Musical Forms within / using CM

[SrinathK]

I retrieved this list from the lounge. Basically a list of all forms / elements in CM or forms that use CM (no particular order).

1) Geetham & Nottuswaram (department of redundancy department )
2) Raga alapana
3) Tanam
4) Keerthana -- quite a bit of overlap with krithi
5) Krithi -- which covers everything in the spectrum
6) Padam
7) Javali
8) Thillana
9) Bhajans
10) Abhangs
11) Slokas, Ugabhogas, Viruththams, Pasurams
12) Neraval
13) Kalpanaswaras
14) Tani avartanam
15) Varnam
16) Harikatha
17) Jathiswaram
18) Pallavis - the RTPs I mean
19) Konnakol
20) Tiruppugazh
21) Pasurams (sung in talas), Thiruppavai, Thirvempavai, Tevarams, etc. etc.
22) Mallari
23) Ragamalikas & Talamalikas - which can fit into the above list, but I separated them out.
24) Ashtapadis
25) Nama Sankirtanam
26) Kavadi Chindu and folk items -- not too familiar here, would like a list.
27) Patriotic Numbers
28) The basic exercises - saralis, jantas, dhatus, alankarams, can't forget to include it. I mean there is almost nothing harder than a 4 octave scale in a raga with all the gamakas in Carnatic Music, is there?

Not to mention a lot of extinct musical forms... Did I forget anything?

One thing you notice here that over the course of CM history, that out of the elements mentioned above, you have a lot of these forms which were part of the musical system from the very beginning (or almost), whereas the others either got imported over time from other art forms or existed independently, started using CM and got absorbed into it.

In the future, there may even be new forms like Carnatic concertos and the like ... the vadya vrinda for one already exists. Who knows?

Any more forms out there (even extinct ones) would be a most welcome addition to the list

[Ponbhairavi]

How about thaalaattu ?

[Rsachi]

Srinath,
I have heard of a form called Prabandham. I think Venkatamakhin had composed in that form. Prof R Vishweshwaran of Mysore played that recently I forget where.

[MaheshS]

Swarajathi is missing, though it can be classified under 28, Shyama Sastri took it to another level with his 3!

[vasanthakokilam]

A specific form of ragamalika and thalamalika is called 'Suladi', popular in the Haridasa parampara

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5qlzTr90gw
Song starts around the 4 minute mark. Very enjoyable.

[sureshvv]

Shabdam

[braindrain]

How about ?

'vachana' and 'muNDige'

sOpAnam and kathakalipadam

[harimau]

Padyam,
Gadyam,
Daru.

[varsha]

thukkaDas
Someone please get the name for Alapana in one raga and krithi in another

[kvchellappa]

Alacrity! (a telescopic word: ala(pana) + crity(variant spelling of kriti)

[Nick H]

Shabdam

Do not underestimate the value of nishabdam. It can be the most soothing musical for to the ear

[cacm]

Dear Nick,
Without Nishabdam, Sabdham does not work in Music? We can start a segment on SILENCE & PAUSES which PMI & MMI along with MDR have discussed in ENORMOUS DEPTH......VKV

[SrinathK]

Damn, how did I forget?

29) Swarajathi

About 30) Silence, I think I definitely might have to add this.

I was thinking about the use of the word "laya" (rest) for rhythm and it strikes you. A continuous sound is melody. Punctuate it by gaps of silence and it is this dance of sound and silence that creates the experience of rhythm. One could argue that the silence came first but what separates melody from rhythm is actually the pause. Therefore the master of laya is actually the master of the pause...

In WCM, a moment of silence is still called as a "rest". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rest_(music)

[braindrain]

About 30) Silence, I think I definitely might have to add this.

I was thinking about the use of the word "laya" (rest) for rhythm and it strikes you. A continuous sound is melody. Punctuate it by gaps of silence and it is this dance of sound and silence that creates the experience of rhythm. One could argue that the silence came first but what separates melody from rhythm is actually the pause. Therefore the master of laya is actually the master of the pause...

Which is why one should watch this video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4mHPeMGTJM

[vasanthakokilam]

The comments to the silence video is a blast.

Srinath, not to speak ill of silence, but since you are looking to get to the bare minimal and fundamental definition, laya is born when there is a break in sameness of any kind. From that definition, if all you have is silence like the video above, then a bit of sound at some intervals causes laya to be introduced. It need not be aural of course, periodic flashes of light in that video is laya.

Just to not make it too minimal to be useless, we need to add the concept of 'periodicity', so I think the minimal definition then is 'periodic breaks in sameness/monotony'. Interestingly, once such a pattern is established in the minds of the perceiver, that periodicity can be withdrawn ( as in a long kArvai) and the perceiver will still hold on to the previously established laya.

Such a break can be attained without silence. A constant tone can be converted to one with laya with periodic rise and fall in frequency without any breaks. Thyagaraja's sangathis on AkAram is an example.

Not saying anything new of course.

[vasanthakokilam]

What are the various things that can provide that interruption to constancy and introduce a change which in turn induces laya? So far I have

- breaks ( sound to silence, or silence to sound, shabda nishabda beda )
- Swara change
- Emphasis change - hard and soft enunciation
- Volume change
- Timbre change
- gamaka change

Most commonly it is the 'emphasis' that we commonly perceive as beats. A major emphasis can be given to the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th beats with minor ones for 2, 4, 6 and 8 with the 5th one getting higher than normal emphasis is a common pattern in CM ( though not exclusively so ).
The sub beats are communicated through swara change or silence or kArvai'.

But other factors above can be brought to bear to provide that 'periodic interruption to a constant of something' and create the sense of laya in the perceivers' minds. If you want to think of an example, think of people blowing the Conch and what they use to create a sense of laya while continuously blowing a single note conch.