Jmtrmit - Madras Music Academy...NOTICE All correspondence should be addressed to Dr. V. Raghavan, Joint Editor, Journal of the Music Academy. Articles on musical subjects are accepted

JmtrmitO f

/ I f c a d t a s

A QUARTERLYDEVOTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF

AND ART OF MUSIC

V o l . X IV 1 9 4 3 P a r t s 1-IV

THE SCIENCE

EDITED BY

T. V. SUBBA RAO, 3,a., b.l . AND

V. RAGHAVAN, m .a., ph .d.

THE MUSIC ACADEMY, MADRAS1 KESARI KUTEEHAM BUILDINGS ’

R O Y A P E TTA H , MADRASAnnual Subscription:— Inland Rs. 4 ; Foreign 8 shs. Post Paid.

‘f.MOW

®

NOTICE

All correspondence should be addressed to Dr. V. Raghavan, Joint Editor, Journal of the Music Academy.

Articles on musical subjects are accepted for publication on the understanding that they are contributed solely to the Journal of the Music Academy.

All manuscripts should be legibly written or preferably typewritten (double-spaced— on one side of the paper only) and should be signed by the writer (giving his address in full).

All articles and communications intended for publication should reach the office at least one month before the date of publication (ordinarily the 15th of the 1st month in each quarter).

The Editor of the Journal is not responsible for the views expressed by individual contributors.

All advertisements intended for publication should reach the office not later than the 1st of the first month of each quarter.

All books, moneys and cheques due to and intended for the Journal should be sent to Dr. V. Raghavan, Joint Editor.

ADVERTISEMENT CHARGESCOVER PAGES: Full page. Half page.

Rs. Rs.Back (outside) 25Front (inside) 20 11Back (Do.) 20 11

INSIDE PAGES:1st page (after cover) . . 18 10Other pages (each) 16 9Preference will be given to advertisers of musical

instruments and books and other artistic wares.Special positions and special rates on application.

5% discount for cash with order.

CONTENTS

2.

3.4.

5.

6.

7.

8. 9

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

1.

PAGEThe X V I Madras Music Conference, 1942: Official

Report 1Kanakadas: T. V. Subba Rao 40

North Indian Ragas and Melas: Robindra Lai Roy . . 51 Syama Sastrigal: Kanakammal Seethapathy 62

Purandaradasa: M. Mariappa Bhatt, m .a. 72

The late Chief of Ichalkaranji: Prof. 0. H. Ranade .. 79

The Universality of Tyagaraja: T. V. Subba Rao 80

The Walajapet Manuscripts: Prof. P. Sambamoorthy. 86The Compositions of Pallavi Doraiswami Iyer—Part I I I :

C. S. Ayyar, b.a. 92Dhruva: O. C. Oangooly . . . . 102

Pianos in Stone: T. G. Aravamuthan . . . . 1 0 9Gamaka Signs in Musical Notation: Mrs. S. Vidya,

B.A., L.T. .1 117

Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar: N. Raghunathan . . 122

Merattur Kasinatha, A Composer of Sabdas of the 18th Century A .D .: Dr. V. Raghavan . . 130

The R3gas in Kerala: Dr. V. Raghavan .. 135

Music in Palkuriki Somanatha’s Works: Dr. V. Raghavan . . . . 140

Soma Raga: Dr. V. Raghavan . . . . . . 145Muttusvami Dlksitar Krti: Edited by Vidvan Mudi-

kondan Venkatarama Iyer . . 147Gopalakrisna Bharati Krti: Edited by Vidvan Mudi-

kondan Venkatarama Iyer . . 150

Reviews . . •. 154Extracts 71, 85, 116, 121, 144, 146

I

§8w

We are sorry to record the passing away at a ripe old age of Vidvan BrahmasrI Sulamahgalam Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, the veteran Harikatha performer. He was learned in Sanskrit and Tamil and a gifted exponent. He led the Mela in the traditional Natakas of the Bhagavatas at Sulamangalam. During his last days he was contributing valuable reminiscences of the personalities in the music field known to him during his long career.

THE XVI MADRAS MUSIC CONFERENCE, 1942

OFFICIAL REPORTTHE OPENING DAT

24th December 1942

The Sixteenth Session of the Annual Music Conference conducted by the Madras Music Academy was held on 24th December 1942 at the Sundaresvara Hall, Mylapore, Madras. Sir M. V enkatasubba R ao, Kt., Ex-Judge of the Madras High Court and Ex-Agent to H. EL H. the Nizam in Berar, opened the Conference, and Vidvan Mazhavarayanendal Subbarama Bhagavatar presided over the deliberations of the Experts’ Committee.

The proceedings commenced with prayer by the students of the Academy’s Teachers’ College of Music.

WELCOME ADDRESSWelcoming Sir M. Venkatasubba Rao, K t., on behalf of the

Members of the Music Academy, the President Rao Bahadur K. V. Krishnaswami Aiyar said:

“ We, the members of the Music Academy, Madras, have much pleasure in welcoming you into our midst.

We are profoundly grateful to you for the kindness with which you agreed to auspiciate our Conference this year. It is no small satisfaction to us that after years of endeavour we have been able to obtain the benefit of your wide and ripe experience gathered in varied fields of beneficent activity, of your intense love of culture and of your uncommon zeal in the encouragement of Arts and Letters.

Happily the days are past when Art Institutions in this country had to be apologetic regarding their work. We feel proud that after fifteen years of sustained effort, we find it necessary neither to vindicate our aim which is no less than the advancement of Music as the greatest of moral and aesthetic forces in refinement of human nature, nor to detail our familiar activities whieh include Conferences, Concerts, Competitions, the celebrations of Composers’ days, the Journal, the publications and the Teachers’ College of Music.

M— 1

We are glad that the Indian Fine Arts Society is with us in the Conference this year also.

In the full hope that your sympathy and co-operation will help us to promote our objects, we request you to inaugurate this year’s Conference and Concerts.”

Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar then requested Sir M. Venkatasubba Rao to open the Conference.

OPENING ADDRESSIn declaring the Conference open, Sir M. Venkatasubba Rao

said:

It is with trepidation, believe me, that I take part in this ceremony, as there is something odd, I feel, in an ignoramus making bold to address a gathering of musicians and music experts. This incongruity was brought home to me the other day, when I found a reference in an article, to a very intelligent and puzzled man who asked a composer “ How do you compose music? ” To this man whose literary knowledge and judgment were of a high order, the writer goes on to say, music was an incomprehensible mystery. I own that there is this in common between the man described and myself that to us both music is a mystic art.

Mr. K. V. Krishnaswami Iyer’s drive has become proverbial and has in several fields borne fruit, to the amazement of the hesitant and the less confident. For my part, I like his drive in the abstract, but I confess it has a disconcerting quality when I find it directed towards myself. I resisted his seductive logic on several previous occasions when he proposed that I should open the Music Conference, but I knew that I could not hold out long and should yield some day. There is good reason, I feel, on reflection, however, for utilising the services of persons like me on such occasions. They, under compulsion as it were, set about thinking of the potentialities of music, the vital part it plays in the moulding of national life, and form a link between the large lay public and the few devotees of the art. Such persons are more likely to sway/- the mind of the average man—the man in the street—than professed experts. If this be so, I need make no apologies for accepting the honour that has been so kindly conferred on me.

Let me first say that it is of hopeful augury that this Conference (continuing the practice started some years ago) is held under the joint auspices of the Madras Music Academy and the Indian Fine Arts Society. I trust that they would soon lay the foundations

2 THE JOURNAL OP THE MUSIC ACADEMY [VOL. XIV

for a wider and more lasting concord extending to other spheres as well, proving thereby the essential solidarity of art. Is it an accident, I wonder, that this Conference is held in the premises of the Rasika Ranjani Sabha, yet another body devoted to music and fine arts, or does it portend—as I venture to believe it does— a bringing about of greater harmony among the bodies working for the revival of culture?

There has been an astonishing renaissance of music in South India in the last decade or two. This by itself is gratifying but it is much more so, as symbolic of the new spirit which is transforming national life. This awakening connotes to some, or shall I say to most, simply a new vision of our political destiny. To my mind, however, this is but a partial comprehension o f the forces at work. Widespread and unquenchable political yearning there exists undoubtedly but this is just one aspect of the general revival—a renaissance of the Indian spirit—which has made us take a pride in our past and conjure up a future worthy of that past. Not very long ago under the influence of western ideas, we became insensible of our heritage, forgot our traditions and gloried in imitating whatever happened to be the fashion in the West.

But there has come over us, as I have said, a radical change. It may be worth our while to understand what the elements are which compose this new radiance. First, an intense pride in our past and our consciousness of a high mission and to these are allied an urge to assert our primacy in the things of the mind. A feeling is thus bom of robust self-respect leading to the proper assessing of our ancient arts.

It is some irony to find that, in our degeneracy, not till Western savants expressed admiration, was our own interest kindled in our culture. It needed a Schopenhauer and a Goethe— our spirit was so enslaved—to make us realise what immortal works India had produced in the realm of philosophy and drama. Nothing will better serve to illustrate this decadent phase than the enthralling story of the caves at Ajanta, where it is stated fresco painting “ reached perfection never excelled even by Giotto or Leonardo.” For centuries they lay buried under the jungle and were lost to human memory, until in 1819 some Europeans stumbled into the ruins and discovered frescoes ‘ ‘ now ranked among the masterpieces of the world’s art.”

Speaking o f the renaissance of art, nowhere has it been more pronounced than in the sphere of music. Compare the status

RARTS I—IV] THE XVI MADRAS MUSIC CONFERENCE, 1942 3

THE JOURNAL OF THE MUSIC ACADEMY [VOL. XIV

accorded to the musician to-day with the hard lot which had been his a few years ago. It passes belief that in India where music is stated to have a history of at least three thousand years, the exponents of this most glorious of the Fine Arts were relegated to an inferior position and were ranked with dependents and hangers-on. One blushes to think that even the most noted performers had to remain content with the crumbs which their so-called patrons chose to throw to them. Held in scant respect, can you wonder that musicians in their turn ceased to respect themselves? And when self-respect “ the corner-stone of all virtue ” is gone, a moral climate results, most uncongenial to the thriving of art. Happily that day is passed. Music societies have sprung up everywhere. Concealed talent is discovered and encouraged, great talent appreciated and revered. Paradoxically, in India the home of music, the art was known to, or mastered by, a handful held in no special esteem, and was treated with indifference by the generality of people. Unlike in ancient Greece where music was considered essential to knowledge, in our schools it was neglected and was not included among the subjects of study, with the result, that the young people grew up in utter ignorance of “ the art of the prophets, the only art that can calm the agitations of the soul.” We could pretend to culture and pass for accomplished persons without a rudimentary knowledge o f music. We failed to realise that music, o f all the liberal arts, as Napoleon said, has the greatest influence over the passions, and is that to which the legislator ought to give the greatest encouragement. Our worship of Saraswati, the Goddess playing the Veena, the queen of musical instruments, did not deter our forefathers from treating women performers, as outside the pale of decent society. We were unaware that in degrading the musician we debased the art. Luckily, as I have said, our ideas have changed and are rapidly changing and we have entered upon a new phase, full of promise.

That the two societies under whose auspices we meet can claim some credit for this, goes without saying. The influence o f the time spirit has been on their side. The radio and the gramophone too have contributed not a little to the flowering of musical culture. Classical dancing overtaken by obloquy and threatened with extinction has been rescued. Reputable young women do not look upon dancing in public as a thing to which stigma attaches, and rpdio performances by women o f good families are fast coming into vogue. In the inclusion of music in courses o f study

we see the first signs of a welcome change. And above all—this has a psychological value—we are not' startled by the large fees demanded by some performers (not only in the sphere of music but also the theatre and the cinema), fees that might excite the envy even of lawyers.

Publishing a journal, rescuing ancient works from oblivion, stimulating systematic study of scientific music, raising the popular taste, setting standards which scholars approve, conducting Teachers’ Colleges for music and holding competitions—these are among achievements of the Music Academy and it may well be proud of them.

Here let me sound a note of caution. I have referred to our pride in the past but I hasten to add that it is not conceit begetting self-complacence but a pride that spurs us into present action. Let us not slide into the belief that we have reached perfection and there is no scope for further improvement. In the West where music is relatively recent, it has made, I have read, amazing strides in the last three hundred years. This is due to constant research and experimentation, the absence of which accounts for our stagnation not only in music but in other spheres. In sciences like Mathematics and Medicine, in arts like Painting and Music, we had attained great heights when the West was plunged in darkness; but we came to a standstill and fell behind. Specialists in music speak of the incalculable benefit we can derive from a study of western technique, leading to the adopting of new ideas and the supplying o f deficiencies in our system. Progress is the law of life, and to change is the way to progress. Who would believe that the violin so much prized by us, was a foreign product imported from Italy about 1600 A.D. ? To be averse to all change, without discrimination, is a sign of decadence.

I now turn to a topic which I would fain not touch upon—the feeling imported on the score of language, which is poisoning the wells of music. I deplore it on two grounds—first from the standpoint of the Tamil-Telugu solidarity, and secondly the standpoint of art. In this vast land, search where you will, you will hardly find two sub-groups more interblended than the Tamils and Telugus, more closely bound by a common thought-structure, more impelled by common motives and proud of common achievements. It would be idle to deny that differences exist—don’t they exist between parent and child?—but we agree more than we differ. For generations, the Tamils were ravished by the

PARTS I—IV] THE XVI MADRAS Music CONFERENCE, 1944 5

music of Tyagaraja, Syama Sastry and Dikshitar, to mention but three names. Why has this sudden change come about? One cannot too strongly deprecate the inroad of political and party feeling into the domain of art. Have you read how sinister

• movements and strange obsessions have disturbed the rich and varied musical life of Germany? To feel that self-respect is involved in the matter is thoroughly wrong. There are spheres where the genius of the Tamils shines out. Who is not bewitched by their Tevarams and Prabandhams or who can resist the sublimity of their classical works on philosophy? Is one to taboo divine singers because they found Telugu—the most mellifluous of the Dravidian tongues—to be the suitable vehicle of music? The true touchstone of art is its power o f appeal. I think it a tragic irony that wizards of song should be put under a ban by the very Tamils whose land it was that produced these musical giants. It is against reason and contrary to nature to prefer the second-best to the best, and to deprive the public of the music which master hands have produced, music which delights the ear and stirs the soul, would be an unforgivable offence. The new creed which has a few sturdy apostles, I am assured by some of the most gifted of music lovers among the Tamils, has so far found no echo in the hearts of the Tamil public or Tamil performers. But we are apt to be taken unawares by notions, however wrong, which creep stealthily into our minds, because statements which at the start make no appeal acquire great power through iteration. It behoves us therefore to see that this menace is removed and that the art does not suffer. Would that Tamil compositions could come into being that might rank with, if not surpass, those say, of the celebrities known as the Musical Trinity. No one would more devoutly wish for it than myself. It is through interchange and not through boycott of cultures that we can grow in stature and rise once more to our ancient glory. To create unity out of diversity has been stated to be India’s special gift to mankind. To belie that statement would be to prove false to our national genius.

Let me once again thank the two Societies for this opportunity afforded me of participating in this function.

Sir M. Venkatasubba Rao then declared the Conference open.

ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENTVidvan Valadi Krishna Ayyar proposed Vidvan Mazhavaraya-

nendal Subbarama Bhagavatar to the Presidentship of the Con

& fii£! JoukNAL 01s The Music academy fvoL. xiV

ference. Vidvan K. Ponniah Pillai seconded, and Vidvan Musiri Subramanya Ayyar supported.

Taking the chair amidst cheers, Vidvan Mazhavarayanendal Subbarama Bhagavatar delivered his presidential address:

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS BY VIDVAN SUBBARAMA BHAGAVATHAR.

The President, in the course of his address, said, that music in its power to charm the ear and heart of man was divine in its function and he who had this quality greatly developed was a true devotee of Nadabrahman. As such, music sabhas and periodical conferences o f musicians were doing a great service to humanity at large. Dealing with the various aspects of the rendering of music and explaining the bases underlying Sruti, Swara, Raga and Tala, the President pointed out that the theory and practice o f music was best learnt by the study of the compositions of well-known classical composers and exponents of carnatic music such as the musical Trinity.

“ Bhava,” the President observed, “ based on the nine rasas, is indispensable for raga and it can he expressed by words and gestures. Hence the importance of Sahitya, as an aid in the proper study and appreciation of raga. And if Sahitya is to be studied properly, a good grounding in Sanskrit which contains the classical authorities on music is desirable. Not less necessary, it nee<f hardly be said, is true Bakti. The musical trinity of South India were true Bhaktas, besides being endowed with the other qualifications above- mentioned, and that explains the supreme position they occupied in the world of our music. There have been in the past besides other great composers also like Pattanam Subramania Aiyar and Ramnad Srinivasa Iyengar and it is the compositions of these great masters that should serve as a beacon light to all who aspire to proficiency in music.

Tamil too was rich in good composers. The works of Sri Muthuthandava, Arunachala Kavi, Subrahmanya Bharati, Gopala- krishna Bharati, Kavikunjara Bharati and Chidambara Bharati were brimful of Raga, Bhava and Tala. It was therefore his view that modern practitioners of music must also include among their repertoire, these worthy compositions in Tamil.

Greatness of Carnatic Compositions.The greatness of Carnatic compositions, the President wrtit on,

lay not a little in Sahitya which truly brought out the essence

PARTS I—IV] THE XVI MADRAS MUSIC CONFERENCE, 1942 7


o f the Raga and one had to go again to their ancient masters to obtain a true insight and fit oneself properly to appreciate and enjoy music; just as in the case o f the Ramayana one never wearied of reading or hearing, so in the case of these masters also, the more often one heard or studied their composition, the better one was able to understand and appreciate their inimitable worth.

Times had changed for the better and what with the advent o f the gramophone and the radio, and thanks to associations such as theirs, music had been brought to their doors; learners and students of music especially were far more favourably situated now than in the old days. But it was just at this stage that they should be careful to discern what true Carnatic music was and must not rest satisfied with inferior music that titillated the palate. It was indeed a hard task for a musie vidvan now-a-days to sail by the wind of public opinion and also keep the course taken by reputed masters of Carnatic music in former days. The day of royal patrons was gone; but the vidvans had none the less the responsibility to contribute and aid in the present renaissance of music to the best of their ability and to maintain the highest standards. As a practical step, prominent vidvans should gather together at least once a month and give free performances in big towns, and the Music Academy and similar music sabhas in these places must come to their aid in this connection. They must also have discussions on what real Carnatic music was and the best way to popularise it so that all could discern the beauties of classical music and they must also bring out a code for basic study of Carnatic music which could be understood by all. He hoped that these suggestions would be given due consideration at the Conference.

LDtfiSWTITtuQJBJBpSi) sSlpSUTGST SrUUUfTlD UtT4SeU<5 ff]6Sr

{&jrp6i»pu-it—GBr <fflpn‘i3£auQupr5l(jf)& (Gjii>

T(T®ft)®STLJ 1$) !J 6 n )rh ia ih .

eBpeup etD6B)uGiuirira n)G(3jti> wpjnnh ere ib S p a aeoiriSlLj&m IT&QIT) •&(&)& 6T63T III GOT LD IT IT IB £5 6M/5 p65Tp60)paQ& g}ipgl@ GpGBr.

2^6oap$deo Gpireisr/S aS&ria^tb ueo aSsOaeifl epim eroiiSpa aSsOiuirearpi iB&eyih Quqêann ejJiriuispQpearupi m jpiaajb uireopebrjpi. GrQGBreorQrfSD, u jp p aSsoaQ&reo eoirii) uuSearpsuira^ tDLLCBGirnueoeoirpi, sr&arGuJirira(&) Grafted®) jrefQaairgi. fj§)iBp erVi&Spa aSsoGiuir uesart^p uiriDir perSawiriLfih, u^ppiêShsoeoirp ggisgiaa^LC) piieann iD(/D /B^0«0ii)LJi^_uj/riL/tb Q & iuiljia &&£} e u rlu ip Qpear u p i a irs h ip ervibLDpQptb jp u s u er8 ppQ piLirîh.

^jiueo, /BTi—atii Greorgjpiih oppprSqâr {jêaiaUJirearpi ^jiuSsîLjib miruapsaipujib S p u i9 p p i ^Lpcp u(Bpgni> Qp&s)puSleo m® miriuaiLtnu ^su iiD ii^ q ^ s Q p p i.

fflebrgpnh isinpi ervriiSpmirearpi Q piueS a ppssreann QutrqrjihfSiu Q p a s ru p p c ^ u ueo &-pirir&sansijnsrr ^jqrjiepr gpitii 6^0 uira-srpemp ldlLQlo (&,j$ui9 ®@Gpear.

' ‘ (VipSpp QpSeo u/spiftil-Qd (Sjjuie&setfi psrppSu. îuir pflSpp Ldjnii j ) ]p p 8siriLjLL pesiipppeoirikpi u(Lpppi pens ffi©LcL/«S«6rr ^jturrmga QpnanuOlLb ftuLz QuajireQeiriaas Q a it® ii> uesfis&r uurSsiiuprtue (Gpoirpm sQerrsQxpp « 0 ««pQtfesr QeuskrQearQiufsrs ■ssnjr mQptrt— e8aajrii(opiriy. euQTjiEispqrjGsr S)s9)Lbu®wrffltu LbtpsSi— iumi aiuirikgp Mpu LSxeQeiriEi(p geafiiu/r VT(tpp QeneaSajpQûikSiLjL—air araeSetrtB'J'XireStuir LnLpcko Q ptreti p p(^p®> Sghsm&pQp/nuâor.''

gtgotpuirp, yrj> Qqijeip&sarujruiirpujireBeor Genetsireur iBirpp$d@s)GeD Q ll a iki a err euqê^pppiruît, m ‘ i wjrim&Qtytb perfhrpgiu uqppppirtLjih} esrmiiiaeo epim QenessiQ&smtLiGuireo e-Q^QuipiriLjih, Qsiripiu l/ 06? iLj ii> uiribLjih êaiaeupjpi iSearjpi êariBÎpppiriLjih Qaireoeou


êaaujireD eroraSpinirearpi QpiueSappasreaujqjitiljibpQ peorugith, eroaeo g ^ s u b o r« 0 < i0 u i giaapeaip u>irp/fla a a p e a ip luetflpgip pear euiLiuuQipgiib &&jg iLjean— ujQpearupiib efUefriKi^Searppi. ervx&b gêuearaîh pear eaiuuu®ihGuirpi ^ i h p gjfsu Gairt^sek iSenpmp ® u t3 jruQ j& G w eioiaSpppi&r ^ u ia Q iu p ira ^ f i p g j . i9 irui^&Ltoireorgi ereugjpstDLiu ® a iia p u eSIapuppireo.

M — 2

10

o~pup$3Qiur ^gtjmpu ujriurrputirGeti mtrpsh)6uûutinut erDisiSptririu' s£IerriB( Q(T ir gtgstjqi & pu®&p&t • mp isirpuqrjthinpGstp e-uirsrfippireo ergipirisisr srSpfiaairgi I agurefilp LjQêîrirppikimSstuLjih ^sts>i—iU60irth en sfru êo ST6STSOT ^ G s i^ U lB q ^ a Q p p I ?

^ppsataiu QuQfjamD annump erDim&pa aSsotiS&tr ^tfi9dilqfjpfdeB>tua (ajrfilppi ©■ jbu(Bp£du9(njG(&jib fflj&aetnu u9&sr atrtruiraa G a trii^t Gdpgtastipaîh ^jmtapffiasrtr

sroiaSp ^fû)jrean£^<xr0 u> &ou><sh)p utisiaetna agnjih e_«RiTi_/r0Qi£S3rug}eo apjpnh ggtuiSebSso.

THE JOURNAL OP THE MUSIC ACADEMY [VOL. XIV

Qutgbiih @§)ii>p etvmiSp &GG)uiuirGjr&i e/oiriLir&nu eroiaSp GfD3B)uiueo6D. atrmirt—a eioisiSp eBpsup etoemu.airmtrt—ath erssrp u p p ^ p G a Q p&sr^pil® ervi&i&pth, jrirath, uestiptu miraiPath srearu ueo QuirQêrraêssr®. ‘airiBirt—a etoiktSpth’ 'sr&srjpi Q&irppt 6r®ppiaQairekrt-.ireo, uLp&snritwretsr Qpear @)tl® jnra airero^ljrih er dir p iQuirqffisrrutBQjngi. ^jear^nth Q pdtr& tl® eroitSpih, oil.mirth® eromtSpih, QmeoiBiTL1 ® eW/iiSpih erdtrjnt ftpdsr mi uir(3jLjrr(B&6rr QpifiQdsrpsjr. ^jsupjBeo, Qmeo ibitlJB sroiaS pp sstpu u p p 9 mirth ^ ® 0 <s aeusaflaaGQisRtii^.iu G>P65)guuG!go8sO. snumirih® eioiiS pQpth mth Qpdsr^pth® eroiB&pQpii) ep&iroinpQtuirm'jpi pQêQuSIqfjuuisGtp mirth uinraQG(rtjth. ^,@)sb mingi erOiaSpp0ilp(j£thf aji mirth® stormS p p £3 p(&,th epirGirGi] eBpîuirath s_6ror®. ggjgi ^ iia irii(3 j aireoth u p p 9 p Qptrdsr rfiiu QuiftGtuirir astrrreo etaaiuirstruuLL® sump (ipsapsaiu nflppG ipIL//T0LO.

mu)jp efDiiiSppestpu upjfija aeusaflaaeoinh. QuirpieuirmQsiiy 6tDisi&pp(3p(&) <sr(nj0, shetipth, jnrath, pirerrth snssr mirdsr uir(ûir®adr e_awr®. j$$d<so <9?® ^ , Qiudsrupt QpireaH&snu sBerra^Qdsrp^. Qpireêanu^jesrasrQpdirjp iS ^ l9 p g ta airthL- (Spin^/su/ri/5®«0ii ^j'S5>pir(ou> <srt>ciiffQiL6srjpnh, $}j£p eiveiijriaa&r (tpetnpG\uutsf.uutsf.aj it lit (ojrrmQSUT, ^gjaiQinrasma Q piLiLiriiia Q&irmgdqtjuuGp wrath ensorjp/th Qaireoeouu®Qpî. êmatuirso, a ^ tL jth , eroaijrnpth Quirqêtfi&> e^dxjpiutl if-Qfyuupirgpjth, doeu pmiaefi^Q^mG p smaeo mraisj&ptjih ®-pu0$dtutrQu9(njaQpuhf.iuirg>iih, fgjjmp eioiiSp aireh^ljr tMir&srg>ti eroeuinsiafirfiiobr Qu® s»ii) ^jppsstaujpi srsrrjnt

DARTS I—IV j THE XVI MADRAS MUSIC CONFERENCE, 1942 l l

QpaffeniriuB 8n-jpiib efosuir airshed rib ^ gogo i # 0 ^& trover inb srGorjpi Q&ire06t]gi QuiTQiB&iib.

&(!$$& Qiussr gpiib upib inis^jrib, Qaipib er&srp QuirQêrr^SsntLjtb pQgefilibtlqtjLJupr®) idis^ it <sr3p g ) Q u gu e i p p ^ ib , (SeupiasSsir lusrS uupp(&,tb sruuuf. stop(9j<TTj&s)6iwj60)L-Bgi Qu pjpii,Qsir&r^®Q(T^Qijair f ^fUUtSf-QlLl IBlLgl 6rDtEl$ JD(9)lb 6TVU p GfOQ) IT <6J&G(r IT SBC

rrsisSsfriLjb 0 0 Qp&LLtrau Qujbjpi sfeaijr (Speuenp aSofr eûirGrfilpgi Qpenpuuuf. uuQ&jrjpj suiBpireo ^pesisr &SpfStueni—tuGonb <oT<asru$djb §/$3>nb ggiuifieoSso.

f§)irirBtb Gnsorugi ervsujriiiaGifleBr ^Qsriraassr ,-gyaj Qffirssm i38soes)UJ& (&j/filp&ierr6(rgi} erear jn> Qp&sreanb Q&irsoeQiusuirjp] ^jg iG e u ^jssr^nib sSsitipir sriLtrs afligj &irjnb Q&uuGuppQ Qpmmeuiruj ldib^ it, w puj, pirjnb GrewJQ1 QpGsrjpj eh)piruS^QeirirtS^Lf-p p e s ra ^ ib iS p ir s 0 i i ^Gur/eppemp luetflaîh jiueoi em iupiriLJ e£Isrrrw0 @ pgi. ^jgiprrebr eroiiSp îreh^ljnb 3tppsiiir&Gtfia>r QPQgp $ pen loso) ili<£ sirilfgsiiîib &ireh)0jrpgilp(§u Q l>06bju) luetfluugiusrrGjr $)t-ib.

is stiffen)^/ptuireuQiuib uirojtb. UrreuQuiir

uiflp wiriLjsirefr i. uiraipQpir® jriraQutUITGUlb GT6BTU&I «T6007630712>, «_gjt9 lBIUlb

erecrsiiiib Gtuir(tfjar&83mLje}>i-iu£i. ereBraanxtireu&i *gji9u t9jrirujib. ^sqestp euir&Qiumj&afiGdr Qpeou>iriLfib}

feuiUQitB&eifiasr ^ iS ibuj (i eommLjib QaiafluSi—eoinb. qjitsQujiB&Gtfjssr (ipeoib QeuefiuSl(B<stiQp etoir ffffl piuiLir^tb.eresrQeu fflTBS eroir turn. luenmiuir p p ir s

êstsiureo ffirm p 0 p (^ etDirptSpiUQptb eroirptfipujp &P(g> &ir<sio$if uireîrsîresrQ pib ^ p u jirejQ iu u n r^ ib . iBLDgi &ireh)0ffiEi&eir Qun^tburrgtitb euL.Qu>ffffiu3(Seo(Suj tfilqjjuu pireo prrtuu urreneq, er a u n S ^ m p ir $ >iib o il . QubirjfiuSi'Qtiib Qpir&StiSlqfiuugi iseoib.

eiOiaSp eioir^Spiu &treh)$dff uiretîrsîrearib ufi^jremr wiruj iSeapm^QîBpirîib j jeneuiuSkar penpiijib efiKB&eq, LBiriuu i9jrsir§}&45€: Q&tusu&i FF&etiff uxfdQuj ^^(^tb. *p3>Qpir&srQp ereoeorreup rfi!p(&)ib G>i&6vrruj& Q pi& i «fi/srrffi/0i2) 6toirpgotib.

12

gqoisuirjpi FF&euinrjssiBirsi/nib grjsax—ibpenirB^BGB iSIfig Bik@pu d3[TiruîLjessTuirîb. jsu/r&QSsrr iLBir&srB&r. êuirsQerr uirB6uprrB&r.

THE jo u r Ka l . OF Th e MUSIC ACADEMY fVoL. XIV

gyibrSt&souQeo mib Bml.isf.eo QpibQpirp^l srOsuûmmLi ^Pjeupifippi, $ j6or jgiib srecsrjpiib ^ l iuituu 6ou—ppeuirsetr yr 0jttuirB irirfig sroeuiriBseir êtiTB&r,

Qpppreheuirifi ê s^ lp ir ^ fsu iaeir , y $ bitlot &rrero$difl s& r ^/euirBar. ^ u Q u S G iu m rB aftil.i— i9esixaap>pir&sr Bib s ir iB ir is B i i r S p p ^ p ( ^ u L/ppruSIjr&flppiu i3 irBrr&p

$j6&rgpitb u 60 erorkSp eStpoj&sr u>ss& serf! got omirprft s tuisiB rrjib GfDiaSp 2>_6CQ®> i9 parr § p g i& Q bit emUf-qij&Q&sr/near. jpjpp&j)BGujinr ueoiftqfjuifiS gpib iS jrS p p torresr etoirfufilpuj BtrpprrBB&r u ih —emih b u sritiesSiu ggiuir êuirB&r, emtLf&fir y>f &prr&eu jnriuir .jysu/fdJar, j§>/r/rifi@ )^L/jr£i) y$ êrfiteuirBiuiutkiBirir ^y6u/r«srr, <s>miBQ&& iB60gfurir urf) Qppeaipturr uirBajpir ênirBeir. ®)6uirB6rr iBLDgi etoikSpp^lp(^ iLBpprresr S -u B irirpsa pB Q&ujp 6i]ira6frrr6i]rrira6rr.

§$j6Br@pni> Bib piS^BmLisf.asr piriiiu uireaien^tuirQiu 'jqifljpfdgiaiBarfluj ptfitp QiDir fiu9&> Bib QpefirGîTBemrsjr

&wuJir&mfUuirB&r, y£ Qp p P> P P r ®®r t - it, y f Q ^^fB 60B Befit, $8<vjefil$srrujm-<so u$ b u irinesrfitiu uirjrfd

b &t, Befit ®@>&jr utr fffiHs&r, yr$ S p ib u jr uirjrfd&eir,y g G&iruir6oQ<vj<sifr6ssr urrjr^Bar, ^ Q G iu ir ir u&fd ujreu&pGpir® ^ uQjtb B6&5TBBIT&SVT u s b rB ^ ib , $ irppearisi b ^ ld, upfiiBgnjib QpQys)QgBU uiri^.iLf&reirinrB&r. mmssr tnipeujnrujGeorBpeo ptfiy>u ujrtbuetajriêo i9pihpeuyspBiB turret), pifiipu QurfluJiriftefir @irpp@i)$dB§srr eriaBar Quifhu QiirB&flt-ib Sltfilgi uirt—ib G&ilip.(n)&Q(2jQ6dr. âijbjfileo Q p Q p p e o r r e a r urreaie^Berfiâarerr Quifhueuir&erilegr @irpp6ortnB$srru GuireoGeu ^ i p i p efOiprruumiB^BfB) B-BBpeutrjpl jnr&tb, wreuib, pirernb ^ Q t u Q p iip ^g/jib&tB b o t efilGBepiLtnuu QurrQ^B^tuSqûusapB Brresareomb.J paBturreo ptfitpu Quiftiurriflasr SirppeoriEiB§srriLjibeiOBiSp

peuir6arB&r eoiBtuirerrGeuesarQib eratrupt er&sr ^§>ji9u i9 srrriuib.

c^dsCosu, erorr enfit piuiBBetfleor Qu(jrj6a>u>a3@i)GeoGtu is id p i sroiaSpib t9 jtbit^ b S pQpefiruG pets irirBiaBeifieor

t>ARTS i—Ivj THE XVI MAMAS Music CONFERENCE, 1942 id

/#ggefD6U0U;S63>;S ITOT SUpp^th Q U iflG IU IT IT« o ff&sr ervirfilfil ptuii&eiflgjiieiretr trirs ervigj&ir jrieisGerr ^pirjruairsetjih ffipr sOnssrpear. ^ jip etc ir turns off ear Wtj06O)ir«nuj# « 0 /ej«(F Q&ireoeSIsbr, yr§iLp irirunriueoarp eaypGtu Q~prrjr6oani>rr&& Q&reoeoeoirib. sriraurtussarpeaip erppSsar Qpesip ubp-pprguth Gsth-irgmih, eruuu^s seQu i3eo6orLLeo êsrisppeaip tuemi—QGqrfGibtr, ûubfJGiu Quifhueuiraerr Strppeanh&dstrtLfth erppSsar Qpearp urifgpith GsiLi—irgnth GiL^nih GiLgyth êarihppeeipGtu pênear&iiruSrrîQesrpear. ihjbp meffeor erviiSpia&errreorpi seS ear mi(js aeneous ttj& QsiruuirearQpearGp Q&ireo6oeoirth.6^0 QpS3)p 6^0 IBIT61]8oVU U It}-p pieQ L-L-tT GO, l9P(j§ ÎBpmirenSsvu u irir& su iSPfil erpui—irppiGuireo, errsfafSir eo&sp6aartEi&eiffe06Dirp erviaSpQpth mjpiQpeaip G a i ls pp a s p its j§jirirpi erearupi p i staff l/.

ptretrih erstrp u^gjujih eivr£i&pp$dp(&) ^fpturreuQtu LLirtLjGrrsrrgji. gfiptajih ervsupu i3 p a it star p p Qsiruumpth eSlsro irstariLiriLforefr p . erven pupsjT6aarQpihtpirerru iSirsjresarQpihpimar aiaSpp^lpt^ (tfiiQiu errir^th. Quirpienir&s asoe£l&(&j “ erstar smith srQgppnh aeaarQesareerpp(&iih'\ erearpuiy. etvii&pp$slp(3j sq^^tLjth ptrerrQpih unrpir t9 piraaSstruGuireQqûupireo, “ * 0 ^ / r unrpir eoiu : i3pa ” erebrjpi st-rîLforermrsar.

^ s G e n minpi erV iaS ppêo lileatpis^Qîiîh trirsia s^njih ^ jp p G s p p e n ir jp i Uireneivuifl putiriLôrerr ueo Sirpp&ariEis^rrjth g>jetreSli—QpUf.tuirp ^ e a riip p e m p tuerffi (9jih <aaf!jrervir&]rihGuireo effilefriBf&jQ ear pear.

Uiren) rrirs, pirerriasemreo êaiuaiiperrerr iijrp sirerv^jrth ^gjeoeopi ist—esr airervjSmh iSsiBsu ufpemjnurr tLj error pi. ^ p a jth mu>pi erVimSps sSsVu9«rr 6^0 Qp&Qtu îhaunra î^^sireoisQpiriKB j&mLiBpierrerrpi. ,_gy<$ aSsO'jSlsrr G)l/06O)u>.s 0 êoribpp pir&san—euQpirpfilGiu ervir^p. ^ pi mptu &treop$)eo eraatr tr&sar p sn p s QairssaiGi—ir Qrflpi perrireifpjSqrjtvppi' ppGuirptueo <=gy/Seniremraerffstr sear Qptup(diuireo t-i&srQtjppr jreaanh QsiuiuuulL® qp&arGearppusan-ihpi or 0 eu p it ear ptGurrpjpipp^tfiiupruSlq^LJuGpir® airmirt-s erviaSppêar6^0 ^fiisQpih y,irp£l tU6mi—6iipirsajih Jjg)<vj&Qppi.

14£lpx, ppGuirss>piu eueoSeo ibil&i eroASpih

eTppesixiu i£l'&stiu§le8(TT>&QpQ pesruesipi seueaRuGumb.

utpesHLiuiriLjaretr xireop^lp^tD, SjxsiT6op£ii)p(9)ii> ueo. idit&tpAmAr êtsmQussru^ iusshq ld ^ ffB ip efiletpiLub.

