Repeats Repeats everywhere

[sairaam]

http://concertsummary.blogspot.in/2012/12/repeat.html

[karaikurichi]

There are only a few major ragas - call them the big six if you want (Shankarabharanam, Todi, Bhairavi, Kambodhi, Kalyani and Kharaharapriya). Then there are the handful of rakti ragas - Varali, Anandabhairavi, Reetigowla, Poorvikalyani, Begada, Sahana, Dhanyasi, Surutti, Kedaragowlai etc. Artists also often sing Shanmukhapriya, Simhendramadhyamam, Keeravani, Charukesi, Vachaspati etc. Now look at the number of artists singing today, the number of concerts each has to perform and the total number of concerts happening in Chennai during this month. If artists do not sing the major ragas, they get flogged by critics and hardcore listeners. If they sing them, they get criticised by people like you! Best way to avoid repeated hearing of these ragas is to listen to as few concerts as possible so that your mind remains fresh to enjoy what is offered.

[karaikurichi]

Not to forget the fact that many artists actually Like singing the so-called classical ragas. Come to think of it, the greats of yesteryears sang them and only them throughout their six-seven decade careers.

[venkatakailasam]

Kindly see the list of songs in each raga..including gana raga....we can get an idea of how many songs even in gana raga are not touched or explored...

http://www.karnatik.com/ragas.shtml

[sairaam]

On an other note - i really doubt any critic would actually criticize the use of rare ragas.
I think that shows only the agnanam of the 'critic'.

Actually number of concerts and artists have grown up compared to yesteryears.

Between The REAL 'hardcore listeners' would actually love listening to varieties than the usual "Gundu chattiyil Horse"...

[sangeetham]

Dear Sri Sairaam: in another post of yours, you have mentioned how a train was stopped/halted for Mani Iyer's thani.....if you happen to be an ardent fan of PMI, I would like for you to check what he himself has said about repetition in CM.....he has equated CM to Gayathri manthram saying that repetition is the key to developing CM in the right path, and that for the next few hundred years there is no need for innnovation, as there are enough stuff to keep working on what the doyens have left behind...and thus innovation would be only for the sake of innovation and not for the development of CM........

[gs]

May be Sanjay read this blog. Today in Bharat Kalachar he presented natakurinji as sub main, main in suddha saveri and rtp in subha panthuvarali.

[sairaam]

Happy about that GS. Hope many reads the post if that helps in any sort .

Dear Sangeetham sir - i did not mention that it was Mani iyer for that matter - it was Palani Subramaniam Pillai.. Secondly, i was not talking about innovation in that post, but just that too much of repeats are not healthy, as i thought of posting about innovations as a separate one.

Between i personally feel if one stops the area of innovation and development - it means either he is HIM or he has reached HIM.

There is always huge scope for innovation.. Thats why we are still praising GNB (from his Graha bedham to many other attributes) SKR and S Rajam (for popularising Rare krithis and vivadhi ragas)

[mohan]

If artists do not sing the major ragas, they get flogged by critics and hardcore listeners. If they sing them, they get criticised by people like you!

Yes its a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't.

Some musicians think (and I tend to agree) there is not that much scope to expand a raga like Nalinakanti or Revathi. The ghana ragas (thodi, bharavi, etc) give ample scope for expansion and then others (either other melakartas such as kiravani, pantuvarali or rakti ragas like ritigowla, begada, kedaragowla) provide a decent scope for expansion.

[Madras Talkies]

We have more than 3 million english words in dictionary .. Do we use all those words ? It's the same with Melakartha and Janya Ragas

[sairaam]

Many ragas like nasikabhushani, vagadeeswari, etc can be sung elaborately and satisfy both audience and artist himself. Some Legends like SKR have done it.

Even if not been sung as a main piece, it can be promoted to the sub-main piece atleast.

[Purist]

If one were to listen a Vagadeeswari by the great TKR or a Kokila Varali by Musiri ( just examples... no mindset) it will be amply clear,
be it a rakthi, ghana, vivadi or whatever , its finally the artists capacity and mastery that makes it janaranjakam. They made lasting impressions.
Even in current genre there are a few artists who try and achieve this. However a majority are lost in mindless innovation or have allowed
dominance of exhibitionism on to them.

[sureshvv]

One more poorvikalyani and my head is going to explode!

[Radhika-Rajnarayan]

Dr S Balachander's delineation of Rishabhapriya (ghananaya Desika) and Neetimati (Mohanakara) prove that any raga can be elaborated if the performer knows how!

[sairaam]

I agree totally with Purist and Radhika...

It only depends on the artist's ability!!! DOT!!!

[carnatricks]

i wonder why performing rare ragams is considered a greater achievement or a better ability than presenting the old "gundu chattiyil horse" as sairaam mentions without any repetition in phrases or trying to present that in a new or different manner. just a thought

[Radhika-Rajnarayan]

The great Maestros made every raga unique - even the oft-flogged ones. Mali's Kalyani, Emani's Bhairavi, Dr Balamuralikrishna's sankarabharanam... so many others. They would just change the emphasis a bit, or turn a sancharam differently - and the raga would glow with a new colour and effulgence! It is a far greater ability to do this, than present a rare raga effectively. These ragas, as carnatricks correctly phrases it, are definitely 'gundu chattiyil...' so full of hackneyed phrases. It requires imagination to overcome and go beyond these phrases.
In the case of rare ragas, too, there are many pitfalls in vakra ragas, and you need to side-step these nimbly, yet present the raga in a smooth flow of interesting and lovely phrases. And in the case of rare melakartas, Dr SB was a master at bringing out the mood of these ragas ( I strongly disagree with people who say they are just 'scalar'). The earlier mentioned Neetimati and Rishabhapriya were played so well that I fell in love instantly with them! And who can forget Emani's Vaagadeeswari (paramatmudu)? I immediately begged my teacher V Saraswati garu to teach it to me - which she most willingly did.
You can do nice things with Gangeyabhushani too, and Rasikapriya as well.

[perarulalan]

May be Sanjay read this blog. Today in Bharat Kalachar he presented natakurinji as sub main, main in suddha saveri and rtp in subha panthuvarali.

On a lighter note, On Dec 27, 2007, Sanjay sang a brilliant RTP in SP at the same venue, on request from Madam Rashmi... When we went back home, the first news we heard was Benazir assassination .... (Am not sure about the emoticon to use! )

Sorry for the digression!

Regards
Perarulalan