Superb lecture on the qualities of an ideal composer by Chitraveena Ravikiran

[svenkat]

Date: 27/12/2016
Sabha & venue: Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha, Vidya Bharati Kalyana Mandapam

I attended a few lec-dems at this venue and was impressed with the topics given and the interest generated among the music lovers. The audience turnout for the lectures were invariably better than the turnout for concerts. The notice board credited K N Shashikiran for conceptualizing the entire lec-dem series.

I observed that many artists show a tendency to get side-tracked from their main topic - one can probably excuse them because they are performers and not speakers. Ravikiran however is one artist with sharp observation and superb articulation skills. Maybe his head start as a child prodigy has given him a head start in all these areas too! Using the qualities Sarangadeva mentions in his Sangeeta Ratnakara as his reference point, Ravikiran beautifully elucidated each point that makes a good vaggeyakara. He stressed on the fact that a South Indian vaggeyakara is different from the English term for composer because a vaggeyakara creates a perfect blend of music with lyrics and rhythm, but most western composers (like Beethoven or Bach) create grand multi-layered instrumental pieces without lyrics. Due to lack of time, he could only briefly mention the qualities of mediocre and low-quality composers.

Ravikiran's erudition in this area has always left me awed. When most instrumentalists and some vocalists are dismissing the need for sahityam or its importance in our music, he distinguishes himself with a head firmly on his shoulders - a thorough understanding of the holistic picture without missing out even the tiniest of detail. As I overheard his sister tell someone at the end of the event, after all in our culture, multiple things are interwoven. Separation of individual elements will only cause the fabric to get torn!

A few points went slightly over my head and I wish I can watch it again. Would appreciate it if someone can help me find a video of it.

[arasi]

Give it to Shashikiran for coming up with many of his bright ideas!

I heard the super vidvAn-composer-scholar play the previous evening at Shastry Hall. As always, a veritable feast the concert was. Mysore Srikanth, Valayapatti and Tiruppunithura Radhakrishnan accompanied.

paramAtmuDu was moving. Then came a meaningful pause before he started on the svarAs. That silence was
precious! pUrvi kalyANi of his is always a feast for me--Ananda naDamADuvAr thillai was brought to us in a spirited manner with svara kalpanA. More delectables came in Ahiri (mAyamma). Then, bahudhAri (brOva bhAramA). What perspectives, all melding into a meditative mode! Then,bhairavi, varALi, rItigauLa, all a treat!

Yes, the lecdem next morning kept me engaged, reminding me that I failed miserably in almost every definition of Sarnga Deva about a composer!

[Sivaramakrishnan]

The audience turnout for the lectures were invariably better than the turnout for concerts.

An interesting point!