The raaga Sindhubhairavi evokes very happy and pleasant emotions. I didn't know about this raaga until a few years ago, however, my mom used to sing a couple of beautiful devotional songs that were haunting me long after she passed away and one day I recollected a few lines of one of the songs and hummed them to my guru Smt. Aparna Balaji. She right away said that the raaga is Sindhubhairavi, ever since this raaga has become my favorite raaga.
The scale of this raaga is as follows
S R1 G1 M1 P D1 N2 S
S N2 D1 P M1 G1 R1 S
There are plenty of beautiful krithis, bhajans, movie songs in this raaga. I found a good collection of Illayaraja's Sindhubhairavi compositions
Two Ragas may look very similar in terms of their aarohana and avarohana, but sound totally different.
Take for example the aarohana and avarohana of the Ragam Mohanam:
S R G P D S
S D P G R S
Mohanam has five notes, i.e. is an audav-jati ragam and takes the higher varieties of R, G and D
The notes in the Ragam Shivaranjani are the same as Mohanam. The only difference is that Shivaranjani uses sadharana gandharam instead of antara gandharam, i.e. a lower flatter variety of G than Mohanam.
The Aarohana and Avarohana of Shivaranjani is as follows (I have used Hindustani notation to keep things simple at this stage as Carnatic notation can get confusing):
S R g P D S
S D P g R S
The clips above are from ragasurabhi. When you listen to them, pay particular attention to the way the note G, i.e. the Gandharam is intoned. It's the same note, but is treated differently in each example.
The two Ragams "feel" and sound quite different. Shivaranjani has an altogether more sombre feel than Mohanam.
I sat down with Suprano Saxophonist and composer Phil Scarff at his residence in Winchester, MA to chat about his musical journey. I am sure you will enjoy listening to this wonderful artist share his story on how he came to appreciate Indian classical music (Also see his favorite Bhairavi rendition in the video below).
In my interview Phil talks about his band's (Natraj) latest album "Song of the Swan". A song from the album is also played in the beginning and at the end of the audio interview. In Phil's own words, "The moment music stops evolving, music is going to die". Among his key influencers were Maynard Ferguson, Warren Senders, Peter Rowe, and Pt. Shreeram Devasthali, to mention a few.
There are many introductions to Indian Classical Music, and this is just one attempt by a passionate listener. I have liberally borrowed from the work of others (duly credited).
I have always found that referring to more than one source helps me to understand something better and recommend that you go to more than one source to understand Indian music, if you are a beginner.
This introduction attempts to talk both of the Hindustani (North Indian) and Carnatic (South Indian) forms of Indian music, both of which are forms of raga music, though there are substantial differences in the way they are performed. There are different forms and styles within these traditions as well, and it would be impossible to do them all full justice here.
I believe it is actually necessary to have an attitude, an attitude that reflects the things we believe in and stand for, I was in Quebec City this past weekend and was impressed by the culture and attitude of the locals. At first it seemed arrogant that the guy behind the desk at a gas station had zero English vocabulary and the girl serving lunch was speaking to us in French even though we clearly didn't have much of a clue, with the exception of Bonjour and Merci.
Well, Quebec City is a great blend of culture, youthfulness, nature trails and waterfalls, Citadels all within a 30 minute radius from the Old City. During the summer, every evening there is a music concert at the center of the city in front of the Parliament building. Quebec City has attitude and one can see it in every corner, on every cobbled stone and on the walls of the Chateau. It is such a perfect place, if you are in love it is a great place to be, if you are not in love it is a great place to be!
A Question of Variety; Carnatic or Hindustani Music?
Guest Post by Ra
Yesterday, I read somewhere, not for the first time, that somebody preferred Carnatic music to Hindustani music because Carnatic music has more variety. I'm not one to begrudge anyone their preferences, (although I do sometimes idealistically wish everyone would love both and have a "love marriage" like mine). The "lack of variety" in Hindustani music however, is an assessment that is not entirely correct. A lot depends on the ear and on how it has been trained to listen.
The two systems are similar yet different, more importantly, they are performed differently these days.
In a contemporary Carnatic concert one is usually offered a range of different forms, from Varnams, to Ragam Tanam Pallavis and hopefully javalis and padams. Many different ragams are performed. Many speeds of music are visited. Many texts are sung (but not always pronounced correctly).
"Hindustani" is a rather generic term, and covers a lot of different forms and styles. What most people associate with a Hindustani concert is usually a Khayal concert. What tends to happen in Khayal and Dhrupad concerts is that a raga is expanded in great depth. The variety therefore, is expected to come from within the raga. One can spend two hours on Yaman and still not be done.
Second, there are different forms and styles of Hindustani music. Khayal and Dhrupad are the two major forms. Numerous "lighter" forms exist such as Thumri, Kajri, Tappa etc. Now a Dhrupad singer does not usually specialise in Khayal and vice versa. And while a Khayal singer may include a Thumri in a concert, there have always been singers who specialise in Thumri-Dadra and sing nothing else.
Third, a variety of different forms exist in Hindustani music, but not everyone is singing them brilliantly. Also, access to these forms remains limited. I return to my old pet peeve, there is a lot more on the net in terms of quality Carnatic music...
In sum, the variety exists in the North, but differently.
Here is Malini Rajurkar singing a Tappa-Chaal Pehchaani. How a Tappa can be called a "lighter" form given its complexity I fail to see..but anyway.
As promised, here is the second part of my fireside chat with the Prince. Prince talks about his passion for different kinds of music, Opera, Arabic etc. He feels that those who stick with only one kind of raaga or music only enjoy Idly and Sambar, they are not willing to try Pizza or Fajita.
He discusses how he was the tortoise in the tortoise and hare story when it comes to Carnatic vocal. He had to work very hard to get a hang of the basics. Students will benefit a lot from listening to this part of the interview.
I enjoyed listening to the Prince sing a composition of Dr. Balamuralkrishna in a raaga that has only 3 notes, very beautiful. I respect people who push the envelope, don't settle for things as they are, constantly challenge the widely accepted notions. It is very nice to hear him sing a western classic that he used to listen to (mandolin piece) when he was a child, he hummed pretty much the entire song, hear it in this interview for the first time, he has never hummed this in public!
