ghanTa

[rajeshnat]

Srinathk
This is just fantastic . I would have preferred if you had spaced with atleast a day to two gap for each of your last 3 lovely posts,type your flow in notepad , you also have an app in mobile and publish it with right spacing . It is so difficult to hit the links and hear the versions that support your words,as next day there will be another boatload of posts to read . In future please please give spacing . Ideally if i say i take 10 mins to read , i would prefer to have a space of say 1 to 2 days to hear say 5 links of 45 mins.. When we are also working , it is difficult to immediatlely hear music . I took atleast few years to get out of the zone of dhanyasi- asaveri - ahiri-Punnagavarali , now you add even bhairavi can be amalgamated with ghanta . Thank you. for your great ghanta posts...

[SrinathK]

The pure gold ghaNTA however is completely unalloyed. That was a surprise. We totally didn't expect that.

Ok I will give some space. It's just that the day before was a very rare free day where I had nothing else to do, so I decided to finish it no matter.

I can save it in a notepad and post with 1 day gap. Fine?

PS : There is going to be another very big story on the "tragedy of mela 20". It's a big plot, almost worth an hour long movie, that involves nearly the entire family and it will get a separate thread. But not right now.

[nAdopAsaka]

just a minor note ...

.various gold-related motifs are embedded in Dikshitars ghanta "shrI maHNgaLAmbikAm cidgagana candrikAm"

the charanam begins with reference to gold as in

kanaka kalasha sushaHNkha ghaNTAdi

as well the devis feet are of the hue of the suns golden rays "aruna-kirana kAntiyuta charanam" ..

other reference also seen in this kriti

Ghanta's apperance in the kamalAmbA navAvarana signals the importance and significance of this rAgA
to the Dikshitar..

in fact it comes towards the end and just before Ahiri....(where also the gold motif is noted..hemasannibha)

.as is known a bell is sounded at auspicious moments in Hindu temples...

...Dikshitars deliberate use along with Bhairavi, PunnAgavarAli and Ahiri, the close rAgAs in this navAvarana is noted

[rajeshnat]

Therefore, I present to you, the Lost Melodies SSP version of Dikshitar's Sri mangalAmbikAm, in pure gold ghaNTA, in mishra jhampa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIx6M9jQURU

Listen to that again. Oh yes, can you believe it? It will make a fine main number which can be given the full treatment, and a fine mangalam too.

I confess when I first heard it, I was not at all prepared for the emotional power of this ghaNTA. It has given me goosebumps. I've since then learnt the song myself from the text - this kriti is just exquisite. A pure ghaNTA is a raga like no other, having no ambiguity or overlap with Ahiri, dhanyAsi, punnAgavarALi or modern asAvEri and distinguishing itself from bhairavi as well.

Srinathk
Prior to your post i had some ghanta in my mind that significantly overlaps with dhanyasi and ahiri. When i listened to renditions like viji subra , mani krishnaswamy the flavour of bhairavi was indeed very high

Who sang this Sri MangalAmbikam. IS that your guru Dr A. Fantastic rendition , it has indeed its own swaroopam for sure ,it is very serene and I kind of felt like fantafabulous rendition of keezh kalam with lot of longer and intermittent upper sthayi jaarus song like kanakasaila in punnagavarali . I agree that was indeed unique

Would be nice if the same person attempts with it a neraval line and swaras .

[rajeshnat]

And at this point, it should be obvious, but Sri kamalAmbikE avAva is also notated in this exact manner in SSP, which means a pure gold ghaNTA version is in the works and will be out soon. As it turns out, Kumbakonam is not far from where I am right now and I must go sing Sri mangaLambikAm to the goddess herself on whom MD composed this masterpiece. Also as per Ravi Rajagopalan's article, there is a vigraha of Govinda Dikshitar (the father of Venkatamakhin and ancestor of Maha Periyava) there opposite the deity, so it has additional significance to MD.

Can you tell me which is the specific temple in kumbakonam that you are referring ???

[SrinathK]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adi_Kum ... Kumbakonam

[nAdopAsaka]

I think this is a highly suitable way to pay respects to the Dikshitar and to the rAgA's/kritis , i.e.
by tracing Dikshitars path and performing his kritis (as authentic as possible, of course ) at the shrines themselves !

without meaning to detract from the focus of this particular thread I make following observations

All the maHNgaLAmbA devi kritis are based in Shri vAhnchiyam temple (which is about 5-10 miles from Kumbhakonam)

Likewise the parallel "Kumbh"esvara kritis refer to mahngalamba devi as consort.

