Musicology and its Importance

[thanjavooran]

Musicology and its importance

Lec dem by Dr. BMS at Sri Parthasarathy swami sabha on 20 12 2012

Started at 08 30 hrs with minimum number of rasikas. Dr MB Vedavalli and Chitra veena Narasimhan were present. later Ravikiran joined.
some of the points recorded during lec dem are as below

Dr BMS was not well ailing with sore throat and fever. In fact he was to cancel this programme but after analyising the hardship encountered by the organizers decided to give this Lec Dem
He mentioned that this term Musicology can not be translated into Tamil and there is no proper terminology to express this.
It is the letters logy added as per German language made this as Musicology. hence Germany coined this word
The near tamil translation would be Isai Aayvu Iyal [ இசை ஆய்வு இயல் , இசை பற்றிய ஞானம் /அறிவு ]
Once in MA during debate a Mirudhanga vidwan [ name not willing to mention since not alive] passed comments as musicologists can't sing.
He was the only person who challenged this issue.
Musicologist's job is to bridge the gap between the musicians and other authentic information gathered from different source.
What, why, when and how are the questions to be analyzed and answered by them.
He should have full knowledge of Varnams and also kritis from A to Z
Natha jana paripala, Neethu saranamulae to name few are the creations of kv Srinivasa Iyengar for which controversy still exists.
There is always a confusion on the Mudhirai ' Venkatesa ' since this is handled by many viz Pattanam, Manambuchavadi and KR Ganapathi
Vanajakshi varnam in kalyani is by one poet from Nagapattinam and not by Poochi
A musician should accept if anything is made to known but generally they don't.
Purandhara dasa was only a poet [ kavi] . He did'nt set the tunes.
Kocha kollu Ramaraju of AP can play violin keeping bow on his left hand. he was a left hander. [ I cld not recollect on what context he made this reference]
For Nadaswara vidwan sahithyam is not important and practice with swaram only and hence most of them can not sing.
Once there was a big debate on the sahithyam whether parithapamu kaniyanida or koniyanida when Chittoor was principal and Thiruvarur Namasivayam was professor in Govt Music college at Thiruvaiyaru. Such doubts can be clarified only by a Musicologist.
A musicologist should collect evidences from inscriptions and other old palm leaves
As regards to Sangita Mummoorthys Birth place still not clear whether St T was born at Thiruvarur.
There are evidences that Thiruvaiyaru is the kshetram where he was born.
Manambuchavadi Venkata subbaiyer's grandson Joker Ramudu long back handed over a manuscript H/S of St T. There it is mentioned that Ammal Agraharam a village near Thiruvaiyaru was St T's birth place.
In 1903 an invitation for the Aradhanai printed and issued by Thillaisthanam Narasimha Bhagavathar, Panchu bhagavathar mentions Thiruvaiyaru as Birth place.
Pann is different from Raga and not one and the same.
A musicologist should be well versed in different languages viz Tamil, Sanskrit, Maratti and Telegu
Most of the musicians know telugu in earlier days. Mannargudi Chinna pakkiri a noted nadaswara vidwan used to maintain his personal accounts written in telugu script only and so Vina Dhanam's note book .
When Nayakkar and Marattah kings ruled Thanjavur few ragas like Mand, Desh, Sindhubhyravi from H/M were imported to CM
In Lavani [ an art from Maharashtra] an expert Venkatarao has handled these ragas even earlier to St T.
Abhang was created based on Lavani
A musicologist job is to bridge between Textual and Oral traditions.
A Nadaswara Vidwan in olden days will teach their disciples telling konjam kuraichupidi and thalli pidi [கொஞ்சம் குறைச்சுபிடி, கொஞ்சம் தள்ளிபிடி] as they were not aware of theory.
Musicology is only a Science and not an Art.
In Venkateswara university when he gave a lec dem on Swathi thirunal was asked to sing few pieces to establish his statements.
Another Musicologist [ name he did not want to mention ] gave a lec dem on MD. When BMS agreed to sing wanted the previous expert to begin with. The person did not relish and may be he was not trained in music. Being a disciple of Dr.BMK he takes up such challenges.
This he mentioned to emphasize that a Musicologist should be a musician too
As regards to question session a prof. from a local college raised doubts about the review made by individuals in journals.
While answering this he remarked that once DrBMK's karakarapirya was under debate telling it is not that raga itself and not as sung by SSI. A review about Thiruvenkadu Jayaraman was that ' he can not sing properly even for 7 generations '.
Musicians should not take it to heart such comments, should ignore and continue to give their best.