"We really appreciate the value of things when we don't have access to them" said the Prince, just as I thought the interview came to an end, we chatted for 20 more minutes! It just goes on to say how the Prince makes it so easy to conduct an interview with him. Ever since part 1 of my interview was posted, I have gotten a lot of good feedback on the interview, the style and casual flow. Thanks to you all, I am sure you will enjoy part 2 of my interview as well.
"I like dissolving tension rather than creating tension" said Prince Rama Varma to my question on his perspective on a performer's mindset.
I had the good opportunity to meet up and have an informal chat with Prince Rama Varma when he visited Boston last month (May, 2010). Prince Rama Varma is a direct descendant of the lineage of Raja Ravi Varma the renowned painter and Sri. Swathi Thirunal, a very well known carnatic composer. He is a Veena artist and a carnatic vocalist.
What I like about the Prince is that he is extremely friendly, simple and straightforward, quite the opposite of what one would imagine of a "Prince".
You can read about him online and hear him perform on the youtube channels maintained by his fans, if you want to know him more intimately than as an artist on the stage or a prince, you must listen to my conversation with the Prince. It's delightfully entertaining and engaging. Here is a short video (14 min)
and click here for the part 1 of my audio interview!. In the interview Prince Rama Varma gives his perspectives on how having goals help students to learn better, answers my question on what should the artist's mindset be when performing. Should the artist sing for the audience or immerse him(her)self in singing.
Read Prince Rama Varma's essays on his personal website, they are fun to read, he has a knack for drawing in the reader with amusing analogies and captivating writing flow.
PS/ (thanks to the hosts Lakshmikanth and Jeyanthi)
There are somethings you can get away in this world with little or no practice. I enjoy the fun, surprise element of extempore speeches and creating marketing promotions, challenging wits with others on the fly.
I am learning that Music is not something you can get away with in an impromptu fashion. If there is one thing I learned as a music student, it is that the more you practice the better you get at music. The less you practice the better you will suck at it, no two ways about it, it's quite simple. Believe me, I can vouch for this more than anybody because I have sucked on at least 2 occasions in the past 6 months.
This wouldn't be an issue if the singing is in a solitary field where you and your dog are the only ones affected! When 100 or 200 people are trying to follow your bhajan and you cannot lead with confidence and devotion, you have not only ruined your communion with God but that of 200 others. Well, that's actually a big problem!
Moral of the story, don't sing if you have not practiced the song at least 100 times!
Many debates have happened and many stalwarts have been banished from the courts of Music in India on this topic of whether a music composition should be left as is or can it be experimented with to enhance the experience for the current time and age.
In my discussions with several artists, the common aspect that all seem to agree on is that Music like everything else needs to adapt. When we have adapted new technologies such as iPhone, iPod for listening to music, we are using Raagini Tanpura box instead of a real Tanpura, a Mridangam box instead of a real Mridangam then what is wrong in adapting to a new approach to singing an old composition?
I was listening to one of the upcoming artists, Sikkil Gurucharan's classical renditions and they are awesome. Sikkil Gurucharan hails from the famous Sikkil family that has the internationally acclaimed Carnatic flutists for several generations. He is the grandson of the senior of Sikkil sisters, Smt. Kunjumani and, the nephew of Sikkil Mala Chandrasekhar, another well known flutist. He is a Grade A artist of the All India Radio. He gave his first concert in 1994 at the Madras Music Academy. Since then he has performed at all important Sabhas in Chennai. I uploaded one of his tracks Sarvam Brahmamayam accompanied on the piano by pianist Anil Srinivasan. Very nice combination of piano and classical music brings a very nice feeling.
"Majority of men lead lives of quite desperation" a great philosopher once quipped. It is indeed very true. How many of us can put our hands on our heart and say, we are making an impact in the world, we are improving the lives of people or we are making something happen, something useful, something that makes a dent in the universe.
I wrote about my musical sojourn to Wesleyan University, the journey continues, now it is local, Tufts University.
I met up with three vibrant young musicians couple of days back. Saish Gunturi, a student at Tufts University and a savvy guitarist, Swarup Swaminathan, a Masters student at Harvard University and an avid Harmonium and Piano player and Abhinav Thirunagari, a student at Boston University, singer and Tabla player.
We met in one of the cozy corner music rooms on the Tufts campus. I was inspired to see the bulletin boards and walkway leading up to the music room were filled with artistic event flyers. We quickly settled down and worked on the music pieces.
The best part of this jam session was that we spent few minutes talking about what to do and a lot of minutes just doing it, in line with Nike's slogan! There is beauty in just doing it, especially when it comes to music and art, it works wonders. All of the recordings were impromptu and the improvisations were spectacular. Listen to the piano and guitar playing off of each other hand in hand in this bhajan Chitta Chora and the elegant tabla beats trickling in like the rain drops on to a thirsty plant.
Earlier I wrote about my visit to Wesleyan University and being part of the student concert and interviewing them. My 2 hour drive on a weekday from Boston to Bloomington, Connecticut was worth every moment, these students are all extremely inspiring and hugely talented. Solkattu by the students was a terrific performance, Prof. David Nelson is the man behind the Solkattu performance.
After the performance I had the good opportunity to chat with Wesleyan Balu on his musical journey, his inspirations and his advice to ambitious music students. Prof. Balu is the young and dynamic torch bearer of what his Guru T. Viswanathan and his predecessor Higgins Bhagavathar started at Wesleyan. Here is my video interview, enjoy (Towards the end of the interview the video is a bit off, please bear with the artistically challenged!))
Raphaelle Brochet, the lead vocalist says she was inspired to learn South Indian Classical music the first time she was in India at the age of 17, she went back to France, moved to Paris to start her carnatic music lessons, check out my interview with Raphaelle here
On April 28th I was at Wesleyan accepting an invite from Prof. Balasubramanyam at Wesleyan. His students were performing in a carnatic music concert and they sang 6 wonderful krithis. What's amazing is not that all the artists are westerners, but that their sincerity and devotion to an art form that is exotic even to many Indians and their dedication to the carnatic music is mind blowing.
