Violin Competition - Swaram or Sahatyam for Geetam

[nair027]

Hi,

Recently my daughter has participated in violin competition ( junior level ) . For the first time I heard one of the Judge was asking " Are you playing Sahityam or Swaram " as my daughter was about to start the Geetam.

Next day I have consulted few other teachers and all of them told me that , Swaran is played for Geetams and only it has to be played with Bhavam.

I would appreciate if you could advice on above and what is the correct practice to be followed.

Best Regards
Prasad

[nadhasudha]

What they mean by playing sahithyam is the place where we take breaths while singing the sahithyam should be the same place where the violin should also take the breath. Then it will appear that the violin is playing the sahithyam as opposed to playing just swarams. The split of words for sahithyam while singing vocally should be the same when played on the violin.

I am by no means an expert, but have understood this to be the vocal style while rendering compositions which have sahithyam from many lecdems. For compositions which have no lyrics these restrictions will not be there.

Link below to an excellent lec dem on this topic by Sangita Kalanidhi Sri Ravikiran.

https://youtu.be/wWqIE-sBsrg

[Narayanan NB]

When sahityam is played in violin
,multiple swarams are played using a single stroke of bow. For instance in malahari geetham Ma Pa is played in a single bow to make it sound like the sahityam i.e Shri. Same swaras played as swaraams nd sahityam would sound different.

[nair027]

Thank you sir for your details explanation . Now we have good idea.

Best Regards
Prasad

[Ranganayaki]

The best thing to do to in order to get an idea of this would be to listen to Lalgudi Jayaraman play a kriti that you know the lyrics to. If you don't know the lyrics, find a song and get familiar with the lyrics as sung by a vocalist and then listen to Lalgudi play it. Others may be very good too, but Lalgudi is revered for, among many things, having developed a bowing technique that masters sahitya.

[Narayanan NB]

So true. Just the other day I was listening to lalgudi sir playing Brova Baramma. What an amazing and unparallaled sahitya Bhavam. The pallvi starts wid Pa DHa ni Pa Ma Ga nd it you can actually listen to the the violin saying Brova Baramma. There is a lecture demo in which the speaker demonstrates how Lalgudi sir has distinguished the sahityam nd swaraams even in pancharatna krithis where although the swaraams are themselves representative of the sahityam Lalgudi sir uses jaarus to demonstrate the sahityam differently even there.

[nair027]

What they mean by playing sahithyam is the place where we take breaths while singing the sahithyam should be the same place where the violin should also take the breath. Then it will appear that the violin is playing the sahithyam as opposed to playing just swarams. The split of words for sahithyam while singing vocally should be the same when played on the violin.

I am by no means an expert, but have understood this to be the vocal style while rendering compositions which have sahithyam from many lecdems. For compositions which have no lyrics these restrictions will not be there.

Link below to an excellent lec dem on this topic by Sangita Kalanidhi Sri Ravikiran.

https://youtu.be/wWqIE-sBsrg

Thank you very much

Best Regards
Prasad