Qppxir60p$Seo S)x£ir6opea>puG!uirei> ‘ SjnriDGuiresr ’ ‘ Qs’isf.Qiuir ’ QppeShuss)Qi&<sir Qam-iuir&i. $ju(3uir(ip(2pir ^/ppesi&uj tsrwrp&snsi&Grr «r®0 ib rQes>pm^lQâ®Arpssr. ^G pirQ Quifltu uiLuf-essreixeSA ueo gtoiejS p &@B>uG(snju> erpuiKB *g>ipeor Q-peSliL/ib Qesii—xQ p p i. ânaiLiireo êssrureoirir, Quernuireoirir iurreu(Wjil> Qeiiêuirtu erviiSpih uiri—p Qpiflm&Qaremi^qijaSfflir&eir. ^ x G eu , p p Guiresipiu e_6oS«i) er/B0 th eroikSpib riles* pib^dqfjxQp Qpesrjpi pirjrrremLrruj& Qxireoeoeorrib. SjuGuir&iprresr xirmiri—x erDrmSpth eresrugi erpi, eriiQ ^ iS p p i, er&rues*p ggrrx£ljr6S)pQujrr(B xsie^HsrGeiiessrbf.uJ lilSsouS e3(tfj&@pgi. erQesresrQrj-A, QmtnusQeafliu s^6ssres*Ai Q'XirerrGtrrr&J, 6uiruJG@6sfhu sêssres*enxQxrr6ssr(B eSnurr Ses*iu e*j paies* tpp^& Q strength pesres*iD(Burreoy 3= it ero $ jr eoaspesoTih êstiDiuU Quqrjp umKB&sQaieoeomb etoiiiSpib pirQesr&srjpi us(Bib urri—airx^rr)ti>y ês*p ^ p ifU ^ u * e qtj &go &qf>priumi3SQifii> epqtjs»6s>jrQujir(njeuir g*jt3u*TesR p p i euQêuGp ibid pi xirisiris erviEiSpp^Heor &-edreorp eodsîuih *PJ9 > p 6tnreu6B>L-Q]pjb(&)£ xsjressru*irx Jj)0 .s fip pi.

S lip S u p p ed © 6t>0 « 0 eresresfh-ib ^ fi9u t9 pstu Qupm £_6&srt— ir@s)giiti> e_«wr/_/r<®60/rii. eresri^ luireatjriLfih (sêsipsn-p QeiJ6Ssr(BQiDesrp eressiessiuSAhsO. ibid& xitibiti—ss erviiSppêsr GiDebresiiDiLjib ^pôpo QpssrQ^rrxerreaiuiBp QxemrsapempiLjiD er^srGtusQîb ^/6S)i-UjGeuessK3QiDesrp uiflj iressriDiresr eressressrpGpir<B eresri^ p Qprfhspotestp aSA Qe/resresrefieittuib.

The Journal 6P the music acadEmX ivoL. XIV

Qppsaeopfieo, iiles*piBp Giusiiues*piLjerrerr eilpeurresr x^njih egy6u/r<E(G)5<350 ^ ypjreueifla(&>iD irr r^ s iiix iiix ^ ib y Slqrjippireo eSIpeniresrx&r eQQsetîDmu ^rrrnu&Q Q&iueu PPQf) SBLxxQpib &-p<srt)ir3>QpiD Q-es>t-UJG)Jir35emru9(Tfjmpirir

^G pir® , CotuirGlues*p 6peorjpi SKnjiBptreo ^pir<s*j Sai)<_<£0 U) eresrp isibi9xemxtLjib SiqijiBgi ®Jrhp&i. p p xireopfdGeoir, ggeor &Qpprrujpg}eisr ^preBîspireoArrS «^^su/rfijrd5@5 « 0 Qeujpi eues*xu9A8oO. ^ xG eu Quit pi ggeor Gmrrxxpes*p tugpi&ifippi effpeusesrxeir Q psffiA

Qs=iiJiuQeuemif.iuaiiraiefrinu j§ }0 «0 0 /r< sa ir . ^sfuuup-s Q gogoit p s u i r s ^ s ^ eBiuiru&QptSeoSsO. ^ jirppu iriru & iL j iBeoSso. ^Gtasiuirso QuirgtggGor *§>fi3 ui9 FiriupGispGppgltb, Sir IB IT 1—45 OOIKI&P QPS0)JD6B>IU& SD&efill—irtAGpIlhSGUGt^ppi'sQsTarGtrGoisiBn^.uj Q uirjpiULf eSIuJirusuirr iLf&r&r GSIpGuirGarsSsrri Q&irippiruSl(if)'S@fl)gi.

$§jlBp l£l8s0ll9®) IBlLgl SiriBITIS GfDlGlS ptii g)ji96&IQTj;£ $ iUGa>i—Gup jb(&j iLiriristkisdstrs srrsmQsu&ssrtf-UJîib ibid pi si—Ganniuirs


jjjftuCouirpi eiDiaSp GS!pGurr6ars&r gtsoG goit^ G ih erDirfufil p iu s ip p r is G ir ir s ^SQpbp-tLiirpi. ^ @ )si) Quiff Qiuirtraar eioirpcSI piLniiseiffafr ptrpuiffiupGSip isdirqrfiu ^f/SItLjth urffiuipQp&TGir u irepirs QjirGarpgit—Gcrr uitgu , F irs , p rs irp G p ir® uirif-^Q&oQuj Q u it p o u r got p i.

j§)Gorgpiih G£huiru'Sinirii9(rij65(&)u> eQ pGUirGsrsar uiirpih 6^0 QfiGBip Gp&jQsuirqij Quiffiu ms srp^gpio & iris i r i sa o iiS p Qpsai p u u L f-s •s&Gl Gifts sir mi—ppGoiasBKBib.JUfPJDQT) Sri'S eSlpLCuresr siLi—Goariisîb gtpu(&ppirit>GO ®j60GU&lLiriU 6TSb(o6O/T0 lil (dS lL® ^ 6 V T&$&(&)ihuiif- Q&IUIU Qeu6Ssr(BLb. $§jip Gr/buirL.Lp-p(&) isuipi eSIpGup GfOGuiuiLjih 6SI^GWT6irs^'S(&) ^psTGUG/fUsQaissur'Sub. efil p eu ir got

Q uit jpiULj ii> 0 rpanpiLjih ^§)0«ds(Jsu6abr®£i>.@UUUp. IB S3) l Qujpilh 'S&Co&lfl&GlflGD IBLDpi SlflBTLSGfuiiSpib (gfjppG&siLipi gtouruGaps @pSppp UJirGUQ ih ^ U ^ ip iQ s ir a r ^ ih u if . ^lusisrpsustnirt&GO Q u s Q gussutiS lo.gîlGlUrjpi Q&ijjpi GUQfjGUpiTGOrpi SITIBITLS &IB&pp$djb(&,li>ppGuirGBipiu GioikiSpp^ljbîi) S-Girenr sSIp^liuirsisisSsiru Q u irp i <Bg6oriEi'sdr ÎfSipiQsirGirGir (3sun piGUTtiQ^sîh

$ IT ITS GOSS GBST ISIS Gtfi GOr efilG$,UJlAinLJU U60 ^Hjl3ui3 Firiuim s^th, s U g siss^ lo gtjduiKB eu^supirso ^jpdsar lilGuirpjjd&'S miAgi gidibi8 {s eSipsup erosmuGiu Qpsar euip i p p G u ir p i s it ib it is <sn>w3 ppÛso Grppdssr F irs iis& r Q -u Q iluts pfiheBqijipi GUd^QGorjDGBrQsuGarusBiiSu ii) GuirfStuo i60)fu9 go ^joipfSlîT ^ G nrssar ^GiiGFirs6ssrs S/ruj/a-sSsiriLjih, ^/G/nGHserf?got eBQ&sfy, Grttgj&irjriia&SsrriLjii), Gruuup. G r ip ^ji—pê o GfO^&rffuugji Greorussipu u p j $ p QpGtffGiirruj'i jpi ti 8 p , su/tskw, 8 ippsanasaffairB-pirjrGSsrpQpir(B gp0 L f p p s 0 uu>itili Qsuaflu9iip.G07 .jgjjip GioiaSp si-Gosp$ jb(g) i£ (& )ip e_ud£/ririTiru30<s0ii.

16 THE JOURNAL OF THE MUSIC ACADEMY [VOL. XIV

jjjfiQ&tr® mth miriliif-eo e$tuiru&LDir&6fil(iTj4S(8jib seuir &sr ■xSsrr p peSljr, (ipearGearjbpp^jb(^^ &(&>$

eumump ueo eBpGuir&sr& tTfih ^pjrsoieu mirtsf.aQxiresmi .q^s Qqrfiresdr. ^jppesimGtuirirs^th mth &sinuuQeo ^Qpjreuaflp &iu i9 jr$ Gy0 S£»(i£ii jjgjiiifi&ir miriLiif.eo meom&iQ&ireiar® 6jip g !60)ipG(&jihui?. Q&\u 'jjQgu east (Bah.

ereoeoir eusm&turrgpith mi&gi es it m it t— & eroiaSpih jqi96Qq$jS$d[uira(oei}8xiTLj-iugi ^jeuSmti. pairseSIpsup srossu ueo *°>y5Gor(B&err ires efilQ&ep S ir pong, Qujir(£th sm a a p G p rG jth £_6stLpppi euqênpirssrpi iBasyih uirffiru. t—ppaapir^th.

j§)/Bp eSIpeup ervenuu9eo 6pdiQeuir(i euQ e Qpih menu Q u p p urairmrrilt eo pSsVsntL enQpp iîrerQpp eSIpeuirear dsicrjii tfi(8j!B}s gy&srGuir(B mt&pi airmirts eroimSppenpu u p fit Qeuesansf-UJ ^j^pir iriRiaiûesr eSIsivprr irwiriuaG/arreoediLjetrerririraeir.

jear uth $juuisf.QiU U60 jwp(njsxrr(B<%err {j§/thiLir$8tfl tnair mir(B err ueo eSIpeurearaerfleor pSsOemiuiSleo menu Qupjpi erebrjpith ^tfiiuiru LjSQguear BLOgi airmirts eroiiSpth gjlQeor $3(Sear eBq^p^tuirQ errantb Sirmptr unrtinj i9 srairQatQ&ULj- ervirGsu&nrear LjifliuGeugspn&iriu, mirth ereoQsoirqjjth l9iririrp $3 u(2 umpires !

The proceedings came to a close with the music performance of Srimati K. S. Saraswati.

SECOND DAY— 25-12-1942.The proceedings commenced with Vidvan Mazhavarayanendal

Subbarama Bhagavathar in the chair.

Congratulation.Prof. P. Sambamurthy moved the following resolution:

(i) This meeting of the Experts of the Music Academy congratulates Gayaka Sikhamani L. Muthiah Bhagavathar on the Doctorate degree conferred on him by the Travancore University. Sri C. S. Iyer seconded the resolution.

The resolution was carried unanimously.

Condolence.

Prof. P. Sambamurthy moved the following resolution:“ /The members of the Expert Committee of the Madras Music

Academy places on record its sense of deep sorrow at the demise

of Gayaka Siromani Swaminatha Iyer of Pazhamaneri and Venkatasubramania Iyer, great-grandson of Syama Sastri

This was seconded by Sri C. S. Iyer and supported by Bharatam Narayanaswami Iyyer of Nallur.

The resolution was passed unanimously, all members standing.

Raga L akshanas.Then the consideration of Ragalakshanas was taken up.

Salaga Bhairavi.The President sang the Raga and “ Padavini ” of Sri Tyaga-

raja. It was mentioned as a Janya of Kharaharapriya and its Arohana is Sa ri ma pa dha sa and Avarohana is Sa ni dha pa ma ga ri sa.

Further consideration was adjourned to the next day.

THIRD DAY-^26-12-1942.Salaga Bhairavi was again discussed.

The President said again that it was a janya of the 22nd Mela Karaharapriya and had the following Arohana and Avarohana:

Sa ri ma pa dha sa Sa ni dha pa ma ga ri sa.

It was an upanga raga in which no Suddha Dhaivata came, nor ny&sa in Dhaivata. The Raga and ‘ Padavini ’ of Sri Thyagaraja were again sung by the President.

Vidvan Valadi Krishna Iyer said that he had heard the same version of Padavini from the late Panchapagesa Sastrigal.

Vidvan Tiger Varadachariar agreed with the above lakshana but was of opinion that Sa ri ga ma was an arsha prayoga.

Sri M. S. Ramaswami Iyer sang a chittai swaram composed by Patnam Subramania Iyer for the piece Padavini corroborating the above Sanchara.

Prof. Sambamurthi quoted 2 pieces of Veenai Kuppaier and Tiruvottiyur Tyagaiyer which were in conformity with the above lakshana.

Sri T. Lt Venkatarama Iyer quoted the Sangita Saramrita of Tulaja and said that the Sanchara is Sa ri ga ma pa dha t>a sa; Sa ni dha pa ma ga ri sa. He sang Muthuswami Dikshitar’s

M—3


Tyagarajena Samrakshitoham to corroborate that view. Further discussion was postponed to the next day.

FOURTH DAY—27-12-1942.

Salaga Bhairavi was again taken up for discussion:

Vidvan Tiger Varadachariar said that he had heard “ Padavini ” with Ri ga ma pa and had also heard Ri ma prayoga used. He suggested that Sa ri ma ri ga ma pa dha pa sa can be had as the arohana.

Sri C. S. Iyer said that Tyagaraja created many ragas and 4 Jayanarayani ’ was one of them. Its arohana was Sa ri ga ma pa dha sa. In order to differentiate Jayanarayani from Salaga Bhairavi, the arohana of the latter must be Sa ri ma pa dha sa.

Prof. Sambamurthi said that textual authorities were in many places conflicting and 4hat all one could say was that Sa ri ga ma prayoga for this raga was in vogue formerly.

Sri T. Y. Subba Rao opined that arohana may be had as Sa ri ga ma pa dha sa and that gandhara varja prayogas like Sa ri ma pa were also occurring.

An article on the lakshana of Salaga Bhairavi contributed by Vidvan Umayalpuram Venkatarama Iyer to the 4 Swadesamitran ’ four years back was read by Mr. Adivarahachari, a disciple of Mr. Venkatarama Iyer.

The President finally stated as his view that the Raga was a Janya of the 22nd Mela, Kharaharapriya, with Sa ri ma pa dha sa and Sa ni dha pa ma ga ri sa as arohana and avarohana; it was an upanga raga and also that Ri ga ma pa prayoga seemed to have been in vogue.

This was accepted by the conference.

FIFTH DAY—28-12-1942.

A Demonstration by the P resident.

The President was requested to give a demonstrative performance of the singing of Kalpana svaras and Pallavi.

1 8 THE JOURNAL OP THE MUSIC ACADEMY [VOL. XIV

RARTS I—IVl THE XV! MADRAS MUSIC CONFERENCE, 1942 19 ’

The President sang kalpana svaras to the following kirtanas:

Enthavedu Sarasvati Manohari Adi TalaSeydargal madar

alankritame(Qfiu^mrsar wrpir

jy6ua>©(5 pQix>)

Poorvikalyani Desadi

Ne Pogadakanti Dcsiya Todi Khanda chapu.Solluvirayya[QeireogueSnuiuir)

Sankarabharanam Rupaka.

Chitsabhesan (&#ewQu#&sr )

Bhairavi Trisra Eka.

Raga Todi and ‘ 1 Ganalola ’ ’ a pallavi in chaturasra Triputa were sung next.

Amba Kripai ” in Kapi and a Kummi were the last pieces to be sung. Some of the Tamil songs sung were compositions of the President’s ancestors.

SIXTH DAY—29-12-1942.

Two moee Demonstrations.

The President requested Vidvan Tiger K. Varadachariar and Sangita Sastra Ratna Yasudevachariar of 'Mysore to give demonstrations of the modes of singing Raga and Tana.

Both of them stressed the need for Bhava in Ragas and Tanas and they sang the various kinds of Tanas, Koota Tana, Svara Tana, Kala Tana, Tana vama, etc.

SEVENTH DAY—30-12-1942.

Notation.

Sri C. S. Iyer opened the topic of notation and moved that a resolution for adopting Subbarama Dikshitar’s notation for gamakas in addition to the simple Sa ri ga ma notation should be passed in that Conference.

Mr. T. L. Venkatarama Iyer said that there was no harm in adopting Subbarama Dikshitar’s system of notation but was of the view that a simple notation would do for beginners and an elaborate system could be taken up by those of the advanced standard.

The following were Mr. C. S. Ayyar’s observations on the subject of,Notation:

In reopening the subject of Notation, which was discussed last year (1941), I am forced to bring forward again the plea that all our music should be written down along with the specific symbols for the 10 or more gamakas, brought into use by Sri Subbarama Dikshitar in his “ Sangita Sampradaya Pradarsini ” for Dikshitar’s kritis, and especially with a view to stabilising the kritis of Tyagaraja and other composers.

The aesthetics of the classical South Indian Music depends entirely upon its peculiar gamakas; and to conserve our national culture it is very important to write down music with an adequate notation for gamakas, devised as far as human ingenuity can go. The final words of last year’s resolution that “ notation should be simple without any complicated symbols for gamakas,” have ignored entirely the instrumentalist’s needs— i.e., at least the needs of the Violinist and of the Veena Player. This frame of mind which culminated in the resolution is certainly regrettable. The compulsion in the word ‘ should ’ baffles me. I speak entirely as a learner at a middling stage, who would like to advance his knowledge of musical pieces. I must, however, assume the role of the critic in the educational methods of music, as.a student who has passed the early stages of learning. Some have not the gift of a good voice, and to find their self-expression, such men with musical talent, with a true ear and a fine sense o f touch, naturally take to the instruments created by man. The nervous responses o f the instrumentalist ar£ such that he has got a tactile memory. Response to music comes through his touch, from the ear, without the intervention of the vocal chords. And, in the early stages of his training, he is afraid to use his voice lest it should lapse into apasvara. Even in regard to the sense of touch, gifted musicans both living and in the past, had to change their instruments. The late Sri Govindaswami Pillai was a fine flutist, but he changed his instrument for the violin, for the good of the world, as he developed a beautiful technique for the violin, and he is known to the present-day world as “ Violinist Govindaswami Pillai.” Sri Palladam Sanjeevi Rao, the well- known flutist admitted he was a violinist for about four years, during his early training, and then took to the flute, when I accosted him with an observation on his technique that he had been tapping the air, as a violinist taps his strings. The last year’s Resolution, I should say, was carried by a preponderance of the vocalist experts of the academy and the paucity of instrumentalists on the board. Even the Violinist President would not

• 20 THE JOURNAL OE THE MUSIC ACADEMY tVOL. XIV

press his views, but stopped with three sentences “ Notation is necessary: great Vidvans may not require it, young learners do.” What I desire to impress upon this audience is: True, at the early stages of learning music, we have to learn it from teachers and this is essential.

Now, a few words as to the prevalent educational methods. Everyone is aware that to-day the swaras and the sahitya (the words) are taught both in the stages of gitas and tanavamas, but once the lessons come up to the kritis, the teachers would not allow any learning of the swaras. This method may be good enough for the vocalist, but not for the instrumentalist. It has been my sad experience of teachers of vocal music for over 3£ years, who would not, in spite of protest, allow one to take down the sahitya of the kriti, though, one had learnt over a hundred kritis. One can imagine the time wasted in memorising the words. There is another teacher who will teach one free for the love of music, and will allow the writing of the sahitya of kritis but will insist on learning by the voice, as he believes that the ragabhava would be otherwise impaired. He would not give the instrumentalist even time to write the kriti, in the Sarigama- padani notation so as to allow the student to retain the impression firmly.

For example, a child of five or six, with a gifted voice, can learn straightway the first line of the kriti “ Ramanannubrovara ” (Composer: Tyagaraja, Ragam: Harikambhoji) and repeat it in the proper form, whereas the beginner on the violin or the veena has got to get through various musical exercises for about 2 years at least, before he can produce the first line of this simple song, with the proper intonation.

I learnt on the violin, the Varna “ Taruni ” in Kambhoji, Adi tala, with the help of a teacher and from Singarachari’s book, where swaras are given. Recently I found that Sri Subbarama Dikshitar as a veena-player, has given the same piece in his Beginner’s book, with the symbols for gamakas, and I am now able to understand what those signs stand for in actual play. That the instrumentalist understands the symbols for gamakas later, though not at the very commencement o f his musical educational career, would enable him to understand the larger pieces, if written down with such symbols, when he has no opportunity to learn through a teacher, but would put forth some effort at self-education. In fact, I would go further:.If the vocalist is satisfied with his Sarigamapadani, let him be so. But

tARTS 1—IVj THE XVI MADRAS MUSIC CONFERENCE, 1942 21

would his eyes be scared by the symbols for gamakas, which are of enormous hfelp to the instrumentalist? In olden days, every vocalist had some initial training on the veena, but not so now, leading to the deterioration and fall in standards of vocal music.

• I should add, if the vocalist should care to understand the symbols, he would be aware of the nature of the gamakas and would render the compositions, more true to the Ragaswarupa. May I say, it is the lack of mental effort, analysis and imagination on the part of the vocalist, which decries the symbols. The resolution as it is, would even deny the publication by a Veena-player or his right to create a musical book on these lines for Tyagaraja’s music, and I dare say, the Music Academy will not hamper such activities in the cause of good music. At page 14 of the Tamil portion of the Introduction to the book mentioned already, symbols have been given for the following eleven gamakas:

2i THE JOURNAL Of THE MUSIC ACADEMY tVoL. XtV

Eampita Vali

Sphurita Erra-jaru

Pratyahata Erakku-jaru

Nokku Odukkal

Kavai Orikai

Kandippu

Now a few words, as to the origin o f these symbols. They have been borrowed from the European Staff Notation and brought into use under the influence o f the late Sri Chinnaswami Mudaliar, who went through his fortune, to write our musical pieces in staff notation that the world may understand our music. A few of these symbols were sought to be introduced even earlier, by Sri T. M. Venkatesa Sastri, Principal, Zenana Musical Institution, Madras, in his book “ H indu Music (Violin) Self-Instructor ” published in 1892. (Sri Subbarama Dikshitar’s book was published in 1904). Even today, in Prof. Sambamurthy’s books and of others in the field, symbols for time-signs, like lines below swaras, a dot above or below the swaras to denote the sthayi, the comma and the semicolon to denote the extent of the duration of the swaras, have been adopted from the staff notation. I am all admiration for Subbarama Dikshitar, a direct descendant of the line of Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar, who as a veena-player, has with enormous pains, beautifully conserved his ancestor’s musical wealth 'for the benefit of South India. Poor Tyagaraja died sonless, and not one has come up to undertake a similar colossal

work for the stabilisation and preservation of his great musical pieces, and o f others whom we similarly respect.

The question has assumed great importance. Officers of the All India Radio, both at Delhi and at Madras, are discussing , among themselves and with some of us the question of an all India Notation for Melodic Music, both Hindustani and Carnatic. Any constructive ideas in this matter, adopted by a resolution o f the Music Academy, will carry some weight. European musicians who are just now recognising that our music is not barbarous, but is something supreme,' also see the necessity of a very adequate notation and that the mere oral handing down will not meet the needs of the present day, if that music is to be kept intact and unsullied by the onslaught of the various foreign influences o f to-day. I would refer you to the final paragraph at page 672 o f Percy A. Sholes’ Oxford Companion to Music. Only yesterday, Mr. Srinivasan, one of the members of the Board o f Studies in Indian Music, spoke at the Theosophical Convention o f the necessity to take steps to conserve our classical music by all means possible. I can see no better system, than the adoption of the symbols for gamakas, initiated by Sri Subbarama Dikshitar, with the Sarigamapadani notation adopted and in vogue to-day, as for instance in Prof. Sambamurthy’s Music Books in Tamil.

I therefore bring forward the resolution to the effect that the specific symbols of Sri Subbarama Dikshitar for gamakas should be adopted for writing down our music, in Sarigamapadani.

I may offer a few more suggestions which just come up to my mind, as regards the Sarigamapadani notation.

Nowadays, at the head of every kriti, the number of the janaka- mela, among the 72 mela-ragas, is written down. It cannot be understood immediately by others, nor can anyone remember straightway the particular swaras entering into the raga of kritis. It would be advisable, with a view to standardisation and for an easier understanding, the swaras entering into the raga of the composition may be shown at the top, within 13 squares which may be adopted to denote, as it were, the finger-board of the Veena, to represent the 12 swarasthanas and the octave. This system of 13 squares has been in vogue from 1892 at least, as I see from a manuscript of mela-ragas and janya-ragas given under them. That would easily solve the problem of the correct representation o f the suddha-gandhara, suddha-nishadha, slfatsruti rishaba, and shatstruti dhaivatha. Any accidental swaras not


generally pertaining to the raga, can be denoted by the signs of flats and sharps, or asterisks, with explanations.

Next, Sri Subbarama Dikshitar has written down the music, say in 16 matras for 8 units of time. For facility of printing, it would be better to adopt the 32 sub-units method for 8 units, since then the lines to denote the halving of the time, may be; done away with, to a large extent. The angas for the talas, which are not shown in Dikshitar’s book, may be adopted as in Prof. Sambamurthy’s books. As the commas and semi-colons have come to stay, the signs which are like ellipses in the Dikshitar’s book, to denote the same purpose, may be done away with.

I am also strongly against the idea of the publication of a junior book for junior students, and a senior book for senior students, since the later understanding of the symbols for gamakas with respect to the simple lessons learnt direct from the teacher is all-important, as already stated by me. Simple pieces which the beginners will learn, will have only a few gamaka symbols. For instance, in the kriti ‘ Sarasara Samarai ’ in Kuntalavarali, the Dikshitar’s Beginner’s book has only two types of gamakas shown in the notation. The advanced pieces, which have gathered a larger amount of adornment today, though originally created quite simple, (e.g. Sri Subrahmanyava Namaste) should be written down with att the gamaka symbols to render a complete artistic reading of the sangitis of to-day.

The writing down of Tyagaraja’s kritis with these gamaka symbols, is by no means, an easy task. The symbols are all the Veena-gamaka symbols, and can be most readily understood by the player on the veena, the one expressive national instrument of to-day. The heavy task of the preservation of our musical pieces has to be undertaken by those, who immensely care for classical music.

Dr. E. S. Sankaranarayana Iyer said that a perfect system of notation was necessary.

The following resolution was passed finally:—“ This Conference recognises the need for an adequate scheme

o f notation, as a means o f preserving our music, in some form and appoints a committee consisting o f Sri C. S. Iyer, Prof. Sambamurthy and Sri T. L. Venkatarama Iyer to evolve a scheme o f notation on the basis of the symbols adopted in the Sampradaya Pradarsini.”


EIGHTH DAT—31-12-1942.The Swati Tirunal Day was celebrated.

The President in his introductory remarks said that the best way of celebrating the Day of the illustrious composer was to enjoy the sweetness of his compositions by making them being sung by those present.

Sangita Vidvans Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Musiri Subrah- manya Iyer, Sathur Subrahmanyam and others sang compositions of Sri Swati Tirunal.

The discussions of the Expert Committee then came to a close.The President of the Conference gave his concluding remarks.

The President o f the Music Academy thanked all those who had contributed to the success o f the Conference.

COMPETITIONS.As usual, the Academy held various Music Competitions in the

mornings during the Conference.

Ten competitions were announced: (1) Vocal Music for gentlemen, (2) Vocal Music for ladies, (3) Veena for ladies and gentlemen, (4) Violin for ladies only, (5) Tamil songs for gentlemen, (6) Tamil songs for ladies, (7) Maharajah Swati Tirunal’s compositions for ladies and gentlemen, (8) Purandara- dasa’s Padas for ladies and gentlemen, (9) Kshetragna Padas for ladies and gentlemen and (10) Pallavi singing for ladies and gentlemen.

The competition in Vocal Music for gentlemen was held on25- 12-1942 and seven candidates presented themselves for the competitions. Sri T. V. Subba Rao, Vidvan Musiri Subrahmania Iyer and Vidvan K. Ponniah Pillai acted as Judges. Sri T. A. Venkatarama Iyer was awarded the 1st prize and Sri T. K. Sitaraman the 2nd prize.

The competition in Vocal Music for ladies was held on26- 12-1942 and 5 ladies took part. Sri T. V. Subba Rao, Vidvan Musiri Subrahmania Iyer and Vidvan K. Ponniah Pillai acted as Judges and awarded the 1st prize to Srimati R. Indumathi. No 2nd prize was recommended.

The competition in Veena for ladies and gentlemen was held on 27-12-1942 and 4 took part. Sri T. V. Subba Rao and K. Varadachari acted as judges and awarded the prize to f^rimati Jayalakshmi Annual.

M— 4


THE JOURNAL OF THE MUSIC ACADEMY [VOL. XIV*6

Violin Music competition and Tamil songs competition for gentlemen could not be held for want of competitors.

The competitions in Tamil songs for Ladies was held on 28-12-1942 and 4 took part. Sri T. V. Subba Rao, Vidvan Musiri Subrahmania Iyer and Travancore Samasthana Vidvan G. N. Balasubrahmaniam acted as judges and awarded the 1st prize to Srimati S. Annapurni.

The competition in Maharajah Swati Tirunal’s compositions was held on 28-12-1942. Sri T. V. Subba Rao, Vidvan Musiri Subrahmania Iyer and Travancore Samasthana Vidvan G. N. Balasubramaniam acted as judges and awarded the prize to Srimati S. Annapurni. No second prize was awarded.

The competition in Kshetragna Padas was held on 29-12-1942. No award was recommended. The competition in Purandaradasa’s Padas was held on 29-12-1942 and 5 took part. Sri T. V. Subba Rao and Vidvan K. Varadachari acted as judges and awarded the prize to Sri N. Sambandhamurthi. No award was recommended in Pallavi singing competition as none of the competitors had attained the requisite standard.

Kumararajah Sir M. A. Muthiah Chettiar, Diwan Bahadur M. Balasundaram Naidu, C.I.E., Sri M. Sudarsanam Iyengar, Rao Bahadur K. Govindachariar, Sri K. Srinivasan, Mrs. K. S. Jaya- rama Iyer, Sir R. K. Shanmugam Chettiar, K.C.I.E., Sri C. Seshachalam Chettiar, Sri Kowtha Suryanarayana Rao, Sri Dr. K. N. Kesari, Sri B. Sitarama Rao and the Indian Fine Arts Society were pleased to give donations for the award of gold medals to the successful candidates and the medals were presented to the prize winners by Sri T. R. Venkatarama Sastri, C.I.E. at the Academy’s Sadas held on 1-1-1943.

THE ACADEMY SADAS— 1-1-1(943.In fulfilment of one of its avowed objects, the Academy

resolved to honour the distinguished presidents of the Academy’s Annual Conference by conferring on them the title of Sangita KaJdnidhi. Of the presidents of whole conferences whom it was resolved to decorate with this title, two were unfortunately no more, Sri Mangudi Chidambara Bhagavatar and Vidvan Vedanta Bhagavatar, and just on the eve o f the Conference, Vidvan Pazamaneri Svaminatha Iyer also passed away. A Sadas was held on 1-1-1943, when the other presidents were presented the title ahd its insignia. The function was colourful and imposing,

and was attended by distinguished persons, Vice-Chancellors of Universities, Judges of the High Court, the Ex-Preihier of Madras, the Mayor of Madras and Sangita Vidvans.

Vidvan Sattur Subrahmanyam and Tanjore Lakshminarayanan sang the prayer.

After prayer, Rao Bahadur K. V. Krishnaswami Aiyar, President o f the Academy, welcoming those present, said that it was a red letter day in the annals of the Academy and the morning’s function was unique. The Music Academy was started 15 years ago and one of its objects was to confer suitable titles on distinguished Vidvans who had attained high merit and wide experience. The time had now come when the Academy should discharge what they considered to be a duty they owed to the Vidvans. The value of the titles so conferred depended upon two factors, viz., the status of the bestower and the competency of the recipients. With pardonable pride, the Academy might claim that there was no other body more competent and possessed of merit than itself to confer these titles. The Music Academy was in the position of a research laboratory with a show-room annexed. The Academy had many-sided activities. Education, research and publication were some of its distinctive features. As regards the recipients, Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar said, it had to be agreed that the title should be conferred on those who had reached a high level in the music world. The Academy, therefore, decided to confer the title of “ Sangita Kalanidhi ” on all those Vidvans who had presided over the Music Conferences held under the auspices of the Academy year after year.

Proceeding, Mr. Krishnaswami Aiyar said that they were fortunate in having Mr. T. R. Venkatarama Sastri to preside over the Sadas, as he embodied in his person all the cultural traditions and critical ideals for which the Academy stood. The Academy sought in all humility to perpetuate and pass on the rich heritage of our traditional artistic forms, attempting in the process to purify and perfect these forms by scientific analysis and rational criticisms.

Mr. K. Balasubrahmanya Aiyar then read a Srimukham graciously sent by H. H. Sri Sankaracharya of KSmakoti Pltham for the function.

Mr. L. Krishnaswami Aiyar read messages received among others from H. E. the Governor of Madras, H. H. the Maharaja of Mysore, Kasivasi Swaminatha Thampuran of Tiruppanandal, the

Parts i—tv] the x v i madras music Conference, 1942 27

Pandarasannidhi o f Tiruvavaduthurai, Rajah Sir Annamalai Chet- tiar, Sir C. P. Ramaswami Aiyar, Sir V. T. Krishnamachariar, the Rajah o f Ramnad, Pradhanasiromani N. Madhava Rao, Sir C. R. Reddi, Sir C. V. Raman, Sir P. S. Sivaswami Aiyar, Sir S. Varadachariar, Yuvaraja o f Pithapuram, Dr. P. Subbaroyan, the Bhandarkar Institute, Poona, the Krishna Gana Sabha, Hyderabad and the Music Sabhas in Pudukottah, Tiruppur and Vellore. '

Dr. V. Raghavan then read congratulatory verses in Sanskrit especially composed and sent for the Sadas by Mahamahopadhyaya Vidyavachaspati Darsanakalanidhi Kulapati Prof. S. Kuppuswami Sastrigal, m .a., i.e.s. (Retd.)*:


l

2

3

*TT I

4

RECIPIENTS OF TITLES.Rao Bahadur K. V. Krishnaswami Aiyar then presented the

Vidvans on whom the title ‘ Sanglta Kalanidhi ’ was conferred and gave a short account of the respective recipients. Sri T. R. Venkatarama Sastriar, C.I.E. presented the titles, the Birudupatra and the insignia to the Vidvans.1

* The Academy notes with great grief the demise on 6-9-1943 of Maha- mahopadhyaya Prof. S. Kuppuswami Sastrigal. As Curator of the Madras Government Oriental MSS. Library, he collected a large number of valuable mss. of works on Music and N&tya.

RTS I—IV] the XVI MADRAS MUSIC CONFERENCE, 1042 29

BIRUDU PATRA.■ i

! l

m*%y , • ‘ .' i\. < '*■. “ V: < v

tffflprspi

« «!t* I!

■ Jtfcrt fab t>

WRUDVi-Al BA/ ftyz, t&c CPrtridtnl and *sMCindotrx o f lb - <?tyu4ie.

cdhuxdimy. <zM.ad%QA and tfu o f tfie £<fxnt cfidwisoryCotmvît*. thereof astsrfddsd in. ■Sodas do fisxa&y confer, on you* ■

H

[>'!•> '

tftc k u J u o f S tn g ita K sJanidhi

a\ a mor £ o f fu rion a t distinction and In token tfu reof vet funefsy • fjx tttn t to you t&U aBixudufioixa and aut&oxUc you to tvtnx th t

tndyniu peutaanted to you fuxtutiih.

<sMfly A pdeuse c& tm iyfdy ^ o< i to y io t you Cony lift t and tixtnylfc to carry on your urarSt fox t/ut advancement

and fxropayation o f tAis cztyri o f o f f cdfrU , /JnJtnn edliusia.

*■ ZPrtudeni*Dtu. &V\uxii cdhadtmy, edHadtaa

■THE JOURNAL OR 'THE MUSIC ACADEMY [VOL. SctV

INSIGNIA

PARTS I—IV] THE XVI MADRAS MUSIC CONFERENCE, 1942 SI Sri T. V. SUBBA RAO, b .a., b .l.

Bora in 1891; learnt music under Arantangi Yaidyanatha Ayyarwho belonged to the Tyagaraja- sisya-parampara ; practised on both the Vina and the Violin; has done valuable research in the compositions of Purandara, Ksetrajna and Tyagaraja; Chairman of the Boards of Studies in Music in the Madras and Andhra Universities; Honorary Reader in Music in the Madras University and Member of the Music Board in the Annamalai University; presided over the Academy’s Conferences in 1929 and 1930; presided over the Music Section of the All-India Oriental Conference at Tirupati in 1940;

Editor-in-chief of the Academy’s Journal; a linguist and a man of high cultural attainments.

SRl GAYAKA SlKHAMANI

Dr. HARIKESANALLUR L. MUTHIA BHAGAVATAR.

Bom in 1877; learnt Veda and Sanskrit under his uncle the late Mahamahopadhyaya Laksh- mana Suri and Trivadi Muthia Ghanapathigal; learnt music up to his 19th year under Violin Samba- siva Ayyar and his son Vidvan Sabhesa Ayyar; gave performances as a vocal musician till 1904 and then took to Harikatha Kalak- shepa; helped the late Abraham Panditar of Tanjore in his Music publications ! Karunamrtasagaram ’ and ‘ Sangitakalpadrumam ’; conducted a music school at Madura in 1925; was decorated by the late Maharajah of Mysore in 1927 with the title * Gayaka &ikhamani ’ ; presided over the Academy’s Conference in 1930; an ex-Principal

of the Academy’s Teachers’ College of Music; as the Chief Asthana Vidvan at the Mysore Court, composed 108 pieces in Kannada on Camundesvari and got the present of a diamond

. Padaka from the late Maharajah; later became the Chief Asthana Vidvan at the Travaneore Court and as the head of the Swati Tirunal Music Academy, Trivandrum, strove to popularise the compositions of Swati Tirunal; honoured by Travaneore University with the Degree of Doctor of Letters; a renowned composer and a great teacher of music.


SRI K. VARADACHARIAR.

Born in 1876 in a family of musicians; a pupil of the famous

Patnam Subrahmanya Ayyar;

learnt his first lessons in Music

under Nilakantha Sastri who was

a pupil of Sallaghali Krishna

Ayyar of Tanjore; later studied

under Vidvans Violin Rama-

cliandra Ayjrnr, Masilamani Muda-

liar, Coimbatore Raghavachariar,

Senior Singaraehariar and Junior

Singarachariar; was the first

Principal of the Academy’s Teachers’ College of Music; was the

first head of the Music Department

of the Madras University; till

recently head of the Music Depart

ment of the Annamalai University;

Member of the Boards of Studies in Music at the Madras and

Annamalai Universities; presided over the Academy’s Conference

in 1932:; justly famous for his rare style of Ragalapa.