Here is what the lead guitarist in the program, Garrett Field had to say about his passion for Carnatic Music
I recall having a long chat with one of my friends, a very smart guy and connoisseur of music about music being universal. The question was, can any music be universal music or is some music more universal than others. If all music is universal, how is it that we are all not equally appreciative of all kinds of music? A genre appeals to some much more so than to others? Just as an artist appeals to one group much more so than to others. Is there truly something called Universal Music that appeals to all.
Saying that Music is Universal is something like saying oxygen is universal or fresh water is universal, or fire is universal or the concept of God is universal. However, when the same water is mixed with the local culture, it becomes "Theertham" in Indian temples, the same water when mixed with a flavor it becomes a drink. This does not mean that water is not universal, nor does it mean Theertham is universal, it only means that water has taken a form that has a meaning and an appeal to a set of folks. Similarly, the fundamental idea behind music, organized sounds that follow a specific beat (rhythm) at a specific pitch, is universal. I come to understand what it really means to say "Music is Universal".
Are musicians born musicians, is music inherent in their DNA? or is it acquired along the way. In other words, is it nature or nurture that makes one a musician? Can someone who doesn't have any music DNA in them (I can hear you devil's advocates laughing out loud) become a great musician?
When someone says, I have no music sense, do they really mean it? Can it actually be true?
There are some similarities between Music and Apple Computer Inc. Everyone loves Music, seldom do we see someone not liking Music similar to very few (if any) not liking Apple's products of art (iPhone, MacBook, iPad).
1. Only a few are ardent fans of Apple, just as only a few are passionate about Music
2. Apple is a perfect blend of Art and Science, so is good Music
3. Just when you think you've seen it all, there is a new surprise
4. Function follows Form in Music and at Apple
5. Apple has an attitude and so does Music (in the positive way)
6. Apple liberates indie Artists with iTunes just as Music liberates people
7. Apple never sacrifices quality over quantity, MacBook Pro $2499.00, Windows laptop $399.00 and so does good Music
8. Apple is powerful and so is Music
9. An Apple a day keeps the doctor away and so does Music
Once Akbar and Tansen were out strolling incognito amongst the people. They stumble upon a mendicant who was singing some melodious songs. Akbar was mesmerized, and remarks to Tansen, "How is it that I never really get the same feeling of ecstasy when you sing (although it is technically perfect) ?". Tansen responds by saying, "I sing your praises in my songs; he is singing the glory of God".
This often begs the question, which mode should a singer (or performer) operate in - pleasing the audience or being immersed in the music (which I would equate to singing God's praises, in this context). Is this one other reason that when the same song from the same singer is heard on different occasions, evokes different levels or a different set of feelings in the listener?
It's inspiring and equally fascinating when someone born and brought up in the Western culture dedicates his/her life to Hindustani or Carnatic Music. A few among such noble beings that I am aware of are Warren Sanders, Jon Higgins and many student of Prof. Higgins at Wesleyan and at music departments at other colleges like Wesleyan.
I recently came to know that Prof. Richard Wolf (Harvard University) is among such inspiring personalities as well. Definitely try to attend his upcoming concert at Harvard on Saturday (4/10/2010 from 4 pm). More details on the event
Very much along these lines, a well known band, Natraj, performs frequently in the Boston area. I have not personally attended their concerts in the past, the band is performing tomorrow along with popular local Carnatic Artists.
Are you super happy doing what you do? If not, it is time to stop and reasses. When you see independent artists, musicians, painters, writers doing what they do, you realize that they have no boundary between work and entertainment. Nothing feels like work for them because they do what makes them super happy. British Actor Michael Kane supposedly said "I do the work for FREE, I get paid for sitting in the mobile van to be called for the shot"
This may be a bold statement to make but if you are not super happy when you wake up in the morning to start your work (plumbing, composing, painting, coding, nursing whatever it may be), you need to rethink, for it's not worth spending the most important part of your waking hours doing something that doesn't make you super happy!
I was in Dan Ariely's (author of new york times bestseller Predictably Irrational) Marketing class at MIT and really liked his approach to questioning and challenging everything. One day in class he asked how many of you think that the "Eureka" moment happens in an instant. I was the only one who raised my hand. And then he followed up with his next question, how many of you believe that "Eureka" moment usually happens after a lot of hard work, perspiration, persistence and disciplined effort. Most everyone except me raised their hands.
predictablyirrational.com
I definitely didn't agree with Prof. Ariely for a long time. I strongly believed that Eureka moments do happen instantly, a moment of genius idea, a moment where my inner voice or intuition says something so creative that it is life changing. Over time I have learnt that I was totally wrong.
Overnight success is always preceded by years and years of disciplined hardwork, persistence. Thanks Prof. Ariely and thanks to my friend Vandana for gifting me his latest book Predictably Irrational, a great read, I recommend with pride.
We like to believe that we are very rational beings, reading the book changes minds for sure, as Prof. Ariely provoked his students to rethink fundamental assumptions, his book does too! Go get your copy or a good friend like Vandana!
If you have ever been in a position that I am in right now, you'd probably wish that technology could help you learn better, be a better musician, do gigs you dream of but would never get to, keep practice logs to inspire, organize your music and notes all in digital form, accessible from anywhere, anytime on iPhone, desktop, car radio, you name it.
How can Technology help music students? Not artists, not bands, but music students! How interesting and silly that I pose this question, correct? What technology did Bach have, how many types of mp3 players and sophisticated tools did Purandaradasa use to create the lessons plans, none. You are right. In a slightly less connected world of 1800s or 1900s, I'd argue that to keep focus on what is relevant to me was a little more easier than today. With more technology driven "distractions" my belief is that we need better technology driven focus tools as well.
We need leaders in this fine art of music. Enough imitation, new music is long due. With all due respect to 'old' music and the great legend composers, what we need is not simply repeating what has already been created. Imagine if everyone simply repeated Beethoven or Mozart, there would never have been a Beatles or U2. Imagine if every car manufacturer simply produced more Ford Mobiles, we would never have seen the light of a Prius or the ultimte driving machine! Imagine if everyone simply imitated the Wright Brothers, we would all be flying in individual manned aircrafts that are limited to short distances and mostly inland, Imagine if everyone imitated Thyagaraja, Shyama Sastri or Dikshitar, actually you don't need to imagine this last one, because that's the reality!
