Vidushi Amrutha V's gan'Amrhtham' at Cary, NC on 28th-Feb

[hamirkalyani123]

Violin: Rajeev M.
Mridangam: Arjun Ganesh

Songs list:
1 Sahana Varnam
2 Deva deva, Swati thirunal, Mayamalava gowla, swarams at jataroopa
NOTE: Good explanation about not doing neraval at jathaveda
3 janani ninuvina, subbaraya shastry, ritigoula - alapana, swarams
4 Ranjani Nirajani - Ranjani - brief alapaana, GNB composition with swarams
5 intha soukhyamani ne cheppajala, tyagaraja, Kapi - alapana, neraval at swara raga laya sudha and swarams and thani
6 muddugari yasoda - annamayya, kuranji
7 virutham - sindhu bhairavi - maname ramanai pada
8 behag - harihari Rama nama,Bhadrachala ramadas composition
9 tillana khamas, patnam subramanya iyer
10. Mangalam

The main piece was in Kapi, epitomized how the overall concert went as Amrutha brought the whole concert to full soukhyam. It is very difficult to say which area of her music is her strength as she has all round excellence in all aspects, be it raga alapana, kalpana swarams or Neraval. One can see sheer brilliance in kalpana swarams with the kind of sangathis she presented in each her renderings, particularly kapi.

In Deva deva, she did a very brief explanation about why one should NOT do Neraval at "jAtarUpa nibhacEla" as the meaning changes completely although traditionalists do that. One can see glimpses of her Guru Prince Rama Verma (who is a disciple of the great Dr. MBK) in every aspect of her music.

All in all, it was complete soukhyam oriented evening that RTP (not raga-tanam-pallavi) but research triangle park rasikas got experience into. She is also a very simple person to talk to. Rajeev M in his violin returns for alapana and swarms proved why he is a worthy disciple of Vidushi Kanyakumari garu. Arjun G provided an excellent support on Mridangam.

[bilahari]

Thanks for the review. Could you explain what she meant about jATarUpa?

[rajeshnat]

2 Deva deva, Swati thirunal, Mayamalava gowla, swarams at jataroopa
NOTE: Good explanation about not doing neraval at jathaveda
...

In Deva deva, she did a very brief explanation about why one should NOT do Neraval at "jAtarUpa nibhacEla" as the meaning changes completely although traditionalists do that. One can see glimpses of her Guru Prince Rama Verma (who is a disciple of the great Dr. MBK) in every aspect of her music.

#There is usually one point where neraval is done for this master piece - deva deva - that is jAtarUpa nibhacEla . If my memory is right some one has sung a neraval in some other line or am i getting criss crossed with another mmg song (give me some time will find that - I am breaking my head there).

# I think the line jAtarupa means "please obliterate my sins" Check http://stotraratna.sathyasaibababrother ... g/a297.htm . This line as per rama verma and thru her Amrutha believes it is not appropriate. I am not sure what Dr BMK thinks about singing this line as neraval . I think artistically it is okay to take a stand that the line is not appropriate - but provided you sing another neraval line - even though I am not convinced with appropriateness. Even if another line is sung ,the matter is subjudice till we all hear and hear how both lines are ? .

# The truth of the matter is rama verma never sings neraval for any song . Perhaps only tells *theoretically* that the line is not appropriate which is just relayed in words by Amrutha. So what we get is no neraval for this master piece - cmon we lose the leg for a small problem in nail . I wish the explanation of not singing the neraval being good/bad/outstanding etc is only a moot point. Singing / Not singing neraval is a bigger issue for deva deva.

# I am assuming her earlier guru CHarumathi ramachandran sings neraval in jAtarupa as GNB school like SSI sings neraval in the same JAtarUpa . I am also assuming there is another guru M.T. Selvanarayana has not issued a taboo for not singing this line as neraval

# By the way there is a whole gumbal in many places who believe rama verma training /influence has taken a drag on amrutha venkatesh. For me that statement is subjudice , certainly lot of MDR numbers have come from rama verma to Amrutha and I am personally happy with amrutha. rama verma knowledge is exceptional and I love his assertion in quite a few areas (not this jatarupa).

# By the way I have tasted reetigowlai and kapi numbers and i like amrutha venkatesh rendition. Kudos to No RTP land .

[Purist]

[quote="hamirkalyani123"

# By the way there is a whole gumbal in many places who believe rama verma training /influence has taken a drag on amrutha venkatesh. For me that statement is subjudice , certainly lot of MDR numbers have come from rama verma to Amrutha and I am personally happy with amrutha. rama verma knowledge is exceptional and I love his assertion in quite a few areas (not this jatarupa). #

rajesh, I do agree with this observation. I vividly remember her invocatory songs every year @ Essae Foundation talks at MES college about 10 years ago. Her voice was very melodious and quite open throated then . Now I find it to be constrained as if something is holding or like forced singing with a bad throat. Some kind of artificiality has set in.
Neverthless she does appeal to a section of rasika's and I respect their opinion.

[Rsachi]

Somebody learned like Keerthi can clarify, but I worked out the following explanation why the line jAta.. is inappropriate for niraval.

If I sing "jAta rUpa nibha cela janmArjita mamAkhila" again and again, it means "all the golden garments (sarees!) I have accumulated over many births" !