SRI VIDVAN K. PONNIAH PILLAI.

Bom in 1889; a descendent of Sri Ponniah Pillai of Tanjore, the pupil of the composer Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar; learnt music under his father and his father-in-law, the well-known Dance-teacher, Sri Minakshisun- daram Pillai of Pandanainallur; learnt also under Tiruvottiyur Tyaga Ayyar; a Teacher in the Music Departments of the Anna- nralai and the Madras Universities; Member of the Boards of Studies in both the above Universities; has composed in Telugu and Tamil, many Varnas, Gitas,Svarajatis, Kirtanas and Padas; has published in the form of book compositions of his ancestors and those handed down in his own family; presided over the Academy’s Conference in 1933.

SRI T. S. SABHESA AYYAR.

Vidvan Tiruvarur Sambasivam Sabhesa Ayyar; born in 1872;pupil of the great Maha Vaidya- natha Ayyar; his father Sambasiva Ayyar played Violin for Maha Vaidyanatha Ayyar; his grandfather, Sabhapati Sivam, was a pupil of Sri Tyagarajasvamigal; his great-grand-father Pallavi Doraisvami Ayyar, a Vainika, musician and composer, adorned the Tanjore Court in Tulajaji’s time; was the first Head of the Music Department of the Anna- malai University (from 1929- 1937); was a Member of the Boards of Studies in Music at the Annamalai and Madras Universi

ties; presided over the Academy’s Conference in 1934; guru of Sri Vidvan Musiri Subrahmanya Ayyar.

M— 5

34 THE JOURNAL OF THE MUSIC ACADEMY [VOL. 30V SRI SANGITA &ASTRA RATNA

MYSORE K. VASUDEVACHARIAR.

Bom in 1863; son of a scholar who adorned the Mysore Court; joined the Maharajah’s Sanskrit College in his 13th year; attained proficiency in Music and Sanskrit; studied music for two years at Trivadi under Patnam Subrah- manya Ayyar; was a Palace Tutor in Music at Mysore; has been honoured at several Mutts and Courts; was honoured with the title of Sanglta Sastra Ratna by the late Maharaja of Mysore; has composed many Varnas and Krtis in Sanskrit and Telugu; has published some of his compositions with notation in book-form; at present, the chief Asthana Vidvan at the Mysore Court; presided over the Academy’s Conference in 1935. 1

SRI UMAYALPURAM SVAMINATHA AYYAR.

Born in 1867; pupil of Umayalpuram Krishna Bhagavatar andSundara Bhagavatar, the first pupils of Sri Tyagayya; learnt music by closely watching the singing of his own elder brother; later learnt under the Vainika, Tiruvalangadu Tyagaraja Dik- shitar, and then under Kekkarai Muthu Ayyar; still later, for four years was the pupil of the great Maha Vaidyanatha Ayyar; honoured by Maha Vaidyanatha Ayyar with a Tambura and a shawl; was patronised by Sri Ambalavana Svamigal of Tiruva- vaduturai; was honoured by H. H. Sri Sankaracarya Svamigal of

Kamakoti Mutt with the title ‘ Nadanubhavasarajnana ’ ; presided over the Academy’s Conference in 1936.

Born in 1890 of Sri Tiruvenkatachariar, a well-known astrologer; learnt music under Pudukottah Malayappa Ayyar and Namakkal Narasimha Ayyangar; later became a pupil of Rama- nathapuram Srinivasa Ayyangar alias Poochi Ayyangar, well-known musician and composer; a Member of the Board of Studies in Music in the Madras University; presided over the Academy’s Conference in 1938; leader of the profession for over two decades now; inaugurated a new style of singing; his Madhyamakala singing is greatly enjoyable.

SRI MUSIRI SUBRAIIMANYA AYYAR.

Bom in 1890; learnt music under Pudukottah NarayanaswamiAyyar, Namakkal Narasimha Ayyangar, Karur Chinnasvami Ayyar and lastly Vidvan T. S. Sabhesa Ayyar; Member of the Board of Studies in Music in the Madras University; also connected with the Music Departments of the Annamalai and Travancore Universities; presided over the Academy’s Conference in 1939; enjoyed wide popularity as a Musician; Asthana Vidvan of the Travancore Court; well- known for his Vilamba-laya and Karuna-gSna.

PARTS I—IV] THE XVI MADRAS MUSIC CONFERENCE, 1942 i 5

SRI ARIYAKUDI RAMANUJA AYYANGAR.


SRI PROF. DVARAM VENKATASWAMI NAIDU.Bom in 1893 in the Vizagapatam Dt. in the well-known Tilakam

family; learnt Violin under his • elder brother; by dint of prac

tice, has eome to occupy the front rank among South Indian Violinists; was appointed Violin teacher in 1919 in the new Music College in Vizianagaram, started by the late Maharajah of Vizianagaram ; now the Principal of that College; has been honoured by the District Boards of Guntur and Vizagapatam; Member of the Boards of Studies in Music in the Madras and Andhra Universities;presided over the Academy’s Conference in 1941.

SRI MAZHAVARAYANENDAL SUBBARAMA BHAGAVATAR.

Born in 1888 of a father who was a well-known Tamil scholar; on his mother’s side, came of a line of musicians and composers, chief of whom was his maternal grand-father, Mazavarayanendal Chidambara Bharati composer of Arupattumuvar Charitra Kirtanas and Perinba Kirtanas; has been honoured at the Mysore and Travancore Courts; an adept in Svara-singing; presided over the Academy’s Conference in 1942.

t

The title was conferred in absentia on the following Vidvans: Vidvans Umayalpuram Swaminatha Aiyar, Gayaka Sikhamani Dr Muthiah Bagavathar, Dvaram Venkataswami Naidu and T. S. Sabhesa Aiyar.

Rt. Hon. V. S. Srinivasa Sastri was the first to congratulate the musicians. He said that by honouring such eminent musicians, the Music Academy had honoured itself. It was the prayer of all lovers of music that the musicians so honoured would live long and continue to serve the cause of music. He expressed the hope that the musicians would not cling to old ideals, but adapt themselves to the new tastes that were springing up. Music was a moving art and musicians had to captivate the music-loving public, at the same time contributing to the progress of the art.

Dr. A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar said that the function betokened all that was graceful in the Orient. He wished the convocations of Universities were so simple and colourful as the morning’s ceremony. He expressed the hope that the recipients of the titles would remember the function as an expression of the esteem and goodwill and confidence reposed in them by the public. He also paid a tribute to the zeal and enthusiasm of Rao Bahadur K. V. Krishnaswami Aiyar for the cause of Music and hoped that he would continue to be one of the leading and guiding hands behind the Music Academy in the years to come.

All the Vidvans who had received the title in person thanked the Academy for the honour done to them in a suitable manner.

The Chairman next distributed medals to the successful candidates in the music competitions held by the Academy. The Veena Dhanam Memorial Gold Medal was awarded to Sri Jaya- lakshmi. Sri Annapumi won the Sethu Parvathi Bai Medal for the best singer o f Swati Tirunal songs. The Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiar Gold Medal was awarded to Sri N. Rajalakshmi who stood first in the music examinations of the Academy’s Teachers’ College of Music.

PARTS I—IV] THE XVI MADRAS MUSIC CONFERENCE, 1942 3?

The Language Controversy.

Bringing the proceedings to a close, Mr. T. R. Venkatarama Sastri, in the course of a speech in Tamil said, that the recipients of the title fully deserved the honour, and their presiding over the music conferences of the Academy was a unique recognition of their merit.


There were certain tendencies, Mr. Venkatarama Sastri proceeding said, which had crept into the sphere of music in recent times. There was the controversy in regard to language in music. Some advocated music being sung in a particular language. The Baja of Chettinad, inaugurating the Music Conference under the auspices of the Indian Fine Arts Society, had referred to the ‘ language in music ’ controversy. The speaker was an ardent student of Tamil and loved it as much as Baja Sir Annamalai Chettiar. But, to import ‘ language ’ into music was not the correct way. Music had a distinct appeal and characteristic of its own. They had all read about the magic of Sri Krishna’s flute, stones, trees and animals like men were moved by the charm of the music. Music touched one’s heart, irrespective of the language one spoke. When this was so, it behoved every one interested in music to steer clear of this controversy. At the present day, when all of them wanted to progress, everything which tended to disunite people should be eschewed. /

With a vote of thanks proposed by Sri E. V. Sundara Beddi the pleasant function terminated.

TH E ACADEMY DAY— 2-1-1943.

A new feature of this year’s Conference was the inauguration of the Academy Day which was celebrated on 2-1-1943. A reception was held in the morning and then Rao Bahadur K. V. Krishnaswami Ayyar, the President, unveiled the portrait of Dr. U. Rama Rao the first President of the Academy.


The Hon. Dr. U. RAMA RAO President of the Academy (1928—1934)

T. V. Subba Rao

Kanakadas was a contemporary of Purandaradas. Like the latter he too was rich before he became dasa. Though his padas have not the high element of music o f Purandaradas, their popularity among the masses in karnataka country is immeasurable. In style, diction and ideas they can hardly be distinguished from those o f Purandaradas. In the condemnation of the difference that arise from caste, creed or community, he has no equal.

Kanakadas was by birth a kuruba. His father Birappa was in affluent circumstances being a farmer of Revenue under the King o f Vizianagar and exercised authority over a large number of villages. He was a polegar and a military chief with well-trained and disciplined followers. The kurubas o f those parts in the district of Dharwar had been originally saivaites. When Sri Ramanuja preached his faith in those areas o f Hoysala kingdom many o f the Kurubas became sisyas of the mutts established by him. Birappa too in his time changed to Vaishna- vism and devoutly worshipped Lord Venkatesa of Tirupati. A son, later known to the world as Kanakadas, was born to him and the child was called Timmappa which name is but a corruption of Tirumalappa. Young Timmappa showed marked predilection for games and sporst and very early took to military exercises. His one desire was to emulate the heroic deeds of the great warriors of old. The premature death of his father put him into power and there was no curb on his warlike activities. By sheer valour he increased his domain and influence.

Once when he was digging his field he found a large heap of gold hurried in it. This circumstance led the people to call him Kanakanayaka. He gathered all the treasure and used most part of it in the construction of temples particularly that of Kesava in his native village Bada. It should not, however, be imagined that Kanaka was highly spiritual at this time. He simply regarded the building of temples as a meritorious deed. His mind was still after war and victory.

It then happened he had a dream wherein he was exhorted by the Lord to become a dasa. He thought he would rather wage righteous wars and rule over men than lead a wandering minstrel’s *

K A N AK AD AS*

* Readership Lecture delivered at the Madras University.

PARTS I—IV] KANAKADAS 41

life. The demise of his beloved wife followed by that of his revered mother engendered a Spirit of renunciation in him. His visits to the temple became more frequent. Again he dreamed that Kesava bid him become a dasa. His response was no more favourable. He still loved the battle field. It was not long, however, before he had an opportunity to experience the horrors of war. His enemies from the frontier made an inroad into his domain, overpowered him in battle, severely wounded him and left him for dead. A mysterious person nursed and revived him and once again prevailed upon him to become dasa. Kanaka who now stood all alone in the world -without kin, friends or followers, bereft of place and power, filled with disgust of war which was nothing but carnage and plunder, was susceptible to the advice and turned dasa. The stranger who was Kesava Himself blessed Kanaka who thereafter came to be known as Kanakadasa. A remarkable song wherein all the more important names of Vishnu occur signalises the occasion. The pallavi of it is

■gitf s&'&'ash frhSar-S

“ Ka ninna charana bhajana aseinda maduvenu Dosa rasi nasa madu SrlSa Kesava.”

In addition to the usual prasa the correspondence of the prasa letter with the second letter of the particular name of Vishnu is maintained.

Kanakadas desiring formal initiation approached Vyasaraya the greatest mathadhipati and guru o f those times. At first he was refused the favour on account of his low birth, but when his sincerety and depth of devotion became evident, he was readily admitted into the order and he soon became a respected inmate of the mutt. This rare generosity of Vyasaraya caused bitter dissatisfaction in the ranks of the high-browed formalists of the institution who left no means untried to have him expelled. But the affection and partiality of Vyasaraya stood in the way. One afternoon in the mutt, in the presence of Vyasaraya there were learned discussions regarding the pre-requisites for attaining salvation. The arguments all tended to show that unless a man was brahmin-born he could not hope to attain mukti. Vyasaraya was anxious to turn this occasion into a lesson for those who prided themselves on their learning. He questioned them as to which of them were worthy to go to heaven. None of them had the courage to be definite in their answer. Then Kanakadas was sent for, the protests of the Pundit notwithstanding. He was asked

M - 6

the same question. Person after person was named, Vyasaraya himself and eVen Purandaradas not excluded. Kanakadas kept shaking his head. Finally the guru exclaimed there seemed to be none then who was worthy to attain heaven. Kanakadas quietly added “ Nannu hodare hodenu ” which literally translated would mean “ I f I should go I go ” apparently suggesting that he stood a chance of going. The assembly was fierce with indignation at the insolence of Kanakadas and the insult to their guru. Vyasa- raya who instinctively understood the meaning of the words, nevertheless asked Kanakadas for explanation with a view to get him to enlighten the gathering. Kanakadas respectfully submitted that if “ I ,” the ego should Vanish, then there .was chance of going to heaven for him or for anybody. Needless to say all people marvelled at his great experience. The prejudice against him diminished, and Vyasaraya’s predilection for him was justified.

Kanakadasa’s power to invite God in any form or at any time was known to his guru. He was therefore asked if he could make the Lord physically manifest to all. He agreed to do so at the time of puja and prayed that God might appear at midday in the form of Bhairava. Then when worship was at its height a hairy Dog entered the crowd. The animal was beaten and the sacrilegious intrusion avoided. After the worship was over the guru asked Kanakadas if God appeared. The latter pathetically remarked that the Lord was hit and driven away as His form was unholy. The guru observed that Kanakadas should take care to get Him in a form that was sacred. This was agreed to and the next day again during the archana a mighty cobra glided past the idol. The crowd withdrew in fear. Yyasaraya taking the serpent by the hand paid his homage to it. Then Kanakadas praised the Lord in a song in pantuvarali raga and rupaka tala beginning

'sra«nl&&. -gr6s6

“ Itaniga vasudevanu I samasta jaga kadhisa.”The Dhatu of this song is practically the same as is found ijn Tyagaraja’s kirtana “ Ninnu nera namminanu.” In most of the rakti ragas there were varnamettus even in remote times. The difficulty, however, was their form was undefined and they sometimes shaded into other ragas. The standardization of the vamamettus was almost entirely the work of Purandaradas. The great grammarian of Music that he was, he defined them so well that the raga flashed through them at once and their identity became

42 THE JOURNAL OP THE MUSIC ACADEMY CVOL. XIV

feAltTS I—IV] KANAKADAS

unmistakable. Such vamamettus are to be found in compositions in Pantuvarali, Dhanyasi, Mohana, Saveri, Kalyani, Athana, Begada, Sahana, Sankarabharana, Purvakalyani, Kuranji, Navaroj, Bilahari and other ragas. It was the merit of Tyagaraja and other composers that they further refined and embellished these varnamettus in their kirtanas. This circumstance accounts for parallel dhatus in Manasu swadhina and Akshaya Linga. It should not however be supposed that the work of Purandaradas was only that of standardization. The Dhatus he improvised in the various ragas are numerous. In some ragas they are to be found in thousands each differently conceived. The standardized varnamettus, however, came in handy for many later composers who easily put their songs in the ready-made mould. Even here they showed marvellous skill in fusing ihe syllable and the svara.

Vyasaraya esteemed Kanakadas so highly that no consideration of caste or racial prejudice ever impeded the flow of his kindness. When upon a very sacred occasion Kanakadas was called directly into the presence of Vyasaraya and given the thirtha or holy water, his ecstasy and gratitude took the shape of the following song in Kambhoji and jhampa tala.

wfiji'Sjji «£5js!T3i& £e>ji£>Tr-$>;6 ■gn&£T’tx>~ia •kS'7r,ctfba&,s B&tf tt’S lOK'SKife

•i uo$£>XV'CSj js-Bcsfc e Stfraw'dSba,

“ Badukidenu badukidenu bhava venage hingitu Paduma nabhana pada dolume enagayitu Haritirtha prasada jihvage dorakitu, Hariya namamrtavu kivi goda gitu, Hari dasaru enna bandhu galadaru, Hariya sri mudre abharana vaytu. ”

Echo of these sentiments is not hard to find in the compositions of many a classic Vaggeyakara.

Like all great reformers Kanakadas was not content merely to preach to the world in general. He recognised his own community was so backward and ignorant that it needed immediate enlight- ment if it was to be saved from spiritual ruin. With a courage born only of prophets he entered into the strongholds of Kurubas, denounced their bloody sacrifices and cruel rites, turned them by the gentle means of persuasive music to worship Hari, the supreme Lord of the universe. Numerous are the songs he composed for their benefit. He got them to learn the pieces. The constant effect of singing them made the singera imbibe their spirit and the change in their outlook was amazing. The Kurubas

i i t h e Jo urn al of’ 'th e m usic acauem v tVoL. Juv

gave up their barbarous practices and became ardent worshippres of Vishnu. The power of Song in spiritual uplift has seldom been equalled.

The great dasas of those times, in spite of the hardships of travel, visited every important temple in the land and sang numerous kirtanas in praise of the presiding deities. Kanakadas was no exception. He had a dream one night when Venkatesa commanded him to be present at Tirupati during navarathri season when on the tenth day His marriage with Padmavati would be celebrated. The Mahant of Tirupati had also a dream wherein he was informed that a bhakta dear to the Lord would come to the hills. Kanakadas with his drone of Ektar (monochord) was slowly ascending the steps singing the praise of Venkatesa. The mahant not knowing him enquired where Kanakadas was. The latter replied that the person sought was behind those in front and in front of those behind. The mahant taking him for an eccentric person was about to continue his way when again he stopped and asked to what community he belonged. His sore was touched. A spirited song in Kedaragaula and Ata tala beginning “ Yatarava nendu ” was the reply. The point about it was thatthe body of man in every instance was made of flesh, blood and bone and covered with skin and to label it by class or community was purposeless. The mahant who heard him had now no doubt he was mad, and continued his search. Not finding the dasa the Mahant returned to his mutt. Kanakadas in the meanwhile walked up and reached the temple. He was fatigued. He had not eaten. The cold was severe. He had no place to rest. He grew angry and gang a cynical song in Purvi raga and Ata tala beginning

St«S> £SjOT? XT’ rBo^_a

“ Bande nayya Govinda setti indu ninna maduvege barendene ”and rebuked Venkatesa for being niggardly and inhospitable, called Him a setti who sold sweets and other eatables and made money, and abused Him for leaving a bhakta and letting him suffer discomfort. Then overcome by exhaustion the dasa fell asleep in a mantapa. Some unknown person woke him, gave him food and wrapped him in costly cloth. Before he could know who had thus favoured him, the stranger disappeared and he slept again. Next morning the archakas found a valuable anga- vastra missing from the vigraha in the temple. Upon making a search it was found to cover the person of a heavy sleeper in the corner bf a mantapa. • This person who was no other than Kanakadas was rudely disturbed from sleep and beaten for having

KAtfAKAbAsSt»ARTS I—tv l 45

committed theft. The bhakta realized that the punishment was the penalty for the raillery of the previous nig*ht in calling Venkatesa, Govinda setti, now humbled himself and praised Govinda in a song beginning

K*S>oIS •Szr'tfoiS

“ Govinda salahe nannu sada nanda ” in which in the first charana all the ten avatars of Vishnu are described after the manner of Jayadeva’s first ashtapadi. Some of the sentiments expressed in the other charanas are pathetic and prayerful in the extreme:

S'-i&yS £><2sjo fr so ts T Z & e a S o $ * 6 ir* K*QoS

H F^SotS s)2Sl? Srfl? F^SioS

“ Kachuva ketti thanava bidisu Govinda sadguna venba dhanava thoriso Govinda, ninnadigala nenavante kodu Govinda idake bada thanave ninnage Govinda.”

the meaning is “ Let me not hurt by my tongue, give me virtues all, let me contemplate your feet. Are you too poor to grant me this? ” The result of this appeal was the marks of

•the blow were seen on the idol. The Mahant understood that the tortured person was the bhakta he was looking for and ordered that the cloth be given over to the bhakta. Eanakadas was then treated with great respect and led into the sactuary that he might worship all alone. He offered his devoted prayers and sang in Kalyani, in Ata tala the kirtana

~$rsio'ssr8 'gog&nj’ dS)

“ Ninnana nenendeno Venkataraya, yenna nl salahu beku.” A kirtana in Mohana and jhampa the pallavi of which is

Si£SS's£>ej S'O&raBotSC S’ tflSb (,683ti‘3

“ Hari ninna pada kamala karuna dindali enage dorakiti guru seve Hariye.”

It is mostly autobiographical and refers to his having been n warrior chief who led his followers to battle and suffered defeat and almost death, to his having been turned, of course, by the Lord from the path of worldly ambition and unkind deeds, to godly ways and humane service, and to his initiation as dasa by the great mathadhipati of his times, and finally concludes with a prayer that he might join the feet of God like the drop o f water that turns into pearl by joining the oyster. He lived for many months in Tirupati daily worshipping and meditating on Sri Veqkatesa. To the bhaktas and to the dasas and other singers and composers,

46 frHfc JOUfeNAL 6 f THE MUSIC ACADEMY [VOL !XlV

there is no temple that has greater power to inspire than the one on the seven hills. Judged from the compositions in use, Venka- tesa of all Deities claims the greatest common measure of devotion.'

After visiting many other kshetras Kanakadas came to Udupi. It was the time when Vadiraja was away on his travels. Kanakadas could not get admission into the temple’s inner enclosures, nor could he on account of his low birth get anywhere near the window to obtain a view of Sri Krishna. Vexed at his condition, he bemoaned his birth in a song in Mohana raga and Jhampa tala

s£r»5cS'C &ot£>8£ «^<T*5'3Sr*

“ Purva janmadi nanu madida karmadin durvi yola ge janma talideno Krishna,”

which contains many a touching and pathetic wail. The line &>&)&&> jsTSSsoiSj «>43u<2cSSo 6 Bsy°8r~e 5\:5.gj cn ej _0 vpa

“ Mutta diru nade yendu jana rella.ru yenna, Attibadi yutta liharo Krishna

must move even a heart of flint. Most of the great bhaktas appear to have suffered persecution at the hands of their fellows. In the case of Kanakadas it was his birth that was- the cause; in the case of Purandaradas and Tyagaraja it was the courage of conviction. The kirtana “ Nadupai bali kedaru narulu ” of the latter is a well-known instance. Kanakadas, indeed, had to put up with insufferable humiliation for being a Kuruba by birth. Questions about his caste were daggers to him and always evoked a spirited kirtana by way of reply. When he endeavoured to get closer to the crowds that hid the view of Sri Krishna in the temple of Udupi, he was insulted by again being asked what community he belonged to that he dared to press on them. He answers by the following song

95y Sot; SGwTSiSij <i{Sg TOatfC

T66r,«b Jg&oo eSdoSfc ^6^<iO«jTS sS'tfa&fc&'Olif i PSoBs Si SoSaas t f l ? $£r>?5otfaJraCt)'i

“ Kula kula kula vennuti vare, kula yavadu nodi satya sajjanare || P||

Kesarolu tavare puttalu ada tandu, bisijanabha nigarpisa lillave, hasuvina mamsa dolu disida d§rava, vasudhe yolage bhusuraruna lillave ||. C||

and concludes by asking to what caste does God belong ? What is the kula of the soul or the senses? Yet he got no chance of seeing Sri Krishna. Undaunted he stood unmoved and prayed passionately,

PARTS I—IV] KANAKADA9 47

Then suddenly to the stupifaction o f all beholders the idol which was facing east suddenly turned westward to give darsfen to Kanakadas. The Vigraha has ever since maintained its altered direction. A railing marks the spot where from the dasa worshipped Sri Krishna and to this day it hears the name o f Kanakakindi. A mantapa also stands where he dwelt. Kanakadasa’s spiritual eminence was wondered at by all. Yet the prejudice of caste was so strong that no one ever cared to feed him. Again it was divine intervention that saved him from starvation. When Vadiraja returned to Udupi, Kanakadas was shown all kindness and courtesy and his comforts were attended to.

The next important kshetra that Kanakadas visited was Belur. Though in most compositions he adopted the mudra “ Kaginele Kesava ” yet when he was in Belur, he used for the songs he there composed, the mudra “ Velapuri Kesava.” For this reason some of the songs of Vaikunthadas are commonly mistaken for those of Kanakadas. For instance the kirtana “ Maguvu Kaneyya ” which Vaikunthadas sang in reply to a question from Vadiraja will be found in some books given as a composition of Kanakadas. The sahitya of the kirtanas of these composers is so much alike that other tests have to be applied for distinction. In those days in Belur the chief attraction to visitors and second only to Lord Kesava the presiding deity o f the kshetra was of course, Vaikunthadas. Kanakadas in complete disguise sat in front of the residence of Vaikunthadas and daily rendered service to the latter by lighting the way to the temple with a torch. One day Vaikunthadas out of curiosity asked the torch bearer who he was; and out came the reply in the following song

uoiaw'h TT,J\ws',d3bo'3 "3 SGoS'B’ d"* e&S 73"'7jCis£i"3ct&

“ Bantanagi bagila kayuve vaikuntha dasothama dasara maneya ” and enumerated the various services he would render to dasas. When in the final charana was heard the mudra of Kesava, Vaikunthadasa learnt further the stranger was no nother than Kanakadas. Regretting for the neglect, he entreated Kanakadas to . forgive him. Kanakadas observed it was easy to worship God, but very difficult to get a chance to serve a great dasa. Their intimate conversation abounded in words of profound wisdom. Kanakadas would observe he was a marjara Kisora, whereas his friend was a markata Kisora, and the latter would reply it was so, for while he had to seek the Lord, the Lord himself came to Kanakadas. You will recall in this connection the well-known kirtina of Tyagaraja “ Tanayunibrova ” in Bhairavi where both the marjara


kisora nyaya and markata Kisora nay as are discussed and the ideas* illustrated ,by striking similes. Tyagaraja asks whether the Protector will come to the protected or whether the latter should seek the former. The implication therein is that either thing may happen. Thus the great composers have the happy facility of expressing the highest 'spiritual truth in a language of extreme simplicity. Wherever they went they preached the message of the love of God as the surest means of salvation. It was natural for the Haridasas to go round the country and visit the famous temples. Tyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar were followers o f this tradition and sang kirtanas on the deites of the shrines they visited. There is no doubt that they benefitted more the people o f the kshetras by spiritual enlightenment than themselves by the merit earned. The sight of the Haridasas walking on foot from place to place with their tambura or ektar singing kirtanas, despising comfort and rest, suffering hardship and privation exhorting people to live a life of truth, virtue and devotion to God and conveying their teaching through the attractive means of stirring music, was perhaps the most inspiring sight that human eye could light upon. The gentle message of their song had a direct appeal which no heart susceptible to noble impulse could ever resist. In the moral elevation of the masses of India, the p$at played by the Haridasas remains unequalled. Their services to the cause of music are inestimable. The kirtana is their forte and precious gift.

A t the conclusion of the tirtha yatra Kanakadas came to Vijayanagar td pay his homage to Vyasaraya. In the mutt there were people yet who resented the special honour shown by their chief to the low-born disciple. Vyasaraya to bring them to their sense again, called them all one, Ekadasi afternoon, gave them plantain fruits and said they might eat if they could do so unseen by any. They all hid themselves in some comer or other and devoured the plantains. Kanakadas however returned the fruits as there was no spot which was not in the eye of God. Vyasaraya then told his sishyas what difference in practice there was between them and Kanakadas. What was a matter of book learning for them was an actual experience for him. God to them was a subject of discussion, to him a reality closest to life.

Kanakadas was a true reformer. On the one hand his task was to elevate the lower classes who were submerged in ignorance and barbarity, and on the other to fight the prejudices o f the higher pastes. He was eminently fitted for this dual role. Being a sudra himself he could command greater influence with men

PARTS I—IV] KANAKADAS 49

of his own community. His piety and self-sacrifice enabled him to put up a heroic fight against the arrogance of the superior classes. He would enter the crowds of his fellow-men, behave like them outwardly, speak a language they well could know and with drum and rhythm familiar to them in folk tunes sing songs like

“ Devi nama dyavaru bandaru bannere noda bannire,” and by unobtrusive means work his way into their hearts and fill them with love for Hari, the God of gods. To those who were proud of their birth he would administer rebukes like those in the song in kambhoji, jhampa

SCo SGw SGy S)5Jij$G«K"3>'3 aSr*&& utTr°G mdvdoJS SSt'SWGu tvioSifiriUXQti fkix

T ’ tS'iOuoSj &-"8t§So §81§3b j|S«§)8r*tOS'uSCuI U’ dfiuTS oT'g^Sj aOn-0 nvtS

St&u ■R'Scjfi. irSer*i p CO

“ Kula kula kula vendu hodadada diri, nimma kulade nele yavadu ballira 11 P 11

Huttada yonigalilla mettada bhumigalilla, vunada vastiga- lilla pranigalira, guttu kanisabandu hiridenu kiridenu, gattyagi sarvagnana bhajisero 11 C 11

jalave sakalakulake tayallave, jalada kula vyavadu ballira, jalada bobbuliyante sthiravalla dchada neleya naritu nivu baliro 11 C 11

concluding that Lord Hari is all pervading and that He alone should be worshipped.

Kanakadas lived upto a good old age. His last days were spent in Tirupati. It was now his privilege to enter the sanctuary any time. On a certain day he went to the temple, fixed his Ektar and danda on the lintel at the entrance, praised his guru Vyasaraya and Purandaradas the greatest of them all, joined hands in worship of the Lord and went in and was not known to have come out of the shrine. He had found his Resting Place.

Kanakadas wrote several books of which the chief are Hari- bhaktisara, Nalacharitra, Mohanatarangini, Nrsimhastava and Ramadhyaya. But it is mostly by his kirtanas that he is known to the world. They may not possess the high reputation for musical quality of the compositions of Purandaradas, but the very simplicity and classic dignity of their melody have even greater appeal to the masses. Many of his compositions are so

M— 7


like those of his illustrious contemporary that but for the mudra it will be difficult to distinguish. The music, language, ideas and spiritual fervour are to be found in the same measure and character in both of them. Numerous are the compositions of Kanakadas which contain thoughts for which parallels might be found in those of Tyagaraja. A few examples may not be out of place. In a kirtana in Arabhi beginning “ Narayana ninna nama ondirutire berondu inuyakayya ” he says, when there is the straight road in the open plain, why seek the tortuous mountain path? When there is ambrosial food in the plate, why choose unwholesome gruel? and so on. Judge for yourself how close is the resemblance of the ideas contained in “ Chakkani raja, margamu ” A familiar song in Kambhoji “ Bhajisi badukelo manuja ” praises the feet of the Lord as having performed many wonders and lines like “ Sitaye satyalamadi Kulavasali hida pade ” have great affinity to the line “ Rati nati jesina chara- namu ” and other lines in a composition in Saurastra of Tyagaraja, beginning “ Vinayamunanu. ’ ’

There is one class of compositions of the Dasas which are in the nature of conundrums. A notable example of Kanakadasa’s padfuns of this kind is that which begins “ Maravanunguva pakshi maneyodage bandide ” . Just for the interest of it. the substance may be given as follows:— A bird that swallows wood is come into the house, it has one horn but no intestines in the body; it has three throats, but no nose, like the lame it sits motionless and eats several kinds o f food, its mouth is in the centre and it sings in different pitches, it is born in the wilderness and its body breaks in twain, it sustains man in poverty: it plys in the hand of woman; what is it Kesava? Lest your curiosity should be taxed too much let me say at once that what is meant is the household grinding stone. You might perhaps ask what is the relevancy of millstone and why should there be a puzzle for it. The puzzle is to make men think and exercise their minds and understand thoroughly the grindstone which is the solution o f it. When they have known the character o f that yantra they would know also the natuure of what it symbolises, the universe where all beings are ground by sin and suffering. So long as they cling fast to the Lord the centre of all existence, even as the grain does to the pivotal peg in the middle, they are safe. Once they leave the centre they are sure to be crushed between the revolving sky and earth as the grain that moves away,, is caught between the stones and reduced to flour. In this way Kanakadas sang his kirtanas and through them elevated mankind.

BY

Robindra L al, Roy, Calcutta.

(Continued, from the previous Volume).The importance of Arohas has been observed in the last chapter.

Now we shall consider the importance of Avarohas:I f we just invert the first fourteen Arohas we get fourteen

similar Avarohas which also happen to be the most frequently used in practice: (1) sa Dha Pa Ma Ri Sa. (2) sa Ni Pa Ma Ri Sa.(3) sa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ri Sa. (4) sa Dha Pa Ma Ga Sa. (5) sa Ni Pa Ma Ga Sa. (6) sa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Sa. (7) sa Dha Pa Ga Ri Sa. (8) sa Ni Pa Ga Ri Sa. (9) sa Ni Dha Pa Ga Ri Sa. (10) sa Ni Dha Ma Ga Sa. (11) sa Dha Ma Ga Ri Sa. (12) sa Ni Dha Ma Ga Ri Sa. (13) sa Dha Pa Ma Ga Ri Sa. (14) sa Ni Pa Ma Ga Ri Sa.

Thus very obviously we have 196 combinations o f Aroha-avarohas with the Shuddha svaras and hence the total number of good Aroha-avarohas in the thirty-two scales should be 32 multiplied by 196, that is 6272.

It is not threatened that these should be worked out and practised on the voice but they indicate the aesthetic possibilities o f the Audava and Shadava scales or Melas and also the reason why the average good musician uses Sampurna Melas in the Avarohi as a general rule in a very large number of Ragas. It would be interesting to identify those Aroha-avarohas which have been used, which are very few, regarding the total number of good possibilities, and to show that musicians are in no dearth of materials and Indian music has not really stagnated as it is believed by those reformists who would insist on giving us tunes and rhythms which have been rejected by us as too elementary.

The human mind and especially the musical mind has a mechanically inclined sub-consciousness and principles of symmetry and convenience rule the apparently free and unrestrained movements of the voice. The ordinary conscious mind with its habitual inertia is unable to perceive the mechanical laws of the mind which control it from the sub-conscious. To know the basic mechanical principles which "govern us in composition is to

NORTH INDIAN RAG AS AND MELAS.

establish contact (Yoga) between the conscious and the subconscious layers of the mind. That is indeed what the science of music is about.

The established Ragas which retain their greatest hold on the musical emotions are enduring while the artificial ones though composed by great effort fail to live. This is exactly the difference between the mechanical feats and spontaneous expression, the difference between drilling and dancing. This is the reason why we do not rush every new variety before there is a spontaneous expression to justify it. The principle of interpolation is thus an organic principle where the shape of a tune or melody is retained but notes slightly altered. There is again the opposite process of keeping the notes the same while the shape is altered. These are the two important principles of our musical evolution. It is probable that the same principles are also important in the composition of South Indian music at least in so far as the Ragalapa is concerned.

The Aroha and Avaroha however do not give us the tunes but the possible Tana or phrases which it is the musician’s chief achievement in a programme to add extemporaneously, not from memory but by habit. For developing the habit ‘the Aroha and Avaroha are extremely important and hence they represent the plan of the Raga though they cannot be identified with scales strictly speaking as we shall presently see. We may notice the principles of the so-called Genus-species system before discussing the above Arohas and Avarohas. The so-called Raga-Ragini system is not given by the Parijata which gives us a considerably large number of Aroha-Avarohas we use at present. The Anupa Sangeetankusha of Pundit Rhava Bhatta who accepts the authenticity of Parijata mentions the Shat Purusha Raga, that is the six male Ragas and their wives (Barangana). The importance o f this authority lies in the fact that he generally agreed with the opinions of Parijata and Parijata is about the only important authority which gives us the basic scale (Buddha Mela) in divisions of the main string of the Veena.

The six male Ragas of Anupasangeetankusha are: Bhairav, Malavkaushik, Hindol, Deepak, Shree and Megh. It is interesting that with the exception of Malavkaushik the Ragas are Audava Ragas.

If we refer to the Bhairava of Parijata which is presumably the same'as that of Bhava Bhatta (as also evident from his other works

52 'the journal of the music academy fvoL. xiv

Anupa Sangjeeta Ratnakara and Anupasangeetavilasa) we can see , that the Aroha and Avaroha were.: Sa Ga Ma Dha Ni sa, sa Ni Dha Ma Ga Sa. This Raga is given the following Raginis: Madhya- madi, Bhairavi, Bangali, Varati and Saindhavi. Now Madhyamadi

i has Sa Ri Ma Pa Ni sa, sa Ni Pa Ma Ri Sa. It is important to / note that Madhyamadi has a different Ni from Bhairava in / addition to the fact that the Dha and Ga are dropped while Ri I is different. Thus there is no structural or tonal relation between

the two.

On behalf of the authors of the system there is the argument based on sound Hindu tradition that husbands and wives are not to be previously related. Thus the Raga-Ragini system is essentially intended to give rise to new Ragas (Putra Ragas) and the offsprings may justify such union if they are long-lived and prosperous.

By the above union one should expect a Raga combining the qualities of the parents, that is, a Raga with two Nishads, two Rishabhas, Dha komal and Ga shuddah. Such a Raga does not exist now though it is possible to compose a good Raga with Sa Ga Ma Dha Ni sa, sa Ni Pa Ma Ri Sa sa Aroha and Avaroha. The alternative is to combine the Bhairava Avaroha with the Madhyamadi Aroha giving us Sa Ri Ma Pa Ni sa, sa Ni Dha Ma Ga Sa. Even this form is not in use. Similar trials with the other wives of Bhairava would show that the only fertile combination is between Bhairava and Varati and there are many Ragas in the Varati Mela (modern Purvi or Kamavardhini) with both madhyamas.

But the above analysis indicates the futility of the Raga-Ragini classification which does not classify the Ragas in families of allied emotions but try to explain certain individual Ragas by marriages which never took place. The adherents of the Raga- Ragini classification however do not notice that the Ragas and Raginis are unrelated with each other; hence for classifying the Ragas the same system has to be followed. The system that has been followed by musicians is one of progressive evolution passing through subtle alterations in form and pitch of notes.

Thus, as indicated in the last chapter, Sa Ga Ma Dha Ni Ba Aroha has given us a large number of Ragas by subtle alterations in Shruti and interpolation of new notes in the Avaroha. Since this form is the most frequently used in nearly all its variations

JPAftTS 1—IV] NORTH In£»IaM RA&As Aft!) MElaS 5,1

it may be worthwhile studying the Ragas we already ha pe in the North.1

Starting with Sa Ga Ma Dha Ni sa which is generally used ‘ in the most common of our Ragas namely Khamaj (the Aroha is however more strictly used in Rageshri which has been gradually displaced by Khamaj).