We need to ask ourself why can't I produce music of such great quality. Music that transcends time and space, music that is vibrant. Is it the case that we believe the legend composers are Godly beings and music is an innate quality that came to them by birth. In thinking so we delude ourselves and our potential to reach the same heights. An alternative approach could be to say "yes I can and I will, not with bravado, but with humility, reverence, devotion, dedication and all the noble qualities that made the legends Legends!
Raaga Saraswathi is very beautiful, the scale for the raaga is
S R2 M2 P D2 S
S N1 D2 P M2 R2 S
I learnt my first krithi in this raagam, the krithi is composed by Sri Purandhara Dasa called Charanamve Vani, here rendered by my guru Smt. Aparna Balaji. My simplified rendition of Charanamve Vani from a few years ago.
A very popular Thyagaraja composition in this raaga sung by Sowmya is Anuraagamuleni Manasuna . Saint Thyagaraja says, Sugnana can never enter the heart that's devoid of compassion, very beautiful!
We all like to believe that we are rockstars 24x7 but in reality we are not. No one really cares about you, face it. No one really cares about you. People care about your ideas. You think 250,000 people showed up in Washington for Martin Luther King's historic speech "I Have a Dream" because they were fans of Mr. King. No. Not really. Even though there were no personal brands, no twitters, no blogs, no friending people on Facebook, people showed up because they believed in themselves, Mr. King was a way for the people gathered there to realize their own dream, which resonated with Mr. King's dream.
On this note, if you have a chance read the blog by Seth Godin, one of my heros
You rock!
We can try to be a rockstar for 5 minutes today, practice that complex variation from your music lesson, help promote your friends album, take the 5 minutes to share the joy of music with others, be a hero. Take the 5 minutes from your busy life to rock!
Kalyani is one of the classic raagas in the realm of carnatic music which provides greater scope for improvisation (aalapana). I feel that it's jeeva swara lies in the trasition between G3 (andhara gaandhaaram) and M2 (prati madhyamam). Whenever I sing or listen to it, I get mesmerized greatly by the depth of the raaga. I also realized that flipping just one swara in the scale to its nearest counterpart brings out an absolutely different melakarta raaga, retaining its true flavor. Here it is:
Kalyani (Original scale):
S R2 G3 M2 P D2 N3 S
S N3 D2 P M2 G3 R2 S
Gamanaashrama: (flip R2 -> R1)
S R1 G3 M2 P D2 N3 S
S N3 D2 P M2 G3 R1 S
Dharmavati: (flip G3 -> G2)
S R2 G2 M2 P D2 N3 S
S N3 D2 P M2 G2 R2 S
Dheera Shankarabharanam: (flip M2 -> M1)
S R2 G3 M1 P D2 N3 S
S N3 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S
Lathangi: (flip D2 -> D1)
S R2 G3 M2 P D1 N3 S
S N3 D1 P M2 G3 R2 S
Vachaspathi: (flip N3 -> N2)
S R2 G3 M2 P D2 N2 S
S N2 D2 P M2 G2 R2 S
When listening to "Pirava varam" in lathangi or "Bhajana seyara" in dharmavati, even though it sounds like Kalyani at the beginning of the song, it is not in reality because of the big (seemingly small) difference in the swaras. Kalyani is a very popular raaga in the arena of carnatic music concerts where it is sung as a major number.
I came across this song recently called Ranjani mridu Pankaja Lochani - a beautiful ranjani mala(ragamalika) composed by Thanjavur Sankara Iyer. This song is unique from a perspective that it contains wonderful ragas with "Ranjani" as their suffix. There are 4 ragas in this song. The pallavi portion is in Ranjani and the charanams 1,2 and 3 are in "Sriranjani" "Megharanjani" and JanaRanjani" respectively. Such a delight to listen to this song's rendition by D K Jayaraman.
Pallavi (Ranjani)
Ranjani mrudu pankaja lochani
(O Mother! You are the delightful one ("ranjani"). You have eyes ("lochani") like the tender ("mrudu") lotus petals ("pankaja").
1st Charanam: (Sriranjani)
Manju bhaashini manollasini manda agamani shriranjani
You speak ("bhaashini") beautifully ("Manju"). You take away the ego of the mind. You are Sri Ranjani
2nd Charanam (Megharanjani)
Samagana vinodini shashanka vadani mara janani megharanjani
You delight ("vinodini") in the musical chanting ("gaana") of the Sama Veda. Your face ("vadani") is like the moon ("sashaanka"). You gave birth ("janani") to cupid ("Maara"). You are Megha Ranjani, the goddess of the clouds.
3rd Charanam (Janaranjani)
Pamarajana palini shulini paapa vimochani paavani janaranjani
You take care ("paalini") of the afflicted ("paamara") ones ("jana"). You are Shoolini, one with the Trident. You get rid ("vimochani") of our sins ("paapa"). You are the pure one ("paavani"). You are the delight ("ranjani") of all people ("jana"), Jana Ranjani!
How many of us took to drawing when we were 3 years old? Probably most if not all of us, but how many of us draw today, may be a handful. How many of us could sing a rhyme or two when we were 3 years old? Probably most of us, how many of us sing a rhyme today, may be a handful? why the difference, what happened on the way? Where did we lose it?
It's one thing to start something and a whole another ball game to keep moving it forward.It requires courage, courage to stand up when others laugh at your dinky little drawing, your own creation. Courage to keep moving forward with your squeaky little voice when the world avoids your music like fire alarm. Courage to "Ignore Everybody" (read the book by Hugh MacLeod)
For the most part we can safefly ignore our "Lizard Brain" (Linchpin, book by Seth Godin), it is there to warn us from jumping of a cliff or to hug a killer grizzly bear. It's not that useful in most of what we do today, ignore the lizard brain, keep going where you want to go.
