Lec dem by TVG on role of thanam CM

thanjavooran · Post by **thanjavooran** » 27 Dec 2007, 16:18

Multy faceted TVG gave a nice progm in MA on 26th. After playing few thanams by yesteryears vidwans on computer slide.he sang nearly 10 types of pattern . The progm was quite educative. Amongst ten, two were with closed mouth playing thru kantam and nose. Prof SRJ presided over as Palghat Raghu was not present due to his ill health. SRJ mentioned that the two types were called Muthridham. Really surprised to know that there are somany varities of singing style of thanam. I asked the prof after the function, when he was waiting for a pick up whether Muthridham refers to ghanam singing. He waited for a second and told that this is a big subject and will be dealt with some other day. Vellore, suguna and TKG spoke about the efforts taken by TVG in bringing out this excellent presentation.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 27 Dec 2007, 20:05

I've seen TVG talk briefly about tanam, of singing in different animal and bird styles.

It must have been interesting.

Does TVG speak in Tamil when presenting lecdems?

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 28 Dec 2007, 17:20

Not always, but IMO his english is better than his tamil.

thanjavooran · Post by **thanjavooran** » 28 Dec 2007, 20:48

Let us taste doughnut w/o counting holes in it

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 29 Dec 2007, 00:36

Shouldn't that be vadai?

Sathej · Post by **Sathej** » 29 Dec 2007, 01:23

Oh seems to have been very good...missed it

Sathej

thanjavooran · Post by **thanjavooran** » 09 Jan 2008, 06:55

One thing I forgot to mention here. Amongst audians there was one sardarji [ a very rare sight ] who was nodding his head at appropriate times enjoing the entire deliberations.

thenpaanan · Post by **thenpaanan** » 09 Jan 2008, 09:46

thanjavooran wrote:Multy faceted TVG gave a nice progm in MA on 26th. After playing few thanams by yesteryears vidwans on computer slide.he sang nearly 10 types of pattern . The progm was quite educative. Amongst ten, two were with closed mouth playing thru kantam and nose. Prof SRJ presided over as Palghat Raghu was not present due to his ill health. SRJ mentioned that the two types were called Muthridham. Really surprised to know that there are somany varities of singing style of thanam. I asked the prof after the function, when he was waiting for a pick up whether Muthridham refers to ghanam singing. He waited for a second and told that this is a big subject and will be dealt with some other day. Vellore, suguna and TKG spoke about the efforts taken by TVG in bringing out this excellent presentation.

Some twenty-five years ago I attended a concert at Shanmukhananda Hall where Madurai GSMani in the course of his RTP thanam mentioned something that stuck in my mind called "Manduka" (frog) thanam. It was rendered in the mantra sthayi (i.e below Sa) in short staccato phrases. He did not elaborate on whether this was part of a system or a one-off thing.

When I went and asked my guru he also demonstrated a few that were incredibly hard to imitate but he did not elaborate. All I could guess was that there must have been some people who took efforts to sing different kinds of thanam that has gone out of fashion. But it is always interesting when people tried to do something new in thanam. For example I heard a local artiste in the US use nom thom phrases in a carnatic thanam (somewhat like the dhrupad singers). I liked the effect.

Are there other instances of unusual ways of singing thanam that one could use in a regular thanam in a concert (as opposed to special occasions)? Also, is there a simple definition of "ghanam" singing?

Please write as much as you can remember about TVG's ten patterns of thanam.

Thanks,
Then Paanan

thanjavooran · Post by **thanjavooran** » 09 Jan 2008, 13:39

shri Then Paanan avl,
Few more details out of my memory I am bringing out here as you wish..
1. Though the tapes were of poor quality he cld be able to play Thanam of Ariyakudi, Chembai, Madurai, Alathoor and semmangudi. Most of them were without breathing gap with long duration. He mentioned that it is one form of singing Thanam.
2 It adds glamour for T
3 Yes U are right. one type like the noise of the frog which he mentioned as mandooka thanam. same way kukkuda thanam --noise of cock , noise of dove, mae mae like goat , , noise of a horse ,with sound coming thru nose etc. The one like loud laughing was quite enjoyable.

thanjavooran · Post by **thanjavooran** » 09 Jan 2008, 22:03

TVG sang few thanams in different ragams with kalapramanam which was closely followed by mirudhangam. He mentioned that thanam is to be sung only to definite thalam which will be a feast to ears..

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 10 Jan 2008, 08:30

nick H wrote:Shouldn't that be vadai?

Nick you are picking up Tamil too fast

Just be careful that you do not elongate the 'a' there

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 10 Jan 2008, 20:35

Oh, CMLover --- I am still, after three years, stared at blankly whenever I order poori.

I seem to pronounce it something like pour-ray.... I don't know... I get the same poori-pronunciation lesson from my poor-i wife every time, and the next time I make the same mistake again.

It wouldn't matter if it wasn't my regular tiffin item.