A niraval line like deva deva kalayAmi te means oh lord, I pray to you, I take refuge in you..., which has a prayer.

[varsha]

"all the golden garments (sarees!) I have accumulated over many births"

perfect line for neraval - depends on how it is sung.especially since it refers to "many" births leaving more room in neraval workmanship
also see here...
https://archive.org/details/nnenyako
Nagmani Srinath sings about the disrobing episode here . need not mean the listener has to focus on actions of the kauravas.

[CRama]

Thrissur Ramachandran once sang neraval at Bhuvanathrya nayaka.

[keerthi]

Rsachi got it right (more or less)

I think we have discussed this neraval point long ago on rasikas. The carana is as follows -

| jAtarUpa-nibha-cela! janmArjita-mam'Akhila-| pAtaka-sancayam' iha | vAraya karuNayA ||
| ditijali-vidalaNa! | dIna-bandho! mAmava | (A)shrita-vibudha- | -sAla! shrI-padmanAbha murAre! || deva deva..


jAtarUpa-nibha-cela = one whose clothes glimmer like gold [= pItAmbara]
janmArjita-mamAkhila-pAtaka-sancayam = The cumulative deposit of sins that I have accrued over my past birth(s)
iha = here
vAraya = wipe out
karuNayA = out of mercy/ please

Repetition of the first four Avarta-s of the tAla gives a meaningless and incomplete cycle of phrases. Those who subscribe to the theory of sahitya's irrelevance in musical performance shouldn't be worried by the choice of this set.

However, those who take the lyrics as being (even somewhat) relevant would avoid such a line. There are many innovative possibilities within this song for meaningful neraval passages.

1. The anupallavi -
| bhuvanatraya-nAyaka bhUri karuNayA mama |
| bhava-tApam akhilam vAraya ramAkAnta ||

As per the unsaid rule of neraval, it is considered more elegant to start in the second half of a line. To start at the beginning of the line is said to be a sign of lack of sophistication [Mudicondan has stated this in one of his pallavi lectures].

So, it is better to take up bhUri karuNayA mama bhava-tApam akhilam vAraya etc, rather than to begin at bhuvana-traya.



2. The caraNam -

Along the same lines as the previous examples, janmArjita-mamAkhila pAtaka-sancayam iha vAraya, is the trifecta of a musically agreeable, lyrically meaningful, and intellectually pleasing choice.

Ditijali-vidaLana! dInabandho mAmava can be used to great effect, alternating between a veera/raudra/adbhuta style for ditijAli-vidalana [killer of demons] and a dIna/karuna pathos style for dIna-bandho [protector of the piteous]. I recall Mavellikara Subramaniam singing neraval of this kind.

[rajeshnat]

As per the unsaid rule of neraval, it is considered more elegant to start in the second half of a line. To start at the beginning of the line is said to be a sign of lack of sophistication [Mudicondan has stated this in one of his pallavi lectures].

So, it is better to take up bhUri karuNayA mama bhava-tApam akhilam vAraya etc, rather than to begin at bhuvana-traya.
.....

Ditijali-vidaLana! dInabandho mAmava can be used to great effect, alternating between a veera/raudra/adbhuta style for ditijAli-vidalana [killer of demons] and a dIna/karuna pathos style for dIna-bandho [protector of the piteous]. I recall Mavellikara Subramaniam singing neraval of this kind.

Thank you , I did my head breaking .
Geetha rajasekar singing neraval of this kind at bhuvanatraya nAyaka.

DEvadEva kalayAmi - mAyAmALavagauLa - rUpakam - ST (N + S at "bhuvanatraya nAyaka") - snippet of Geetha rajasekar

To sum up:
-------------
99.99 % sing in jAtarupa
Maveellikara subramanaima sings in Ditijali-vidaLana.
Geetha rajasekar sings in bhuvanatraya nAyaka.

Dr BMK - no clue on his views
rama verma never sings neraval for any song . *theoretically* feels that the line is not appropriate which is just relayed in words by Amrutha.
Amrutha decides to not sing any neraval and tells it is improper to sing for jAta rupa in deva deva.

Keerthi recommendation of Bhuri karuNayA is yet to be taken up by any musician

I have no clue of whether mavelikara or geetha rajasekar sang a neraval sketch and jumped to swaras or was it musically as exquisite as the jAtarupa. Lot of musicians just escape with neraval sketch and just jump to swaras with one phrase for anchorng the swaras(it can be jAtarupa, bhuvanatraya or Ditijali-vidaLana ).

Keerthi
Thank u for your lovely post.

[Rsachi]

Keerthi,
Thanks.

Upshot of this discussion, I came across a fine album of Sikkil Gurucharan! He has sung well (albeit niraval at jAtarUpa)!
http://tidido.com/a35184372160720/songs

[varsha]

http://www.mediafire.com/download/onjw3 ... _-_RKS.mp3
When in doubt , refer to thAtha

[hamirkalyani123]

BTW, this concert at Cary was her first concert in USA and the 2nd in North America having performed at Toronto the day before there. Something our community can be proud of.

[sweetsong]

Thank you Hamirkalyani123 for the beautiful review and thank you Keerthiji for your unfailing wisdom.
If you have a blog or site or something where you could share your musical insights, it would be a very
valuable resource for music lovers, music students, music teachers and performers alike.