Thus we have:Sa GaMa Dha Ni sa: sa Ni Dha Ma Ga Sa—Rageshri.

: sa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Re Sa—Khamaj.: sa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Re Sa—Aheer

Bhairava.Now we may anticipate the following simple developments from the first Aroha-Avaroha in Rageshri: Sa Ma Ga Sa NI DHA1 2 Sa, DHA NI Sa Ma Ga, Ga Ma Ni Dha, sa Dha Ni Dha Ma Ga, Ga Ma Ga Sa. The principle of Moorchhana still persists in execution by extending the Aroha beyond the Madhya-saptaka: DHA NI Sa Ga Ma Dha which is often used as the first Tana of Rageshri and a very significant Tana and we can call it Dhaivatadika Moorchhana.

The second Aroha and Avaroha of Khamaj indicate the following simple developments: Sa Ga Ma Pa Ga Ma Ni Dha Pa, Ma Pa Ma Ga Ga Ma Ni Dha sa, sa Ni Dha Pa Dha Ma Ga, Pa Ma Ga Ri Sa. Ultimately the developments are made as if the Raga takes all the notes in Aroha and Avaroha: Ga Ma Pa Dha sa re ga re sa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Ri Sa though the fundamental tune conspicuously drops Ri and Ra, often Pa in the Aroha.

The third Aroha and Avaroha cleverly blends by interpolation of Komal Ri the emotional appeal o f Bhairava with Khamaj giving us Tanas like: Sa Ma Ga Ri Sa NI DHA NI Sa. Further developments use Ri in the Avaroha and in effect the South Indian Suryakanta Mela is used through the central tune seldom uses Ri in the Aroha. Thus such phrases like Sa Ga Ri Ma Ga Pa Ma Ga Ri Sa, Dha Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Ri Ma Ga Ri Sa are used. Thus in North Indian music the Aroha and Avaroha indicate the central theme but do not rigidly control the move* ments o f the voice and a broad range o f emotional variations is allowed.

1 It would be most Instructive If some South Indian writer names the corresponding Ragas of the South In so far as they exist in practice.

2 All capital notes indicate Mandra-Saptalca sv&ras.

54 Jo u r n a l o f THE m u s IG AdAfiJSMY ivoL. fciV

55

From the Khamaj Aroha the change o i Qa to Komal Qa gives us the phrases of Rageshri and hence the' Aroha *is now Sa Ga Ma Dha Ni sa : sa Ni Dha Ma Ga Be Sa. This is slightly altered by occasional additions o f Pa and Ri in such Tanas like Be Ga Ma Ga Re Sa, and Pa Dha Ni Dha, but the fundamental' structure is based on the first Audava-Audava combinations. In Rageshri the altered Ga gradually gave us the oscillating Ga which now characterises many of our present Ragas using the Rageshri Aroha. Also mixed scales like Sa Ga Ma Dha Ni sa: sa Ni Pa Ma Re Sa have been used giving us Ragas like Rageshri, Kanada, and Bahar which we shall consider under the Sa Ri Ma Pa Ni Ba group.

From Rageshri the alteration o f Dha gives us Malkauns; and our present Bhairavi by interpolation.

Sa Ga Ma Dha Ni sa: sa Ni Dha Ma Ga sa—Malkauns.: sa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Ri Sa—Bhairavi.

Proceeding with another Sa Ga Ma Dha Ni sa form we have:Sa Ga Ma Dha Ni sa: sa Ni Dha Ma Ga Ri Sa—Bhairava.

: sa Ni Dha Mam Ma Ga Ri Sa—Lalit orLalit-Pancham.

As already indicated in the last chapter the various interpolations give us various other scales and Ragas.

The question of finding out six Purusha or Main Ragas is still scientifically possible to answer.

Shadava Arohas usually are in greater favour with musicians than either Audava or Sampuma Arohas and even Avarohas. In any Sampurna scale again there are six possible Arohas and six possible Avarohas using only six notes: omitting respectively Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni, giving us the following with Shuddha Bvaras:

Sa Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni sa, Sa Re Ma Pa Dha Ni sa, sa Ri Ga Pa Dha Ni sa, Sa Ri Ga Ma Dha Ni sa, Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Ni sa, Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Dha sa.

These Arohas give us the alternative Arohas of Bihag, Mallar, Bilawal, Sarparda, Chhayanat, Khamaj (the last using Komal Ni in the Avaroha). It is interesting to note that though Dha is strictly dropped in the Aroha or Bihag it is used by mspiy good musicians, hence one has to be very considerate in laying down

PAHTS I—IV] NORTH INDIAN RAGAS AND MELAS

rules. Real art is often a subconscious compromise between method and freedom. The alternative forms used by musical intuition cannot be easily condemned on a basis of artificial rules. Thus an Audava Aroha of Sa Ga Ma Pa Ni sa in Bihag may-really be regarded as a reasonable variation of the Shadava form.

iNow regarding the Avaroha of all these Ragas all use the

Sampurna form sa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Ri Sa with of course a changed Ni for Khamaj, thus the Ragas are distinguished.mainly by their Arohas with Vakra Tanas used freely in the Avaroha combining real art with perfect scientific method.

This general rule applies nearly in all our Ragas and there are mainly ten important Sampurna Avarohas which give us the ten Melas or Thats of Pundit Bhatkande:

1. Bilawal with Shuddha svaras.2. Khamaj—sa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Ri Sa—Harikamboji.3. Kafi—sa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Ri Sa—Kharaharapriya.4. Jaunpuri—sa Ni Dha Pa Pa Ga Ri Sa—Natabhairavi.5. Bhairavi—sa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Ri Sa—Hanumatodi.6. Todi—sa Ni Dha Pa Mam Ga Ri Sa— Shubhapantuvarali.7. Bhairava—sa Ni Dha Pa Ma Ga Ri Sa—Mayamalavagaula.8. Purvi—sa Ni Dha Pa Mam Ga Ri Sa—Kamavardhini.9. Marva—sa Ni Dha Pa Mam Ga Ri Sa—Gamanashrama.

10. Kalyan—sa Ni Dha Pa Mam Ga Ri sa—Mechakalyani.Though Pundit Bhatkhande identifies the Melas in ascending

order the inner meaning and logic o f his system depends on the common bases of the Avarohi or descending order. There is scarcely a single Raga in Hindusthani music which has a Sampurna Aroha while many Ragas use notes from different scales like Khamaj using both Nishads or Kafi using both Nishads and both Gandharas. >

Now if we repeat the six Shadava forms in these different Melas then in Khamaj Mela we have:

1. Sa Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni sa,2. Sa Ri Ma Pa Dha Ni sa, Oi I'd3. Sa Ri Ga Pa Dha Ni sa,4. Sa Ri Ga Ma Dha Ni sa,5. Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Ni Ba, y. «6. * Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Dha sa.


PARTS I—IV] NORTH INDIAN RAGAS AND MELAS 57

Of these the first, and last are used in developing Khamaj, the second in Goud Malhar. There are two good Arohas in>Sa Re Ga Pa Dha Ni sa, and Sa Ri Ga Ma Dha Ni sa which might have been used but no Ragas have been composed on these bases and are used alternatively in Khamaj and Rageshri. The last but one ' has not been used but can form a very good Aroha of an obsolete Raga called Khamchi Kanada.

Similar forms in the Kafi Mela are:

Sa Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni sa usually not used but may be advantageously used in our Sughrai Kanada. The Audava form Sa Ga Ma Pa Ni sa is used in the Raga Bhimpalasi the same as Pari j at a ’s Sampuma Dhanshri.

Sa Re Ma Pa Dha Ni sa: used in the Mallaras, with Vakra Avaroha. Sindura uses this in the Kafi mela Avaroha.

Sa Re Ga Ma Dha Ni sa : Rageshri sometimes uses this. More correctly the Aroha of Rageshri Kanada. With the Sampuma Avaroha our Rageshri of this kind is the same as the Riti Gaud of Pari j at a,

Sa Re Ga Pa Dha Ni sa: not used much but may be most advantageously used in our Dhanashri and with the Vakra Avaroha of the Kanadas may be advantageously used in our Nayaki Kanada.

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Ni sa: not used much but may be most suitably used in our Kafi Kanada with a Vakra Avaroha.

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha sa : not used much but should be the base of our Sindhu or Saindhavi as distinguished from Sindura.

The Sampuma Aroha and Avaroha are used in Raga Kafi with variations.

Next we come to Jaunpuri Mela:Sa Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni sa: may be advantageously used in

Khat. With a Vakra Avaroha it may be used in some of the Kanadas. Sa Re Ma Pa Dha Ni sa: used in Jaunpuri. Sa Re Ga Pa Dha Ni sa: may be used in some of the Kanadas with Vakra Avaroha; sometimes used in Khat.

Sa Re Ga Ma Dha Ni sa: not yet used and does not appear to be of much promise.

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Ni sa: should be the Aroha of Gandhari which now has no distinction with Jaunpuri,

M -S

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha sa: should be the Aroha of Anand Bhairavi not mtich used at present.

The Sampurna Aroha is used in Durban Kanada.

Next the Bhairavi Mela:Sa Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni sa: used in the Bhairavi-Dhanashri and

also in Bhairavi in the usual hackneyed form.Sa Ri Ma Pa Dha Ni sa: Asavari has this form.Sa Ri Ga Pa Dha Ni sa: Bilaskhani Todi.Sa Ri Ga Ma Dha Ni sa : Not used; may be used in Kaunsi

Kanada.Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Ni sa: Sometimes called Bhairavi Todi with

the straight Sampurna Avaroha.Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Dha sa: with the Sampurna Aroha including

Ni is used frequently in Bhairavi with Sampurna Avaroha.

Bhairava is the next Mela:Sa Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni sa : Kalingda.Sa Ri Ma Pa Dha Ni sa: Jogiya may use it though it drops

Ni in the Aroha which is unnecessary making an artificial restriction.

Sa Ri Ga Pa Dha Ni s a : ’Bibhas (Shadava-Shadava), the same notes being used in the Avaroha.

Sa Ri Ga Ma Dha Ni sa: Should form the base of Gouri.Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Ni sa: Should be the base of Bhankhar

which has not definite Aroha-Avaroha.Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Dha sa: used in developing Gouri and has a

similar emotional effect.

The above five Melas arc the five basic Shuddha Madhyam Melas. As we shall see in due course the above Shadava Arohas have given us by interpolation those Melas which fall outside these ten parent Melas. Thus from the artistic as well as the scientific point o f view the ten Melas should be enough for a basic classification of all Ragas yielding good tunes. It would be interesting to study the compositions of South Indian music on this basis.

Beginning the Tcevra Madhyam Melas in the reverse order: Kalyan Mela has the following Shadava Arohas:

Sa Ga Mam Pa Dha Ni sa: Maru Bihag using the movements pf Bihag on the Kalyan Mela.


Sa Ke Mam Pa Dha Ni sa: Shyam Kalyan taking Shuddha Ma in Avaroha.

Sa Re Ga Pa Dha Ni sa: with the Kalyan Avaroha gives us Imani-Bilawal.

Sa Re Ga Mam Dha Ni sa: Iman.Sa Ri Ga Mam Pa Ni sa: Not yet.used but is promising.Sa Ri Ga Mam Pa Dha sa: Not yet used.

There are many Ragas like Kedar or Hameer using both Madhyams these should be treated under the Valera or twisted Ragas which take Avaroha from Shadava or Audava Melas.

Next is Marva (Gamanasrama):Sa Ga Mam Pa Dha Ni sa: Purva Kalyan (also the Sampurna

form).Sa Re Mam Pa Dha Ni sa : Maligaura should have this Arohi;

it has none at present. Sa Ri Mam Pa Ni sa is a useful variation.Sa Ri Ga Pa Dha Ni sa: Not used but may be used as the

Aroha of Jayat or Jait whoso Audava Aroha Sa Ri Ga Pa Dha sa unnecessarily drops Ni.

Sa Re Ga Mam Dha Ni sa: Marva.Sa Ri Ga Mam Pa Ni sa: As an alternative Aroha for

Maligaura using both Dhaivatas.Sa Ri Ga Mam Pa Dha sa: Not used.

The next Purvi (Kamavardhini) :Sa Ga Mam Pa Dha Ni sa: Used in its Audava variation

dropping Ni in Jetashri.Sa Ri Mam Pa Dha Ni sa: Used in Shree dropping Ni in

Aroha.Sa Ri Ga Pa Dha Ni sa : Malavi and Purva-Dhanashri.

The Audava form Sa Ri Ga Pa Ni sa: is used in Shree Tank (or Tanki).

The Audava form Sa Ri Ga Pa Dha sa: is used in Bibhas and Reva hence the latter is reasonably obsolete.'

Sa Ri Ga Mam Dha Ni sa: Vasant.Sa Ri Ga Mam Pa Ni sa: Not used.Sa Ri Ga Mam Pa Dha sa: Purvi.Sa Ri Ga Mam Pa Dha Ni sa; is used in Paraj.

PARTS I—IV] NORTH INDIAN RAGAS AND MELAS 59

The next Todi Mela (Shubhapantuvarali) :Sa Ga Mam Pa Dha Ni sa: used in its Audava variation in

Multani with Dha dropped.Sa Ri Mam Pa Dha Ni sa: Not yet used but has promise. Sa Ri Ga Pa Dha Ni sa : Used alternatively in present Todi. Sa Ri Ga Mam Dha Ni sa: used mainly as the base of Todi. Sa Ri Ga Mam Pa Ni sa: Not used but may form the base of

one of the disputed Todis.Sa Ri Ga Mam Pa Dha sa: May be used as the Aroha of

Todis using Komal Nishad in the Avarohi.

As already indicated in the last chapter each of these Shadava Arohas may use the Sampurna Avaroha from one of the ten basic Melas or get a fresh scale by changing the omitted note: for instance

Sa Ga Mam Pa Dha Ni sa : sa Ni Dha Pa Mam Ga Ri sasa Ni Dha Pa Mam Ga Ri Sa

the latter being the Simhendramadhyama of the South.

Thus we get sixty different Arohas combined with ten basic Avarohas and almost all have been successfully used and those which have not been used are promising. Thus one Avarohi Mela has to its credit six Arohas and it is possible to classify the basic Ragas with these ten groups. Hence there are two distinct ways of regarding the character of the Raga: first as a basic form of six notes with interpolations for the Avarohi or with progressive changes of notes one at a time with regard to pitch (sruti) or both. It is probable that musicians have been influenced by all these methods in composing Ragas.

Now the above classification is however not complete in principle. Though Sampurna Avarohas have been used in many Ragas there are some very powerful Ragas which do not use Sampurna Avarohas as for instance the Kanadas and the Mallars and the Sarangs.

Of the fourteen Avarohas given above the following are used as powerful bases:

Sa Ni Pa Ma Ri Sa, and sa Dha Pa Ma Ri Sa. They are not modem bases but as already indicated the first was the base of the Natas while the second was the base of Megha Mallar in Parijata. The modem Sarangs have their bases in Ni Pa Ma Ri Sa though the svaras are variations within the allowed limit. Even in Parijata’s time this principle existed and also perhaps in the time of Ratnakara and the custom of naming notes with the same

60 THE JOURNAL OF THE MUSIC ACADEMY [VOL. XlV

t>ARTS I—IV] NORTH INDIAN RAGAS AND MELAS 61

denominations within a certain range must be very old and shows that we got our scales from tunes and not tunes by< first mechanically dividing the Veena string with twenty-two frets. The Baga Mallari of the Parijata for instance uses Komal Ri and Komal Dha but retained the form Sa Ri Ma Pa dha sa like Megha Mallar thus justifying the name Mallari. This however was a variation too far stretched and hence the Raga did not survive while other variations with emotional consistency were invented.

Now the Sarangs have the following variations: sa Ni Pa Ma Ri Sa: in Brindabani Sarang (originally), sa Ni Pa Ma Ri Sa: Madhamad Sarang. sa Ni Pa Mam Ri Sa: Sudh Sarang where the Shuddha Ma is

added for mere convenience of singing.Variations with Komal Ri are not used and would be stretching

them too far.Now the Kanadas have the same base but with Vakra svaras

added in between Ni Pa and Ma Ri. Thus the form sa Ni Dha Ni Pa Ma Ga Ma Ri Sa must always be used and Tanas like sa Ni Dha Pa or Ma Ga Ri Sa cannot be allowed and never used in the Kanadas. As the base of the Kanadas the Madhamad is used:

Sa Ni Pa Ma Ri Sa: sa Ni Dha Ni Pa Ma Pa Ga Ma Ri Sa:Durban.

: sa Ni Pa Gh Ma Ri sa: Adana.: sa Dha Ni Pa Ga Ma Ri Sa: Sughrai.: sa Dha Ni Pa Ga Ma Ri Sa: Khamachi.

Obviously these are the four basic variations and others have been invented by combining these Avarohis with different Arohis:

Sa Ga Ma Dha Ni sa: sa Ni Pa Ga Ma Ri sa: Bahar.Sa Ri Ga Ma Dha Ni sa: sa Dha Ni Pa Ga Ma Ri Sa:

i Rageshri-Kanada.Sa Ga 'Ma Dha Ni sa: sa Dha Ni Pa Ga Ma Ri Sa: Kausi-

Kanada.Thus it is possible to see that, if we consider the various possible variations in Ga Ma Dha Ni sa as before, many good Kanadas are obtainable. They have not yet been composed and the number in actual use is said to be eighteen; yet no musician can demonstrate more than six and even then find painfully unimportant combinations as distinctions without being able to show different Arohas and Avarohas which if they had proper knowledge o f the Svaras they would easily find. •

Q\ iu T Lb rr & if & v 0 (fi & & T *

<£69TdEU)£0ri SITereardsar ffijearjpi Qiuirintr &ir&o^'Bsar ^fanrasSaru

u jb rfiu (cu^QsusmtSib srebrjpi ^ e a i/p p p G u ir p , “ istbiriireoerebreOT ” 6TGBTJQI QppeQ SO ifiaQJlb UILIlD6B>t—l6(S/seisr. i9p(&) (Siuir(Rppiu uirirppfdeo, l( ^jppSsar 0 /0 6 $. aireoitanu ib in p i 0 0 iramireSIpenirsisr i j$ sail— •sir SL>jrpir& îrifhuir ^jeuiraetrireo Q6®i— p]S(Tij&(&)ii> erdieustrCSeuir'gfifhu Quifhu eSIsûjiadsafleo pirpjSeo ep<vj uiiasireupi Q&ireoeSu uiriruGuirCSin," erear^pi (Spirearplpjpi. “ {§)ira] uaeoirtu epdiQswrqfj inn/nir aaeoiL-iu ^pueaiuiLftii, ^gjsuireuir<s6(®j 6cdj_uj wOtrsuSpiuiEjaafisr ^sannusauiLjih Quq^sanxietnujiLjth sr®pp> erQppi ufiniriras^tb jr&fi&(9jii>ubp-j ueo 6U0 ffl£®<*sw/r<® 6ptuirit>G0 Qur^pfdqij&StyCBjr, g/feaip e&suppixGl&rr&sarQ) epf s usariurrsiD QiDeorear, ueo fbu<sariLirrsfOtEi&err QaiuiueoirGin. eroipiruupeaipi&jpippi sBlLuitgd gysu/r Q rLt>uuL-L-pp(&) tAtfiiLiiremp luirûair ?” erearSp er areearGm ^jsaip epppi&Q&ireirerr erearcbarp pir&soitp pjpi. erear 0 0 6 $ sir urrpirjrefilfbpim&Bsrr sueaarisiQ erGpir ereor pi &&$£(&)&£ peuirjpi &eo i£liE6q>m&err

e_6D<ssu> QpQgeupiti) & it is $3 , îsG pireiîii, ereorpQjiresarQju) j§jeoeoiru>®> epGir jg)0 6 rr u>iuit>ir& ^ j( § ^ S p p i

esireoib. iBiheoni>& & pj£t eêoasib ®r®0 ii wesiriL/ppihGesinrtairs memi—Glupjpi&Qairem nf-qij&Sppi. isib searQpearGeorGiu u ^six> ) er(pea>u> ereoeoirib pSsOefilrftppi Q ear pear. iBirSsn&Q ibu>&(&) &irut3(Bsiipp(&> eruuiif-Qso>i—& a u (S u irQ p p i ? ertiiGs Qeoii—x a u G u rrQ p p i ? erearp er>s«ii> e 0 i_/<s<xu) jgjjQispir epiu>} erisp pi6Boflea)<5ii& Q&ireaoi® miriii ^ is iQ p p S g>ni>, ^jibiLir^/fl S-peroeuia eserflepiih tf®u l . Q p t^ Q p p erearjpi lildssrppireo miniGas

* 194-0 -^d srsvSs jr^gjeuft meauaSeo Slujirteir eirm fiiflser sum

GleirfmiltnQ.ujQuirfi O fiitu u u ilL . e.u iiu irrli.

OfUiru/r firvuSiflemr 63

gfKnj&Sjppweosur ? ^ © s b § fis i min u/rsrm ®/r® ’ 5 t c « 0 cs y « rf? ^ ^ 0 « 0 £ i ^ 0 Quifliu' uesonê^'ffe&Sûi.

“ bit e.aor®, /? a_6asr®, /5/rtoti ^ S $ ^ s fppuuir e. got®, Qts^Qa= ! utuQpmr(oi—ir ?”

er&srp 'gjyipeiiirrflsbr Qutrpcksr mus s rp p p $ e o ammir&(9) $j(nj<i@ p& Q&ireoeo, useorin {j§l(nj&Q p & i

, FFasu irsS&sr Quiuir&tsnjti) assoiu/resor 065arflEr.s@>ii> ^(nj& Q dsr p so r. ^ m fs QuiuirasSstTiLjus (^soonB^HstriLjiherGUtTfjih esasrir&Q ^js060/russo Q&ireosupir ? gfisoSso!^ fp p q s j ^ j/p Q iu “ urr ” e_6wr®. u/TLJBmm&r J§>0«Qeorpesr. ^sbsusrra/ti ^(g& qjjw Q utrQ Q gi u Q m ® (8 & utLiih ereorsor ?” ® jm p smptfliijthprrsor ® u > « 0 s/re o p&lepiu> ® ti a=iaSpus su/fiiu/rs Q&n’qitj&in in&sraatnh$esnua; Q'S/r(S&@p&i- (fijihiAirSifl &n-ili—iaa<sir 0-sgarg>/r)fip atanas iL/ii QaE®aQ<ssrpear. gftuutif. m w a ^ ggsu/rpiriri&ires @ 0 < s 0 ii s/vieiS p p e ssp stistr/rpp QutfiGtuirir&Ssfr ®/rii> iSSssrpgs, ^ o s /r s o r (9jemiEi&8sfriqii> ^sn/rm &r musm-m/r^ G)<fu! / ^ 0 « 0 lc G/presBrsBiL-iLjiii i£lcbsrpgi& Q &/resort—rGjsugs |p/r e -iu /r iip &mQp/rGi£ir>tr6or aunffiumir^tis. ffisank■ sdsni Q a/resort—ir@/i sutpasasin GfDiBu£!revp$<3op/reitr s r p UL-ty.(nja@jD&i. tfiasyus qp& Q ujiliT'X sties tajin uirsfilmi—isGstsesoTisf-UJî j^suaiuin. ^jinnsir$iBas Qatireson—irili—iEi serr a /s iS ,a ^ p p S s O sS (/^ p $ Q aiueuG pa® , miiiesnnu iis B-UJir

GVO.;( ..

s/rm ir/s GromsSppffistsr Qpasrrtpi giresorstirGurso ÎQûusiJirsar 1 QptisQpirp$aar ’ srsarjpj Gu/rppuu(3u) $ujira;inr<g£ etossj/riBrneir, QppgimsiiiriB gSaaPpir, a/rtbir &ireif)$/R {jifisisiraseirpirsbr. airp/nreoonmrm mssma l/0 ®^/t sstfisbr surrtp&G0>&60)UJUupj$ !B tries eutrujir iru GuQ ^j$GsoQiu ^sorm fSuugi au /p««ii. fdtu/rairirtag skssumB •sSs/ruup/S afip$ffin muss(3j SfiQ sts/r p/ Qasirireoisututrai @es)i— p$(tf)a;Q p& i. ^/ria/r ff/rsro$/fhuass)iruup r$Quit£Iuj sSss tuiEias/r Ssou—aiassBeoSso. îsQ& spêo Qa/rso 6Uirir&err ‘ u/refoQsuso j§)sb6Dirinso gg/TOTTsfDs &sr Quêsnu sruuiif. Q«y«#<oW0 ti> ?’ srsisrjpi. ^,@)sb jgjuQuiRujirir&Ssrru u p rS ®u><£0 sSIsi iiJtEisssfflsor eBsusrits Qsou-esaseSleoSsoGiu ereorjpi eu0 /B^@)j)2/u>, ^sjsu/ra&r mw£(&) ^j&ftp&s ^ 0 « 0 ti erDiisSp QuiriQe^Gm minm^ Gsuesort tu aro/ srtBp&i GiriL(B@pjp. sroiats/rGsu/r Quis/rsor /9 p sQ ^/rs& r,

^jpiQfTt iT'X&r. mirii) ^lenirsek eurtp&GnsGuytuL/'/ pjfi) ujir&gi, ^jysu/r«snr eruutf. eruutsf. ^® /5^ /i''r«® rJ e_6OT£_/r/r«srr, e-Qpprir&eir, utBjBprir&eir, Jtgotjpi e£l&irruu(BQQ(Tr;iLrr ? “ (3p/TGorrfip LjmQffiir(B(SprrG$rjpi& ” er&srjpi Spir&srrS j§)®.®0 ii) QuifltuirirsSsiruujbjjS srpireugi eSsumasar SGtat^ssirpir ? ensfrjpi atrempiLjih LDGorGStpiL/ih £il.Lf-4iQairesarQi— |§f0«fi(3®u>s»6Dsu/r ?

&iru)!r &nsrD$rfltur6B>iruLjp r8 /5t £ « @ « (o&iriraBsuiuireor (^rSuLfs&r Qgo)l.ssgSIgo§sO. sirsssr uirihuetair

turns enmp ire/DiLirGur 3eo ssa^s^siriQsiressrQi— mirth £dqfju$il ^&s>L-iuG>Gi]68srii}.iugipiretsr. ■srngjGi uia&irqij &triDir<ai>pa(&) y «n gg Qsiutyth 6 ® Qurfltu uirstupenp ^ ^ s ts is ir usenpuirptrseir <sir&>th Qppeo QupjfiqtjiBp <sp@

&ir6ro$difhutrrr (VjGjihuih. eSiggtutB&jr jrirggtuih f?ir(9j8s0iB&i ®/rQi_(E/0 ii 0 iy_«6»r u>Gur$d®> ututh (SenjrpGrsrrf) (S streSeos^s^th eSsireunrksism ûirtuth gt/dulLl. 6p® &ir6opf3eo uiEi&trqrj strusir&oPuSlsisr eSs ram sea a & siruuirpjpithQuirq^LJB &ir<§ij3ifil6SlQjjmgi uium s> ^ ® su /r® ® « 0 6p/y.@/rdf6rr' sirmr sir&o^fiuSlssrQfisarS^)irs&r. siheoirGDiuth erGarp ^qênirq iBeopiTssr 0tuirsjrir^ sfcsu/ru9«arr, Qpp&iGrVGWrifi fidsfipir, sirinr sir&vîfts&Ty Jj)£i>(y6u®ib i3 pihpirirseir er&srugi tBsstfih irsiDiLir ear eSIepiLith. jthqpGorjzu uset/nir Ljq^Gnîrs^th ênGorqp&pir&Gtnrtu t9pm pnrsar 6reon_f^@j)sb “ stuSsO u9 go t 9 p s s Qps^ ” etgbtu&i GrpuiLt—Qpir, ^&>6opi “ sib&souSleo i 3 p i s qp&(£i ” erearuGstp QiliuiuitssppirGsr jgjjsnirs&r «jy® /0 (Spir&sr rShîtsSemr erebrjpi smQp@<s S£2®ii>.

(Spe& ysnggufl®) fF(Bu(Bth e_//?60)U5«»(UttyiiJ uirstUQpih ]g)«U0 « 0 « Qean—pppeoeosnir ? f§jGntr 3 jpi 6»u iu @ )« ^jjqfjGt&fihQuirQgQp îhi3ea)mesnu erDsunerDir mirinih Q&rrsosS ^lir&S&qgthQuirQggi ^ ir s s Ssutgu>u Qen^ ^/ipsirs snrs uirenpSpir® uiftif. ^yûuirsnnh. 6p® sunuih ^ ojghitjpi ysrogg Q&tup &aui @qfjeip,6aorgpi&(aj enm^q^mp u s pit 6p®shit 6^0 sirGOeoieuGonus QsirQpgii ^y3ira j^p ptrir. ^juQutTQggi @j&3 jpienq th iBssyth e—etreirth y,iflp&i êmptli Qupjpi p eu rs^ GtviEiSpth iBGbrqrftu av®ii> er^rjpi ^ guCogvit® ereBarGsafl ^ gotibpLDGmi—mpirir.pITGOT,. GTDrElSpth SJDS (oG)JG03r(BQu)Gbr p ^yOlSoO pGOT6«iji_ /0 )0 « 0 ^ Qpiflefilppirir, ^fuQuiTQggg sSIseumir


ptutuir tSdsoftb Gatruth Q<%irajar(B ervisiSpth Qpirffieotr&uuaSgaeupi iBess G&eu60ih, “ iBLsfili_ asmiJ&ir: ”J Birthi9niribt&Gm(&)&>&, ^ ^ g p ith euL.i&&sr, pets>eu$, GpeSleattnuy sn g g Q&iLULjw 2-ifieo>ii>Gtuir(B ^ 0 « 0 ui 6 Qêuear, gftu)uurfdiR S ip p p ir $irp$d&(9j ^6o>&uu(B6upir ?” ereargu aLj-ikpirsnrth. ^gt/aaireopêo -xirtu-xir-xar jjg)0 ®,#f etitsp 6^0 igSaDua&ginh, ds&D<E0 ;S p a ss OsetrireupgiL-ear ^jso>p ^tju tu e rB ssirp^l^îiih jjîsp s 0 {jgjffleuireor eresoresorih fjg<3srtBi&<ar u>Gor$deo ^ Q ^ iip t euisppi. ereor ? siSusirenih Qissitra^-L-j (&j(Bii>Lj & opifsa r uirQeupi er&srupi Qstrqsrjsth ereireartjbirsGau SQ^puutKB etiiippi isirth ereoGeoirq^th *PfjfiliBp eSIsîuGiM. «^,@)sb “ sfvsujr trirsero^pir irstou^pu£$d erDaJir£&irusuiras&np” srsbrjpi iBirGprruretV&ardSjribiL 6lD iriLjûJp^p(^ S_uj t r ip inrirasasth ersarjpi Qptbu>6aofl<£6irpireor i£l^t3ppirirs6rr.

PARTS I—rv ] Saiirtoir *iren>fdifis& 65

&iriLir &ireh>$difl&6ir &ikiSp te^r earth ^ t9 e S q ^ p ^ ^fean-tu ^ 0 7 0 * 0 <sn)ia!£ pisrvsumfl srearp Qurfhueuir sir&uSeStqîbpi SeS^tuârp Gptsf. eumppiGuireo eumptrir. ^jeuir f fg if la pS gm h u irpp§3 eptth tBsp Gptr&Q Quppsuir. ^feuirpirear &irm$ifliutr(Tf)a(&> e/DiaSpp^leo giiLuwtrear i^trearpeaipiLjth, jtits, uireu, pirerriEis&fleo GpTs&estiutLfih 2&ulMj-â)ir. eoiu &irero$8irp$dsar Q/seifiaj arê^sSsiriLjih, seaaflpthGuireo ^p e a r asesat s^sBsrruîh erviiSp eroeutriSeear pireor strinr #treb$$ifltuirqrj&(&j Gurrgdpprrir. Seîuear iBsstjth 0 /T63T(T£6rr6rray@)c£ @ 0 ® peatps setjar® *£fsuirêorihglpî, p it ear ^0a//r0/flei$70®<s/ &rpiiru>ir<sh>tupeatp Qpip.pgiu LfpuuQth suuuth strut 8(njeip,6Bar8sar u&eot&iBiflujih 'j jgiliLiLJLJUJtLiifii—ih stsiSpih Q a L-îhuif- Qsireoedu Qur@s)ir. hijuuujiutr p&srrGîr e0ut<sivpirearp $3eo ^jQîipirir. ^jQ^fBpGuir^ûth y s y 0 « 0 sirutir &irerD$ifli£lear «j|jumrutirear ®ir6arpea>piLjth, êuir ^j/flmp ptrerr iL.udis$smLjth setsar® iBs ^ssrfhuQpth smQprrety* Qpth e-esan-rru3p mi.

&ir<sh>$fiifhur(ir)<i(j§ GpeSlSt—th êart-i GuteQt— , G ilbSIl- , QjireorQpih «gyeu6rr ^Qêtrireo t3 jTGir(Rpgi<&

Q siresarG L . e u ia p g i. GpeBuSteisr êarearl^tiêo Q-tl&rrrrtBgi Q&iretsat® Q lcuj il p m p i &6aar(tpif. Qt-cerr 6afl tutr euir rr.B-z-Cosor GpeSluSear ^ j ^ i Q s r ^ D t h iS p s ^ th . ^jipQtu f§jear6aft6o>£Feo)UJ fjûjpjiSefiliSeuirir. <strujir<^lemuj gguQpQeoqff&Geor puQpQeoQ&Geor Georrainirpir pec 68,

U— 9

THE

JOUR

NAL

OF T

HE

MUS

IC A

CADE

MY

[VOL

. XIV

£•8*L

<§ -fe

t9

*b -gj i•j e 3 -ta ^ J ® •‘bl-j

b .‘$

Oto

•*6 •« 3 .fe .4 16 Hf l ® J § i a *

8 « f S - ® 1 ® 1 15j Vl‘Ut a -b -a -s -g 3

8 1)^ S "d '.g 3 3

§ g G5 3bp9 ^ I] b 5. Q .b 9b -8 :§ 3 i g O «a © I | es

9 « t l b el § 15 .

«L K •e ts

•9J cv-

'e t-

•9©•*8 -

© •s

g ..a U - a o® i b .b o § ^

q -fe J 3 ® l1 9 - © ^

fe fe ’ ‘b 3 ^ 0

3 a b- ™ 1 a ® 1 a | 3 *

b «g * bib

16 ,fc* a 1* •» a3 l ® 1 r i I

3 - a ^ - g & =.a e3 >=>t t o

@ 3 >8L b§ -fe A eb *b § rs S 'J#-l6

* b -v * 1 1 's I a J> 3 - j r l

° ^ - 9 S 3§ a ®1 r a £ >

•b -a"*18 *§ *8 b -98 3 lO,na 0| 8 l«l f )b3

g" b ^ gf >b I 1 2 (2 ^ -B -J ft <% b-fe T§ 3 - 1 ^ 3 b ( ? J I t 3 te « & • ? | ■§ .g b V b § .Is 9 b ; r ^ 9 O 8 59 -b -@ ^

■ f e 9

■i®. b -e

„ Isb ■'*■.9 i -•9 * ba © mI ’8l «

aa y

9b fe © O

b 3lb 0HL •e

a. <35

3©ts

bab 18 a

3 J -Si t s «

i f -a " io •§ J dt g b ■'« « l § -5 a § S ^ - a « 8 S j * , '

«--ie fe *b.

ab ?

