plays on the transition from one section to the other. Say, pallavi to anupallavi or anupallavi to charanam. There the type of eduppu seems to matter.

For 1/2 eduppu, I feel the effect is better if the mridangist lands on the samam, there is a small gap and then the artist takes back the song at 1/2 eduppu.

I do not know what typically happens for 1.5 eduppu or atIta eduppu.

What are the general rules for theermanam for these 4 cases that provides for the best aesthetics?: 1/2 eduppu, 1.5 eduppu, samam, atItam

[semmu86]

What are the general rules for theermanam for these 4 cases that provides for the best aesthetics?: 1/2 eduppu, 1.5 eduppu, samam, atItam

There are no hard and fast rules for this though. It all depends on the mood of the performer on that particular day.

If the krithi is in samam, then the thEErmANam from pallavi-anupallavi-charaNam is not an issue at all, as it comes from samam to samam.

If it is at an eDuppu, let us take the e.g, of chakkanirAja krithi. In the charaNam, the sAhitya starts with "kanTikI". Some vidwAns start it at 1/2 eDam and some sing it after 3/4 from samam. If the mrudangam artiste assumes that the artiste will take the charaNam at 3/4 from samam and plays the arudhi and if the main artiste takes it @ 1/2 eDam itself, the mrudangam artiste might feel odd and at occasions it might even make him feel stupid.
The reverse is also true.

On certain occasions, playing the thEErmANams to the eDam might be appropritae and in some, playing it to the samam, thereby creating the kArvai till the eDuppu might sound appropriate. So again, there are no laid-down rules to this.

[vasanthakokilam]

Thanks Semmu. I will watch for that KanTiki and see how different performances come about on that count. I guess the safe thing to do in such indeterminate cases is to structure the thIrmAnam to land on the samam and let the artist manage the gap somehow ( or work it out ahead of time which is usually not done )

I agree these should not be talked in terms of 'rules' but more as pragmatics. I thought there may be some well known patterns at least for cases where there is certainty of eduppu.

For half eDuppu, the thIrmAnam finishing on the samam thus creating a kArvai till the eDuppu, does sound great. It is that contrast between that little silence and the prior cascading buildup of the thIrmAnam and it is quite beautiful and enjoyable. Anything more than 1/2 a beat seems to be too much. It is a fine line indeed.

BTW, when the thIrmAnam is played to the iDam as opposed to the samam, is the ending/landing usually played with a similar emphasis as landing on the samam? Or that emphasis is really given on the beat prior to the iDam? ( and followed by either a kArvai or a little tap.) This is more in the context of playing to the iDam of a 1.5 eduppu song.

[semmu86]

BTW, when the thIrmAnam is played to the iDam as opposed to the samam, is the ending/landing usually played with a similar emphasis as landing on the samam? Or that emphasis is really given on the beat prior to the iDam? ( and followed by either a kArvai or a little tap.) This is more in the context of playing to the iDam of a 1.5 eduppu song.

Sorry i missed this. Again it all depends on the type of thEErmANam which the percussionist plays. There are two types of thEErmANams which we can say in the context of playing to the iDam of a 1.5 eduppu song.

First type :- This type happens, when the usual thEErmANam that we play for samam-samam, gets played with a "Phase-Shift", corresponding to the eDam. Here, the effect is NOT felt so-much. For e.g, Playing a 16-Aksharas ending..

Second type :- This is a more aesthetic way of highlighting the eDam. This can be played only when the percussionist is sure that the eDam will be taken up @ 1.5 after samam. This type of thEErmANam gives a feel of being custom-made to that particular eDam. For e.g, If the krithi is a 1-kaLai Adhi thAla krithi (e.g, sarasasAmadhAna), for the interval from pallavi-anupallavi, a percussionist can play a thEErmANam for 21 Aksharas (i.e, the thEErmANam can start after 1 aksharam at the starting of the 1st drutham and can end exactly at the eDuppu of the anupallavi, which will be 1.5 after samam. i.e, it is basically 15+6=21 Aksharas).

There are so many aesthetic ways of playing this 21 Aksharas, which can highlight the 1.5 eDam very beautifully.

[mri_fan]

Recently, it has started to become acceptable to play misra nadai for songs that have an edapu of 3/4and 1/4 . Patri Satish Kumar and Anoor Ananthakrishna Sharma are two examples of leading vidwans who do it. However, the manner in which they do it is acceptable. That is, they do not play misram from sammam to sammam in a song like Chakkani Raja (with edapu at 3/4).

What they do, is play a korvai in misram twice, and then play the same korvai in chatusra nadai once. For a carefully constructed korvai, the effect can be really nice..

Here's a video example, followed by my explanation of the korvai.

http://youtu.be/vcpv1lHnYRo?t=11m2s

In this example, the mridangam player has to adjust because the singer's talam drags at the moment of switching from misram to chatursam.
The korvai is a total of 70 asksharam. When played in misram, it comes to 10 beats of the tala (70/7). When it's played in chatsura tala, it comes to (70/4) = 17.5 beats. Therefore, to play the korvai to 3/4 edapu, one must take the korvai from 4 beats of tala before sammam.

Here is the math of how the korvai is played:
7 7 7
555 -2
555- 2
555

Sri Patri Satish Kumar did something very similar in the CAF concert this past season with Smt. Pantula Rama.

There is precedent for changing speeds in such a way. For example, tisra nadai is commonly played in songs with a tricky edapu in misra chapu (3 aksharams after sammam). The korvai is typically played twice in tisram and then once in chatsuram. This concept has been applied for many years, and its excited to now see used in misra nadai. To me, this is very acceptable, as opposed to playing from sammam to sammam where the edapu is 3/4 or 1/4.