When are speeches welcome?

[Rsachi]

At the end (generally, sometimes they happen at the beginning also) of a CM concert, typically just after the RTP/Tani, main piece, about 15-20 minutes before close, the speechifier rises and grabs the mike. I remember this to be a tradition in RSM at least since '50s.

When do we welcome speeches!?
1. When we have thoroughly enjoyed the music and feel like saying some nice things ourselves about the music.
2. When we like the speechifier.
3. When he or she doesn't meander into other areas but focuses on the musicians on the stage and today's concert
4. When he doesn't do any advertising or fund raising.
5. When we agree with what he says.
6. When we understand the language (many people have contempt for the local language or local culture and that's a big problem in liking speeches)
7. When speeches are shorter than usual (like 3-5 minutes)
8. When the speech is not autobiographical -- I knew the musician's grandfather and we used to eat Sundal on Marina beach etc.
9. When the musician doesn't get irritated (I have seen TMK snub speechifiers)
10. When the speech doesn't kill the rest of the concert.

[kvchellappa]

The pity is none of those who should read this will . Also, commercial compulsions force speeches. In Nadasurabhi, the speeches are short and in their annual event, it is at the beginning. Some musicians like Umayalpuram Sivaraman also like to talk. I found in Rama Seva Mandali, the speeches were short this time.

[Nick H]

7. When speeches are shorter than usual (like 3-5 minutes)

Nobody should speak for more than 3-5 minutes. If they do, the audience could try the looking-at-the-watch hint, feigning sleep, or walking out. How can people be so thick-skinned ignorant as to think we prefer their voices to music?

Speeches are never necessary. However, there are a rare few from whom they are acceptable. I always feel the warmth and enthusiasm of Asthika Samajam Sri Narasimhan, even though I do not understand ...and he does not speak for long.

Artists should never speak. They are there to give music, not talk.

My 100% intolerant remarks apply to all concerts that are pure concerts --- and that is the vast majority. At the other end of the scale, there are functions, which may have concerts attached. Functions are about speaking not music, and the balance is altered entirely, but still, speakers should have a sense of time, and the most popular speakers are likely to be the brief ones!

[rajeshnat]

For me
Rsachi more than 1 to 10 , ground 0. is most important

0. When a speech is done for say 10 to 20 minutes or whatever , the artist have to be professional to sing that extra minutes that they had planned to sing as though the speech is not there. In absolute terms the concert duration should not be cannibalized by speech . That is absolutely mandatory. I personally feel it is just ok(not that i welcome) to keep it short as artists are getting a bit of voice/fingers rest and few words of praise can up their morale . However I prefer not have to any speeches.

BTW in chennai in a sabha by name Indian fine arts , there is a patron who not only speaks but also sings .

[Nick H]

EEK! This is the German Hall people? It is a bad hall, and I prefer not to cross the Anna Salai Metro roadworks, so hopefully I will not experience.

Rajesh, if the artists take to talking, then it is fair to ask them to make up the music time, but when it is out of their control, it is not so fair. On many occasions, I think the artists suffer more frustration than we do, especially when the beginning of the concert is delayed. They are ready, and keyed up to perform ...but have to sit and wait.

[kvchellappa]

In one concert, Sanjay asked in obvious despair, 'நான் இப்போ பாடலாமா?' (May i sing now?) In another function, where he was to sing after the speeches, he preferred to sing rather than talk. The organiser addressed the audience, 'Don't you want to hear his speech?' There was total silence. Still, he had to speak. It is different issue that he speaks well and is short. He has written in his blog about the long speeches in a Bangalore sabha. In one function, TMK did not allow the organisers to butt in until the moment of his choice which was towards the end. In Rama Seva Mandali, Saketharaman let it after singing RTP only. In general, the musicians do not like an interruption like the audience. I feel it affects their creative flow. It may be unfair to ask them to make up for the indulgence of the organisers. If they have agreed to sing 6.30 to 9.30, we should respect their time commitments and cannot expect them to stretch at the cost of their other engagements. Once a mridangist had to leave as he had to catch a train.

[rajeshnat]

Rajesh, if the artists take to talking, then it is fair to ask them to make up the music time, but when it is out of their control, it is not so fair. On many occasions, I think the artists suffer more frustration than we do, especially when the beginning of the concert is delayed. They are ready, and keyed up to perform ...but have to sit and wait.