_ * -b § Hk.q © -te © ' I ~ © & >® a © :g.-b

• ■ § ■ £ © » 5 © S a e d | , b ® | ; « - 9 . 3 .3•e -a

a *bt a fe s r

T t s- ® j > - i

- § NV*S<tJ« «. j d 1 1 >-|'fe ISsI I 5 J .•Ud. S I'f?' jp-a si

® ®L(^-i8 to e l c

1 1 b -5 J £|J 4. | |>%d?| f - * * -3 :1

»b ® . .g © i

□ ®S59

PARTS I—IV] 67

e^ssrsmp Gr(Bp&iLj uiriruQuirib. $E<9aflprr Qtr ppssrthasr sr(BuLj “ a-uur-u/r- ” uggQiir. ptremh &iri_y. ggu_//r êutraerr S ® ® GrfSuLj “ i£l$§ atreo. atruitr arreh hfiuSlsir “ psoeQi&@pi Q i5jr ” 6tCBu l ] e p ® p s £ p ^ p em u iem tu s a trL J B Q ip g i. j r i r a t b ( ^ t r a s u r qai'Mp.u i-sar, p i r e t r p ^ l s i r (y ® « 0 :— “ a r p t r

Qiuirwir fnao^tRam

j§jeutf S irp p s ii taask gjfjiupjpieu^leo sroeu rrstotr fivri? iu iih ^Hjt—taQujpir&ir 6p ® L-jgji irûSeo ^/sm nppirir. ®<ss$Q;S/r <B®^«(g5<S@ UD SUJU)<S/r60ti STULlLf- ^ a n t C ® ® ® .* ® ® ^ jrir,*3/&iGuir&> atruur #ireh)$3ifl S ® ^ « e r fj6or âj/7 Q p u u feromiirerotrfii&îuuiptrssr. ptriii 1 0 uirtuispireo 0 L.zy_ 1 6 uiriLjib ersiru&i Gutreo Jj)a//r t-ipfiHirir <auusrtru-i &ir6ro$tfluJirir stoetisrefOirfiiS pojêmp iflaojib ® p u u tr a6a)îuiremif.Q^^Q(vîr. arruirratrerojSrfhuir fl&sr ^ji3u>irsirjiirati> êorm pem u jrefilptrsrr. ^ e m p «jyfflj®«»i_iL/ M asterp iecee iW 'P Qairsoîeupt tBemaiurrairpi. ppatreop^GO ^ysermpemup-efil'&t&j îBpsratrmpiriruTrGujâtb ermiGa e_«jbr® ?llp£lerv" essari—ir, ltuS<siro'\ “ uefa” srsorQpeoeotrih atraema QaiLiiLjibatreopêo, atr&sm&i&eo 06n>®su6z»jr<E0ii>G u tr^ ih rsib eSIiueupmtr rrtaaerfieo atrunr arreivîftujiremjra &n~ui3LKBpprrsbr mtbemuia a tru u trp p a Q & rr so apt Q Q qjjui. “ uirfu$y$ Qifl srirggo/o-vQlp ” erssrp <s®®ii®6b ^ j i ip ir atrispnrG ui êoeotruteo ^lupflvQqrj&Qqffir.

u>jSGeuGjr « ® ” uSot affempfSeo ^gtjiBpjrairtBpinrQfiU)) eheu tretotreu^pujpSl epiihai.L. emeupfiSqTjaQqrjtr. ir/ra; u /rsu ii y,irira{U) rSIpibtS, «-gy®ei> ^ f ir p p Lj<sip,U}-tL]ui pgniiLjui^l&TQ] SSiSUpgl, piTGfr p$SST QpQ£ ^jffiSJiaiLfUl <or(Bppiaem Lif.a Q & a j^q jju u g i ggaptbutr 1” ptr&sr. j^ a p“ |j>! gg & ^ i£L//r!” emeu qS’& zjt pearibuureir eutr&pgia G a iL a GsuesarfBib. aeSlsimr^piuih ^jriremeuiLjib i b il s q dUrfippii &iru(Beurrir. “ G ffS iriaii) ” erebrugp wrniQ ppfieisr qpaQiu uureor ^ p i ggjeoeoirineo si-pjrgpitii êoirûuiiraerwkSpui 'SSifieoafippi eBilutreo “ GffSiridfliuii! ” ertsisrupii/)® ® ^ Ii5 0 i5 & . l ® 6roi_<®«/rjs. j§jeuir S irppearii« & rr Q&&r&aiE&)eoiriL<50 lurip-@s)eD Q&irSsotuirQii).

errinir îreroîftujirir Q q ^ s Ssttu u j t u u sti}.eanciir^ srsir ? êutfU— ib Qeq=iwr<35etr ^fessri— Qpipju

eSIeoSso. «iys}j® 6ro£_iij ^.(û u u f.s& r p i r s r r Q j r i r i b u stsf-sirwira ^(j^tipptreo jg/emeuaSsrra aiflujirai 's p jD iu dfptr Qm &auutnq. jrtgjgfluiQaaaa*-tf.uj 9i— irasr Qem uaa

eBdoSsO. ptr<3tr pgi&tQ sruQuirQgpiih uiuth. gp I ereorjpi ^ m p ' fgG&sru>irptr6B)6U£ &>~ui9(BiihGutrgi, pirerr u ireuii, Firm uirsmh ffijjr&arQih Gurreifl&'XuutKB, ^fmp &ihQurrp8sgr6a)UU Qs» 0 SL.iuireiju®ppi@ppi. psorihteir&r êarmpestutreSI jrir&ih swr&ppi “ gp ! ” torearjpi ^ m h i9 p pireo ^fihi9eaauSsbr mirfdeo eStfirineo eruutf.Qpiy-tLjib GT&rjpi Qpir&srjpiih, pjb&reopîeo gp0 0 0 ei)fflsaf?i_p$d<so Seo (Rexpujirseir u if.p pireo l9fl)(9j epQjr Sn-ppetsrpesip 6 0 6 U6ar 6p0 «a9pu>irme ih u> fbQqrjqfjeiiGbr Qeajpi eBpunrmofih uirGiSqrfasr. $)Qi<sbr pear ^ ir fp p ^ p ^ eump suifluSeo e_0 Ll®su^/; «jya/sar ^ssjr 6i)JtJ t^treorp

piassuirjpi êatp ^Qgppi&Q&irsrraigi ; U60Sirpp&jrimaerr e_ 0 « 0 8a>.® ,£/ ®lc« 0 >jsa)i—UJirefrGii> QpifltLiiriLeo&i_£_ GuiriLidil(B&jngi. &ru>r &msiD$8ifl « 0 ^ <sgtt peorihtinreifiL-ih eruutf. eueuerreij y/p<sj/r<35s ib &r p plLITSjSLjLD $l(JT)!Bpgl er&STJ I GtUIT&pglU UlTITppir60,peorihmireffi&sr uirilifiL/ih 0 0 Q/ld/T6dt pi^îrîr <®/ru)/r6&£), fruujririu &ireto$Blifl'&(&) Gmir

eh>pif<mSsrr jT'a&puueuirasir, uirpimrruueuir-m&r erebrjpi ereoGeorrq ih Q&ireosupi eutpesmth. u&(£l} &jrpeo>p eretsrupi S—eospêo p u i9 iSesur® i§l p^Guoutrêo pjp i piriutnirir me/ftebr pjuirjru>ireor ^&sri3gpeopiresr ereorjpi ueoir empiruj id/t« Qj/rgi) gp)fi0/rd5Cff~. erjbupp^Qp&sr pmimareSlpea>p6miLii Gir£jL-Gwessi(&Qu)Gbrjpi îhmir&DifS&o, aervsrp ereoeoirih Quiflujeuirae/flisor etoir fv/Ilp ujiaxafieo a m i if. £_0<®08a)izj«»6U«0U> &£$} ueo QuuJirasafti-th mirth uirirs QQqjjib. sp p p i pi<stfhuinan gp<ti> ^ s n p uafijiLji—gstih B-6Borir6:&iiLji—gpnh Qm0 0 QsirQppi, pt60>t—p p it ustruetr Qeiiebrjpi airuutr prfi&Q&ir&sin® seSI sim rmpiup fdprV)giafiiLjih u tr path eoeoiru>&> uirtf-gpeopirsor #iaSpih dfantp&f&jih.

&iru>ir &ir<w$tflujiTifl<s5r pirerr i£l L/esarpeupe&p pfoiirmeir erven jrggfiH&err Qppeo Sirppearihenemir uirir<i<meoirih. ervirpir jT6sanr>irm srosuirggjs) ereor ay eo ^jrihu ©«»«gs£>.£0 erssrjpith Pfesip QuiBiuenirmerr urif.@i)eo 0 s j d ereisrjpith eresargsgu euirir&GT. ^qs)so 6k>6>Jirgg$3a9srr eSI psuir ear maruiri—6omh, mirth jgptusfil&mGDirth. jp/filec irirmpfiHebr yirrr Qeroarmpirtuih, pirsrrp^lsisr «633r<*0<s56n‘ , U/reuti ereaeoirth yiremiLiTG ^)0«©ejr^36ar. “ îh u ■xirinrrmbfi ” uS«i) “ u)/r,


69

ui£lp ilit ” £g)i£)6t) anasToBuS g k îpajimjgf rShhgi Qmireoeoeosih. pifl&ir er&th srasrp pireirth mirth m60)i—qpGnjDuSlso mirssmeSleoSso. *g)/pi ^gyy/rsuib. {§j£p ^gyy/rsu mûSleo jgiyîreu mrmiLtr&sr, meomi-irsSleo “ uirireuî iflapiGm ” erearp SirppBsar miLS(^ ^ j i p /&6B>i_<s5 0 u> ^ jm p tnr & jb(&)LC> &r&eupir>rrajr eutflmir iltpiuirmjj§l(njm@ppi. mirppfdQeoGiu eoiuth ^L .is iQ u 9 (i^m Q ppt eotupanpefilil® uraiih lilpmirpi, uireupenp Fir a pirerrpfsl gB q i b p dhflmm qptpUJirpi erebruanp ^jeuir S irp pearisi msrflei) uirirmmeoirth. uiriDjr âsnki&qsnj&QjjU LjifliLjihutp. luirarr pirerr ^feannuGu ^jemeumeêa {jgjeoSsD. p Q t - , pm

srasrjpi mireoih mi—mpireo $jeuir 5 perrerfi ‘ $3l8 ’ u9&> er®uuirir, @eo SirppssnsimSsir, iBrneijih Gpirm Q QuppeDirmarpsear ^ t i p pirerr ip^t— asr uiri— QpipiLjih. Q(jjj(3mGrfieo &-eson-iT6or jg)L_/5j<sj6rr, epptmmeomeir t&-@uSI<so 6r®<s0 ti ^cniura& err ^smsumeifleo pirarib “ Q p r u Q p iru ” snsbrjpi &ibpf3<so p o p u la r Quail® m meifleo e&Qgih iLirfdrft efil ip it p i. ^jsnsu iBmojih ‘ad van ced .’ §&PP(9) meoso mesorm^p $dpasnoiLjih pirarm miKBih Geuear®ii>. pireir upeh>pTjrp$86or mirpurtUQpih,

jSQeoGijj <£633T « 0 « 6rr Q u ir i l ® , tSasrasrmimeiHeoer®p0il(yjULjgi “ lBgot (oeoir&asR” Gutrasrp mqjjfdm&flet) uirirmmeoirih. ^jeuir ffijuuup Q lI l. miri— Qpuptuiruxso pirerr p£H<so GeueS G utril® eS®euirs erasruaap Q pp iftm ^th ervthusuib pireor QuiruiUeS GmmemuuJireQp(9)ib ]gfai®<S0 U> mi— isp Gusilip-udeSq^mp Q p ift Q p p i. Q u su t9 e 9 Gmmaiujiuir p a ir e/DisiSp t^sairpêa iSm Qm@m(9j Qmirear® ^ « 0 aS/ggiL/ti Q& iiipi eumpirir. ®euir Q a / 0 Qp®mmirmp pirearih ueoeoeSI ereoeoirth uir®eupi Gmtl® ueo uirmeupirmerr tBpesar® Qpireoeffami piriwmGerr epuu^m Qmirear® piamar pth^graasu miretxfimeaimiuirm Q j gum ® eS®euirirmerrsih. gguSIppeusmetflebr p i h ( ^ i r i r m m ^ i i > ) mireoeoieumferijib, G p s i—sm m îh ifianpmp euearup i9ssr eujr,j$Q)ir Gpir&rpilup- pi& j& irîr G0 u><sropirasrp$dp(&> sump) Gmirmpirir. eroin&opsasr eSl peuirasrmdr m®ia£i@s)irmerr. ^fsrmgpnh parr mini® Qmernroipanpm m iru u irp p tuirir ^l(j^m@(ffirmar erasrjpi meommih Q m it ear t_ <r ir. ^ fu Q u s Q p p i miruoir ms&oîfhusaojr oifnjmffi p/auffippirir mar. gt/euir Q uir(ji3eQ sfitpeuirasReor mffpemp er p u p it mm Q&irafTf>B)ir. ^ fa x jp i ^ aroj « :/rsro^ ^ iu /r® «0 m pjpi meommih ptlip-tuG uirpi “ Gpeff uGirireu ” er ear p

PARTS I—IV] QaJtriDir &irsw$tflaar

& m/Dm&axfi jrir<e 2 it /b/b&st /secn/su uirip. G/seBemiu peorckur Qeirp/Bemiu airuuir pjpuhuisf. Gaiemi^.â',GpeSuSloor _sy esniS iraimiii Q&f>i—p&ie£lilt—&i. mjpiiBirar &6B)uuSl®> gg6onsi<B@rjii> e$/6suit ear&Qjjti> aeuSsO Qptnump Qpspgii—ebr tf»-/y.u9 0 ffi^/r/r<ssnr. /sêsi# &LL6rDpir6unh ueo a S S O a e tf lg p ii iQ iSeorp ® 6gr@ ® . jg)«ir mi Qeojb/S Q u /d u G u itQ/d/bit ? Qaerrireuii 4T44L1L1®IM ? erasrjp u u ju u tli—rnr&Grr. QurrutBeSI Gseeuiuiuir pthfînrsneu eT(3ppirir. efilGiBirpiDireor /srr&sr suefiaj&gnjih, jrir& ueoeoefil&gnjiii uirLp-L] Q u irfflisg ieS I lL l . it it. Q pLj-m pgiu)) &ireh)$difluJtnrGDireupir&sriDtra “ gjjojQj&rQf /bit@s) ? ” gtgstjpi Genh—6arjnrii>. G& s:GutLJUJira]&(9) g ir& Q eoinfiuGuirili—^ i. &iru>ir &ireh)$difl GOir<sfy>i—irimait>ir& efilQp&irrir ensorjpi erfSiruirrrpprrir. «^@)eb, &ir6r»$diflujrir &<Tfj$§u3<so G&irm&i, Lfgjt sSuQ apub, fsgfd&afl'Gpuh tnirimcmssr aqjj/Bia&eifleo u m j -, S/sfdir/Birib,

pirpuub, 6T6hrjpt Q&treoeouuGiiii u>irir&aia&aReo pr& srii, ueoeoefil Qp/BeQiuear uirif-g2>ir. Ga&QJiLnuir i£dsajii> ^4&iTiLJ£b$d$i})gpiti> airsv &irmfdfliuir6B>jr&Q&irafon—irif. mjpiuuf. G u m l ^ - i ^ ^ e s itp i^ th Q/sirifi8si> eBliKBeSlilL./b its # Q&ir&)60Uu(B:Qjd& i .

&mi&pQpihinGarf)&®r êuireuirpe&uuilt— ^ p u L fis a r eSIe/risiQtsmspni ereoGeoirqF,tii 6p G jr seoreuireixffieiniu e_ u irerSp&i, etotkiS/b &r<sfa$ir/5ee>p eodiêm mis&fi eo JHeotsi&if)pf&irirG&r. ®j6uir Qurfliuemr ^jeoir e_i/j/r®;sey/r6r<sarG(Trf, gdoPpir a daft, ggiL/r ^gysu/rdsarr 6T6BT(Tr?QJ&lG u Q euirptr(Beu&i eSesar miueo&rjrthpirGeor pefiljr efflafiiu ^fdjeBqsjkfil&Girdstrgi. (tpsisrjpi G u ir s ^ ih jjf jfiiutrp Q&eoetiii&Hstr ib ils (&) gjifhueoRarGhrsarpemp er<$pgi ^mriutbpireo ueo etiHesjimsar Ljeou u(B@GorpGir. ^@ )s>) /Be^/s/Bet£iuirs 6pir 6^0 euiresarpeinp& Gl<3sir6sarGi— ^j&ni—Gu&i têsaruir ? *gftBp srQ£euiraariB&gnjii) 6£6tsrj£)i#n isf- 6pGjr Gptg/srvetotra eum&i ®u> ® 0 i9trairepes>p Q&trt&sQfD&i. *g/f&iGuireo jgjtb OpthtnesaBs^ti &0iEi2pppiruSl6or Qift—psn p ,jyeoiksiBs Qqr/ir&eir. gguj/r ê u iisa r 2ir/6/BGsrw&®r eneujrihGuireo, u lLgsh-. p ill— /blLi— gga i6$.®0 ib &i£>60/E&n/BGuireoGei]t GiasgUaeir G e/rsa# G&ir&s, ueirueirQeu&srjpi gg6U6$<® Q&jt/Dear- ff/BGoriLtreorgi enSatsar i3tsf.aau i3 i^ .is eruuip. iSGjnrAli—tb er/B QisûLjGuireo i3 ir« t r S i^ G w ir , ^fu u tf. $Gs>Pp<r Sirp/BssniisGrr Gpiu/B&iu uiri—u uiri— Q u > 0 0


FASTS I—IV] &oMuur eirau£hBsar 71

srjS/u t3 trair&)£@<ssrpoor. LOirapib Qsmt—u u j p <se i_i£, jyasifB ssil/Bsu&i ^janpefili—G _gy/‘n tty Sjiu'iriAir&irrit>£lifliLiirifl&>r &irpp6BriB&&r tSjrsirSsQeUrjDasr. £®> jrp$sl&srii> Qemi—u u g i LDjr&p&etnpefili— ^gfîreuth.Gutrso •fruujrrriu &trmgt(fhuirse>ir4: Q&ir<s06060ini>. ibsu

iT06or<Bi&@r)iZ> G&irm&i u>$ui9<s060ir p 6^0 amir tripir#;Q p sB so uj êomisiffsQ&srfO'osr. iBirtb ^jeuirse/Bssraon-p/ril xiuiEMsSsir& eifiujireoruip. s p jp i, sefil urrsvjisaîLjUi &-6aonr&ffi6a)iutLiLb LjifiiBîdQsirsar(B ^y s/L/aS)<»«(Jsu«Kjr®ti. fj§}isp &GG>uQutr&sr jd &t6}@pp$3<ao GuirsurrQairesjrL. &GSHJ£srr ib so so um-iriB-striissSsiru u jr u u QpsbreujrGsuswrfBib,

g j q ^ g o i TO: I

asqtfftjpr m T O W H f l II

BY

M. Mariappa Bhatt, m.a.,Head of the Kannada Department, University of Madras.

India has been rightly called the ‘ Punyabhumi ’— the land of virtue, -beauty and prosperity. When during the ages before the Christian Era, the world for the most part was plunged in barbarism, our country held the torch of learning high and bright. This country of ours has given birth to various religions, several great systems of philosophy and a galaxy of leaders of thought and action, culture and learning, who had sacrificed all their earthly belongings to realise the mysterious ways of the Lord. The Rishis of old, Buddha, Jina, Sankara, Madhava, Ramanuja, Basava and the authors of the Tevaram, the Alwars, the Siva Saranas, the Haridasas are some of the high souls that have bequeathed to us a rich legacy of which we can be very proud.

I propose to say here a few things about the Haridasas of Karnataka in general and Sri Purandara Dasa in particular.

Who are these Haridasas? What do they stand for? What is their system known as Bhakti movement? The Bhakti movement is very ancient, Narada being the first of the Haridasas known to the Puranas; in his wake followed a host of Haridasas. “ Bhakti- bhava ” (the emotion of devotion) has been there, since the beginnings of humanity, since the creation of the rational being called ‘ man ’. The Lord’s wonderful creation consisting of the earth, the stars, the moon, the sky, the waters, the birds of the air and the beasts of the field must have filled the first man with awe and wonder. He must have seen the terrible destructions and the beautiful constructions brought about by that Almighty God and this experience must have motivated him to kneel down before that mysterious Power, God, and pour out his heart in praise of the Lord, so that He might not harm him but might protect him and make him prosper. The Vedas, Upanishads, Vacanas, Tevaram, Kirtanams, Divya Prabhandhams and a host o f such other literatures are nothing but the ‘ out-pourings of devoted souls.’ In his quest after God, man has performed an infinite number of experiments and Karma, Jnana, Dhyana,Bhaktimarga are but the many traces that he left behind.

r ______ __________________________________________________________________________ _____ — -----------

* An address delivered on the Purandaradasa Day at the Music Academy In 1943. ; ;

PU RANDARA D A SA (1480-1564 A .D .)

PURANDARA DASA (1480-1564 A.D.) 7 3

In the Bhaktimarga, the emphasis is on the Emotion. However, it is impossible to have Bhakti without Jnana, Kriya etc. Of all the cults the Bhakti cult is the most popular. With regard to that there are no rigid restrictions. Any person of any sex or caste, at any time, and in any manner, may sing the praise of the Lord. ‘ Pure Love ’ for the Lord is all that is needed of the individual Bhakta. Though the prescription seems simple, and many have taken to the Bhakti marga, only few have succeeded in reaching the goal. For it is very hard to have detachment from the world or to bestow great and unalloyed Love on the Lord. We find that even the great Saint Purandara Dasa was denied the privilege of the sight of the Lord, so long as he was not completely free from avarice and anger. He could have the divine vision only when he was able to live in the world and yet be out of it.

We find almost all the great Haridasas having certain common features about them. There is some uniformity in their teachings and interpretations as could be seen from the Kirtanas; they live as they teach and teach as they live. They are mystics in the real sense of the word and have experienced divine grace. They all attach the greatest importance to Guru Mahima, as only a true Guru who has realised God, will be able to guide them in the right direction. Hence there is likely to be a family resemblance in the manner of their exposition, although each Haridasa has left an indelible impression of his own individuality in his works.

The following are some of the general characteristics that can be observed in the musings of the Haridasas: (i) Guru Bhakti;(ii) Bhakti Mahima; (iii) NSma Mahima; (iv) Arta Bhava; (v) Vairagya; (vi) Santa Bhava; (vii) Dasya Bhava; (viii) Sakhya Bhava; (ix) Vatsalya Bhava; (x) Madhura Bhava; (xi) Samarpana Bhava; (xii) Sakshatkara; (xiii) Siddha Bhava. They all believed that Mukti (Salvation) was the maid of Bhakti.

The period between the 13th and 18th centuries o f the Christian era could be considered as the Golden Age of the Haridasas of Karnataka. Sri Narahari Tirtha (1281) is considered to be the first Haridasa of Kannada. After him we have an illustrious following. During this period there was a vast output of Bhakti literature in Kannada, the like of which never was, and Hinduism received a great impetus. Among these noble Messiahs of God, Purandara Dasa occupies an unique position. Though he occupies chronologically the fourth place in the Dasa Kflta his influence

M— 10

has been the greatest. It is he who earned the foremost place for Bhakfi literature in Kannada. He is a great pupil whose glory is sung by the master; Vyasa Raya, his guru, declared Purandara Dasa as the Dasa. This is no ordinary certificate. Purandara Dasa was born in the year 1480 in a village near Poona. In his early life he was a banker, (Krishnappa Nayaka, by name) who was the incarnation of greed. Though he was the Avatar of Narada he had forgotten the mission for which he was sent and Lord Krishna was required to bring him to his senses. The story of his w ife’s nose-ring, its strange appearance in the bowl of poison, the presence of the Lord felt by his wife, Saraswati Devi, were enough to light the spark of godliness in him. There was a metamorphosis in him. He broke into divine music and from that moment till the end, his life of 84 years, there flowed from him immortal songs on the Lord, songs in which we find Religion, Philosophy, Truth, Beauty, Poetry and Music, songs which give ample food for the intellect and the heart alike. It is said that he composed about four lakhs and seventy-five thousand verses and what is published and known so far is only a small fraction of that large number. There may be many unexplored manuscripts of his Kirtanas lying in some corner, unseen and uncared for, serving as food for the moths and worms.

Purandara Dasa has not played philosophical fireworks. The majority of his productions have transcended the barriers of narrow sectarianism. They possess a universal value. Those wonderful Kirtanas radiate waves of the divine love which cause similar waves in the hearts of everybody irrespective of caste or creed. He was a mystic and his path, of emotion rather than that o f intellect. By his sweet music and great teachings, clothed in simple Kannada, he revolutionised the Hindu Religion. What had hitherto remained a sealed book to the ordinary man now became accessible and palatable to him due to the genius of Purandara Dasa. His service to language and religion was like that of Basavesvara. In fact it was a new era in the uplift of the masses.

Incidentally it may be stated here that the Haridasas of Karnataka succeeded in no small measure in propagating religion and culture among the entire Karnataka country through their melodious and popular Kirtanas as their predecessors, the Veera- saiva mystics did by their soul-stirring and popular vacanas. One school o f mystics supplements the other and Kannada


Literature would have been the poorer without the contribution of both.

The music world looks upon Purandara Dasa as the “ Father of Karnataka Music.” The Great Tyagaraja and many later composers have sung his praise—a testimony to prove that Purandara Dasa’s glory as a master-musician had transcended all the geographical and linguistic barriers. He has given us a variety of musical compositions ranging from the simplest to the most complex. It is a great pity that some of his compositions such as Suladi and Ugabhoga are not so popular with the musicians of the present day, most of whom are not conversant with the correct way of rendering them. It will be a great service to Karnataka music and a tribute to the memory of the great musician-saint Purandara Dasa, if knowing musicians come forward in larger numbers and familiarise themselves with his numberless Kirtanas and restore them to their deserved place of honour.

The student of Kannada language can benefit much from a study of these Kirtanas inasmuch as they represent the development of the Kannada language, in the 15th century. Purandara Dasa moulded the Kannada language to suit his genius, by, importing into the language a host of simple colloquial words and phrases without lowering the dignity of the composition in the least. We find a host of New Kannada words where ‘ ha ’ has taken the place of ‘ pa ’, consonant-endings of words changed into vowel-endings, conjunct consonants separated by the introduction of vowels between them. Several loan words such as khodi (evil disposition) and Tettisa (33) from Marathi have crept into his vocabulary.

Before closing this short account, it may not be out of place to quote a few brilliant lines from Purandara Dasa:—

(i) Purandara Dasa was not a fanatic. Though a Vaiahnavite, he did not decry other sects:—

(a) He says that “ he who commits offence against Hara and Guru shall descend into the Raurava Hell.”

Hara-guru droha madida paravadiyu Raurava narakadi muluguvade siddha.

(b) He has sung the glory of Lord Siva in a beautiful composition (Nadanamakriya Raga, Adi tala)—

Kande Kanina nidhiya Gangeya Mandeyoptta doreya

PARTS I—IV] PURANDARA DASA (1480-1664 A.D.) 75

Rundamale siriya nosalolu KundJa gannina bageya 11 Pallavi 11 Gajacarmambarana Gowrivara Jagadiswarana Trijaganmohanana Tripurantaka Trilocanana 11 1Basita bhusita Harana Bhaktara vaiadolagirutihana Pasupatiyenisuvana vasudheli sasisekhara 6ivana| | 2Kappu korala Harana kandarpana pita sakha 6ivana Muppuragelidavana munisu sarpa Bhusana Bhavana|| 3 Kamita phalavivana Bhaktara premiadi salahuvana Ramanama smarana Ratipati kamana samharana| | 4Dharege Daksina Kasiyenisuva Pura Pampavasi Tarakavupadesi Purandara Vithala Bhaktara Posi|| 5

(ii) He is a great satirist. He ridicules those who make a show of orthodoxy thus:—

Purviraga, Mattatala.Udara vairagyavidu nammaPadumanabhanalli lesa Bhakuti ilia 11Udaya kalada leddu gada gada nadugutaNadiyolu mindevendu higgutaliMada-matsara-krodha olage tumbittukonduBadiyaligiddavarigascarya toruvadu| | 1Kanengarara bidaradandadaliKanen hittali pratima nerahiMincalenuta bahu Jagotigalane hacciVancaneyali ghana puje maiduvadu|| 2Karadali Japamani Bayali mantravuAriveya musuku morege hakiParasatiyara guna smarisuta anudinaParama Vairagyasaliyendenisuvadu— etc. 3

(iii) Throughout he employs splendid maxims and figures of speech which testify to his being a keen observer o f things around him:—

(a) The body perishes but fame alone remains.Alivudu kaya ulivudonde klrti.

(b) I f the cow is crooked, is the milk crooked)Akalu donkadare halu donke ?

(c) Pine away like the rat that ate the lizard.Halliyanu tinda iliyante koraguvadu.

((}) Dare ants go near fire?Kiccige iruve muttuvade?


(e) Can the dust-storm raised by a horse envelope the sunf Dhalili kudure vayyaradi kuniyalu

Dhulu raviya mele musukuvade?(f) A ll toil for a morsel of food and a span of clothing.

Ellara maduvadu hottegagi-genu-battegagi.(g) What is the good of keeping Neem with Jaggery ?

What is the good of giving milk to a snake?Bevu bella dolida lenu phala nitya

havige haleradenu phala?(h) Can a donkey enjoy the fragrance of the load of musk

it carries? 'Katte ballude hotta katturiya parimalava?

(i) Can a louse enjoy the fragrance of the flower onthe head?

Henu ballude mudida huvina parimalava?

( j) Can a dog distinguish the different kinds of tunes. Swana ballude Baga Bhedangala?

(k) Can a dumb fellow narrate what he dreamt?He}a ballane muka kanasa kandudanu?

(iv) His poems are interspersed with the great teachings of Hindu Scriptures.

(a) e.g. You can become an atom.You can become the biggest.You can become both.You can take form.You can take no form.Anuvaga balla mahattaga balla Anumahatteradondagaballa Bupavagaballa arupavagaballa Bupa arupa eradond&gaballa Vyaktanagaballa avyaktanagaballa Vyakta avyakta eradondagaballa

(b) “ Be in the world and yet be out of it ” —is the keynote of his teachings. This is only a true reflection of the central theme of the Bhagavadgita.

Ira beku Iradirabeku, Samsaradi Janakadi Baja Rshigalante.

(c) Dust thou art and to dust thou returnest.Mappinimja kaya manninda.

PAftTS I—IV] PURANDARA DASA (1480-1564 A.D.) 11

(v) A study of the Kirtanas takes us through the various stages of the Dasa’s mind:

Attachment to all worldly things brings in all kinds of afflictions (Tapatrayas) and the true Bhakta turns to the Lord and fervently appeals to him thus: ‘ 0 Lord, seeing me thus suffer, why do you forsake me? ”

Kandu kandu yenna kai biduvare Pundarikaksa.

Still God is far away. He feels the separation very much (Vyakula Bhava) and then with an inborn admiration to the Lord he sings his praise, his soul is ennobled and he feels the manifestations of the Lord. He enjoys with the Lord personal relationships such as the Dasya (servant), Sakhya (friend), Vatsalya (tender love) and Madhura (sweet love).

Purandara Dasa bursts out thus:(i) ‘ 0 ! Lord, make me a servant of yours.’

Dasana madiko yenna, Swami___(ii) Take oath that I shall not think of any other and that

you shall not abandon me.Ninna bittu anyara bhajisidarenage ane, Ranga Yenna ni kai bittu podare ninage ane.

(iii) Why call you the.Merciful Lord? I have no confidencein you.

Karunakara ninembuvadyatako Bharavasavillanage.. .(iv) 0 ! Ranga don’t go beyond the doorway. Haribhaktas

may kidnap you.Pogadirelo Rango bagilindacege Bhagavataru kandaretti kondoyvaroj|

Then comes the stage when he resigns himself to the Lord and feels so confident.

(a) To those who know the Lord Purandara Vithala whereis Papa and Punya?

Celva Sri Purandara Vithala Rayanna Ballavarigellihudo Papa-Punyada lepa?

(b) What do we care about the pleasure or displeasure ofothers when we have joined Him that reposes in theKslrasagar.

Yarn volidarenu namaginyaru munidarenu KgiraSagara Sayiyadavana seridantha Haridasarige.

‘ $8 THE JOURNAL OF THE MUSIC ACADEMY [VOt. XtV

Then the Grace of the Lord will come to him and. through that true knowledge which will lead him to salvation.

Thus we see that the Kirtanas of Purandara Dasa, the jewel of the Dasa Group, are a mine of music, religion, philosophy and literature; undoubtedly he occupies a position among the foremost poet-mystics of the world.

PARTS I—IV] PURANDARA DASA (1480-1564 A.D.) 79

THE CHIEF OF ICHALKARANJI.

A GREAT PATRON OF INDIAN MUSIC.

Prof. G. H. R anade, Fergusson College, Pgona.

The Music Academy of Madras was justly proud of having had on its list of Life-members the name of the late Shrimant Narayana Rao Babasaheb Ghorpade—the chief of Ichalkaranji, the Golden Jubilee of whose benevolent rule recently celebrated here in Maharashtra with great rejoicings, has unfortunately been so soon followed by his sad demise. By his wise administration and benevolent rule, he had won the respect and affection of all his subjects and by his proverbially generous help and advice to all deserving persons and institutions both in and outside Maharashtra, had become a nation-building institution in himself.

Shrimant Babasaheb was verily a prince among the princes and was a great patron of learning and fine arts. Music in particular was his very flesh and blood as it were. He had in his service famous musicians like the great Balkrishnabuwa of Gwalior-fame and during the last fifty years, hardly a week must have passed when some musician like the great Abdul Karim Khan was not in request at his Court. His donations to music institutions have been big and many, and some of the best books on Indian Music could see the light of the day only through his generosity. His State conducts a free Music School open to all, with provision for imparting the highest and the best of music on perfectly scientific and modem lines.

In his private life he was very strict and simple. In the midst of many other engagements nrivate and public, he scrupulously performed the daily round of prayers and duties o f a pious and believing Hindu. He was seventy-one when he died.

T. V. Subba Rao

Jt is now 96 years since the mortal remains of the immortal composer were enshrined at Tiruvayyar which has thereby become the Benares of the music pilgrims of the south. The magnificent development of Sangita in these years, unparalleled in the achievements of other arts, is in the largest measure due to the genius of him whose glory we are here gathered to celebrate. We love, indeed, to hear a variety o f composers, only, however, to find that there is something in the songs o f Tyagaraja which distinguish them as a class by themselves. They have an irresistible appeal to our inmost being and we are unconsciously moved to tears of ecstasy.

It is a unique feature o f his personality that he may be esteemed in any sphere of life and yet be found to take his place in the foremost rank o f its greatest men. You may regard him as a poet and he will stand comparison with Homer and Valmiki. You may put him in the company of the sages of the Upanishads, and his lustre is no less than theirs. You may value him as a prophet delivering the message of love, service and sacrifice, and he is the compeer o f Christ and Gautama. You may consider him as a reformer o f social abuses and his zeal is equal to that of the natural leader o f the suffering masses of India. As a composer he is one without a second, the day-star in the firmament o f sangita. The barest mention o f his name has an elavating influence on us.

Those who feel that true poetry consists not in the metric formality of verse but in the beauty o f ideas happily expressed, will readily agree that Tyagaraja occupies a place of honour among the great poets o f the world. Imagination is the supreme gift o f the poet which transforms familiar objects into fancied shapes o f beauty and presents them to our delight and enlightenment. The mind o f the poet broadened by sympathy becomes co-exten- sive with nature and no mystery can be hidden from its view. Could any poet lesser than Tyagaraja have given us that fascinating picture of Rama in “ Nada sudha rasa” wherein he is described as the incarnation o f the ambrosial sweetness o f sound, his bow as the raga, the seven bells as svaras, the arrows as sahitva, the varied circumstances o f action as sangatis and the worship of

•An addresB delivered at the Academy on the occasion of the Thyagaraja Day celebrations.

THE U N IVERSALITY OF TY A G A R A JA *

THE UNIVERSALITY OP TYAGARAJA 81Him as the great blessing in life; or the sustained comparison in “ Banturiti ” where the composer likens himself to a retainer and elaborates the description iii striking details. He who is not thrilled by the similitude of “ romancha ” as weighty armour must be dull to all that is emotional in poetry. Think of the simple charm of “ Rama nisamana ” where Rama is pronounced to be matchless, not for being the greatest hero, not for his glorious reign of a vast empire, but for possessing the love o f the most devoted wife and sweet submissiveness of loyal brothers. Nothing short of the most daring poetic genius could have had the courage to give us this evaluation of Rama’s worth. The great merit of the poetry of Kalidasa is said to be manifest in his similes. In the text of Tyagaraja’s songs this figure of speech will be found to exist in equal if not greater profusion and charm. Many examples of it are Homeric in picturesque grandeur and wealth of detail. In effect they are as profound and telling as the best found in any literature. In lyrical exuberance few poets can outshine Tyagaraja. In every one of his pieces the music seems but an echo to the seat where love is throned. The songs are brimming over with the highest of all sentiments, the sringara rasa, in his limitless love for Rama; and the seven seas appear too small to hold the overflow of his mighty heart. In the use of suggestive epithets he is as delicious as Kalidasa and as profound as Shakespeare. In describing Vibhishana as nissanka he lets us fancy the heroic conclusion of a mental conflict between earthly ties and supreme duty. Instances like this are a legion. He is a poet of the noblest rank. He did not choose the form of verse. He did better. He married his words to immortal music.

The Kirtanas of Tyagaraja abound in the basic truths of Hindu religion and ethics. It is no extravagant praise that exalts them as Tyagopanishad. They reflect every school of liberal Indian thought, put the wisdom of the sages in a nut-shell an£ present the beauties of the epics and the scriptures in intelligible compass. Above all thejr admonish intellectual vanity that grace of God is the only means of attaining the enternal bliss of knowledge.‘ ‘ Kaddanna variki,” “ Tatva meruga tarama,” “ Emichesite nemi ” are a few well-known songs of a class which interpret his outlook on the problems of life. Some of the terse and significent sayings they contain have passed into proverb. Some pieces like “ Rama bana ” and “ Adamodi ” are little epics in themselves. Tyagaraja is the only composer of the south whose kirtanas can bear translation into any language and be enjoyed in different tongues.

M— 11


His role as a prophet entitles him to the veneration o f all who love sincerely ’ and hate cant, who exalt truth and virtue above rites and ceremonies, who cherish inward purity of mind as dearer than pomp and parade of religion, who value an humble and feeling heart more than a wilderness of learning. His “ Teliya leru rama,” “ Manasu nilpa ” and “ Dhyaname ” are typical of his outburst against the hypocrites of religion. His emphatic condemnation of jivahimsa in the performance o f sacrifices could not but subject him to persecution by formalists against whom he breathes a mild protest in “ Nadupai.” He cautions the crazy world against unavailing research into doctrinarian perplexities and exhorts them by parables and allegories to love the Lord and earn His blessing.

His myriad-mindedness conceives with all the intensity of reality every possible state and condition of man and translates the experience into songs of imperishable beauty. These are the solace and hope of suffering humanity. “ Etula brotuvo,” “ Kanidi radu,” “ Tana midane ” and “ Kaligi yunte ” are representative of these pieces. Life even for the most favoured has more misery than happiness. Thus the prince and the peasant, the learned and the ignorant, the prosperous and the wretched will all find themselves mirrored in them; for there is none too great or too small to escape toil and trouble, pain and sorrow, disillusionment and disappointment which i f they come in battalions to some, yet at least come single spies to others. The pieces contain thoughts too deep for tears. But are not the sweetest songs those that tell of saddest thought?

It is, indeed, as a composer that the admiring world knows him best. In the domain o f music the quality o f universality is entirely his, * even as it belongs to Shakespeare in literature. His all- embracii^ mind fancied the possible ideas of beauty in sound and presented them in the form of kirtanas. They range from the plainest divyanamas to the most elaborate pancharatnas. The extreme simplicity of some of them has perhaps bewildered a few critics. They little know the divinity that lurks in childlike innocence. Simplicity is an attribute o f universality. Even to understand this, the mind has to be leavened with sympathy. To quote Tyagaraja himself “ Anuragamu leni manasuna sugnanamu radu ” . His divyanamas are in many cases refined versions of folks songs and melodies.

In his creations every familiar type of composition masquerades as kirtana. Some of them are in substance unsophisticated gitas.

PARTS I—IVJ THE UNIVERSALITY O f TYAGARAJA 83Songs like “ Najivadhara ” and “ Sundari nidu ” partake o f the character of tanavarnas. “ Kshirasagara ” and ‘ f Emineramu ” resemble padas of Kshetragna. “ Endukaugalintura ” and “ Bada lika ” are illustrative of the javali mood. The pancharatnas are master-pieces of the highest art and are in the nature of compact pallavis. A large proportion of his compositions, however, are kirtanas in form and spirit and incorporate the best elements of gita, thaya, prabandha and alapa of olden times, with the result that these archaic types have become largely eclipsed. His invention and fancy are so prolific that he could compose numerous songs in the same raga and make each present a fresh phase of melody. You could hear all of them and each a thousand times and never know love’s sad satiety. The appetite would seem to increase by what it feeds upon.

His compositions are ‘ bhavabharita ’. The music harmonizes so well with the ideas, that it suggests by itself when rendered on an instrument the significance of the sahitya. Movements of the body, moods of the mind and even the atmosphere of situations described, are reflected in note groupings and the phrase contexture of music. Of the sense of song, the sound and music seem a perfect echo.