The song Krishna Nee Begane Baro, a beautiful composition of Vyasaraya Tirtha in the raaga Yamuna Kalyani
We have all heard several versions of this song from many great singers. I like Bombay Jayashree version but it sounds too perfect of a rendition making me feel as if it is very methodical approach to rendering the song.
I think Unnikrishnans version is better since it generates the kind of pleading emotion most appropriate to the lyrics and the bhava with which Vyasarasaru may have composed. However, the rendition makes me feel more apathetic than anything else.
I like Jon Higgins version. The story goes, as written by V. Thiagarajan a friend of Jon Higgins, in the SPAN magazie -
A party of musicians, Jon among them, went to Udipi to see the Krishna temple. The American wore a dhoti and a kurta as was his custom in Madras . . . but he was much too fair complexioned to be an Indian, and the priests would not let him enter the temple... So Jon stood where Kanakadasa the untouchable had stood centuries ago, to catch a glimpse of the idol from a distance as best he could. His musician friends stood with him, refusing to go inside the temple if Jon was not allowed. Then it occurred to one of them to ask Jon to sing the famous song, "Krishna, nee begane baro," a composition in Kannada…. When the air was filled with the vibrant melody of his splendid voice there was no keeping away the crowds that gathered around to hear him. The priests, astonished, begged the singer to come in, and what Kanakadasa could not achieve, the foreigner did.
Reading the story and listening to the Bhagavathars rendition brings a very beautiful feeling overall.
What do you think, is there a favorite version for you?
Bhajans simply gel with the lead singers, instrumentalists, followers one and all like no other form of devotional music. Simple words, simple variations create a much stronger positive effect on everyone, sometimes even a intricately handcrafted neraval in a carnatic concert may not have such effect on the listeners.
Bhajan Sampradaya has been around for a long time, it was popularized by Nanak, Kabir, Meera, Surdas and Tulsidas, Bhadrachala Ramadas and many other spiritual seekers.
It's not an exaggeration to say that Bhajans can move mountains like no other music, like most things in life, best things are free and simple, bhajans are one of them :)
Over the weekend I was at a an all night Shivarathri bhajan session, sitting next to me was this elderly gentleman probably in his 80s named Parthasarathi. He sang a beautiful bhajan in Bageshri Mahadeva Shiva Shambho Shankara
I struck a conversation with him on a few other bhajans I had heard him sing earlier in one of the bhajan sessions and he pulled out a CD Album that he produced called "Kasthuri Thilakam Vol 2 Sai Bhajans". He gave it to me and asked me to make copies and share it with friends and family.
My first thoughts when something like that happens is to share the joy with you on raagabox and so last night I uploaded the 11 beautiful bhajans in 11 different raagas for your bliss, enjoy them here Kasthuri Thilakam
Charukesi is the 2nd raagam in the 5th chakra Bana. The mnemonic name is Bana-Sri. The mnemonic phrase is sa ri gu ma pa dha ni[1]. Its structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows -
S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S
S N2 D1 P M1 G3 R2 S
It is a sampoorna raagam - a raagam that has all seven swaras (notes). It is the shuddha madhyamam equivalent of Rishabhapriya, which is the 62nd melakarta.
Music is divine. It unifies people of all languages, cultures and nationalities. It has the power to uplift our spirits no matter what our life situation is. Music has always enhanced my various emotions: love, devotion, celebration and so on.....I can not imagine life without music!
Elements of a perfect carnatic music rendition include the following:
* Shruthi MAthA Laya PithA
Maintaining absolute Shruthi(pitch) being the mother and Laya(tempo or rhythm), the father of carnatic music.
* Lyrics
- Correct pronunciation of the words in the krithi.
- Sound knowledge of the meaning of the song delivering the essence vividly.
* Swarasthanas
- Adhering to the raaga lakshanas, keeping in mind the scale of the raaga.
* Raaga Bhava or Raaga Chaaya
- Assuring that no phrases of the allied raaga (if any) is shown.
- Choosing appropriate raagas that resonate well with the time of theday and well received by the audience.
- Seamless transition between raagas while singing raagamalikas.
* Emphasis on the gamakas while singing sahitya sangatis.
* Pace of the song - fast or slow or hybrid.
* Must-be/Must-not-be shown prayogas(raaga phrases) while rendering an aalapana (raaga improvisation).
* Concentrating on manodharma(creativity) and bringing out appreciable variety while singing neraval (improvisation on a line of a song) and kalpana swaras (swara improvisation).
* Proper voice modulation focussing on stress and pause.
* Evoking the mood of the composer.
* Effective musical communication with the accompaniments (if in a concert).
* The position of the song (if in a concert).
* Meditation on the praised deity or raaga deity throughout the rendition.
* Above all, ensuring that the listener is gripped to the seat.
It is beyond doubt that attaining perfection in song rendition is a herculean task! Hats off to all the eminent carnatic musicians of today!!
I find Kapi ragam to be very intoxicating and melodious. It brings a very nice feeling everytime I listen to this ragam. Although there are various songs in Kapi, recently, I loved listening to Ilayaraja's version when he played one of the songs in Kapi during a concert in Italy. Ilayaraja's Kapi flavor is just totally awesome. I really liked it a lot. He has scored this song in one of his films as well.
A R Rahman has composed "Kadhal Rojave" song in Kapi (although the humming portion in the beginning of the song is in desh) in his first film Roja - a great hit ofcourse. Ofcourse SPB's rendition was classy.
On a different genre - there are innumerable pieces of Kapi in Carnatic music. One of my favorites is definitely "Jagadhodharana" - and who can forget "Enna thavam Seidhane yashoda" which describes Yashoda's love for Krishna.
I am sure there are lots of bhajans and other devotional songs in Kapi. But the one that I get reminded about the most is - "Madhusudhana Hey Muralidhara".
Is Pilu, the hindustani version of Kapi? It would be good to identify the difference between Pilu and Kapi through a song
Regardless, Kapi covers a variety of emotions. Nice to listen, explore and more importantly enjoy different flavors of kapi in various genres.
Experts on cognition and brain development say that exposure to classical forms
of music at a young age is very beneficial to the development of a child's brain. The complicated patterns inherent in most classical forms of music allow for the establishment of complex memory patterns in the young brain's cortex.