Nick with the sabha patron talking either less or more the damage is already done .Yes it is not the fault of either the musician or the rasikas. The only redemption is musician who has to work for that lost time to give more music.

YOu do know what happens in a typical sabha concert in chennai(atleast the ones that donot have any preceding function or book release)

06:30 pm is the advertised time.

But actually between 06:30 to 06:40 pm there will be some procedural delay , introducton delay. Mike settings delay etc, previous concert not getting over as that also started late The concert starts at 06:45 PM

At 08:30 pm the tani and main gets over the speech starts

The speech starts with the sabha patron saying inta todi ketkumBodu enakku antha kalathu ariyakudi kutcheri nyabagam varudhu and then he says naan onnu mattum solla virubigrEn or(When I hear this todi i am reminded of ariyakudi and then says i just want to add one point). YOur favourite Aastika samajam narasimhan also starts that way . This goes on and on till 08:55 . Then there will be one enna thavam in kapi and a thillana .

In effect 25 + 10 minutes(35 minutes) is gone. Who has to make up only the divinely gifted artists :-* can do some salvage ? How many concerts have we rasikas walked out after pavamAna as pAvamA nA

[Nick H]

I do sympathise. On the whole, I vote for zero speeches --- not even the good ones!

But does the audience ever complain? How many groans are heard? The audience sits silent, and only starts making noise when the music starts!

[arasi]

There are many people who like speeches--
They are those who give them!

There are many many more people who dislike them--
and they are those who have to hear them

Then there are those of us who give them all the time by writing them down (I mean, our thoughts and opinions). It's exactly what we are doing now--about a topic which comes round every year or so). It happens when a series of concerts take place, and one attends a few in a row and is subjected to daily 'speechifying'

Cleveland festival starts today! Luckily, they have so much going on, speeches simply can't take up more than a few minutes

[VK RAMAN]

Organizers of Nonprofit organizations including temples conducting free concerts should be given time to talk about encouraging audience to donate & volunteer.

[arasi]

VKR,
You are right. The name of Unnati in Bengaluru came up once when we discussed this topic. Yes, a charitable organization when it holds concerts for free, certainly should speak briefly about the cause. I think it's long speeches in regular concerts that irk the audience and the artistes.

[Rsachi]

In Unnati, a venue I greatly admire, they make 2-3 speeches. I like their work. But the speeches completely break the music flow.

[kvchellappa]

In fact, it was about Unnati that Sanjay wrote in his blog.
Mr. Nick's comment 'The audience sits silent, and only starts making noise when the music starts!' is amusing because it is so true.

[Nick H]

Organizers of Nonprofit organizations including temples conducting free concerts should be given time to talk about encouraging audience to donate & volunteer.

Not necessarily a good strategy to annoy your audience and then ask them for time/money!

[arasi]

May be we have to conclude by saying: when 'are' speeches welcome? !

[Nick H]

There is actually a single-word answer to the question: never.

We bear with them, we tolerate them, we acknowledge that they may even, sometimes be not too bad or even interesting, but we never actually want them. Why would we? We go for music, not speech.

[kvchellappa]

Arasi Madam posed the question rhetorically, that is, it has 'never' implied.

[Nick H]

True.

But Arasi likes to be concise and to the point. I like to be a little bloviate.

(I learnt that word this week, and this is the first time I'm using it. Pity I have no speeches to make where I could certainly include it ) )

[rshankar]

To answer RSachi's question, 'when they are (speech)less wonders'!

[VK RAMAN]

Bloviate - yes that is the right word when speech becomes windy, it should come to an end. Love the word Nick. Bill O Reilly - the all knowing, perfect anchor (he thinks) uses this word.

[varsha]

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/4ihjequ ... [email protected]

Meets all the specification .Will there be another , like this Titan?

1. When we have thoroughly enjoyed the music and feel like saying some nice things ourselves about the music.
2. When we like the speechifier.
3. When he or she doesn't meander into other areas but focuses on the musicians on the stage and today's concert
4. When he doesn't do any advertising or fund raising.
5. When we agree with what he says.
6. When we understand the language
7. When speeches are shorter than usual (like 3-5 minutes)
8. When the speech is not autobiographical
9. When the musician doesn't get irritated

Oldtimers.Please excuse this repeat upload :-!