I have added a post to the Muthuswamy Dikshitar kriti thread with these observations in mind.

[shankarank]

We need a new name for this rAgA. It works like a kaRnATaka sindhu bhairavi - contains all phrases! May be we can call it sindhu-kaveri if that is unused. Then put all versions together, it can flow like the rivers. No longer a tied bell that swings this and that way!

Story goes nATA bhairavi walked (natai) to KHP's house envious of latter's popularity. Wanted to morph herself, but found that there is already a morphed form. It was asked to vacate and run (ODi) to tODi instead!

[nAdopAsaka]

I suggest "navaratnamAlikA-m" which word is already embedded in the Dikshitar mangalAmba kriti and would simultaneously reference the myriad (nine ?) shades of ghantA uncovered..

The pealing/reverberation/tintinnabulation of a bell sound and tone gradually changes from the initial sound.

I'm thinking rivers usually flow uni-directionally, unless of course at confluences or under tides.

Speaking of flow, the transit of rAgAs from one to the next in kamalAmbA navAvarana seems indicative of their structural closeness as well as how they should be distinguished.

ps I observe that Dikshitar gives navaratna-vilAsa (also of 20th mela) as a rAga and kriti where he cites the devi as resident at the navachakra bindu..just more to listen to and enjoy !

[shankarank]

That is quite a nidhi! That is why there were two kalanidhis in recent history whose awarding were preceded by their playing /singing this in their MA concert. The rAgA has everything in kaRnATaka sangItam looks like. Jazzed up bhairavi. Or jazzed up dhanyAsi.

Doing d1 like how SrI dIkshitar does is actually sounding like a vivAdi from a samvAdi perspective! A new paradigm we find: vimvAdi!

Also SrI dIkshitar and his adherents can keep their name and version of the rAgA as is always the golden tradition

[SrinathK]

You all just wait for ghaNTA's best friend - Ahiri. She will fulfill all your wishes.

Although it's nature is now well known, in the past it is a raga that was once so vast and complex that so far we have not yet managed to crack the code. It is totally confounding our grasp.

Ahiri today is a sad shadow of what she once was, forever lamenting the tragedy that fell on mela 20.

I have a thread for old Ahiri. I haven't yet written anything there. Wait till I do. No one could even fathom it.

[nAdopAsaka]

The Dikshitar recognized the rich complexity of Ahiri..the duality possible in each of rishabha, gAndhAra, dhaivata and nishAdha is appropriate indeed for the merged state of Sakti and Sakta which is pinnacle of the KamalAmbA's journey.

Signs of this impending merger begin with prior rAgAs chosen as well, including PunnagavArali and ghantA being discussed here. Actually the first flashes are seen with bhAshanga choice also in Kamboji. With PunnagavarAli, dikshitars nishAdantya choice deliberately appears to delay the final stages..

p-Aka ri-pu phrase in anupallavi appears to embed the rAga mudra.

The second Ahiri kriti of dikshitar, kusumAkAravimAnam also suggested for TiruvArur site seems redundant !

[SrinathK]

Whoa whoa. Hold your poetry horses for now. This is for ghaNTA, not Ahiri. One thread gone tangent is enough.

[nAdopAsaka]

we can consider these as "dhyAna" stages ??!

the rAga is defined as much by what it is not as by what it is....no tangents only gentle segues..

mela 20 is used by dikshitar also towards the end in his other navAvarana to the
NilotpalAmbA, in the nari-ritigowla etc.

[sam]

Sri Mangalambikam
in
Ghanta
by Muthuswami Dikshitar is a rare composition on the Goddess of Kumbakonam. Dikshitar revels in the gunas of the Goddess, the moonshine in the sky of consciousness, wearing sparkling ornaments and garments, worshipped with various puja utensils and who delights in the heart of Kumbeshwara.
May this Mangalambika bring Mangalam to all in this world.
.
N Vijay Siva - Vocal
R K Shriramkumar - Violin
Palghat Harinarayanan - Mridangam
Sunil Kumar - Khanjira
.
https://youtu.be/ja36ikcfKCs?si=xr-sbdBW3-4RfCfT