This has been found to be highly correlated with learning and deep thinking.
Music has also been shown to facilitate the secretion of neurotransmitters that
are associated with enjoyment and happiness - how many of us have not seen
the wonders of singing to a crying infant, and having it gradually quiet itself. And how many of us have not ourselves been calmed by listening to our favorite songs and ragas: that kriti in mOhana, that rendition of bhairavi AlApana, the pallavis from your favorite Pancharatna. We turn to music at various times of happiness and distress, joy and despair - for, music has that special power to resonate emotionally with us, whatever our internal emotional state. And at such times we usually turn to a favorite raga or song.
Most of us have this favorite raga that we listen to preferentially, that we want to learn the most songs in, that we hum when we are sitting at a red light. It is probably tied to our physiological and psychological construction, the product of our internal wiring and experiences. For me, this raga is bhairavi. There is a certain pathos and gravity that this raga evokes in me that I cannot turn away from. It draws me into its slightly imbalanced structure creating a yearning for those two dha's separated by that minor scale 'ni'.
There was a time when I was obsessed with this raga, listening to no others,
singing no others, even making a "bhairavi" cassette tape by painstakingly splicing together songs in bhairavi from many other cassettes and wearing out the tape as well as at least a couple of (thankfully cheap) tape recorders. It haunted me.
But this piece is NOT about bhairavi. Or Ahiri, or shankarAbharaNam, or any
of the other beautiful crutches that I had surrounded myself with. Rather, it is
about weaning myself away from this beautiful crutch and attempting to discover
the equally rich worlds that exist in other ragas. At this point I would like to dedicate these words to my teacher, Aparna Balaji.In my first formal class with her she asked me what my goals were in learning music with her. I told her that I wanted to learn mEru samAna in mAyAmALavagowLa - I had heard her sing this at one of her concerts and instantly decided that she would be my teacher - and koluvaiyunnADe in bhairavi, and then learn songs in my other favorite ragas. But of course, I told her, the choice of raga was hers as my guru ... just that, I was not particularly fond of ragas like mOhana, hamsadhwani,
kalyANi, and a few others, so if she didn't mind too much, could she avoid teaching me songs in these ragas. Her face instantly took on an expression of surprise, to be replaced by one of amused admonition. "I am not partial to any ragas, and I do not teach this way", she said. "I will teach you all ragas. It is important to learn songs in all ragas, and not be limited to only a few." And she proceeded to teach me a beautiful song in naTanArAyaNi, a raga which I had never heard of, let alone heard. "Oh boy", I thought, "I'll just have to make the best of it." And it is only gradually that I realized the wisdom of my guru.
A raga allows us to explore aspects of ourselves, it facilitates a conversation with ourselves in a particular emotion or mood. The raga mOhana evokes one mood,
bhairavi another, sAma yet another - and they are all different for different people. By listening to, and singing, different ragas we have conversations on a range of topics with ourselves - we listen to and explain our emotions and thoughts to ourselves, thereby increasing our understanding of our essential being. The more varied this conversation, the deeper our understanding - of course, I am not saying that breadth is a substitute for depth, merely a complement. By restricting ourselves to only a small subset of ragas we restrict our conversation to a handful of themes. We restrict our
understanding of ourselves, and therefore of others. And we restrict our ability
to fully connect and empathize with other people and ultimately ourselves. And it is this power of connection and understanding that I believe music, like other art forms, endows us humans with. Why waste it?! I cannot say that hamsadhwani has replaced bhairavi as my favorite raga - without lying, that is - but what I can say is that, by consciously attempting to explore hamsadhwani as I have explored bhairavi, I have discovered that it too can resonate with me in ways that bhairavi has; it too can cause me to shed tears the way bhairavi has; and it can force me to confront some of my insecurities and mental blocks.
By all means, practice music as you best see fit. We live in an era dominated by Facebook and iPods, instant messaging and instant gratification. Time, we are constantly reminded, is a scarce resource whose utility we need to maximize. Can we blame ourselves for dedicating this limited resource to the pursuit of our favorite pleasures? - can we blame anyone BUT ourselves? Music is all inclusive and all permissive. It gives back as much as we put in. It
allows us the freedom to listen exclusively to bhairavi, and it allows us the freedom to explore our inner spirits towards a much richer outcome. By admitting to a favorite raga we only admit to being human; by limiting ourselves to that favorite raga we limit our intellectual and emotional development as musicians, artists, and human beings.
Music and Spirituality go hand in hand. The word spirituality makes one think that it is all about meditation, yoga and pranayams (breathing techniques). This could sound very complex for some people. Music has the power to transform this complexity into the simplest form of spirituality. It is the main ingredient of spirituality that can be easily followed by everybody. Music can move people young and old. Music dissolves the ego in oneself and surrender to the divine.
I was drawn to Spirituality through music, the Bhajans were captivating, and singing the praise of the divine gave a sense of peace. I was able to understand the essence of being spiritual in the most subtle way. Spiritual music otherwise called Bhajans put me in a state of meditation. Music has the power to harmonize mind and body. I feel the peace within self through music. Silence happens automatically, music soothes the mind.
We have had great spiritual masters like Sri Ramana maharshi and Sri Vivekananda and Sri Ramakrishna paramahamsa, the list of such great spiritual masters can go on and on. Their practices to achieve great heights of spiritual enlightenment were simple. Music has been the key to reach the hearts of a common man. I remember someone telling me that spirituality was only for older people. When I see my kids as young as eight and two year old enjoy the melody and the rhythm of Bhajans, I realized how music can move people young and old, it has no age limit. Having had the opportunity to work with several spiritual organizations, it is amazing to see what music can offer for Spiritual minds.
Music transcends cultural and religious barriers. It brings about a sense of belonging and oneness among people of all walks of life. Music has brought people from different continents together. It is beyond race, culture and language. Silence and peace are the main ingredients of spiritual mind, music makes it happen. Meditation is a mind free of all agitation and serene experience of the inner self. Music has the power to elevate the consciousness to a level where one can experience meditation or peace of the inner self. On the contrary in a meditative state of mind one can feel the melody of music. Music harmonizes mind and body.