[varsha]

And on to the subject of duration Good speakers value the time of listeners .
Seen here in a different setting , but still a lesson
Like this lady who flew across the Atlantic to deliver these few lines .And we dont get the slightest hint that she has few weeks to live and knows it herself.Poignant ..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKpuunhqWk4

Closer home I have found only Cleveland VVS meet these specs .Always brief , to the point and turning the spotlight on the main performer and not on himself .
The dias sought him out from the audience in a recent Lalgudi celebration and asked him to speak.
He took five minutes and we all learnt something lovely from him .About Lalgudi :-*

[kvchellappa]

It is like Varsha to bring a refreshingly new angle. Only, such things happen once in a maamaangam.

[Nick H]

I formulated this quite a few years ago in London...

When a speaker approaches the microphone,

--- carrying one sheet of paper, it's not going to be too bad;

--- carrying four or five sheets of paper, is bad but finite;

--- carrying a wad of paper, is going to be bad;

--- but, with no paper at all... Despair! There is no hope! All is lost!

And special words that strike terror?

--- "I do not want to take much of your time..." (Oh yes he does)

--- "I know everyone is waiting for the music/food/to go home" (But I'm going to have my say whether you like it or not)

--- "I know we are running late, but..." (I have 12 pages here, and I am not going to leave out one single word, even if most of them have already been said by all the previous speakers)

It all amounts to, "Up yours, audience and artists: this is my time."

[hnbhagavan]

At RSM,the thanks giving speech is given a knowledgeable teacher.Speeches are kept short,but it is a necessary evil as the sponsors have to be thanked for rasikas to enjoy music at cheaper rates or free.In fact i find many people not even contributing for the Magalarathi plate and simply do a pranam.The amount collected however small will help the organisers at least to meet garland expenses.The rasikas always want free lunch and are not to be bothered for contribution.But contributing say Rs 10 for the MANGALARATHI plate will help to meet some financial commitments.An article in the times of India highlighted the plight of RSM as the state government suddenly reduced the grant to half what it used to be (Pardon me,i do not know the exact figure).

[Rsachi]

Dear Varsha
Ingrid Bergman, that impossibly beautiful actress I have enjoyed watching since '60s in classics like Casablanca and I would add the Cactus Flower... What a perfect speech she makes here! And the master of suspense wears his jowl of impassivity like the cloak hides the dagger.
Even more important than choosing our gods, to me is choosing our heroes. In arts especially. Truly, art is the most humbling experience for me.
Varsha, you indeed choose wisely.. If I may say so

[Rsachi]

I found traces of Ingrid Bergman in Kangana Ranaut in 'Queen'!

[Nick H]

At RSM,the thanks giving speech is given a knowledgeable teacher.Speeches are kept short,but it is a necessary evil as the sponsors have to be thanked for rasikas to enjoy music at cheaper rates or free...

It isn't really a necessary evil. I wonder if the sponsors stipulate it? Perhaps they don't! If they really are sponsoring for the sake of exposure, then a sign or banner would be much better value than half-heard and quickly forgotten words.

Am I being completely mean here? Have I forgotten even the basics of saying "Thank you?" No, not at all. Finance, contributions and thanks is a worthy topic in itself, and we take our music too much for granted. Perhaps the speeches are punishment for that

[kvchellappa]

I agree with mr. hnbhagavan.

[varsha]

Dear Sachi
You have not seen the ending
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74Mzt-DTHsk
I know you like to buy cds and dvds by the dozens.Please get this one for me.I have been searching for the original full version for a long time .
What happens just before the start of this clip is a shot from the movie Notorious and the narration of how the lead pair never returned the key used in the movie, to Hitchcock, after the shot . And how upset he was at losing something as simple as a key .
And how sweetly she returns it to him , knowing well that his end is near too .May it open some lovely doors for you .....
God Bless all these artists who bring Heaven down to earth .

[Rsachi]

Dear Varsha,
I don't know what and how to buy in this case. Please let me know.
Meanwhile I did buy something just now, I downloaded an IOS version of T Brinda by Kalakendra for Rs 190.- it is a small price to pay for 30 tracks of her music and a full length video documentary!

[varsha]

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/k5p8zcd ... akshmi.mp3

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/wqhpobe ... araman.mp3

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/s5lbwi2 ... _-_tnk.mp3

Some speeches ...
Well.
Footprints on the sands of time
More footprints available if there are takers