In the improvisation of new modes his achievement leaves us wonder-stunned. The magic of his invention produces countless shapes of beauty. It may be that every one of them cannot be deemed to possess all the essential attributes o f familiar ragas, but the melodic form in the pieces remains unimpeachable. It is the separate rendering of the melody detached from the composition that is apt to make the novice trip. Few are competent to sing it as raga who have not mastered the secret which gives it individuality. The subtle microtonal variation of notes, the stress of vitalizing svaras, the formation of phrases and the linking by appropriate gamakas which impart distinction to a new mode are possible of achievement only to a supreme genius. You may examine “ Vina nasa ” and “ Santamu leka ” side by side. There is no difference in the notes used; yet there is a clear difference in their melodic complexion. Who but Tyagaraja could work this miracle?

His tastes were most catholic. He loved the northern system of music intensely. His admiration took practical shape in compositions like “ Manamuleda, ” “ Nagumomu ” “ Anathudanu ganu ’ ’ and many others. His keen appreciation of western music produced similar results. “ Raminchuvaru, ” the compositions in

Kuntalavarali and Navarasakannada are translations into eamatie. music,of the ftndamental beauties of western symphonies. With him it was not a question of borrowing but assimilation; and the result did no violence to that system of which he was the greatest exponent.

One important change he introduced into compositions was the freedom of movement. Melody was no longer to suffer under the iron grip of rigid rhythm. It is perhaps to “ untie the hidden soul of harmony ” that he employed the flexible adi tala in a greater measure. In the appropriate parts of his pieces he left ample elbow room within the limits of the avartana to allow scope for the free play of imagination.

That merit which establishes the undisputed sovereignty of Tyagaraja in the commonwealth of music is his institution of sangatis with which he endowed his compositions. We who are now so familiar with phrase variation can hardly realize the magnitude of the change. It effects the most harmonious synthesis between the bound and unbound parts of the melody in much the same way that. Providence does by the interplay of destiny and freedom in human welfare. The rage for sangatis is irrepressible. Even the most discriminating part of the public will not at present suffer a rendering without this embellishment. No composition of any Vaggeyakara can claim exemption. Even the padas of Kshetragna have had to submit to the jurisdiction of Tyagaraja.

It is said that truth must not only inform but inspire. Judged from this standard few works of art can better stand the test than the songs of Tyagaraja. The mysterious contexture of the pieces contains such subtle potentialities of suggestion that they urge you to improvise. No singer is content even with the fullest rendering. He must do the ‘ neraval ’ and seek to satisfy his longing. Every sangati appears to hold out an invitation to you for making further essay on the lines indicated.

Many are the songs of his devoted to the glorification of music as the highest knowledge open to man. Some of them are replete with references to the technical aspects of sangita. A study of the text of these songs is by itself a stimulating experience.

Tyagaraja was brought up in the highest traditions of sampradaya in sangita. His songs are the most practical homage to purvacharyas. It is remarkable, however, he was not content to interpret the past only. His constructive genius anticipated

84 THE JOURNAL OS' THE MUSIC ACADEMY tVOL. XIV

the developments of ages to come and has given us a heroic lead. He united the apparently opposite qualities of conservatism, and progress, of reverence for antiquity and impatience of restraint, of the prejudices of the heart and the revolt of intellect. He is a classic romanticist and a conservative radical. His life in ethics and aesthetics is the evolution of perfect harmony and attunement from the discarding principles of thought and action. Nothing short of the absolute universality of his mind could have succeeded in saturating his songs with that spirit of sweetness, peace and bliss which lingers in our soul long after the sounds have faded away. No analysis of his greatness can ever enable us to convey to others the thrill of his songs which galvanizes our whole being. Their power and beauty should be experienced and enjoyed each for himself. They possess an undefinable charm for all. They are of the very stuff of which life is made. No common mortal could create such supreme excellence. It is nature herself that presents her treasures of sound and sense in the person of Tyagaraja. His voice is the voice of eternity.

PARTS I—IV] THE UNIVERSALITY OP TYAGARAJA $5

"J u st as the morning mists are dispelled by the rising sun, so the veil of sound upon which the likeness of the real that lies behind is limned may be thinned away and in places altogether dispersed. Bents and gaps will appear through which the world of value is directly visible. Through these rents the musician’s vision will penetrate into the real world itself, and, for so long as he remains in contemplation of it, he will share the privilege of the mystic. ”

— C. E. M. Joad: Matter, Life dk Value (Oxf. Uni. Press, p. 308).

BY

Prof. P. Sambamoorthy.

The Saurashtra Sabha, Madura, deserves the thanks of all musicians and music-lovers on their having acquired the valuable collection of palm-leaf manuscripts, notebooks and old printed books in the possession of the descendants of Walajapet Venkataramana Bhagavatar. By his skill in music and scholarship in Telugu and Sanskrit, Venkataramana Bhagavatar early attained a prominent place amongst the disciples o f Tyagaraja. His son, Krishnaswamy Bhagavatar also was a disciple of the great composer, and both of them earned the grace and blessings of the sage of Tiruvaiyar. The long association o f Venkataramana Bhagavatar with Tyagaraja enabled him to learn and record in notation a very large number of the Saint’s compositions. A part of Tyagaraja’s private library seems to have come as a gift to Venkataramana Bhagavatar. Such statements as “ Sri Parvatl Tyagarajabhyam namah ” and Sri Tyagaraja Guruswamy Sahayam ” occurring at many places in the manuscripts, shows the great reverence they had for the composer. Venkataramana BMgavatar has paid his homage to the apostle of absolute music not only through songs like ' ‘IPr'iV'i ^ ” in Bilahari, but also through Dhydnaslokas, the Adiguru Stotrapanchakam in Sanskrit, Telugu and Manipravalam and a Mangaldshtakam.

The leaves of the older notebooks, in the collection are of thick, glossy hand-made paper. Though the bulk of the collection relates to music, there are valuable manuscripts relating to Ganita, Jyotisha, Ayurveda, Prosody, Vyakarana and house construction. There are many palm-leaves containing the texts of Purajjas. Most of the manuscripts are in Telugu script and a few in Grantha script.

In some notebooks we find a few pages containing musical compositions and the remaining pages containing matter relating to other topics. In one of the bigger notebooks we find after a few pages of music, Jaimini Sutra-tika, Ganakananda Grantham (mulam and tika) and Sarvartha Chintamani Grantham (a work on Jyotisham). Slokas in paisachika bhasa and stray notes on other topics are also found in some manuscripts.

TH E W A LA JA PE T MANUSCRIPTS.

Of the manuscripts on musicology (science of music) in the collection, the following may be mentioned:—

1. Sangita Ratndkara ( Sanskrit) by Hemanathaswami. This work is different from that of Sarngadeva. It treats of stri ragas and purusha ragas, gayaka doshas and g&yaka gunas amongst other topics.

2. Sangitdmrita Candrikd (Sanskrit). '3. Talarnava (Sanskrit) with Telugu meaning.

Musical compositions (vocal exercises and concert pieces inclusive) are found in both palm-leaf manuscripts and note-books. Lakshana gitas in mela ragas and janya ragas are found in an old palm-leaf manuscript. The Kanakangi-Ratnangi nomenclature is adopted here. Songs of Purandara Das and Bhadrachala Ramadfts and the padams of Kshetragna are found in many manuscripts. The raga and tala of each composition are mentioned at the top and in the case of Kshetragna’s padams, the following additional details, viz. the character (nayaki, nayaka or sakhi) that sings the padam and the context in which it is sung and the state of the nayaki’s or nayaka’s mind, are mentioned. These details enable a person to understand the real purport of the padam and sing it with real feeling.

The following are some of the unpublished compositions of the early 18th and 19th century composers figuring in the collection.

1. Emamma daya judavu—Ahiri—Matrubhutayya.2. Sri Narahari veri talakekki—Kalyani.3. Bantudaitini parama bantudaitini—PantuvarSli.4. Totavesinanipudu— Paruju (These three are by Merattur

Venkatarama Sastri).5. Elagu daya vachchuno—Punnagavarali— (Mysore Sada-

siva Rao). (

Mysore Sadasiva Rao was a disciple of Venkataramana Bh&ga- vatar, and was present when Tyagaraja visited Walajapet. He has immortalised the visit of the great composer to Walajapet in a beautiful Kriti in Kambhoji raga, Jhampa Tala beginning with the words: “ Sita lakshmana sameta ” .

A number of unpublished Qitas, Tana Varnas, Pada Vamas, Ragamalikas and Tillanas figure in these manuscripts. These manuscripts help us to correct the inaccurate sahityas found in the published versions of Gitas and other compositions. It is a

THE WALAJAPET MANUSCRIPTS 87

well-known fact that, due to ignorance of the Bhandira Bhasha, scholars found it difficult to make out the sense of the sahityas of older Gitas. They unnecessarily introduced corrections and published almost Sanskritised versions of these sahityas. These manuscripts reveal that the present sahityas of even such widely- suhg Gitas as Re re Sri Rdmachandra (Arabhi), Kamdtajadala (Kalyani) and Janata sutd (Saveri) are wrong in many places.

Tdnas are important etudes for vlna students. These studies enable them to acquire facility in fingering and in plectral technique. A detailed exposition o f the raga is attempted in these tanas, and these exercises have an independent value as authoritative lakshyas. Tanas for common ragas and tanas for rare ragas like Gundakriya and Bauli are also found in these Manuscripts. Tanas of eminent masters like Govinda Dikshitar, Sonti Venkatasubbayya, Sonti Venkataramanayya and Venkata Seshayya are given in extenso. Tanas are presented in their several divisions as:— Ayittam, yedupu, muktayi, udgr5ham, makarini, sanchari, dvitlya sanchari, tritiya sanchari, Rishabha Sthayi, Panchama Sthayi, Sthayi T5nam, Trisra Jati Tanam, Sarva Laghu Tanam, Dhalu Tanam, Pattu Tanam, etc. Bhramara Gitas are found in one notebook, and in another notebook we have the texts of the following two operas: (1) Draupadl Vastrapa- haranam and (2) Tamradhvaja Raja Charitram.

TYAGARAJA’S COMPOSITIONS.By far the most important part of the collection is the

manuscripts containing the precious songs of Tyagaraja carefully preserved in notation. These manuscripts along with the copy of Potana’s Bhdgavatam used by the great composer for his daily Parayanam and the great composer’s Sandals reverentially preserved and worshipped by the Walajapet disciples, are going to make Madura a place of musical pilgrimage in future. It is certain that streams of musicians, music lovers and rasikas will be flowing into Madura to have a1 darshan o f these articles of historical and spiritual value. The letters of the hand-written Bhagavatam appear almost like print. The thick foolscap size paper on which it is written bears the following water-mark impressions:—spade (trade-mark), 1824, 1825 (years of manufacture) and S. Wise and Co. (the name of the firm). The Bhagavatam was dictated by Tyagaraja and written by Venkata- ramana Bhagavatar. Scholars of Potana’s great work may usefully, consult this work for readings. After the colophon we find the following ‘ ‘ Sri Tyagaraja Guru charanaravindabhyam


namah It is the study of Potana’s work that enabled Tyaga- raja to develop that simple, lucid, charming and sublime style.

The kritis of Tyagaraja are found in a number of notebooks and in a few palm-leaf manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts are more than a century old and it is certain therefore that they' were written during the life-time of the composer. Some notebooks contain the bare texts of the songs while others give the notation for these songs. The name of the raga and tala are indicated on the top of each piece and in the case of rare ragas, their arohana and avarohana and janaka mela are also given. There is a separate notebook giving the arohana and avarohana of hundreds of janya ragas, arranged in the order of the 72 melas. The madhyamakala svaras are not indicated by lines as at present but by short vertical lines placed over such notes. After some practice, one can become familiar with the manner of the musical writing in these manuscripts and learn those numerous kritis which have not seen the limelight of publicity. Pieces in. the same raga are grouped and presented one after another, and after the first piece there is the indication tadragam, which means that the raga of the new piece is the same as that of the previous piece.

Curiously enough, the names of ragas have been twisted and presented in many cases. An unwary reader is likely to think that these names suggest new ragas. But the writers have been careful to mention the correct names of the ragas in subsequent cases. Thus, for two pieces in Saveri, coming one after the other, the raga of the first piece is given as Vesari and that of the second as Saveri. Other examples of such twisted names are:—

PARTS I—IV] THE WALAJAPET MANUSCRIPTS' 89

Vanamati for ManavatlHarimala for MalaharlRanchittanija for ChittaranjanlMavamadhyati for MadhyamavatiManoharivade for DevamanohariSamayinohari for TsamanoharlHamsabala for BalahamsaNayaralanagau for NarayanagaulaChampudrikama for PumachandrikaGavafivadhiri for Vagadhisvari

This is a specimen of the care with which they gaurded these Art Treasures!

Mr. A. M. Chinnaswami Mudaliar, in his monumental work: “ Oriental Music in European Notation ” has furnished us with a long index of all the compositions of Tyagaraja that came to

M — 18


his notice. He had access to the Umayalpuram disciples of Tyagaraja and Walajapet Krishnaswamy Bhagavatar, but not to the other disciples of Tyagaraja. It will not therefore be correct to contend that his list of songs is either exhaustive or at any rate even fairly complete. It is well-known that Tyagaraja paired off his disciples according to the capacity of their voices, and taught not more than 200 pieces on an average to each pair. The more ambitious disciples managed to learn more than a thousand pieces from the composer during the long period of their tutelage extending over from 20 to 30 years. The fact that Mr. Chinna- swamy Mudaliar mentions the following well-known pieces, as pices for which music is not traceable, is proof positive of the fact that he did not get at those disciples who knew the music of those pieces:—

L Munnu Havana badha Todi2. Parasakti manupa rada Saveri3. N&dupai balikeru Madhyamavati4. Vinayakunivalenu »>5. Saranu fiaranu >>6. Aparadhamula manpi Darbar7. Menu jllchi mosa bokave Saras&ngi8. Entanuchu sairintunu Yadukula-

kambhojiOf the unpublished kritis of Tyagaraja, figuring in the collec

tion, the following may be mentioned:—1. Sari vedalina Parthasarathini Todi

(This song was sung in praise of Sri Parthasarathy Swamy ofTriplicane, ( Madras ) whenTyagaraja visited the sometime before 1838.)

temple

2. Peridi ninnu benchina-varevare Kharaharapriya

3. Dhana suta taruni’ parijanasaukhyamu Eamalamanohari

4. Emani pogadudura Ramanama mahima Kedaragaula

5. Vidhi Sakradulaku dorukuna Y amunakalyani6. Desikavara Saranagata Saranga7. Mutyala Chavikyalo Gauri KalySni

( Gauri Kalydni is a new raga which we come across for the first time).

Mr. A. M. Chinnaswamy Mudaliar in his index mentions the following four kritis as those for which music is not traceable:—

1. Inka nija bhakti 3. Nagumomu jupavu2. Sitalakshmanasa hitam 4. Undi emi urvi bharamuga •

The music of these pieces is available in the collection.There is a proof-sheet copy of a page of Chinnaswami Mudaliar’s

“ Oriental Music in European Notation ” . This sheet contains the corrections made on it by Krishnasw&mi Bhagavatar.

The musical and historical value of these manuscripts lies in the fact that they reveal to us the original musical versions and the original sahityas. The raga for the piece Krupdlavala is mentioned as Nada tarangini, and not as Nadavarangini. The Salagabhairavi piece Padavini, which was so much discussed at the 1942 Music Conference, begins only with the phrase: s r m P and not with r g m P. The arohana and avarohana of the raga are given a s s r m p d s — s n d p m g r s , and its janaka mela as Kharaharapriya. In the pallavi of the Chenchukambhoji piece: we gn(j << ” mentioned instead of“ £tS~t6<3&n ” ,

TYAGARAJA’S DATE OF BIRTH is given in a palm leaf at the end of the palm-leaf manuscript No. 1, along with that o f Venkataramana Bhagavatar, and the leaf is signed by Kavi Venkata Suri, the author of Rama Ndtakam in the Saurashtra Language:—

x&s't) 4868 v® 1689 -Oj©25-^ 1 8 3151 $3c&-s&oSi S'ioS KSkxoo-Oe.

5'S'3o§'4oAt' 8 ■3o»(vr»oo.

Venkataramana Bhagavatar has reproduced Tyagaraja’s Nowka Charitram in Sanskrit Slokas. This work is known as Samskrita Nowka Charitram. Nowka Charitram has also been translated into the Saurashtra Language and this is known as The Panchal Charitra.

Some valuable books on music printed in the last century, are also in the collection.

I must not forget to mention on this occasion that in Ayyampet, many unpublished divyanama klrtanas of Tyagaraja can be heard from Atiya Ramaswamy Bhagavatar. He belongs to the Sishya Parampara of Chowna Venkatachalapati Bhagavatar, ‘ another disciple of Tyagaraja.

PARTS I—IV] THE WALAJAPET MANUSCRIPTS 91

THE COMPOSITIONS OF PALLAVI DORAISWAMY IYER— P a r t in. (continued from previous volumes.')

EDITED BYC. S. AYYAR, B.A.

O'ta

T h e th ird p a rt co n sistin g o f fo u r m ore com positions o f P a lla v i D o ra isw a m y Iy e r, in R a g a s S au rash tra, K a ly a n i, P a n tu v a ra li & S averi, is pu b lish ed . T h e g e n e a lo g ica l tree o f h is fa m ily w ith d e ta ils o f th e ir education, is g iv e n b e lo w :—

GENEALOGICAL TREE.Subrahmanya * Nay am Venkata Subbayyan

Suryanarayana—

i-------------------------------------------Pallavi Duraiswami Iyer (alias Subrahmanya)

b. 1782 A.D. (?) d. 1816 A.D. (?)

-(m)-I

—Venkataseshi

Setu Raman(Given in adoption to his maternal grandfather)

Sabhapati Sivan (a pupil of Tyagaraja)

Samba Sivanb. Hevilambi 1837 A.D. d. Vijaya. 1893 A.T>.

| (Violinist to Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan.)Vidwan Sabhesa Iyer. b. 1872 A.D.(a pupil of Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan.)(Kalanidhi of the Music Academy).

Govinda Sivan. (a pupil of Tyagaraja)

Male line extinct

* Refers to his Veena style of play.

THE JOU

RNAL OF THE M

USIC ACADEMY

[VOL. XlV

PARTS I—IV] COMPOSITIONS OP PALLAVI DORAISWAMI IYER 93

eg eg •*. «3 a a 3•8 «i

^ eg

ft Clb b

Clb

Clb

Clb

■8

8

C9

*8

"*8

*«L

fe 6

h

»6L

•9>8bb

Is

«L

a■kS3

VClfeacs>ci

5 * £§ f3i > f>8 E, fc

Ic

ft

0Y2

Io

*»&o

ft <2V3o

° ^ t3 i f

1 ■ « » c £

| i 4 5S i s sS° > ® 5

^ t 2 1” « fi?

QoC

-3%P<3

J)T2kMo

VITOy*fl“

OOvecY3<2

Cl- bI

ftC3 3^

r **o £ 3Y3 5)

1 1 g *>8 § & *r s - K

J , ^ a «•5 'a © G>a R c3 vs

r-i <H

©£ 10<ft Y3

i fTJ SI fr$ g* &ft s>&. * f *J«, . •tf P»J-

p "ftg *•fe

ec

3ctoV?

k«L3

*©CO

« •t $a • a • 8 . •

^ •.a §® C9

IQ. (6L03 •19 §

" t oC§L *8 *a *8

• | ?3

S6 'S•rf) *8 e>8. *

8. *8."

* ^

^ 1 b

b (ft « £

3 « " »8Lc8

^ 0 1o

■ 1*1

b * 16 •v » 8. *b fc _« m.• #N •

b b 8. «

<®L b

O) b fe ••LC9a -3o

« 1&

ai§ 3 *a 1!

b3 '

a <:8 . «

s .

* 89■9a

3a

8 .4

a«

V

33

1 « 0 0

ffgafit' lc un ld jB p u u> u <s/r <s lc ifl ervr jr ervir m$6s>u . Qairafl . s $ > /q

<Z/T LL & tfl SUt SUIT <ST U> U U> jB jB UGJl)oi! Lj (o 61/ ■ 6TT <® /T eiSio eS ft 0 Q<9= to i_

ptr jB sinrflsmUfl eiiv jB <aiiv jBp jfiu p 65 Ifl sill) jB f&T i-l LJ ; to «T if) ®r/fl i§ . . c?rf? UDT>si), iwiro/Tfiifl•

to u ||car «v .] (jSirenB)

/fgg/r . ifl u but ujr uj , /? iLjem (_ .Sir3 3

• It is alleged that this padam in Kalyani and the next one in Pantuvarali were composed by Pallavi Doraiswamy Iyer in “ ,a teens on the advice of Paidala Gurumurti Sastri as the latter was not quite satisfied with the Composer’s earlier efforts at kritis.

[*i]“ n cat? G <* p zn i99

umgi aijpr&f) jrirxib— pir&rih.

SS o O___i5b8a§o z j 'S ' l s5 eSrtajT'll

e > & £ v p — 0 3ex^§Od3»ii

----- ^£»'-uS^jn’5s£o j£oS£><2 SSS'^Sb gjSdSaej erc2»X

xfafco "Sw ô 2.A5bo2$» 3Sbexi 7Crot3g^r°2«■aas^?)9]3 cSJWSatf^Si&SSa es»&3£oex}o9u) 13o^J^13cr^;£ol§8^

-C )S>j-*eX«5b S558^daoot JSb jSJfccS&ikatr’dSalDtf

en> iff a u> u p iS eiv erv iS p u u> a ifl eiu

(ZT'iSfi)

(S T * ^ )

THi! JOUfeNAL OF TH

E MUSIC ACADEM

Y [VOL. XlV

(jdsSof

fi. 5 p

tr j§

{£

uutl

lh s

it mu

ut

r — p

jB p

tr ur

n si

t u

ld s

if) «

ifl•

ST

6afl

(?«

. F

<3

■£

& “

®'r

■ •

®fl

• LD

if)

.

QlU

. .

• 9:PARTS I—IV] COMPOSITIONS OF PALLAVI DORAISWAMl IYER

Is

*b •

§>6Sa

b

■B. ’b1 3 - 1 GIs3 • 3 •

let .t-

~ uJ eg

3 •«L * *81 . a

^ * SB • teI * •B. • •8L

% * urt

*9- 3 Jt

3 • <6L • 3

3 "9 ^ • a

3 *<6|. Si «

^ •a 3- 3<* 5

fe3

■§ -s b s h « *b •b z. a •

a * a 3• * « » .

)°

a ©■« b.

•b •

b

*efc V

* * .

*8L 1

!S 33 §

J te

5 ^

te *s•i «•=s b*6L 3-

5 &

te b3 3 '

g -3 *8 3t e ,

a sf-"

S 3 *

= = • $ «9 • «b £3 * *6 $ ■* b

.•> • a

Is3 3

3

V

THE JOURNAL OF THU MUSIC ACADEMY CVOL. XTV

aa

«L

*8Lb

Ss 81 CfeL §

a ©

ba

<3*■ :S

^ •

*8L

I 0 XL

^ J 3 tas

§bl

^ 0 b §0

•#>

f f 8~o <J8^ 8^ f l . '?L-

PARTS I—IV] COMPOSITIONS OP PALLiAVI DORAISWAMI IYER

'1 18a

a *

97

58u

h

O

b

»9

0

*8

%

9

Vs« l

CBl

bb

ie s

t§

«<[8C

«eih

8V:

aVo

o 93 38 SD(JS3 % y z o5 *3

o\3o fcYZ J f Y3‘ d-

3)

8O

8u«

S

233 §

* M-o 1 "? i a tv? ■» u ° ■8 ■»

? $O YX)

«Q 3E$ g

>a- <)n

5 £6 S*YZ

a.CO

3 18 $va p

I p

V3a-

>3'tiQ%£

8

o

^ J8 3

t I* S■P v3YZ gL 1lfc J O8 s« II fl3E« 2*>£ $" Y3 S>

■a3-ft O| 3

8 fp b'fl %S3 3^'ft w> *? 3L ^

<? %8 3 ,

3 £ §g If \3>P> VoVJ O

,V* »Vo Vo

J 5VJV?

«

I f1 1 t .

i l £ at f, o 12P f° g re§ v? V3 «§ o L ±J

% 8 1 o N(4 po■t® “ v2 I& Vi « I^ 4 % ba i i

J f 1 1fei O vQ8 5‘2 3 |

YS3 8I ’O88

U8 0u 'e“ ’i li.1 J o >p■ A $

$ 3 |T< S ^ °a I s ^V MA

0t

p <° a to ^ c 1 . <?

f ; s « s j ! 1 1f° Yi fo Jp

M s t

« ba •a ■

. . .~ ■ a •

^ * b .a i i t6L «

3 •J ss • •• *s • eb ■ u bt fc<

3 es 3 •

b83 • a 3

^■Cs I] (5 a -

r r ~ 855 o • #\ •

t*6L *

<6L •a •tj *83 3

•jots1 a • #\ •

* 8&’^92

^ I§ fe

o•

•fife • ^ .

" • b ‘ 3

• b ©

I s• b ^

§ a

a •

‘ e

‘1 ^ ’

~ 3 ?« « • • r» *

*M—13

GO1 , 0 o

; l o t L m u i t ; ; u j ; > j B J 5 jB , u p i r ; ^ u

• lopb jyn LJJTLD • * • •3

u i D u i t p i t d iv r r ; < d iv r d n i r 'i f

• QJD/r « • 69T6 • • • • 6IVTJ • 3

^ ^57 i f e W iT 6)7) ^ d5T L/T ^ 7« . LLIS ISIS . g il ( ? 6OlT . a? . , & . e d iLj &a s s

; 'i f a/u/r ^ p f$ p u l d & it i f 617) rf? U )T U £ d ib it

3^ p u i D & r f l & r f l

• lois j s i j£ ir . . esR 0 ott (S lo . . LO . • . . .3 3 >

sy r^ f II. . || (lO IS & l)

j jsaarii. ; u jB (s r u i t ; ^ p u l d U 7 ; ; ;

3

15 15 U LD U IT p iT

■ flr <5 67U 657 <3fT t • * «3

Q e o e o . . • 60 • SOI * 0 ®

p j § ! p i r u l d <®t ea/vir i f l o t j o r ; ; ^ t U T j5 IT 15 LJ LJ LD

ggi© S . is . lL us. to3

Gsf} GOT ■ ILj •

p i r u i r e w j s i i v r d m ir p i r ‘i f 6)7)7 61A) ^ ^ 7 U IT 3J7 LJ LD U n 15(T

IS 0 JS8/ U IU Q P J? ir& S ) /0 . . ^ tu Q lU Str . . 60 63TL0

jB p t l U j LDIT « r ^ ^ T U LD s i r i f i f ; 6)7)7 ; ; ;Q u it . 6n) . S s ir to . is • • • •

8 8 ; 617) /fl LOT ; X T i f 107 107

3u t ; ; ^ 7 U IT U $ £ U U LD

, J>{ s a r ia . i* L j lo is . «S7 . . U ffLO ÛD/r • • ^p/ i 60 •a ' 3 3

TH

E JO

UR

NA

L OF T

HE

MU

SIC A

CA

DE

MY

[V

OL. X

IV

Ttifc JOURNAL OP Lh P MUSIC ACADEiMV tVOL. jc iv

b3 & 3 § J f3 § . ©

*b -6 t;•S. 9 • •

i • ^ • 16 3 ^ 3•6 te § * ‘E •

♦

I 1!s§i* . St 10 ' ^ *

•s a i <*§ • q *3 a fc*

9 • a © a •«6L S ^9 • i •3 * ^ •

3 O >6 3

a • | J«.§ t § *

3 §> ^ •3 -3 5 to

% t®. ^ (3 “h- 9 • 1 §■ 1® 3 © *®t-3 «

J& LJ i 3 Q #*

a s•«L •

c _ ■m

**. ■.% 3(3 ©

9 • ** 3 J'« b

.| 3 >8L •9 •

56 .r

9 *3 § 56 3 0L •39 . ^ • ^ •

• ‘1 tg ‘ I Pt8

b§ ® "

>e . 9 *8 $ *§

b*8C!9

^ S *0* • ««L® ^ • 3 ^ § ^

3 (6L sf-©* «* .©

(5 =

©J

tei^b I

3 <B

9 •3 %b l 3 13 CBL

3 I

‘Ss•a3

□

0T

6UD/T i f <S U T U T U T U <£/T J§ p T u u r t u t ;

x & (Suj Q l§ . IUT T f$ jX (oLB 0 IU Sm Qeu err .3 3 3

p ib t s itm , sisvT f f l (ft W s iw jB s u v t su v j§ l s u v t f£ T , * jB <$ U TLa p3 il/ Q «\> . x aw . p x £3 £3 rfl & £3 iN x r . aR . erV ji

3 3 3 3

Lb U T $ j f i SUIT p p IT * jS p U T U U Lb <5 U U Lb ■SB i f <S Lb U TX £3 Gsx) , p eafl 3 . IB & . Ogg/5 . $3 . (OUT , (olU .3 3 3 3

lb II

. [[ i—Q euskriy. ||

Note:—Of the twelve compositions published hitherto as Parts I, II and III, the following six pieces had been illustrated in watercolour by the composer himself:—

(1) Adlnamma, (2) Dhoorjati, (3) Parahamsa, (4) Adbhutanatana, (5) Tattidhimita and (6) Mandugai.

i>ARTS i—IV

] CO

MPOSITIO

NS O

P PALLA

Y! D

ORAlSW

AMI IYE

R

101

' DHRUVAA TYPE OP OLD INDIAN STAGE-SONGS

By 0 . C. Gangooly

There was a class of old Indian stage-songs referred to in our old dramatic literature as Dhruvas (lg T). I am afraid 1 must introduce the subject in the form of a poser, as I am myself incompetent to expound and explain the character and quality of this type of songs at one time very familiar to old Indian play-goers. I hope those who are learned in the secrets o f dramaturgy and music literature will help to explain the term and its use and significance in Indian dramas. I shall only confine myself to setting forth the available data, casually gleaned from Sanskrit works on the principles of dramas and dramatic composition.

Owing to an undue emphasis laid on the literary texts of ancient dramas, a good deal of musical technique and embellishments which were used and were an important part of the representations of dramas, have been lost sight of and their records and significance missed and lost to the present generation. In this way a large body of musical props (mise en scene) and embroideries which added to the beauty of dramas and formed very integral and vital portions o f dramatic representations have gradually disappeared from the texts. I f any “ players’ copies ” had survived, they would have most probably given evidence of numerous stage directions for musical accompaniments o f various kinds of which stray fragments survive in cryptic and unintelligible forms. Prom the naked literary texts which have come down to us it is difficult to guess what amount of musical assistance contributed to the peculiar technique of Indian dramas. These musical patterns were essential parts of scenic representations. This would be obvious if we consider the characteristic definition given of drama in Natya locana [Royal Asiatic Society Ms. No. III. E. 158] fafiR ‘ What is drama ’ f *far-*RT-

‘ A representation of flavours of passions and feelings accompanied by, (and interspersed with) vocal and instrumental music. In most old indigenous dramas, surviving in Northern as well as in South India,—this musical element predominates. There are reasons to believe that essentially our Indian dramas, without being actual ‘ operas ’ were fundamentally

DHRUVA 103

imbued with musical appeals. Two verses in chapter 32 of Bharata-Ndtya-sastra [Benares Edition] seem to clearly beat out this view:

W e(ulkrl ftpT «T |

f^TT iftrT ^ ^ || II

* Just as a picture without colours is not attractive or beautifying similarly dramatic representations without songs are not attractive on the stage

ifft T O : 3 f t TOSW Eftfa I

^ * ftr ft ft ft II II

‘ First and foremost, efforts should be devoted to songs or musical airs, for songs are said to be the beds or receptacles of dramatic representations; if songs and musical accompaniments are suitably inserted, the production of dramas never comes to grief One of the evidences of this insistence on musical accompaniments in dramas is furnished by the class of songs known as VJ3T (Dhruva). The Natya-sastra devotes a whole chapter (viz. the 32nd chapter called the Dhruvadhyaya)* describing and illustrating different classes, divisions, and subdivisions of dhruvds and their uses. Without an actual familiarity with their practical illustrations it is difficult to gather from these elaborate descriptions the nature of their musical qualities and characters. They appear to have been a class of versified metrical compositions. The gloss of Abhinava Gupta (Gaekward Edition p. 228) suggests that it is a class of songs in a special kind of metrical setting:

< V ) s & tg 1

They are incidentally referred to in the rules and technique of the Piirvaranga (Chapter V, slokas 61 ff), where a Dhruva song o f the variety called UtthapanI is prescribed:

% ft i

S R l fa # ^ % f t II ||'O

?ra«nft ii ^ iiIt probably means that a song of the class of utthdpani dhruva

•The references and quotations are from the Benares Edition of the NS&ya-d&stra unless otherwise stated.

is to be used for that part of the prologue technically known as utthdpanS Accodring to Bhdva-prakdsikd, utthdpanais one of the 22 elements of the preamble to a drama, which comes shortly before the Nandi. Bharata defines the utthdpana, a part of the Purva-ranga in the following verse:

3 f s r . ii \\ iiThe metrical structure of the utthdpani dhruvd* is thus indicated by Bharata

t q ^ 4 m I

3%*ffa n nIn the preamble (ntNwi) after the utthdpana comes the parivartana the ceremony o f worshipping the deitiespresiding over the cardinal points, thus indicated by Bharata:

qwre s t o rn w . q ftiR 1 «K*nfa srfqfki mm q fafoq: n

This part has also a special verse set to music known as parivartam dhruvd, the structure of which is thus indicated:

q g * * 11 ^ 11

sqffor fo q 3$ 1II ^ II

In the 32nd chapter, Dhruvas are defined as follows:

S ift I

iftarcrits: sq fa r ft ftg r fira fo sr : 11 * 11

qr m- uR i^r qror q 1qfHN-Rqm ^ 513 n ^ 11

This passage seems to suggest a class o f ‘ hymnal songs ’ of seven different types. In a later verse, dhruvas are distinguished from cognate forms of compositions:

•55-^3 3^1 %**r 1farcg q g fc g 11 ^ 11

•On this the Abhinava comments as follows:—qgrrstqm fei ewrfq-

srf: 1


PARTS I—IV] DHRUVA 105

Dhruvas are again divided according to their metres into jdtis: (1) usnig, (2) anuetubh and (3) brhati. Another1 classification is suggested under the headings: (1) sthita, (2) avakrista and(3) praveîka. And Bharata proceeds to exemplify each of these classes under different names and subdivisions. We will cite here only one example. Thus the first Dhruva known as Sri (til) is thus defined:

TOT: I

5 (W S3T II « « II

*TOT— ^ ^ |

& ^ II v\° || Kavvamala Edn.

In a verse in the sixth chapter, Dhruvas are classified under five varieties according to their dramatic uses and applications:

m 'UsrfMr Ira II \\ liWith the help of the gloss of Abhinava Gupta, one can have some idea of the significance of the five types of dhruvas named (1) pravesa or pravesika, (2) akshepa or aksiptika, (3) niskrama,(4) prasadilta and (5) antaram. We give here a free translation o f the text o f the commentary.

The ‘ Song o f entree ’ . The first is the song sung by the actor on his entering the stage indicated by his song, his character, his feeling and his situation (VlsW S^T).

The ‘ Revelation ’ Song. The second, dksepa, is the song used to reveal the flavour of a particular situation.

The ‘ Exit ’ Song.

The third, niskrama, is the song sung when the actor walks out of the stage (nld'W 3

The ‘ Touching ’ Song. The fourth, prdsddikd, is the song designed to convey to the audience, in an attractive form, the inward feeling of an actor so as to touch the heart of the hearer.

RTRTftnBra: Slfct SRTl^t 5*1^3 TTRI ) 1The ‘ Stop-gap ’ Song. The fifth, antaram, is the song intro

duced during the interval o f the actor, moving and walking about, and inspecting something on the stage.

iM— 14


Those familiar with the survivals of Indian dramas in Bengal and in the Kanarese countries, as also the old forms of Orissan, and Telugu dramas are well acquainted with the practices of actors entering into the arena, or going out of the stage, with a song on their lips. In the old Bengali dramas known as ydtrds, the youthful heroes, and heroines, Niarada and other suitable actors enter the stage with a prdvesika song. In some of the southern dramas, now current, nearly every actor comes with a song on his lip, resulting in a preponderance of music which lends the character of an “ opera ” to the whole play. But the older practice seems to have been not necessarily to place the ‘ Song of entree ’ on the lips of the actor himself, but to get somebody else to sing it behind the scene. This is what seems to be suggested by an actual example in a Sanskrit drama.

In the well known play Anargha-Raghava by Murari, (who is believed to have flourished not later than the middle of the ninth century), in the Prastdvand (preamble), Act I, in the course of a long prologue, where the sutradhara talks with an actor, a song is sung in prdkrita, behind the wings. I quote here the song and the whole passage, indicating the Sanskrit chaya below the text:

[Nepatthye Giyate]

Dina-ara-kiranukkero piaaro kohavi jiaaloasya | Kamala-maulamkavalikia mahuarakaddhana viaddho 11

( Chdyd)Dinakara-kiranotkarah priyakarah ko ’pi jlva-lokasya] Kamala-mukulankapali-krta madhukara-karsanah vidagdhah ||

Sutrdharah (Akarnya) : Kathamupakrantameva narttakaih yadiyam dasarathotsangad ramabhadrakarsino Visva-

mitrasya pravesik! dhruva j

The drama has been edited and printed by Jivananda Vidyasagara (Calcutta, Second Edition, 1889) and by Pandit Durgaprasad and Pansikar in the Kavyamala series (Bombay 2nd Edition, 1908). Both the Editors comment on the prdvesika dhruvd in almost similar words quoting the authority of Bharata:

Note by Jivananda: Prdvesiki Dhruva = Pravesa-sucika— Dhruva gita-visesah | sa ca pancadha |

Note by Durgaprasad: PraveSikI pravesa-sucika Dhruva gltibhedah| Tatra PraveSikI jneya pravese gana-yogatah || qnaya sficanapi vrtta ‘ astlcitasya patrasya praveso naiva yujyate ’ iti Bharatah ||

bHftUVA 107In the Natya-loeana* a short work on dramaturgy, the author

incidentally refers to dhruvas and quotes the 31st verse from the 6th chapter o f the natya sdstra cited above, .but in the course of his meagre comments emphasizes the importance of dhruva songs. I quote, here, the author’s somewhat cryptic comments:

Tatra geyam Dhruva-pradhanam] Gitavise§o Dhruva |Sa ca visesena chandasa usnigadina nibadhyate | Pramana- visesanca tatra bhavati| yatha tryagryam vimisram Caturasramiti pramanamiti| Tatra Anargha-Raghave pathita Dhruva: ' Dina-ara-kirannakkero ityadi | ’

According to Bharata, chapter 31 (verse 15) the tryasra and caturasra are the different talas (rhythmic metres of time) applicable to dhruva. A ‘ Vimisra dhruva ’ is probably a song sung at a juncture, interval or pause. In the concluding portiou of the 32nd chapter (verses 435-436) Bharata prescribes the melodies (grama-raga) which particular classes of dhruvas should be set to. Thus the dhruva suitable for the mukha (opening) should be sung in the madhyamagnlma melody; for the pratimukha (Progression), the Sadja (melody); for a dhruva in the midst of an act (*I^) the ‘ sadharita ’ melody; and for a juncture or interval ( M ) the melody pancatna should be chosen.