.
Sri mangalambikam -
Ghanta -
Muthuswamy Deekshithar
- TR Aravindh" .

https://youtu.be/mJMx0A9SVb8?si=AER8PPmArKQIHxDn

[sam]

Which is better?
sampoorna mk system of GOVINDACHARYA followed by Shyaama Saastry, Thyaagaraaja swami and by Subbaraama dikshitar himself?..or the
.
The asampoorna mk system of MD ?
.
Whatever it is, as srinathk has mentioned, Ghanta can be considered as a janya raagam of Todi which has the notes,
S R1 G2 M1 P D1 N2 S
......srinath gives the notes for ghanta as follows.
Aro : S G2 R2 G2 M1 P N2 S
Avaro : S N2 D1 P M1 G2 R1 S -
.
So, R2 Is the only anya note.
..here is 8th kruthi in kamalamba navaavarNam rendered by sangita kalaanidhi Dr.MaNi Krishnaswamy, a disciple of Musiri Subramanya iyer...traditionally following the sampoorna mk system
...
Sri Kamalambike
Ghanta-
Adi-Muthuswami Dikshitar"

Smt. Dr. Mani Krishnaswami
.
https://youtu.be/SGmdejaq3V8?si=R3rvcWsbkLfnabw-

-......

[sam]

kamalAmbikE avAva -
ghaNTA - r -
-
Sumithra Vasudev -
.
https://youtu.be/18PDsiaSEJU?si=cgz1JYgIz4XGaHpc
.
..
Anahita and Apoorva
https://youtu.be/MzS0gGQcjSA?si=8CylGKKMoD1gUfNA

[sam]

"shri kamalAmbikE avAva-
ghaNTA - Muthuswamy Dikshithar
- Dr. Sowmya" .

Very special as she had done extensive study of this raagam and had sung an RTP in music academy
.
https://youtu.be/DZ2D1TR13ck?si=GveAS2q3j80yHdGi

A reply in comment section.

Ghanta is largely Dhanyasi with shades of Bhairavi, thodi , asaveri , ahiri .... so what you are hearing is correct and as Ghanta as a raga ought be

[sam]

shri kamalAmbikE avAva-
ghaNTA - Muthuswamy Dikshithar.

Navavarana kritis:
Eighth Avaranam"
AMRUTHA MURALI
.
https://youtu.be/R74v9mtOxag?si=D13_kIi-xI0bR_FD

[sam]

[b]Thyaagaraaja kruthis in Ghanta[/b].
Thanks to srinathk

Let's begin with Thyagaraja.
He appears to have been very fond of ghaNTA given how many compositions of his are there in it.
.
1
eTlA kanugondunO -
In the common modern R1 ghaNTA,
a tendency has arisen to handle the D1 in a very asAvEri / punnAgavarALi way with a slide from the N2.
Also if combined with a plain held N2 before moving on to D1 (like N,D(N)DP) - it can even sound like Ahiri.
This combined with the use of GRG and then the use of R1 in GRS and SRS makes this ghaNTA only makes the resemblance to modern asAvEri and punnAgavarALi all the more pronounced. Now combine this with PNS and SNDP and the upper part of the raga sounds exactly like dhanyAsi. Nevertheless, even in this version, we can see the delicate gamaka on the D1 on the descent that kisses the N2 before coming down which is unique to ghaNTA (SND,(N)P).
2
Now listen to the popular version of jaya mangalam - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BznmAMw1WSQ

This is a good example of the ultimate fused alloy Bell (#9). It sounds like modern asAveri (there is even a RMPD phrase here somehow, shockingly, along with SRGR and other modern asAvEri phrases, and the other parts of the bell resemble dhanyAsi and punnagavaraLi).
3
This continues into perugu pAlu -
4
However, gAravimpa rA rA throws up a surprise, because in some versions, we don't have a R1 at all (Mani Krishnaswamy)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgGj8RDzM2U - with PNDNS, PN PNS and RGMGRS and all, this ghaNTA sounds more like husEni than any other raga. This is ghaNTA #2 in my story, yeah the gold plated scalar version.
5
And then there's unnatAvunA,
a divya nAma keertanam