Music is the language of our lives. Of course, our lives are a beautiful story, punctuated by events and people, but music captures the essential spirit of our soul and provides landmarks. Looking back, I can measure the distance between two points in my life with my "soundtrack" - perhaps the song playing on the iPod during that very moment, the background music on the speakers in the airport or mall, the song on the car's radio. That song is not the moment itself, but it frames and defines it. Sometimes we choose the theme song for the moment - most of us do this when we get married - but more often than not, the song is chosen for us. It becomes an inextricably linked detail, a marker that can be beautifully invoked to bring a flood of memories whenever we hear that song again.
An indefatigable companion, music has threaded disparate chapters of my life, capturing strings to be woven into a larger web. I can look back on stages of my emotional development and map them to a distinct soundtrack. Early youth was shaped by parental influence - Frank Sinatra, Fleetwood Mac, classical (Bach) drummed into my head during piano lessons. Adolesence represented a dichotomous split which probably reflected my personality at large at the time - the studious musician was learning to sing John Rutter, playing "Killer Joe" in jazz ensemble, playing "Nessun Dorma" in marching band, while the guy inside of me who thought all of the above were completely uncool was actually listening to Bob Marley and R&B. I would secretly blast hip-hop in the car while outwardly sharing a love for classic rock and jam bands - because it seemed appropriate. As an adult, I listen to country, rap, bhangra, Christian rock, death metal.. there really is no limit. Each genre dutifully serves to embellish the moment, the season of life that exists at the time.
Music is intensely personal. When I created a Facebook profile, I was vexed by the prospect of describing my "favorite music" to any friend on the internet who would be interested to know. Surely, I can't mention everything here? What will people think if they know that I listen to Phish?Spilling one's musical guts in a 500-character text box is something distinctly different from avoiding judgement from the world by mentioning details of career, job title, date of birth, and other facts. Unlike many other details of our lives, our soundtrack is chiefly the by-product of our choices and exposure, and it speaks volumes about what moves our soul. Many of us are loathe to compartmentalize it into five or six of our favorite artists.
I have loved music from a young age; it has provided me a creative outlet, a social glue, and an achievement opportunity. Music has channeled my spiritual life; I have been blessed with opportunities to serve God with performing. In this chapter of my story, I eagerly am learning to play guitar; the promise of being able to integrate the watermark of my soul intimately into the soundtrack is exhilarating.
I salute Madhav and believe in the spirit of raagabox - music, creativity, and ideas grow when shared and the artists who create it are given a chance to be brought together in this rapidly-shrinking world. This music tells the story, of our time and our lives.
Music is such a beautiful expression of emotion, and of all types. Whether it is expressing devotion through a Meera bhajan or declaring the veera rasa (heroic theme) through a Hindustani composition in Raag Shankara, music serves as such a beautiful conduit for one to express oneself.
As a medical student, I was shocked to learn that only 2 muscles are needed to control a vocalist's pitch - one to reduce the frequency, and one to increase it. Isn't it simply amazing that we can produce such a vast variety of art just from the fine utilization of these muscles? We are truly lucky to have such a chance to express our emotion through this artform.
When one listens to any great musical composition - be it Ilayaraja's or any classical old krithis - he/she derives immense joy and happiness. Although most of them were composed several decades ago or even few centuries ago, it still gives a great feeling when we listen to those musical gems. But feeling so happy from a listener's perspective is definitely true. What about the singer who sings those compositions ? Isn't it true that he or she should have felt the same happiness while rendering them ? Singers add so much feeling and beauty to the song that if he/she does not get the complete feeling of the song, its hard to make a listener derive happiness out of the rendition. Further down, if the listener and the singer both were able to get so much joy - how about the composer who composed those?
Few examples of great composers - St. Thyagaraja, Purandaradasa, Ilayaraja(in the modern age) etc..
Few examples of great singers - Bombay Jayashri, K.S. Chitra, SPB, K J Yesudas, Sanjay Subramanyam, Maharajapuram Santhanam etc..
Examples of listeners - All of us :)
Examples of great songs - Pancharathna kritis
No doubt, at every stage feeling of happiness is derived by all the three - composer, singer and the listener. But who really gets more joy? Few think its the listener, some say its the singer and the rest say its the composer. What do you think?
Music in its purest form unites and binds us all since music knows no barriers and is universal. The vibrant & inspirational AUM chanted in the early hours of the morning is an example of this pure music. The scriptures tell us that such pure music is also a means to attain the emancipation of the soul.
1) Narada Bhakti Sutras 2) Sandilya Bhakti Sutras 3) Srimad Bhagavatham.
Srimad Bhagavatham also talks about the nine forms of devotion -
Shravanam, Keertanam, Vishnoho Smaranam, Padasevanam, Archanam, Vandanam, Dasyam, Sakhyam, Atmanivedanam (SrimadBhagavatam 7- 5-23-24) of which Keertanam is the second.
By hearing melodious music and sweet words of devotion, supported by proper tala, one gets transported to different - higher state of mind. Thoughts slowly disappear and all that is left is that precious moment of sound, no past no future, only now.
I am not a professional musician. Being a European I grew up with western music only. But luckily destiny had its own plans. Some 10 years back I got to know Indian music, first bhajans and later Carnatic. That brought a whole new dimension to my understanding and experiencing of even sound, not only music. It became my foremost sadhana, spiritual practice to reach God. In all this years of learning bhajans and recently some Carnatic I realized music is also my teacher.
Practice of it gives me discipline, it teaches me to focus. And when focused, I reach that >>now moment<<, that state of serenity and peace that is above mundane thoughts and worries.
Music also teaches me dharma. When I get absorbed into practice, I realize that every sound has its place in the universe of sounds. Every raga has its dharma, its eternal laws inherent in its very nature. There is no coincidence in rendering a raga. Even if improvising, it is still under the laws of its dharma.
Breaking that dharma would be (like prof. Sambamoorty says in his book) rude shock for a listener. I would add for a performer also.