The treatment of Dhruva (Dhruvaka, Dhruva) in Sarnga- deva’s Sangita Ratnakara (1210-1247 A.D.) is somewhat meagre. He devotes a couple of dozen slokas to them in a short chapter in the fourth section (Poona Edition pp. 344 to 347). Referring to the two classifications of suddha (pure) and chayalaga (vulgo salaga = transitional) he assigns dhruvas to the later class, and emphasizes their metrical and rhythmical qualities, treating them as exemplifications of talas. Ratnakara expounds the relationship of khanda, dvikhanda, udgraha and dhruvaka. lie names and describes 16 kinds of Dhruvas: sekhara, utsalia, madhura, nirmala, kuntala, kamala, chara, nandana, candrafekhara, kamoda, vijaya, kandarpa, jayamangala, tilaka, lalita. Many of these names resemble those of ragas. Ratnakara assigns the sixteen dhruvas the use and applications of appropriate sentiments fts ) thus: Adi-talcna Srngare jayanto giyate buddhaih. The commentator Kallinatha remarks that the letter values prescribed in

PAkTs i—iv j

* Available In a fragmentary recension in a Bengali Ms. in tbe collection of the Asiatic Society of. Bengal No. Ms. Ill, E 158. The date of the composition of the work is probably the 10th or the 11th century.

the 16 Dhruvas cited in Eatnakara arc not met with in the dhruvas cnrreht at the time of the commentator.

Another work which deals with dhruvas is the Rdgdrnava which is not available.

The data available in Ragarnava is, however, summarised in the well-known book of anthology and cyclopaedia known as

drngadhara-paddhati, composed in 1363 A.D. It somewhat extols the status of dhruvas in musical compositions:

Na vivekam vina jnanam dhyanam natma-rasam vina | Sraddhaya na vina danam gltam na Dhuvrakain vina || 24

(Peterson’s Edition, 1865)

He notices three varieties, one of six lines, one of five lines and one of four lines (pada), each line of different length varying from 11 to 26 letters. Then he proceeds to name and describe the sixteen dhruvas identical with the list given in the Eatnakara.

Dhruvas are no doubt dealt with in other musical texts but as I have not been able to make anything like an exhaustive investigation I shall content myself in this essay by citing a work of early eighteenth century. I refer to Sangita Ddmodara, by 6ubhamkara. In this work, the matter is very summarily treated’ He seems to follow the Eatnakara and explains that Dhruvaka comes after udgraha. He however furnishes the additional information that in the dbhoga section (coda’ ) of the song the name of the author of the drama and the name of the hero should be introduced. Uktam dvi-khanda mudagrahe divikhandam dhru- vake matam. The author then proceeds to cite the names of the 16 dhruvakas with this variation that in place of Chara and Nandana he cites two alternative names of Jayi and Sukhoda,

In common parlance, Dhruvaka, and Dhruva—understood as the section and subdivision of a song — is known in NorthernIndia as dhuyd (vpi) a ' refrain ’, a segment, or a couplet to which the singer returns from time to time in the manner of abhoga (coda).

It has been suggested that these ancient forms of padas known under the name of dhruvakas or dhruvas, may have developed into the types of classical songs now known under the form of dhruva-padas well-known under the diminutive form of dhrupadas, dhrupadas. But in the present state of our knowledge of the history of Indian music and the data available, such a suggestion is a matter of pure speculation.

i0 8 THE JOtlRNAL, 0E THE MUSIC ACADEMY

&Y

T. G. Aravamuthan

The sands of the deserts of Arabia and Libya are known to ‘ sing ’ ; they boom or they wail with the wind. If some of the sand is put into a basin and stirred with a rod, there arises quite an audible note. Tiny grains of quartz,— free from admixture and angularities,—rubbing against one another, as they must in a sandy mass blown upon by the breeze, grow definitely, though modestly, musical. Curious is nature in even her sands.

A skilful carpenter who has a taste for music and yet whimsically chooses to limit himself to the tools of his own job holds his hand-saw firmly between his knees, bends the blade with his left-hand,—now more, now less,—and with a violin bow in his right plays music on the saw. A less skilful brother of that profession fashions a ‘ fiddle ’ with a series of iron nails of varying sizes and he persuades the instrument to make music for him. Endless are the devices of those whose tastes are out of the ordinary.

Perhaps the humble man of the woods who built himself a cottage o f thatch propping up the verandah with posts of bamboo or shafts o f other wood, found that i f he tapped a post lightly it responded with a hum,—rather short, feeble and dull,—but an unmistakable hum. Perhaps to provide a more substantial support at a turn of the verandah he set up a pillar, lashing together four or five shafts o f bamboo or other wood, and he found that when his children frolicked about and tapped the shafts each hummed a different note. Fruitful of ideas prove even the frolics of children.

The Egyptian of long ago evoked compound pillars by binding a number of papyrus stalks together. That piers similarly fashioned were old devices in India by even the 2nd Century B.C. is attested to by a gateway to the ancient stupa of Bharhut. It is not clear, however, that the ancients developed the idea born of the frolics of their children: they do not seem to have fashioned pillars that yielded musical notes. Fated are some, ideas to blossom slow.

PIANOS IN STONE

When after centuries we reach the days of the Kings of Vijaydnagara, famous for their patronage of culture, we find the fancy transmuted into exuberant fact. In the Mandapas of some o f the temples built in their days in South India, or under their influence, we find the idea elaborated in ‘ clustered columns each being a group of a number of thin columns of stone clustering round a centrally placed stone pillar of massive dimensions, and functioning as a pier and taking the load and the thrust inevitable in a Mandapa. These complex piers evoke a two-fold admiration. Their merits as architectural pieces are considerable, for, not only arc they well worked and finished but they are also carved, almost invariably, out o f single blocks o f stone into stylobate, central pier, clustering columns and common capital,— all to make one complex pillar. They have musical attainments as well: each of the thin columns yields a musical note when tapped lightly and the note of each column is different. The notes might indeed be as many as there are shafts. From pillars servilely and silently bearing heavy loads, clustered columns have turned into great pianos. As ‘ the notes given by these pillars extend over a range of one full octave ’, a party of four or five musicians playing upon at least the exterior shafts will raise notes audible enough to serve as accompaniments to the tuneful psalms which in these mandapas used to be sung by the temple choir and expounded by the dancers through dances. In such a temple as that to Pampapati-Isvara at Hampi,— the Vijayanagara capital, — in which ‘ there are musical pillars all along the courtyard ’, there is no doubt but that these pillars were played upon ‘ as the dancer or dancers danced up from one end to the other ’. Vanished indeed has much of the Stirling emotion and the profound harmony and the soulful glamour of the divine services in the temples since these pianos ceased to pour forth their rivers of melodies, the voices of psalmodists faded away and the graces of the dances departed.

The most elaborate examples of these columns are perhaps those found in the popular temple to Sri Nellaiyappar at Tinnevelly, but they do not seem to be known to many experts in music and architecture. Blind to the obvious are they who pursue the recondite or seek quick returns.

The Mani-Mandapam in front of the sanctum of Sri Nellaiyappar is supported mainly by such columns, but two in the front row1 are unequalled for size and complexity (See Sketches 1 and 2). Each is about 8 feet in height and is about 5 feet square at the

HO TfaE jotTRKAL OE THE MUSIC ACADEMY fVOL. XIV

PARTS I—IV] PIANOS IN STONE i i i

base, and has integral annexes, and seems to be cut and carved out of one solid block of stone. From the base spring a jcentral pillar and no fewer than 48 shafts, the thickness of the shafts

1.—Plan of south-eastern pier.being only 3 inches, and their shapes varying greatly,—circular, oval, square, rectangular, octagonal, polygonal, and plain, fluted and spiral. The workmanship is of flawless perfection, the lines being true and the surfaces smooth. Each shaft yields perhaps an exclusive note. The size and the shape of each column serve obviously to determine the character of its note. The closest analogue is the Jalataranga, though only in the principle. So numerous, however, have the shafts proved that they have had to be crowded in row behind row: no musician could ever have hoped to reach many of them in an attempt to use the piers as pianos or organs at a service or festival in the temple. Condemned to futility stands the contraption by its complexity.

When one sees shaft behind shaft turned out true and exquisite and the central pillar too cut true to plumb, correct in every angle and smooth in every face, though the stone-cutter’s chisel could hardly have managed to reach them,—much less to hew and cut and trim them into shape and smooth and polish their faces,— one is tempted to question whether each of these clustered columns, so massive and so complex, was carved out of one huge block or was formed by grouping together different


members round each central pillar. The latter view would be the only probable one but for the circumstance that even the trained eye stands baffled and is unable to point to the joins of the blocks o f stone which should have been put together on this hypothesis. When art is skilful, cautious does criticism grow.

2.—View of south-east'pier from north-east. Only the portion between plinth and cornice is sketched.

At the entrance to the shrine of Sri Nellaiyappar’s Consort stand two similar pillars, smaller, fewer columned and less finished, but more delicate, more complex and more musical. Occasionally, a shaft is made to take off from another, and rarely

PARTS I—IV] PIANOS IN STONE 113'

the branch is joined to the parent stem by a tiny ligature, no more than an inch or two in length and no thicker thaji an orange peel (See Sketch 3), it is hard to conceive of a bolder incorporation in architecture of a special feature of musical instruments,—that of frets,—or a more elegant elucidation of the ’ principle of frets in all its ramifications. No pleasanter or more instructive pastime can be imagined than that of disentangling

the different strains of the melodies rising from so complex a choir. For hours one could stand playing on these columns,— parent and offspring and brothers, all sprung of the same stock,— and listening to the variety and the range of the whimsicality of the separate and the mingled notes. A gentle tap at the offspring

M—15

makes it wake up with a tremulous note and, at the same time, sets the parent responding with a lullaby: a light tap at the parent makes it tuneful and makes the offspring hum. It is a revelation how these shafts of hard and unyielding stone,—which have won liberty to tremor, though not to vibrate,—are yet

» instinct with a mutual understanding and sympathy which establishes among them a unison that transcends in perfection and spontaneity the unanimity we find in the most soulful of choirs. The pier is eloquent in affirmation of the architect’s craftsmanship in his own art and connoisseurship in music. Evidently, this pair came to be neglected when the grand pair before Sri Nellaiyappar’s shrine was set up, but time has equalised fortunes, for the decay in musical tastes has cast this too into oblivion. Evenhanded is public forgetfulness in its injustice.

Much more interesting is another pair of clustered columns standing in a Mandapa in a temple some twenty miles off to the south-east,—that at Alvar-Tiru-Nagari, famous through its association with Saint Nam-Alvar,— though this pair is milch less elaborate, each being furnished with no more than about a score o f columns round the central pillar. The columns seem to vibrate more freely and they do yield richer notes,— even though there is nothing in the shapes or the dimensions o f the columns to cause the difference. Each clustered column here embodies two prime features. Through the stylobate—the common base on which the columns stand— is cut a channel about 2 inches in diameter: it runs a sinuous course, now rising and now falling, and here turning to the left and there to the right. To all appearances it wanders about without aim or purpose and is liable to be adjudged a freakish whim of the architect. The second peculiarity to come to light on scrutiny is that a column at one comer declines obstinately to respond with a note to a tap: it is the one Calvinist in this crowded choir. Considerable scrutiny is required to discover that this column is really a distinct piece, being severed from the pier at both bottom and top and that a very simple device (See Sketch 4) enables it to be taken out o f the pier at will. It is an imposter pretending to be a member still attached to the family, whereas it stands cut off from the common stock without a shilling out of the musical heritage. It is the severance o f the column from the rest of the pier that has made it mute. The channel which winds its way through the stylobate without an apparent purpose, is in fact an ingenious and deliberate trick' for converting the solid pedestal into a resonator which would amplify and modify the notes pro


PAftTS I—IVj ElANOS IN STONE

duced by the vibrations of the columns,—the extent of the modifications and amplifications being determined by the proximity, lateral and vertical, of the base of each column to the channel below. Each bend and fall and rise of the channel must therefore have been fashioned with a cunning which knew in advance how each turn of the channel would modify the note of each column. The architect must have designed this pier in architectural elucidation of some of the cardinal principles on which musical instruments are constructed. Useful is it as a leaf out of s curious text-book on music.

Just a few of these pianos are known, but they have not been studied to discover if they do in fact testify to any consistent system of music. Perhaps an investigation will unravel the bases of music as practised in the days of the Vijayanagar rulers. These pianos, with strings, resonators and frets that are fashioned out of a material which weather cannot warp and time cannot destroy should certainly preserve unaffected the standards of the notes as accepted and, perhaps settled, in those days of great music. Good cheer to the enthusiast who takes up the study.

NOTES1 A paper on this subject, in the ‘Hindu’ of Madras, of August 6,

1939, by Mr. P. Sambamurti, Head of the Department of Music in the University of Madras, deserves careful perusal. I am thankful that it came to my notice at least as this paper has been passing through the press. The quotations in this paper are from Mr. Sambamurti’s.

2 Sketches 1 and 2 in this paper are based on rough drawings which were kindly got prepared for me by Mr. R. Mohana-Rangayya Naidu, b . a . , b . l . , the principal lay authority of the temple. Sketches 3 and 4 are only diagrams: they elucidate the principles and do not picture the objects they refer to.

3 Each of the pillars of the eastern Torana at Bharhut has obviously been made up by bringing together four octagonal columns crowned with circular lotus capitals,—such portions of the capitals as protruded beyond the outlines of the base and the shaft being trimmed off to permit of the square bases of the columns coming together without any interspace. That this arrangement points to a prototype in which the four columns clustered round a fifth is being shown by me elsewhere.

4 Clustered columns in the churches of western Europe are said to date from about the 10th century a.d., and to become common about the 13th century a . d . , being employed a s piers separating aisles.

5 , One wonders whether the protruding ridges of the bands of bond- stones which are prominent features of many of the clustered column of western Europe are not the remote descendants of the ridges which are ineffaceable in the shafts of bamboo which must be among the earliest types of posts employed in human dwellings.

6 The suggestion advanced here about the part that musical pillars have played In the services of temples had been dimly perceived by

l lS

years ago In more than one temple, but obsessed by the denseness of my ignorance qf music, I would not allow the suggestion to attain in my mind the status of even a hypothesis. Mr. Sambamurti’s expert knowledge has reassured me and I may be permitted to subscribe to his theory.

7 The device by which the loose shaft in the Alvar-Tiru-Nagari temple is made detachable consists in two tricks: (a) the socket in the capital being cut to a depth and to a width greater than necessary to accommodate the upper tip of the shaft, and (6) the lotus capital of the shaft being placed lower than in the other shafts, though by so trifling a distance that the variation is not apparent. These features permit the top of the shaft to be slid up slightly into the socket and Inclined just enough to enable the inner edge of the lower end of the shaft clearing the edge of the stylobate.

i l 6 THE JOtrRNAL OP THE MUSIC ACADEMY

C. E. M. JOAD ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSIC* * Music rightly regarded, does not convey anything other than

Itself which can be thought about. Music in fact has no meaning, in the sense in which a thing may be said to have meaning which symbolizes or stands for or refers to or is explicable in terms of something other than itself. * * And just because this effect cannot be translated into terms of some other effect, just because the emotion produced by Music cannot be likened to or described in terms of some other emotion, I say that music is meaningless, or, rather, that we cannot say what its meaning iB , or, indeed whether it has. one at all. * * * When the listener thinks * * only of music, I shall say that he is listening ‘ properly ’ and that the music is producing its ‘ proper ’ effect. Music which produces this effect, I shall call ‘ significant ’ music.

The assertion that the emotion aroused by music is unique, and music is, therefore, meaningless when it is listened to in the proper way, should not be taken to imply that it cannot be listened to in other ways, nor that, when listened to in other ways, it will not produce effects other than its proper effect, which are also pleasurable and are not meaningless in the sense defined. On the contrary all music may be treated representatively; it may be regarded, that is to say, as expressing meaning, conveying information, or communicating some intention on the part of the composer, as standing, in short, for something other. than itself; most music is, indeed, incapable of being regarded in any- other way. In so far as music performs these functions and permits itself to be so regarded, it ceases to be meaningless, and ceases, therefore, to produce its own peculiar and unique effect. There are, in other words, a number of incidental, pleasurable effects any of which may be produced by music but none of which are produced exclusively by music; * * * they are not what I have called its ‘ proper ’ effect. What is more, music which lends Itself easily to representative inter- pretation is rarely the greatest music. The production by music of effects which are of the same kind as those which can be produced in other ways seems in fact to be inimical -to the evocation of its proper effect. To' regard a piece of music representatively Is to debar oneself from regarding it aesthetically. * * (Continued on p. 121);

GAMAfrA SIGNS IN MUSICAL NOTATION

BY

M rs. S. V idya, b.a., l,.t .“ Gamakas ” are the essence of our music. They are not only

the oscillations of the svaras, as they are generally thought to be, but also the way in which most of the plain svaras are reached and handled. Gamakas, in fact, bring out the svarupa of the raga; and as each raga has a definite ragasvarupa, it is evident that the handling of a particular svara in a raga is different from that o f the same svara, which occurs in another raga.

In his voluminous work “ Sanglta Sampradaya Pradarsini ” , Sri Subbarama Dikshitar has tried to express the various gamakas in the notation of Sarigamapadani. It is true that the understanding of the Gamaka signs requires a mature mind. One may say that if one is thorough with a raga, one could easily learn a musical piece in that raga, written down without the gamaka signs. But the gamaka given to a particular svara in a certain musical phrase might be different from the gamaka given to the same svara in another phrase in the same raga. The composer might have purposely chosen a certain gamaka, which the learner could have hardly thought of. Hence these signs enable us to preserve the tradition of the lip-ear method, which we Indians are proud of. Primers evolving the use of easy gamakas may be written to enrich the beginner’s knowledge, giving him scope for self-education. To the artist and the student of music, the work on notation evolving all the gamaka signs will be of immense value, in preserving his original standard and rescuing his art from the stagnant level of self-sufficiency. And it renders possible the transmission of our musical heritage as a body of literature which can grow from day to day.

The explanation of the gamaka signs need not necessarily be given in terms of the technique of a definite musical instrument. Subbarama Dikshitar has pitched upon the Vina, because it is our standard instrument, and our music is Vina Music.

An instrumentalist can understand the science of the gamakas better than the vocalist, because the music of the former is of a more concrete type and since he has the instrument before him to demonstrate the exact movement and place of the gamaka-svara.

Even the instrumentalist learns the gamakas only in an abstract form (i.e.,) learning by voice or memory, and then produces them on the instrument. So I hope that my explanation of the gamakas would be understandable to every student of Music.

Gamakas may be classified under two heads:—(1) Gamaka-sambandha Gamakas: Those of a wavy type,

which are commonly understood as Gamaka; and(2) Janta-sambandha Gamakas: Those which are sung with

a stress.

In the former, we feel the shake in the svara, and in the latter, instead of an oscillation, only the svara is touched upon. The following symbols have been given for the enumerated gamakas in Dlkshitar’s book:—

i l 8 THE) jotteiJAL OB' tMeS MtJSlC acAdemy. [VoL itiV

Kampita non Khandippu VSphurita .'. to be Vali <71

changed to A tPratyahata V to be Errajaru /

changed to V Erakkujaru \Nokku W Odukkal X

Ravai A Orikkai r

These can be classified in my opinion as:(a) Gamaka-sambandha, which are Kampita, Pratyahata,

Nokku, Vali and Odukkal; and(b) Janta-sambandha, which are Sphurita, Khandippu, Erra-

jaru; Erakkujaru, Ravai and Orikkai.Regarding the signs for Sphurita and Pratyahata, it is better we adopt A for . ’ . and A for V . As dots above the svaras nowadays denote the tara sthayi, the above alteration helps us to differentiate the sthayi sign from the gamaka sign in notation. Another point I wish to suggest is that the straight lines used for representing the Kalas (time measures) may be drawn below the svara-line so that they may not obstruct the gamaka signs.

Most of the gamakas may be written down in svaras in dvitlya or tritiya kala. But, when we say out the svaras of a musical phrase, we do not pronounce the anusvaras; but we sing with the latter. So we should try as far as possible to evolve these signs in notation, instead of explaining the svaras with the anusvaras with single or double lines under them.

(1) Kampita: Kampita means a shake. Generally, when we speak of a Kampita gamaka, we mean the oscillation from a higher to a lower svara. For example, in the phrase ga maa pa in Sankarabharana, the gamaka svara is pa ma pg mo in a wavy fashion. This gamaka is usually oscillated twice. In cases where' we come across more than two oscillations, a wavy line may be added for every further oscillation.

There is another type of Kampita, which Dikshitar has not differentiated from the ordinary Kampita. The second Kampita is the oscillation of a svara from a lower to a higher svara; for example, in the charana o f Jesinadella—Todi, in the first words ga, ; ga, ; the gandhara is oscillated from the rishabha. As thisRa ma Srigamaka cannot possibly be negligible, I should like to introduce a sign for this Kampita, viz., a two-cnrved wave ( nn) above the svara, the other being a three-curved wave.

There is a third type of Kampita where the movement does not extend to the pitch of the next svara. It is of a larger range than a ‘ tremello \ The small sign ^ of a single curve is suggested for this. e.g.—Notice the ri occurring five times as ri ri ri ri ri— for Cheluvamira in the Anupallavi of the Kriti Alagalclla of Tyagaraja in Madhyamavati.

(2) Sphurita: A Sphuritam is the stress given to the secondsvara of the Janta-svara-prayoga. In sa sa, the second sa is supported by the lower svara ni. The phrase is really sa ni sa. This sphurita occurs not only in Aroha (ascent) as Dikshitar says, but also in Avaroha. Even in avaroha, only the lower svara is touched before uttering the second janta-svara. In playing sa sa ni ni da da pa pa, the vlna player at first has his fore-finger for the first svara; and for producing the second svara the forefinger is drawn back to the fret behind, and the middle finger comes in its place. This backward movement of the fore-finger brings the stress given to the second svara. Similarly, on any other instrument to give the stress to the second svara, the lower svara is touched, which is really the background between the two svaras.

(3) Pratyahata: V Pratyahata is the wavy gamaka given to the second note in the avaroha and aroha janta-svara. In the

A AKalyani vama (Adi tala) sa sa, sa ni da—ri sa ni—ni da da pa ma—ga ma the ni ni da da is nii sani daanida. This kind of jantasvara, where the higher svara is sought help of, is Pratyg- hata.

PARTS I—IV] GAMAKA SIGNS IN MUSICAL NOTATION 119

(4) Nokku: W : Nokku is a Kampita where the time givenW

for the oscillation is very short. In singing sa ri ga ma, in Mayamalavagaula the svara ga arises from ma and is usually given a pull on the svara ga itself on the Vina. In view of the fact that the pull given to the svara makes us feel the presence o f a stress, we can classify Nokku under the janta-sambandha gamaka also. In avaroha, the oscillation becomes a slow slide from the higher svara (e.g.) ma ma, ga ri sa in Begada. When the slide is very slow, it is better we indicate the gamaka bywriting the svara from which the slide takes place with Erakku-

w pa\

jaru sign \ as ma maaga ri sa.

(5) Ravai: A In some combinations of svaras, pa ma isA

sung as pa ma where before coming to ma, the pa itself is repeated softly with a touch of sphurita. The pa ma comes to pa ma, pa ma. This gamaka is more common in avaroha

(descent).(6) Khandippu: V Khandippu is also more common in

avaroha (descent). It is practically a nokku with a pause between two alternate svaras backwards. The pause is marked by the intermediate svara which is the khandippu. In singing thephrase ma ga pa ma ga rii sa in Surati, or pa, ma ga ri, sa sa in

\ \Kalyani, there is a slight break in breath or the presence of a fresh breath after ma. The ri has a slide from the intermediate svara ga. The khandippu svara is not pronounced but there is the existence of the intermediate svara in that phrase. The ravai and khandippu are not gamakas to the svaras in a musical phrase, hut to the anusvaras. These anusvaras are written in small letters above the svara line with their respective signs.

(7) & (8) Errajaru and Erakkujaru: ( / , \ ) are respectively the slides in ascent and descent of svaras. The slides may take place between any two svaras. In cases where there are a number of intermediate svaras, all possible intermediate svaras are not sounded. When we say sa, we reach that svara from somewhere else. In some places the starting svara of the slides is distinct. In such places, the anusvara is written above the line

pawith the jaru (e.g.,) sa, ni da pa ni Anandabhairavi. In places where the slide starts from the preceding svara in a musical phase, only the sign is shown.

120 THE JOURNAL OP THE MUSIC ACADEMY. [VOL. XIV

PARTS I—IV] GAMAKA SIGNS IN MUSICAL NOTATION. 121'

(9) Odukkal: X Odukkal is a kampita of the second type An. The time given to the oscillation is very .short. There is only a single oscillation. In. odukkal, we have a strong landing on the lower svara and reach the higher svara by a slight oscillation. As Nokku resembles the first type of kampita ( <m) 'in its single wavy motion, so does Odukkal resemble the second

xtype of kampita (nft) in a single wavy motion (ga ga ri sa) e.g. for Odukkal the last charna-svara in Bhairavi varna (Ata tala).

(10) Orikkai: r Orikkai is in a way a janta sambandha type of Odukkal. There is a feeling of a kampita because of the

w r rwhirl in the combination of the svaras (e.g.,) ni da pa

Thu la si tlalamu to

(Mayamalavagaula kriti) is really ni Pa „ da ma „ pa. In OdukkalT h u ________ -

the gamaka svara is reached with an oscillation, whereas in Orikkai the gamaka svara is only touched upon plainly. The time given to the landing in the previous svara is the same in both Odukkal and Orikkai. In both, the anusvara is the lower svara and the time given to this lower svara is fairly long; and the anusvara is not written down, as in Rnvai and Khandippu.

We have a second type of Orikkai gamaka, where the anusvara is the higher svara with a slight Errajaru. In Sankarabliarana da ni saa—s'a da pai the ri is touched after saa. I should like to introduce the sign A. (an inverted form of orikkai) for this.

(11) Vali: ^ The Yali occurs generally with a long svara with two or three matras. The svara by itself is not given an oscillation. It has anusvaras before and after the gamaka svara. Landing in one svara, there is a circular movement by which the effect of one, two or three svaras is produced. It generally occurs in Punnagavarali, Ahiri, Asaveri, where long svaras going over two or three svara intervals are produced.

SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSIC—(Continued from, p. 116).Music. I repeat, has no meaning which is explicable or dScribable in

terms of anything else. Further more, the emotion which it arouses is not akin to the emotion which we feel for the events and objects of the sensible world, since that for which the emotion is felt does not belong to the sensible world. Hence the * proper ’ effect of music cannot be described or accounted for in the language which appertains to the events and objects of the sensible world. * * (Continued on p. 141)

M— 16

BV

N. Raghunathan

What manner o f man was the Dikshita? His sahityas tell you something about him—if you read between the lines: for no man was less concerned to express his personality in the typically modern spirit of exhibitionism. He had at his command the entire body o f our ancient learning. Almost from infancy he had a sense of vocation which neither grinding poverty nor hope of worldly advancement could obscure. Music and devotion were in his blood. And he prepared himself for his life ’s work as conscientiously as Milton had done; but unlike the English poet, nothing could sour the unvarying sweetness of his disposition. Even Sanaischara, for whom the layman has rarely a good word, gets from him a tribute which reflects his philosophic temper and his faith in Providence as much as his astrological intuition. If Sri Dikshita passed through any strong emotional crisis, any spiritual storm and stress, it has left no trace in his compositions. There it is all serenity and poise; so much so there are those who complain that he is too cold, that if he had been a little more human he might have moved us more profoundly. This criticism rests on a basic misconception of his mind and art, as I hope to show presently. It will, however, be generally agreed that his music makes its greatest appeal to the contemplative element in us and its prime virtue lies in strengthening that tendency.

The subject of his compositions seems at first sight narrow and the treatment almost pedestrian. Every song is a hymn of praise; the ineffable bliss of the One without a second, the infinite mercy of the Saguna Brahman, the homelier graces of its many manifestations in Archa form—this is the ever-recurrent theme. The singer’s life is one long pilgrimage; at every shrine he makes his offering of song describing with loving detail local customs and traditions, focussing attention on the special attribute of the Lord that finds- expression in the local deity, withal, never losing sight of the wood for the trees. He is no sectarian. His catholicity is, however, not a cloak for indifference; it is the outcome *

SRI M UTHUSW AM I D IK SH ITAR*

* An address delivered at the Dikshitar Day in the Academy on 6- 11- 1943.

SRI MtTdtJSWAMl DlRsfclTAR 123*

of true spiritual realisation. He who has apprehended the One in the Many delights in every one of Its holy manifestations,,

H is' language, as beiiits his theme, is spare and austere. It reflects his deep familiarity with the mantra and yoga sastras. It # is full of echoes: thus the charanas of the Gowri kriti “ Gowri Giriraja Kumari ” reproduce almost word for word a famous stanza from the Soundarya Lahari. While utilising to the full all the musical resources and metrical devices of language, he does not aim at reproducing the complex and specific rhythms of poetry. Where musical effect demands it he does not hesitate to sacrifice literary elegance. What Hudibras said of rhyme—

Rhyme the rudder is of verses With which like stars they steer their courses—

may without irreverence be applied to his conception of the sahitya in its strictly utilitarian aspect. It is not an end in itself. It is merely the indispensable framework of the music.

But that is only half the story. A great composer need not necessarily be a great poet. But he must be a true poet, however subdued his poetry may be to the purposes of his music. I am not unmindful of the fact that doggerel or even meaningless jingles have been utilised by some of the great virtuosi of the past for improvising pallavis. But serious composers do not go to work in that slapdash fashion. Their purpose is to make visible the lineaments of Truth. They have willy-nilly to use words and they see to it that the words do not distract attention from the music or set up emotional cross-currents but echo and reinforce its burden. Sri Dikshita achieves this in two ways—by sticking to what we might call conventional themes but which to him and to his audience had all the vividness of felt truth and by paring down words to their melodic essence. His Balagopdla, for example, reads like a poetic summary of Sri Krishna’s life, a kind of Sankshepa Bhagavatam; sung, the same words are transfigured into haunting nêlody.

Other great composers have followed somewhat different methods and achieved striking success. They have been great poets as well as great musicians. They have attempted to portray the trials and tribulations as well as the triumphs of the human spirit and in this task their sdhityas, enshrining striking incident or vivid experience and surcharged with emotion, have( powerfully aided them by enabling them to establish directly and immediately that sympathetic reaction in

the listener’s mind which pure music does not attempt, but which may nevertheless serve as appropriate background to such music. Each composer must decide for himself, according to the laws of his temperament, in what proportion the purely poetic and the purely musical elements shall be combined. But combine they must and combine harmoniously. Poetry that stands out as extraneous ornament or that goes against the grain of the music will in a song be bad poetry and also make for a bad song.

“ All art ” , said Walter Pater in a famous essay, “ constantly aspires towards the condition of music ” , For, as he went on to explain, it is the art of music which most completely realises the perfect identification of matter and form. ‘ ‘ In its consummate moments,” he said, “ the end is not distinct from the means, the form from the matter, the subject from the expression; they inhere in and completely saturate each other; and to it, therefore, to the condition of its perfect moments, all the arts may be supposed constantly to tend and aspire.” Of all the other arts, lyrical poetry comes nearest to achieving this perfect identification o f matter and form; for in it “ we are least able to detach the matter from the form, without a deduction of something from that matter itself.” One thinks at once of the great padams of a master like Kshetragna; there the sahityas are not merely lyrical poetry of this type, they are perfectly fused with the music, and to detach the language from the music would be to make the language and the music alike infinitely poorer.

At the same time it must be borne in mind that music and poetry are different arts, each with its own laws and conventions, each normally working within the limitations of its own medium though freely borrowing from the other those graces that may be transferred without peril. Thus assonance, alliteration, rhyme and metre, which are essentially musical devices, have long been part of the poet’s stock; and music, art music at any rate, has borrowed from poetry much of its architectonic skill. The kriti of the Tyagaraja era is as elaborate a formal achievement as the Greek ode; Dikshita’s magnificent Manirangu kriti Mamava Pattabhirama for instance, has all the attraction of great architecture. In their ...immediate appeal, again, music and poetry seem to awaken response from different centres of consciousness. Poetic emotion, the product of the poetic imagination, is something different from musical emotion, the emanation of the musical imagination. For purposes of convenience the

H i THE JOURNAL OF THE MUSIC ACADEMY. [VOL. XIV

rasas germane to poetry have also been used to describe the varieties of musical emotion. But this identification fyis no essential validity, as will be obvious from the very limited success that has attended attempts to identify a particular raga with a particular rasa. It is more profitable to look for the characteristic.’ bhava of a raga. It would not be very easy to describe this in current musical terminology. The gestures with which a sensitive artist like the late Prof. Abdul Karim accompanied his alap perhaps expressed the raga bhava more vividly than any merely literary description in terms of rasas could hope to do; for the gesture-language, like the bhava, is integral. Bhava in this sense clearly transcends the classification of emotional categories. I f we may use an imperfect analogy, the raga bhava is the constant grounds well, while the rasas are the billows on the surface of the sea. And as billow and groundswell go together to form the mighty symphony of the sea, so the specific rasas evoked by, the words of the sahitya and the bhava of the ruga in its myriad manifestations combine to form a perfect whole in the musical compositions of the great masters.

How exactly this fusion is effected is still largely a mystery. All arts seem to have a common ultimate goal, a kind of Brahmaloka beyond their special worlds, where they arc reconciled and made one. The modern psychologist would perhaps locate it somewhere deep down in the psyche; the aesthete of yesterday called it the realm of the imaginative reason; in the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas it is the intellect, corresponding presumably to what the Gita calls the Buddhi; in the language of Indian mysticism it is known as the plane of Brahman-Consciousness. Our poets, singers and artists of every description knew that this ultimate goal could be grasped only in a state of heightened awareness, however that might be brought about. Some attained it through bhakti, others through dhyana, others through dharma (Dharmenavekshata gatim is Valmiki’s description of his own poetic process.) Sri Dikshita’s way was the way of dhyana. A key to his mode of composition is perhaps to be found in the manner in which the maker of sacred images went to work. The iconographer, too, must be an expert in dhyanaryoga. Dhyatva Kurya-t is the injunction of the Silpa sastra. By the act of dhyana the artist contacts the supra-mundane levels of reference from which all the forms of art are derived. “ All music,” said Plautinus, “ is an earthly representation pf the music that there is in the rhythm, of the Ideal Realm.” If these ‘ unheard melodies ’ are to be . brought down to mortal ears, the artist has

PARTS I—IV] SRi MUTHUSWAMI DIKSBITAA 12*5

to employ the golden stairway of words. And the Dikshita, an ardent upasaka of Sri Yidya which describes the Devi as Vak and as Matmka Varna Roopini, relied on the incantational power of the word rather than on its intellectual or emotional content. His sahityas are thus in effect dhyana slokas rather than lyrics. To the properly attuned listener they are a support of contemplation. They start a train of vibrations which finds its consummation in the wordless ecstasy of the melody.

Reverent study and meditation on his sahityas is thus indispensable for all who would partake, in however humble and fragmentary a manner, in the vital experience that produced the words and the music and their perfect blending in the Vama mettu. That is perhaps too much to ask of the man in the street who, if we are to believe the cinema, the radio and the stars of the music-hall, has no use for art which has no entertainment value. But we have a right to ask that the average audience should at least make an effort to understand the plain or surface meaning of the sahityas. With a composer like the Dikshita that should not at all be difficult; for, as I pointed out at the beginning, his language is mostly made up o f words that have become familiar to the masses from centuries of devotion to our mantra and sfofro-literature; the devotional ideas they enshrine are, again, part of the mental climate of the land. True, Sri Dikshita’s sahityas are in Sanskrit, a language which, we are told, is dead and, what is worse, does not deserve to be revived. Be that as it may, it is surely cutting the nose to spite the face to say that you will make no attempt to understand the general drift of the sahityas because they are in Sanskrit; it is almost as bad as saying that you will not listen to Sri Dikshita’s music because he did not compose in your mother-tongue. The true composer has, as will be obvious from what has been said above, really no option in full panoply, clothed in the appropriate words which fit it a sort of spontaneous combustion. The Dhatu and the Matu are not laboriously put together by a process of intellection; nor do they form a mechanical mixture. When a new musical form leaps to birth in the mind of the composer, it is, like Minerva born in full panoply, clothed in the appropriate words which fit it as closely as the skin, fits the body. These words are determined nQt so much by conscious choice as by the whole bundle of vasanas to which the artist is heir and the Samskara of w'hich he is the end-product. Sanskrit as par excellence the language of meditation, the language of the mantra sastra came unbidden to the Dikshita who expressed himself in it as naturally as the lark

126 t h e j o u r n a l ob* Th e m u s ic a c a d e m y . [VoL xiV

PARTS I—IV] SRI MUTHUSWAMI DIRSHITAR 127does in its trills. But he had no antipathy to Telugu or Tamil, as will be seen from the few compositions in each o f these tpngues he has given ns.

The artist must not be coerced. Neither politicians nor self-, styled arbiters o f taste have any right to tell a singer that he shall compose in this or that language any more than they have a right to tell him that he shall confine himself to the composition o f what is called light music. I f a horn singer can find his natural medium only in Tamil nothing will prevent him from expressing himself in it and his compositions will, without anv adventitious aid, command the heart’s allegiance that is accorded to all authentic art. You cannot produce a musical genius by taking thought. Great composers in Tamil or any other language for that matter will not be ushered into existence by any kind of ballyhoo. What we can do is to maintain conditions propitious to their emergence. And the first of these conditions is that musical taste should he widely diffused by the reverent study and the constant practice of the highest types of music which arc enshrined in the works of the great Vaggeyakaras. Could anv amount of grinding at the grammar of music give us that organic conception of the raga, as a grand and majestic whole, that the Dikshita’s kritis pre-eminently reveal?