**************
.
1
etla-kanukondu
Prahlaada bhakti vijaya kirtana
2
gAravimpa-rAda
3
inka-yOchanaitE
https://thyagaraja-vaibhavam.blogspot.c ... -raga.html
4
innallu-nannEli
The song's lyrics reflect a sense of surrender and devotion to Lord Vishnu (referred to as Vanamali).
Pallavi: Innaallu nannelli endukee geli (After protecting me for so long, why this mockery now?)
Anupallavi: Pannuga naapaali bhaagyamaa vanamaali (Oh Vanamali, you are the fortune that has protected me well.)
5
jaya-mangalam
Utsava sampradaaya kirtana
Prahlaada bhakti vijaya kirtana
6
rAma-rAma-rAma
Divyanaama kirtana
7
unnatAvuna
Noukacharitha kirtana,

8
Perugu paalu
Noukacharitham

[sam]

1
Garavimpa Rada -
Ghanta--
Mani Krishnaswamy

https://youtu.be/sgGj8RDzM2U?si=ylC9gaZL_xFQGmsa

The lyrics are a heartfelt conversation where Tyagaraja expresses his deep devotion:
Pallavi: He asks, "O Lord who rides on Garuda, won't you treat me with affection? Is it even a matter for debate?".
Anupallavi: He describes Rama as the one who steals Sita's heart and dwells in the hearts of his devotees, asking why He does not come close.
Charanam: A notable verse uses the analogy of a marriage—stating that once a man marries a woman, he does not abandon her if she is virtuous, regardless of her appearance; similarly, Tyagaraja pleads that as he has surrendered to the Lord, he should not be ignored

Thyagaraja Vaibhavam
gAravimpa rAdA -
.......
2
करुणा रसाक्षाय

UTHSAVA SAMPRADAYA KRUTHI
जय मंगळं नित्य शुभ मंगळं

करुणा र(सा)क्षाय... का(मा)रि विनुताय
तरु(णा)रु(णा)ति सुन्दर पदाय
निरुपम शरीराय ..निखि(ला)गम चराय
सुर विनुत चरिताय.. सु-व्रताय (जय)

. कुन्द सम रदनाय ..कुम्भज सु-गेयाय
मन्द(रा)ग धराय ...माधवाय
कन्दर्प जनकाय ...कामित सु-फलदाय
बृन्दार(का)राति भी-कराय (जय)

. सर्व लोक हिताय ...साकेत सदनाय
निर्विकाराय ...मानित गुणाय
सार्वभौमाय... पोषित त्यागराजाय
निर्वाण फलदाय.. निर्मलाय (जय).
..
A great video
Smt.Vedavalli and her students
.
A remarkable Sanskrit kruthi by Sathguru
.
https://youtu.be/CeT6DEIV4rQ?si=ZJ0jNU_OrBbla5j7
.ஸ்ரீ தியாகராஜ சுவாமிகளின் உற்சவ
சம்பிரதாய கீர்த்தனைகள் இத்துடன்
நிறைவடைகிறது இதன் மங்களத்தை இப்பொழுது
கேட்கப்போகிறோம்
ஸ்ரீ ராமனுக்கு மட்டும் இந்த மங்களம்
என்று பாடாமல் ஸ்ரீமன் நாராயணன் கிருஷ்ணன்
என்று நாராயணனுடைய அவதாரங்கள்
எல்லாவற்றையுமே இந்த மங்களில் கொண்டு
வந்திருக்கிறார் மன்மதன் தந்தை
மந்திரகிரியை எடுத்தவன் தேவர் பகைவரான
அரக்கருக்கு அச்சம் அளிப்பவன்

Thyagaraja Vaibhavam: Thyagaraja Kriti - Jaya Mangalam - Raga Ghantaa

[sam]

etla-kanukondu-
-GhanTA--
PRAHLADHA BHAKTHI VIJAYAM

Ramamurthy

https://youtu.be/7T9yd4Sd5eg?si=oBOblJSA_o3dykm9

In the Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam, Prahlada sings this song to express his longing and grief, wondering how he can ever behold (see) the Lord.

[sam]

Unnatavuna
Thyagaraja Kriti-
- Ghanta

NOUKA CHARITHAM
https://youtu.be/pYOdEJZVzDs?si=zsIYe3ibMJAKdkRx
.......
Perugu Palu Bhujiyinchi Thanuvula
Ghanta .
Thyagaraja Kriti-
NOUKA CHARITHAM
https://youtu.be/WbGhB6iuzpw?si=SP4BhxYWwjwNMLDb