The programme came to an end at 10 00 and was full of interesting anecdotes and useful information. Corrections are invited.

Thanjavooran
22 12 2012

[VK RAMAN]

There are a number of South Indian musicologist with PhD who travel through the world giving lectures in Universities and temples, and I happened to meet one of them during one of my flights.

[vasanthakokilam]

Thanks Thanjavooran Avl. It is quite interesting and informative to read your notes.

I only knew of the Music Academy lecture-dem sessions. It is good to know that Sri Parthasarathy swami sabha also conducts them. Is that a daily affair like the MA one?

Also, who else conducts such Lec Dems during the season?

On a lighter note,

The musicologists/Musicians divide remind me of the theoretical/experimental physicists divide and their jokes about each other. And then there are philosophers ( of the scientific kind ) who consider both kinds to be engaged in trivial matters

Borrowing a familiar joke from them and casting it for this context:

Music teachers want to be concert performers
Concert performers want to be Lecture Demonstrators
Lecture Demonstrators want to be Musicologists
Musicologists want a job

[satyabalu]

One thing I consider he had left out. To be a vaggeyakara also helps for a musicologist-Dr.BMS himself being one ,I think he had not mentioned as a form of modesty.BTW his compositions are now being popularised by frontline musicians including Dr.VS.
I met him later to ask him the neceesity to bring forth less known vaggeyakaras : also I expressed the composers of various popular chittaiswarams to be established &be let known to the music world.He had agreed to include this as a role of Musicologist in subsequent Lec-Dems on the subject.
Overall, a meticulous write up of Lec-Dem by Tanjavooran.Dr V S wanted him to clarify if MD kritis are not to be considered authentic when not mentioned in SSP. I could not follow what he replied.
MBVedavalli mentioned a few kritis finding place in the compendium of MD kritis published by Kallidaikuruchi Sundaram iyer may be only attributed as MD kritis.

[thanjavooran]

Shri VK avl
Many thanx for your kind words. please refer the following link for lec dem session at PSSSSabha
http://www.chennaidecemberseason.com/20 ... sabha.html

shri Satyabalu avl,
When Ravikiran raised doubt about the accountability of the enhanced list of MD"s kritis from 225 to 450 BMS's reply was not conclusive and again and again was insisting on the records collected by the musicologist and their responsibility in submitting correct and authentic information to the vidwans and rasikas.
Thanjavooran
23 12 2012

[mohan]

The Oxford Dictionary of music's definition of musicology:

A 20th‐cent. word taken into the Eng. language (from the Fr. Musicologie), but the Ger. term Musikwissenschaft was coined by J. B. Logier in 1827 . It may be said to cover all study of mus. other than that directed to proficiency in perf. or comp. Thus, a musicologist is one who is a specialist in some mus. study.

Among the divisions of musicology are acoustics; the physiology of v., ear, and hand; the psychology of aesthetics and, more directly, of mus. appreciation and education; ethnology so far as it bears on mus. (incl. folksongs, folk dances, etc.); rhythm and metrics; modes and scales; the principles and development of instrs.; orchestration; form; theories of harmony; the history of mus.; the bibliography of mus.; terminology—and so forth.

[mahavishnu]

Thanks Thanjavooran Avl. It is quite interesting and informative to read your notes.

I only knew of the Music Academy lecture-dem sessions. It is good to know that Sri Parthasarathy swami sabha also conducts them. Is that a daily affair like the MA one?

Also, who else conducts such Lec Dems during the season?

VK, most major sabhas do (MMA, SPSS, IFAS, NGS, there might be others). Just search under the category lecdem at kutcheris.com. There is a wide variety of events going on...

And Thanjavooran avl, thanks for your diligent notes.

[vasanthakokilam]

Thanks Mahavishnu. I just checked. Wow, there are so many of them. Thanks.