I also learnt from music that constant and steadfast effort pays off with His grace. It is not the perfection of singing itself that touches God, but also the effort, discipline, willingness and sacrifice put in. And this is not just the case with music but with everything in life. We just do our best, then He will do the rest.
I think world would be much better place if everybody would be encouraged to learn music from an early age. Like Hari Mohan Sharma said in an interview: An artiste's biggest contribution is peace. Name any classical artiste who became a terrorist?
I can only thank God for bringing music into my life.
My first introduction to music was through my parents. Coming from a family that had their ancestral roots from the town of Thiruvaiyaaru my mom is an ardent fan of classical music. Tiruvaiyur (flickr.com/photos/tatess/1839052781/)
On the other hand I was formally introduced to the Beatles by my dad. While I appreciated all songs from the icons like RD Burman to AR Rahman, I friended Bhangra through Gurdas Mann. Boston introduced me to Latin music and last but not the least, Swami brought me to the world of Bhajans.
Do I have classical training? No. Do I play instruments? No. Am I fluent with all the languages that these several music forms are expressed? No.
But I do understand the several emotions that each of these music forms beautifully portray. I understand the rhythms of happiness and I understand the rhythms of celebration. I understand the rhythms of anger and I understand the rhythms of sorrow. I understand that MUSIC is a language of its own that rhymically depicts the vibrations of several human emotions. And, to whoever quoted 'Music has no language', I say, 'dead on'.
To me music is a means to relax. It entertains and stimulates, allows
my thoughts to wander. It is something that can make an otherwise
boring commute really tolerable. If it is during a vacation, it sets
the mood for me and lets me get lost in a book or lets me unwind. It
would be a very monotonous world without music in it.
Music is divine. It surpasses all boundaries of religion and cultures. Personally for me any sound soothing to one's body and mind which brings peace and harmony to self is Music. Hailing from a south Indian family, music was all around me. There were Vedas and hymns being chanted everyday. The sounds produced from the chanting's were invigorating and powerful. Sama veda is very musical. I realized how important the role of the vocal chords was to music. Music is healing, it can be the language of peace and love to all human beings around the world. Being exposed to music at a young age encouraged me to explore more profound forms of music and in the process carnatic classical music has been my favorite of all kinds of music. I believe being close to one's culture and what it offers strengthens your identity, builds pride in your work and hence reflects in your personality. Rightly said by Todd.M. Mccomb, who beautifully quotes that music is Positive mental discipline, helps focus and organize oneself.
Carnatic classical music is one of the oldest and most difficult forms of music. The basic form is monophonic song with improvised variations encompassing 72 basic scales or the Melakarta ragas on the octave. It has a rich variety of melody or the raga and rhythm which are very compelling. The foundation is built on the Shruti (pitch), Swara (sound of one single note on the octave), Melody (raga, based on the scales or arrangements of the swaras on the octave), and Tala (rhythmic motion or the beat). Purandara dasa was instrumental in laying the foundation for creating the structure for carnatic classical music. The compositions of the great saints like Thyagaraja, Muttuswami Dikshitar, Syama Sastri, bring out the essence of bhakti and gyana. Their compositions are mainly based on describing the glory of the lord. It can hold the secret for liberation of the soul to a higher goal and leading to Nirvana.
These great compositions are set to a certain raga and tala. Talking of ragas and compositions based on these ragas, Ananda bhairavi has captured my heart. Ragas can influence ones moods and emotions. They are sung at different times of the day and the influence of it on ones mind and body is profound. Ananda bhairavi is a happy raga. It is believed to put the listener in a happy mood. This is a janya (born) out of the 20th Melakarta raga Nata bhairavi although many believe that it is a janya of the 22nd melakarta raga, Kharahara priya. Some of the great compositions of Syama Sastri are based on Ananda bhairavi raga. Some of the great compositions in this raga are as follows
* Marivere Gati and O jagadhamba by Syama Sastri
* Maanasa guruguha, Kamalamba Samrakshatu and Thyagaraja yoga vaibhavam by Muttuswami Dikshitar
* Neeke Teliyaka in Adi thalam by Thygaraja
Neeke Teliyaka by Thyagaraja, is still my favorite. This serves as a mode of communication with the divine. The lyrics of this song are so powerful. I feel music is an expression of the self, the soul. It is the parlance of any form of communication. Carnatic classical music is still one of the greatest forms of music.
The pancharathna (meaning "five gems") krithis are sung and played in unison by leading vocalists and instrumentalists respectively on the birthday of the musical genius, Saint Thiagaraja at Thiruvaiyaru Thiagaraja Aradhana. Being a spectator is truly scintillating!
The krithis are also known as "Ghana Raaga Panchakams" as they were composed on "Ghana Raagas" such as Nattai (Jagadhanandaka), Gowlai (Dudukugala), Aarabhi (Sadhinchene), Varali (Kanaganaruchira) and Shri (Entaro Mahanubhavulu). As he was well-versed in Veena Sampradhaya, Thiagaraja was thoughtful to choose ghana raagas for this collection because they aided veena players (vainikas) to play thanams at a madhyamakala (faster pace) on veena.
Also in vedic literature, chanting a ghanam refers to structural repetition of a line of sloka at a faster pace. Of these raagas, Varali holds a special torch of being the only ghana raaga that has the prati madhyamam (M2). Nattai and Varali are the most ancient raagas of carnatic music. Shri is said to be very auspicious and Arabhi is the easiest raaga. No wonder these krithis still remain to be one of his classic masterpieces until today!
I definitely didn't agree with Prof. Ariely for a long time. I strongly believed that Eureka moments do happen instantly, a moment of genius idea, a moment where my inner voice or intuition says something so creative that it is life changing. Over time I have learnt that I was totally wrong. 
We need to ask ourself why can't I produce music of such great quality. Music that transcends time and space, music that is vibrant. Is it the case that we believe the legend composers are Godly beings and music is an innate quality that came to them by birth. In thinking so we delude ourselves and our potential to reach the same heights. An alternative approach could be to say "yes I can and I will, not with bravado, but with humility, reverence, devotion, dedication and all the noble qualities that made the legends Legends!
Twitter
Facebook