I find many musicians sing brilliantly but with phonetic errors especially in Sanskrit. In Sanskrit there are 21 vibhakti endings and all need to be enunciated. A common example is here:
वन्दे मातरम्।
सुजलाम् सुफलाम्
मलयजशीतलाम्
शस्यश्यामलाम् मातरम्।
वन्दे मातरम्।
शुभ्रज्योत्स्नाम्
पुलकितयामिनीम्
फुल्लकुसुमित
द्रुमदलशोभिनीम्
सुहासिनीम्
सुमधुर भाषिणीम्
सुखदाम् वरदाम्
मातरम्।।
वन्दे मातरम्।
vande mātaram
vande mātaram
sujalāṃ suphalāṃ
malayajaśītalām
śasyaśyāmalāṃ
mātaram
vande mātaram
śubhrajyotsnām
pulakitayāminīm
phullakusumita
drumadalaśobhinīm
suhāsinīṃ
sumadhura bhāṣiṇīm
sukhadāṃ varadāṃ
mātaram
vande mātaram
So when someone sings
śubhrajyotsnāpulakitayāminī,
they have missed two endings
śubhrajyotsnāmpulakitayāminīm
See what I mean?
I would imagine there will be many such issues in Tamizh, such a sophisticated language too!
वन्दे मातरम् - vande mātaram
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Re: वन्दे मातरम् - vande mātaram
Sachi,
Yes, indeed. How grand it would be if singers paid as much attention to sAhitya!I know, it's hard for the learners, especially with sanskrit and old tamizh. All we would ask them politely, is to pay attention to the words. Yes, old words are very hard for the younger generation to get right because of their antiquity in some songs. We know, it's harder for the young singers because thy do not hear or speak tamizh as their parents or grandparents did, let alone their exposure to tamizh--except in a mundane, practical way.
My wish is that when they pay as much attention to the musical grammar in their singing, they also consider singing the sAhitya correctly, at least in their own language--get the meaning and the mood of the song in order to bring out its emotional content.
Yes, it is hard, especially with sanskrit and the older lyrics in any language. Yet, it's part of the rigor of learning your art. I am certain there are many young singers who are diligent about this, but at the moment, Amrutha Venkatesh comes to mind as a good example. What I am trying to convey to the youngsters--the future of CM is--yes, bhAva can be achieved by a voice or musically appealing phrases, but experiencing the emotional impact of an old verse can certainly enhance their performance.
Am I asking for too much?
Yes, indeed. How grand it would be if singers paid as much attention to sAhitya!I know, it's hard for the learners, especially with sanskrit and old tamizh. All we would ask them politely, is to pay attention to the words. Yes, old words are very hard for the younger generation to get right because of their antiquity in some songs. We know, it's harder for the young singers because thy do not hear or speak tamizh as their parents or grandparents did, let alone their exposure to tamizh--except in a mundane, practical way.
My wish is that when they pay as much attention to the musical grammar in their singing, they also consider singing the sAhitya correctly, at least in their own language--get the meaning and the mood of the song in order to bring out its emotional content.
Yes, it is hard, especially with sanskrit and the older lyrics in any language. Yet, it's part of the rigor of learning your art. I am certain there are many young singers who are diligent about this, but at the moment, Amrutha Venkatesh comes to mind as a good example. What I am trying to convey to the youngsters--the future of CM is--yes, bhAva can be achieved by a voice or musically appealing phrases, but experiencing the emotional impact of an old verse can certainly enhance their performance.
Am I asking for too much?
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Re: वन्दे मातरम् - vande mātaram
But शुभ्रज्योत्स्ना-पुलकितयामिनीम् is one single samasa
so it cannot be
शुभ्रज्योत्स्नाम्
so it cannot be
शुभ्रज्योत्स्नाम्
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Re: वन्दे मातरम् - vande mātaram
Rajani, I also thought so. But the original I copied from (Bengali) shows two words.
I think it makes sense to make it one word.
"Oh Mother whose nights thrill to the spotless moonlight".
If we use two words, it would be
Oh Mother shining in splendid moonlight, Oh Mother whose nights thrill us by their cool breeze...
I think it makes sense to make it one word.
"Oh Mother whose nights thrill to the spotless moonlight".
If we use two words, it would be
Oh Mother shining in splendid moonlight, Oh Mother whose nights thrill us by their cool breeze...
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Re: वन्दे मातरम् - vande mātaram
That feeling of the cool night we used to enjoy sleeping on the terrace in Madras IIT...
And Delhi...
And Calcutta...
In fact a whole paradigm of Barsati was created in north India.
The covered place you rush to half asleep with your bedding and all as you rush to escape the sudden and welcome cool night showers! Located on the terrace it was excluded from FSI calculations!
And Delhi...
And Calcutta...
In fact a whole paradigm of Barsati was created in north India.
The covered place you rush to half asleep with your bedding and all as you rush to escape the sudden and welcome cool night showers! Located on the terrace it was excluded from FSI calculations!