So much for the composer. What about the listener? It is contended that it is too much to ask of the ordinary man in the Tamil country that he shall learn Sanskrit or Telugu in order that he may appreciate the works of Sri Dikshita or Sri Tvagayya. This is to exaggerate out of all proportion a difficulty which may be easily overcome with a little effort; for these great artists employ vocabularies which are, comparatively speaking, limited and which contain many words familiar to the Tamil by long usage. I f there is a residuum that is unfamiliar and if the general drift of a song cannot be understood without some help, why should not those who are keen on music take the necessary trouble? After all an illiterate does not expect to he enlightened by merely looking at the printed words in a book. He knows he must learn the alphabet first. And nobody seriously believes that he can fully appreciate the beauty of Bharata Natyam without a modicum of knowledge of the gesture-language of abhinaya. Why should it be assumed in the case of music alone that it must make no demands whatever on the intelligence or industry of the listener? Those who demand the exclusive use o f the mother-tongue in music seem to overlook the fact that many words used by the

great Tamil hymnists and singers down to Arunagiri and Thayumanavar. are as much Greek to the average Tamil audience as Dikshita’s Sanskrit or Tyagaraja’s Telugu.

Another favourite argument with those who have raised this controversy is that the mother-tongue is unrivalled in the immiediacy and fervour of its emotional appeal. Nobody will deny the force of that contention in its proper sphere; the appeal to the heart of poetry in the mother-tongue is unique and untranslatable. But in musical compositions the words of. the sahitya are, as I have tried to show, merely the scaffolding ; music has its own independent language in its combination of notes and it is this language that stirs the musical emotion. The rapturous delight with which Tamil songs at a concert are received by a miscellaneous audience is put forward as incontrovertible proof that it is the Tamil that makes all the difference. This is to confuse cause and effect. What moves the audience is really the catchy tune to which these songs are sung or the personality of the particular artist with whom it is .specially associated. The foremost vocalist among us to-day used for many years to give the Kudambai Siddhar’s song as a regular item in his concerts.

• The audience was invariably thrilled, not because it understood the profound symbolism underlying- that seemingly simple song, but because it was strangely moved by the lilt of the melody, the magic in the singer’s voice and perhaps, too, by the rustic charm of such contrasted words as Tavaram and Tevaram. For somewhat different reasons Sadasiva Brahmam’s Broohi Mukundeti has achieved a meteoric success in recent years in spite of the fact that the democratic patrons of the cinema and the music sabha are supposed to be averse to hearing any song composed in that outlandish tongue Sanskrit. This type of audience equally ardently takes to its bosom the current imbecilities that the cinema imports so generously from the North. It croons to itself lovingly Hindi or Bengali words of the meaning of which it has not the slightest idea, simply because the cheap and flashy tunes to which they are strung have for it all the exotic fascination that syncopated music is said to have for the sophisticated crowds of Paris and New York. To do it justice, we should remember that it is not the audience that is to blame; it is the purveyors o f musical entertainment who debase taste by playing down to the lowest common level of musical intelligence. Even the uninstructed multitude instinctively recognises greatness when it sees it. When Pushpavanam of fragrant ‘memory transported us to the seventh heaven of bliss

128 THE JOURNAL OF THE MUSIC ACADEMY. [VOL. XIV

with his elaboration of the Anupallavi in Sri Subrahmanyaya Namaste or the Pallavi in Kshirasagara Say ana-or that, great artist Konerirajapuram Vaidyanatha Iyer thrilled us to the core of our being with such Pallavis as “ Pannirukayya Murugayya did anyone stop to think for a moment of the’ language of these songs? To raise such issues as Aryan' vs. Dravidian, Tamil vs. Telugu in the sphere of music is not merely pointless; it is to interpose wilful barriers to the ocean of aesthetic enjoyment to which all lovers of beauty should have access as o f right.

I am afraid that I have strayed far from the subject of the' day’s discourse. My plea in extenuation must be that I am more familiar with current controversies than with the intricacies of Sri Dikshita’s music. As a layman, may I, however, make a diffident appeal for a more adequate rendering of his magnificent kritisl There are brilliant exceptions, of course. But, barring a dozen celebrated compositions, the average performer is apt to shun them as too difficult or to render them woodenlv. Voice training that would enable the singer to render the mandra and tara sancharas in their proper saptakas being conspicuous by its absence in this part of the country, many o f our professionals seem to be altogether defeated by the combination of low notes and slow time they have frequently to negotiate in Sri Dikshita’s compositions. In these’ awkward places they go into a kind of peaceful trance from which they wake up with a start when they come to the charanas that take a quicker time. The unity of impression is thus inevitably lost. It is not for all to command a great vocal range; but every earnest singer may with practice master the gamakas in which so large a part o f the beauty of the Dikshita kritis lies. And those whose voice is poor should learn the vina sufficiently to accompany themselves on it and eke out their inadequacies with its subtle resources. It used to be done in the past. Why can it not be done now? Who that was privileged to hear Dhanam’s Akshaya Linga Vibho and Chintaya Makanda will ever forget that wonderful experience? May we appeal to the Music Academy which has played so large a part in the popularisation of Sri Dikshita’s kritis to use its best endeavours to see that the vina is restored to its proper place not only as a solo instrument but also as an admirable accompaniment which almost seems to have been specially designed to bring out the beauties of Sri Dikshita’s music?

PARTS I—IV] SRI MUTHUSWAMI DIKSHITAR 129

M— 17

MERATTUR KASiNATHA, A COMPOSER OP SABDAS OF THE 18th pENTURY A.D.

BYD r. V. RAGHAVAN

During my visits to Merattur and other Tanjore villages to witness the musical plays of Venkatarama Bhagavatar and others, I had noted the Bhagavatars singing during the preliminaries some Sabdas; during the preliminary procession of the local deity, on one night I heard them sing the Gajendra moksa Sabda. Subsequently, I listened to several Sabdas and on enquiring one belonging to this tradition, Bharatam Nallur Narayanaswami Iyer, I learnt that these Sabdas and many more were the compositions of a musician of Merattur named Kasinatha, the Mudra which I could then recognise in many of those Sabdas.

It is well known that the third item in the usual programme of the Sadir is called the &abda. The Sabda which is sung generally in Kambodi, takes off with rhythmic syllables, to which the dansuese dances her Nrtta, and passes on to a {Sahitya which she then renders in gesture. Passages of the Sahitya are varied by passages of rhythmic syllables.

Following the example of Merattur Kasinatha, other composers belonging to the Bhagavata-groups of the villages of Uttukkadu etc. seem to have composed Sabdas on their local deities like Kaliyanartanapperumal, and these Sabdas seem to form, so to say, the largest bulk in this class of composition.1 In these Sabdas the rhythmic and the textual parts alternate generally in short frequency, but there are also portions where the periods of both are longer. The Sahitya is always in praise of a deity or a patron, who is a Zamindar or King. It goes on elaborating in epithets the qualities, acts and glories of the deity or patron and ends by exclaiming ‘ ‘ Salute unto thee ’ ’ . ‘ Padmanabha Saldmu re ’ ends a Sabda of Tanjore Vadivelu Pillai on Sri Padmanabhaswami at Trivandrum, which has been familiarised to us by the Sadir. Many others exclaim at the end “ Paraku “ Attention ” , giving

1 Through the help of Sri Ramachandra Sarma of Uttukkadu, I had collected many Sabda manuscripts of Uttukkadu, which I, later, gave away to (he Adyar Library.

MERATTUR k a ^ i n a t H A 131

the picture of the deity or patron eulogised as arriving or sitting in court or going in procession, being announced by the bards. This feature points to the affinity of the composition Sabda to such specimens of court-panegyrics as Rangaghosana and Biruda-. vali described in later Sanskrit Rhetorisc. Sabda itself means in Sanskrit ‘ Yasoglti,’ ‘ a song praising one’s fame.’

With a view to know more of the Sabda-composer Kasinatha,1 secured some extracts from his compositions from Sri Bala- subrahmanya Sastri of Merattur, who had copies of some of them. These extracts showed that Kasinatha invariably signed his pieces with his name; from one extract we learn that he sang of the deity, Acyuta Varadaraja, at Merattur, otherwise called Unnatapurl.

Acyutajaladhicandra Varadaraja ninu nammitini. (a Sabda in Caturasra).

In two other extracts occur the names of the composer and the King of Tanjore, Sarabhoji. There are others in which the names of Tulaja and Pratapasimha occur, but not Kasinatha’s name. Sri Balasubrahmanya Sastri further informed me that there were Sabdas on Gajendra moksa and Sita kalyana with Kasinatha* mudra, and Kasinatha composed also Sabdas on Rama patta- bhiseka, the deity at Merattur and Sri Nataraja at Chidambaram.

In the June of this year, myself and Sri T. L. Venkatarama Ayyar visited Tiruvarur to search for manuscripts of the compositions of Sri Muthuswami Diksitar. Sometime later, Sri N. Mahadeva Ayyar, ex-Govemment Pleader at Tiruvarur, but for whose help we could not have seen any manuscript at Tiruvarur, sent me a bundle of palm-leaf manuscripts belonging to the family of a Nagasvarakara of Tiruvarur. Among these manuscripts, I found one written in Grantha script containing a large number o f Sabdas and marked on the first leaf “ Svaminathan’s Sabda Manuscript.” The manuscript opens with five Sabdas in Tamil, two on Subrahmanya, one on Visnu, one on the Ganesa at Tiruvarur and another on Ganapati again. The rest are all Sabdas in Telugu on different deities and patrons, among whom is included the King of Travancorc Ramavarma; these are evidently by different composers, and I shall take another opportunity to deal with them. That the manuscript was written at Tiruv&rQr is borne out by the words ‘ ‘ Tyagarajate Tunai ’ ’ at the end of each Sabda.

By far the largest number of the Sabdas in this manuscript are those of Kasinatha, so identifiable by the mudrS of his name

132 the jo u r n a l op the m usic ac a d em y , [vo l. XiVfound in them. Some of these end with Salamu and some with Paraku. From this manuscript we learn a few details about the nature of the composition called &abda. While the manuscript

. gives the Tala o f every piece in the margin, of no piece does it give the Raga. There are four Sabdas called in the margin Rakti Sabdas, and in these four cases neither the Raga nor even the Tala is given. Of these four Rakti Sabdas, one is on God Rama, one on King Pratapasimha and one on King Tulaja. Instead of mere eulogistic epithets, some Sabdas have a little Bhava also introduced.

The following is an Index of the Sabdas of Kasinatha, having his Mudra, found in this manuscript:

Tala. Subject of eulogy.1. Adi King Sarabhoji

“ Ora Kasinatha nutisa * 4 Eka maharaja tanuja Sarabhoji Maharaja paraku. ’ ’

Sarabhoji’s talents in musical composition arc thus referred to here:

‘ Sakalabhasalayandu natakamuna pada padya- mulanu sarisatilyakara viracincidi.’

A patron named Narasimhappa, whose wife was known as Tanjam and whose residence was on the banks o f a tank called Suryapuskarini.

“ Kanaka Tanja nayaki pranesa- Kasinatha vandita sarvesa Dinakara- pu$karipi tira visa - Dhira vira Narasimhappa deva.”

King S§haji .“ Sri Kasinatha nutisa Coladesa pari-

pala Ratimadanalola Saha bhupala Salamu.”

King Sarabhoji“ KafiinStha sannuta Bhosala kula

candra—Sarabhoji maharaja paraku.”

K in g 6ahaji

“ Sri Kasinatha nuta bhflpa Ekarija kumara Sahaji raja gambhira.”

2. A d i

3. A d i

4. A d i

5 . Adi

t*AR.TS Ir-lV ] MERATTUR Ka SiNATHA

Tala. Subject of eulogy.6. Misra On Gajendra Moksa.7. ft God Prasanna Venkatesa.8. f> God Kama.9. ft If

10. ft God Prasanna Venkatesa.11. W God Hama.12. » • • King dahaji.

The last in an important piece as it refers to the manifold music compositions of King Sahaji and his musical gifts. Sahaji’& devotion to God Tyagaraja (of Tiruvarur) and his mother Dipamba are also referred to this Sabda.

“ Tam dhinnandhittam Tharikutaha—Atita * visamamanagatamu samamandu Suramu SALAMU Daruvulu * *Jati taruvu * * Suladi # •Sangatika janaranjitamai Kuravamciyu * *Tyagaraj akrpanu velasini prakatamuga bahu natakalan- karamulu radyincidivi—ammamma satatamu Sambasiva- bhaktiyanugalaDipamba garbhasudhakara * *Kasinathanutendra sadgunasandra Bbosala-candra Sake bhUpalure ”

In the compositions mentioned in the above Sabda, we find one called Salamu; evidently this Salamu is another name of the Sabda which, in many cases, ends with the expression ‘ Salamu ’ or ‘ salutation ’ to the king or deity.

That Slahaji was a prolific composer of various types of compositions can be verified by the manuscripts in the Tanjore Library.

Such a composition of Jati-Sabdas woven with Sahitya-sabdas seems however to be common to the whole of this country; for, some years back, I listened to and witnessed the dancing of a composition like this on Krsga belonging to the Kathak school by one of the members o f Srimati Menaka’s troupe.

Fortunately Kasinatha has given us the clue to know the time when he flourished, by the mention of the kings eulogised by him in his Sabdas. We do not know who the Narasimhappa occuringin one of his Sabdas is, but we know the patrons whom he has praised in some of the other Sabdas, viz., the Mahratta* kings of

134 t RL jo u r n a l o f t h e Music) a c a d em y

Taujorc well-known l'or their musical patronage, Sahaji and Sarabhoji, sons of Ekoji and Dlpamba. Sahaji is the greatest ruler and patron of the Bhosala Mahratta dynasty of Tanjore, and he ruled between A.D. 1684-1712. His younger brother Sarabhoji I ruled between 1712KL728 A.U. In some of the Sabdas in this manuscript, as well as in the manuscripts with Merattur Balasubrahmanya Sastri, there are Sabdas mentioning King Tulaja and King Pratapasimha. In a slightly longer Sabda in Misra in the Tiruvarur manuscript, on the story of the Ramayana, there are greetings to Tulaja (II ), (1763-87) son of Pratapasimha (1741-64), and Pratapa Ramacandra which is perhaps Amarasimha (1787-98), the son of Pratapasimha by a concubine. I f this is also by Kasinatha, we must take the composer to have enjoyed a long life; but these pieces do not have Kasinatha’s Mtidra.

In two pieces Kasinatha qualifies his name with the words Vasika-vara, which might mean that he was also a flute-player. In his Sabda in Misra on Sitakalyana, his Mudra is found thus: ‘ Veda Kasinatha ’. That he was proficient in dance is known by the attribute which he gives himself in another Sabda, in Misra on Prasanna Venkatesa, viz. Bharata Kasinatha (Tiruvarur ms).

The most renowned Sabda o f Kasinatha appears to be his Gajendra Moksa Sabda which is otherwise called the Maiiduka- or Prog- Sabda. In the Tiruvarur manuscript, the marginal note calls it the Mandukasabda. The Sabda contains a long sequence o f rhythmic syllables in which the poet tries to capture the sound- effect of frogs croaking in the lotus-pond where the Gajendra gets caught. I have heard Bharatam Narayanaswami Ayyar recite this portion and verified the strikingness o f the effect of this passage. This article on Kasinatha may be closed with the reproduction here of the relevant portion of this Sabda.

Mandukasabda—Gajendramoksam—Misram * *“ Takkioa.ihkina-Tfl.lni Taganaka Theku kamalatatakamuna

Mandukasabdamu - Taga nanakanakapakana - nakanakana- kajha - jhegana - nakanakanakana - nakapakapakajha - tagapapakanakanakajha • jhegananakananakajha tagana nakanaka - jheganannkanaka - tagananaka - jhegananaka - kinanaka

(indappadi madhyamakalam; kinanakatircchi orutaram) bagugayilSgughfi mapdfikamulu ghogimpaga # *

BYDr. V. Raghavan

It is well-known that the Kathakali or Ramanattam of Kerala was the offspring of what is known as the Kranattam, Krana nataka or Krsna glti.1 This latter is a Sanskrit composition in songs and verses, composed in the style of the Gltagovinda, on i the life of Krana, by a Zamorin of Calicut named Manaveda.- This Krana giti which has been edited in Devanagarl by Pandit P. S. Anantanarayana Sastri for the Mangalodayam Co., Trichur (1914), was according to a chronogram given by the author himself at the end of the work, viz.— ‘ RHSTr ’ —finihsedby Mfinaveda on the Kali day 1736612, corresponding to A.D. 1657.

In the history of camatic music this was the period of Venkatamakhin; and it is of great interest to the musical historian to know what RSgas were handled by Manaveda in his composition, Kranagiti. The following is a Raga-Tala index of the 68 songs in this work:

Raga Tala

TH E RAG AS IN K E R A LA

1 . Pati Eka.2. Samanta malahari Campa.3. Bhairavi Eka4. Meccidbauli »5. Kanakkurnji 9 t

6. Ramagiri n

7. Gambodhi 99

8. Indira Campa.9. Pantayiri Pancakari.

10. Kedaragauda Campa.11. PSti Eka.12. Sankarabharana Campa.13. Malahari

99

1 See my article on Kathakali, Trlvenb Vol. VI. No. 2. and Kerala Theatre by Sri K. R. Pisharotl, Annamalai University Journal.

2 Another Gitagovinda-link In the Kathakali is the singing among the Kathakali preliminaries of a Gltagovinda piece, " Mnnjutara See my article abovie mentioned, and Sri R. V. Poduval’s Art of Kathakali, P . 18.

THE JOURNAL OF THE MUSIC ACADEMY.

R5ga TAla14. Atari Eka.15. SankarSbharana tf

16. Mukh&ri Campa.17. Pati Eka.18. Kambodari Paneari.19. Saurastra Eka.20. Nadia ramagri Pancakari.21. Samanta malahari Eka.22. Bhupala Triputa.23. Ghantaramalava Eka.24. Malavagauda Paiicakari.25. SarikarSbharana Campa.26. Kedarappantu »27. Indisa »»28. Nadaramagri Eka.29. Saurastra Campa.30. Ghantara Pancakari.31. Kedaragauda Eka.32. A Ragamalika in Bhairavi,

Bhupala, Indisa, and Kanakkurinji.

Pancakari.

33. Kamodari Ata34. Gambodhi Eka.35. Dhanasi ft

36. Kedaragauda Campa.37. Kambodhi Pancakari.38. Pati Campa.39. Malahari Eka.40. Sankarabharana ft

41. Mukhari Campa.42. Natta If

43. Bhairavi Eka.44. Malahari Pancakari.45. Kamodari ft

46. Mukhari Eka.47. Indisa , ft

48. Kedaragauda if

49. Sahkarabharana i t

50. Bhairavi it

51. Ghantara Campa.52. Pati Eka.

[VOL. XIV

PARTS I—IV] THE RAGASIN KERALA 137*

Raga53. Kanakkurinji54. Kurinji .• •!

55. Malavagauda .4 *1

56. Ahari 1* •

57. Mukhari l* *1

58. Sahkarabharana »:•<59. Natta , ,

60. Gambodhi .

61. Bhairavi i* •

62. Kanakkurinji i* ♦'

63. Samanta malahari i« •

64. Ahari65. Kedaragauda • •

66. Ghantara [•67. Gambodhi • ,

68. Indala

TalaCampa. •

99.

Eka.99

PancakSri.ft

An analysis of the above pieces will well-known Ragas,

show that among the

Nos.in Pati, i.e. Padi, there are 5 songs, (1, 11, 17, 38, 52).„ Bhairavi 5 „ (3, 32, 43, 54, 61).„ Meccid (Meca) bauli 1 song, (4).„ Ramagiri (Ramakarx 1 * (6).

or RSmkriya),, Kedaragauda (or -la) 5 songs, (10, 31, 36, 48, 65).„ Saiikarabharana 6 „ (12,15,25,40,49,58).„ Mukhari 4 „ (16, 41, 46, 57).„ Saurastra 2 „ (19, 29).„ Nadaramagri (-kri or 2 „ (20, 28).

-kriya)„ Bhupala 2 „ (22, 32).„ Malavagauda (-la) 2 „ (24, 55).„ Ghantara (Ghanta) 3 „ (30, 51, 66).„ Dhanasi 1 song, (35).„ Malahari 2 songs, (39, 44).„ Kurinji _ 1 song, (54).„ Ahari (Ahiri) 1 ,> (56).

Sometimes a tendency to adopt a pointless literarisation of the Raga-names manifests itself; a form which would satisfy grammar and give some meaning is adopted; and this tendency has played havoe in the field of RSga-nomenclature. It is usual in Kerala

M— 18

138 THE JOURNAL OF THE MUSIC ACADEMY. [VOL. XIV

to call our Kambodi or Kambhoji, Kamodarl; in Sri Svati Tirunal’s Krtis we find Kamodarl and Yadukula Kamodarl. * Yadukula ’ again is a fine example of this literarisation, the correct name being ‘ Erukula ’ meaning ‘ o f the Erukas a Telugu name o f the gypsies, from whom this melodic type has been taken. To satisfy us that it is this pointless tendency to literarisation that has operated we having only to look at a Tala-name like Ata in SvSti Tirunal’s Ertis, where it is given as Atanta.

In the abve list of Ragas in the Krsna-glti we find a single piece in Kambodhi (37), 3 pieces (18, 34, 45) in Kamodarl, and 4 pieces (7, 34, 60, 67) in what is written as Gambodhi. Is this Gambodhi what we know as Gavambodhi, the 43rd Melaraga, or is it only a different kind o f literarisation of Kambodhi? When we find some in Kambodhi and some in Kamodarl, not only in the Krsnaglti, but also in Svati Tirunal’s Kucela and Ajamila Upakyanas (6th in the former and 1st in the latter), are we to assume two Ragas here or one? Probably only one, for in these same Upakhyanas we find three pieces in Yamunakalyani and one in what is written Yamankalyani, where we know for certain that the latter word Yamankalyani is correct, and the former Yamunakalyani, now well-established, is an absurd Sanskritised form. That in the same manuscript the same Raga appears in different name-forms is only due to the erratic nature of the scribe or the irregular enthusiasm- of some pedant.

Leaving these instances of possible corruption in well-known names, No. 68 Indala is only the Tamil form of Hindola as found in the Devara hymns. Samanta-malaharl, a new Raga claiming here three pieces (2, 21, 63), Ghantara-malava, another having a single piece (23), are but products of well-known Ragas. Therefore the rare Raga-names which have to be specially noted are

KSnakkurinji which has 4 pieces (5, 32, 53, 62).

Indira 3 „ (8, 27, 47).

Pantayiri 1 piece (9).

Kedarappantu 1 „ (26).

I f the prefix Pantu in the well-known Pantu-varall stands for a special Raga-content, we can understand two of the above four, Kedarappantu which may be Kedara + Pantu, and Pantayiri which may be Pantu -f- Ayiri or Ahiri. In the Srrigarasahkirtanalu o f Tallappakam Annamacarya (A.D. 1408-1503), piece No. 163

is in Mukharippawfu.* Kuraiiji is a well-known Raga; the form Kanakkurinji has an unmistakable Tamil complexion, and so, also is Indisa of which we know nothing.

I f we have only; these Raga-names in manuscripts or books, the . question may not be of so much importance; fortunately the practical value of it is ensured by the fact that the Krenagiti is still sung and danced to in the month of Margasirsa by a special band of musicians and dancers maintained by the Zamorin of Calicut. I am making arrangements to get one of the singers of this troupe to go to Madras and show us the form of Samanta- malahari, Ghantara-malava, Kanakkurinji, Indisa, Pantayiri and Kedarappantu.

The interest of the Krsna-giti is not confined to the Ragas. If we go through the Tala-names, we find in no less than 11 pieces (9, 18, 20, 24, 30, 32, 37, 44, 45, 67, 68) the Tala as Pancakari, which is once written as Pancari also. It will be worthwhile to know what this Tala also is.**

In the Ajamila of Svati Tirunal, the fourth song is captioned Dindi and the index includes Dindi as a Raga; it is the name of a metrical composition, the Marathi Dandi (Saki, Ovi, Dandl etc.). In the same composer’s Sanglta Krtis, the index makes a similar mistake regarding 139th piece marked Abhang, which is not a Raga, but the name of a Mahratti song-type. That Svati Tirunal adopted these song-types from other parts o f the country is shown by his great linguistic interest and in his Ajamila, he has a song in the Dhrupad-form (No. 6). In his two Upakhyanas, there are four songs (4th in Kucela and 2nd, 3rd and 8th in Ajamila) under the caption Bilandi, which again may be an exotic song-type. The Raga o f the very first piece in Kucela, Khat, is a North Indian Raga.

fcARTS I—iV j THE RAGAS IN KERALA 13d'

• Prof. P. Sambamurti drew my attention to this Mukharippantu. Other rare R&gas in the songs of Tallapakam Annamacarya are Kopga- malahari, Gitanata, DeSala, Bauli Ramakriya, Abali, Telugu Kamboji, a Mencubauli as different from Mecabaull (songs 8<y and 225 in Sihgarasafikirtanalu) and Rayagaula. See Vols. II and III of the Tirupati Devasjhanam Tallapakam Telugu Works, Annam&carya’s Adhyatma and SfAgara Safikirtanalu.

••In a ms. in the Tanjore Library (No. 13943), there is a Telugu song in Mukhari of which the T9Ja is given as PailcaghUta which seems to-be the correct name of this Tala.

MUSIC IN PALKUEIKI SOMANATHA’S WORKSBY

Dr. V. Raghavan

Some scholars opine that the Telugu author Palkuriki Somanatha flourished in the 12th Century A.D., but the more generally current view is that he wrote in the last quarter o f the 13th and the first quarter of the 14th Century A.D., and was a contemporary of King Prataparudra of Warangal. It will be useful to glean the musical information in the writings of this author, the Basavapurana1 and the Panditaradhyacarita.1 2

In the former Purana, Somanatha gives an epitome of music, mentioning the elements of music, kinds of instruments, and a series of Ragas. The following] varieties of Vina are mentioned here:—

Rdvanahasta, Brahnuwina, Lavanyavlna, Kailasavina, Akasa- vlna, Pinakivina, Sarangavlnd, Kurmavlna, Svayambuvavlna, Gaurlvlna, and Kinnarivind.

Of these, those in italics may be traced to the musical works. Besides these Vlnas, Somanatha mentions also an instrument named Janaka (p. 89). He then speaks of the 7 Svaras, 22 Srutis, 7 Gamakas, 3 Sthayins, Buddha, Salaga and Desi Margas, 3 Layas and Thayas.

The list o f Ragas which follows speaks o f :—De&k?!DhannasiDe6lNataSakalaRSmakriyaLalitaSalanganata

VarallKambhoj!Gaulapancaka (5 Gaulas)BhangalaGurijaBhairavlBadapancaraA (Sa?) rainga

1 Edn. Veturi Prabhakar* Sastri. Andhra Patriki Office. 1926.2 Edn. ,Ch. Narayana Rao. Andhra Patrika Office. 1939. There is

also an older edn.; and there are some variants in the RAgataames in the two edns.

I aip thankful to Dr. N. Venkataramanayya for helping me to collect the information in this article.

M u sic iN PALKufciki s o m a n At h A’s w o r k s 14*1

GujjariMegharanjiYelavaJlCitravelavali

Gundakriya Kausika • DevakriyaMadhyamavatiTodIAvanata

Malavi6ri

The classification into Stri and Purusa Ragas is also mentioned.

In the Panditaradhyacarita of the same author, there is a special sub-section devoted to Sangita, Dance and Music, called the Bharatasastralaksana in the Parvataprakarana. Pp. 437-459. Andhrapatrika Office Edn. Leaving the dance-material, I am noting down only the musical information from this section.

Tiie Vinas mentioned here are numerous: Brahma, Kailasa, Sdrahga, Kurma, Akasa, Pindha, Rdvana, Gauri, Gandharva, Bana, Kasyapa, Svayambhu, Bhujanga, Bhoja, Kinnara, Trinari or Triparl, Sarasvatl, Molla, Manoratha, Saradhi, Cananatha, Kumara, AnivanI, Rdvanahasta, Tipiri, Sakane, Vali, Vicitra, Nata, Sagarika, Kumbhika, Vipancika, Sara, Parivadi, Mallari, Gola?thI, Svaramandala, Ghosdvall, Anuviddha, Audumbart, Tantusagara, and Ambuja. In the above list, those in italics may be traced to the music texts3 or can be related to some musical legend or reference. These Vinas are said to accompany vocal music, and other instrumental music, and Mukhavlnanuga and Drutanuga. Mukhavina is the diminutive pipe used in the dance, and Mukhavlnanuga may mean Vina accompanying dance. The meaning of Drutanuga is obscure. Then 19 different aspects of Vina-playing are given: Tantrulu, Karanikalu, Dandi, Citra, Mrdu, Lali, Madhurya, Ullasana, Sayathana, Mugasala, Sukala, Hayathana, Daâhara, Sarana, Pottavanigp, Tiruvu, Varti, Tala- patte, and Kartan. Of these Sarana is Sarana and Kartari is well-Icnown. Sukala may be Sakala and Sarngadeva describes Sakalavadya in VI. 98-100. Karanikalu may refer to the 6 Karanas, Rupa, Krtapratikrta, Pratibheda, Rupasesa, Ogha, Pratisuska. (SangTta Ratnakara VI. 110-120). Tiruvu may be Tirupu.

Somanatha then gives a list of the 108 Talas. Then follow the 22 Gatis of singing: Alapa, Helana, Vyapti, Bedangu, Salana Sulike, Jhara, Mimpu, Sompu, Anuvu, Tiravu, Jaya, Anujaya,

3 Besides the VlqS-section at the Saiiglta Ratn&kara, Ch. VI, see also same book, Ch. JII, 61s. 208-219.

142 tin s Jo u r n a l o p t i iE m usic ACa d EMy . ivoL. x iv

Komi)u, Unavuna, Vali, Bhajamana, Pamvu, Sevana, VahanI, Savyangula vahinl and Adhara vahinl.

7 kinds of Alapa are then given: Arohi, Avarohi, Cakravala, Sampada, Pravyakta, Suvyakta and Lalita.

After mentioning the 22 Srutis, Somanatha mentions 22 Gamakas: Dlrgha, Lalita, Dlrg|hika, Adlrgha, Dirghollasita,Dlrghakampita, Ullasita, Samollasita, Ullasita, Uccarita, Sphurita, Murdhniksipta, Komala, Aksipta or Ksipta, Bhramita, Ahata, Lalitottama, Lalitaprastuta, Gumphita, Suksmanta, Kuncita, and Karasthita. After this 7 more special Gamakas are mentioned: Kampita, Sphurita, Lina, Tribhinnottara, Andolita, Ahata and ?, which are well-known.

A list of 108 Ragas is then given, after which mention is made of the 4 kinds of &arira, Bambala (Bombaka), Narata, Misra and Khavula. Then are given two items called Sarivacakas and Anu- vacakas, 2 Sarivacakas, Jaya and Ujjaya, and 12 Anuvacakas Hayi, Suhayi, Ganayi, Gudhayi, Gadhayi, Vayi, Denayi, Bahulayi, Badiyayi, Nibidayi, Coksayi, and Diksayi. Then follow some other interesting topics: 6 Svadus, 9 Svadus, 5 Jayas, 12 Tiruvus, 7 Kanthagatis, 11 Yahanis, 32 Thayas, 15 Salaga Talagatis and 6 Alattis.

All these give one the impression that the ancients had a wide repertoire of critical vocabulary to appreciate the several and minute aspects of our music.

Now the list of 108 Ragas mentioned in this section by Somanatha, which are said to be classifiable into §adava and Auduva, Strl, Purusa and Napumsaka, and Sanga, Raganga, Kriyanga and Rupanga. The text in the two editions has sdme slight differences in the Raga-names which also I note here. The list has a few cases in which we are unable to decide the correct name, as in the cases of some compound-names:

SriragaAndoliCitrahgiLalitaSauraGauliSankarabharanaGandhariHadhyama gandhari Rakta gandhari (jati)

Pancama gandhari (jati) Devagupta Srlkasika gupta

orSrikalika gupta Gandhari gupta Sadliarana gupta Eiannadika DeliKumbhaka

PARTS I—IV] MUSIC IN PALKURIKI SOMANATHA’S WORKS 143

KamodiDesaksiMadhukariDivi or Dimi Megharanj! Rahga varall Tarangin!Bahul!BangalaMlLhuriBrahman!Suddhavahin!Brhat!Devakriya or Devapriya RupaSohala or Sohari Saindhav!J§uddhavarali Saurastra1 Sohaha Saindhav!4 Saurastra Saindhav! Pauran!Bhinna pauran! UtpalapadS Panjara Nagavaral!Nagadhvani Kuranji Nata Trinetri Malav! Gaula Ramakriya Chaya Gaula Dravida Gaula Karnata Gaula Saurastra Gaula Desala Gaula Bhairav!Sarangabhairav! Nandayant! (jati) Nadottar!Suddhahira

Anya Saindhav! Vasanta ■MeghacchaliSaundar!TakkaChanhar!5RakhasiSomaragaMaruvaPallalaKalind!DhaivataGhantaravaNyalind!DesaliAbhrapancama Gandhi kamodi Srikantha Kambhoji Sindhuvarali Kausika Purna nata Gujjar!Saurastra gujjar! Malahar!KolahalaMalav!GaulikaMadhyavibhinna Salanga nata Bhupala Chaya tod!Sauvira Hindola Turuka tod!Divyavat!GundakriyaNatanarSyan!Rsabh! (Arsabhi jati)NartakiVelaval!

4 The later edn. omits these two. 6 Absent from the first edn.

144 THE JOURNAL OF THE MUSIC ACADEMY

Kaitaki CitravelavaU‘Vyabhicari Malava^riKarmari (Karmaravijati), Madhyamavati

c Many of the names here are well-known, and could be traced through Sarngadeva to Matanga himself. Only a slight difference in the forms of the names are noticeable; as for instance PaurSnl and Bhinna pauranl may be Paurali and Bhinna paurall; Trinetrl may be Trinetrakri; a few, so marked, are Jatis; Pallala may be PallavS; Piirnanata may be Purnata, CitrangJ, Saura, Brhati,Meghacchali, Saundar! etc. are other names in this enumeration which, it will be worthwhile to trace in the musical treatises.

SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSIC— (Continued, from p. 121).The aesthetic value of music depends upon the significance of the

phrase announced and upon the skill with which it is developed; * *.The intensity and quality of the ‘ proper ’ effect which it is capable of producing * * is explicable, therefore, entirely in terms of its intrinsic characteristics, and not in terms of the feelings which any person or body of persons may entertain in regard to it or of the experience which they may bring to it. * * the significance of music is other-worldly* * the nature and extent of the listener’s experience in matters not related to music is lrrelevent to his appreciation of music.

It is in this respect that music is most sharply distinguished from literature. * * *

Our appreciation of music depends upon our ability to perceive intuitively the righteous and inevitability of certain combination of sounds* * * And since the emotions which we feel for music are differentfrom any of the emotions roused in us by life, no experience in the emotions of life is required to enrich and enhance our appreciation of music. '

* * * ■> * • • •The function of music is not to represent the objects of life or to

arouse the emotions which are aroused by life, but simply and solely to achieve significant form.

* * • * • * •And this, we may presume, is what Schopenhaner meant when he

affirmed that even when the visible and sensible' worlds are swept away, music (not the sounds, but the patterns) would still remain. Music, said Schopenhaner, is not representational; * * * * Music is the purest of the arts, purer than painting and purer than sculpture because the reproduction in sound of combinations of the real is less distorted by matter than it is in paint or stone. Sound is a less gross material to overlay and to conceal the likeness of the real world. Thus in the appreciation of music we approximate to a pure contemplation undetermined by any subject-matter, which is surpassed only by the direct vision of “the mystic. * * * (Continued on p. 146)

SOMA BAGABY

D r . V . R a g h a v a n

Soma is a well-known Raga in the books. The Sangrahacmda- mani and Sangltasarasangrahamu describe it under the 14th Mela, Vakulabharana. Earlier works also deal with it. The Saiigita Ratnakara, A.D. 121047, defines it in eh. 2, verse 167, as bom of Sadji Jati and as suitable in Yira rasa.

# aR*TO W «W : ||One o f the authorities mentioned by Sarngadeva is Somesvara,

and this writer may be King Somesvara o f Kalyan who compiled in 1131 A.D. the encyclopaedia called Manasollasa or Abhila- sitatha Cintamani, which contains a substantial section on Music.1 This encyclopaedia of Somesvara was taken up for publication in the Mysore Oriental Library Series, but was not issued beyond a portion. It was later taken up for publication in the Gaekwad’s Oriental Series, Baroda, and two volumes of it have appeared in that series under the editorship of Sri G. K. Shrigondekar, m .a .

On pp. 19-20 of his English Introduction to Vol. II of the Manasollasa, Sr! Shrigondekar draws attention to some rare musical information in a section of Somesvara's work. In book III, ch. 11, Somesvara deals with the subject of progeny and describes here the Samskaras for the pregnant queen, childbirth, Samskaras for the child etc. The editor says: “ At the time of the Simanta ceremony the Sastrakaras say that the Vinavadins should sing songs in praise of Sdma, but here King Somesvara actually advises that they should play the Soma Raiga___ ” .

The text as edited by him reads in the place referred to

fq f c p r fa : S fo fa fa : |

gW i<i (tf) iiSloka 53. p. 108, Vol. II.

Sri Shrigondekar quotes in this connection the Sutrakaras Aivalayana, Paraskara, Apastamba and HiranyakeSl, all of whom

1 See the Journal of the Music Academy, Vol. 3, p. 27, my article on Early Sahgita Literature.

M— 19

specify only this much that during the Slmanta ceremony, Vina- players must sing in praise of the deity Soma who is well-known as Baja.

That according to SomeSvara Somaraga should be sung or played seems to be a mere fancy of' the editor, based on a defective reading of the text before him. The line in SomeSvara may as well be in reality

meaning “ with Vainikas playing music which propitiates the deity Soma Baja. ’ ’ Thus Somegvara is saying here nothing more than what the Sastrakaras themselves say regarding music on the occasion of the Slmanta ceremony; and Soma Raga might not have anything to do with Slmanta.


SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSIC—(Continued from p. 144).Thtas, while true aesthetic emotion Is the same and Is changeless In

every age, the improper appreciation of music is subject to fashion and changes from one age to another. * * * *

In Vernon Lee’s wordB: * * • * Music thus awakens two different kinds of emotion—a dramatic one referred to its expressiveness, and on aesthetic one connected with the presence or absence of what is known as beauty. * * * * * •

To convey meaning is * * essentially the function of literature * * music is vastly inferior to literature as a medium for the expression of meaning, and this is true also of music considered as a vehicle for the communication of a particular emotion. * * It is only by a misuse of its true function that music is ever employed to express meaning at all, and that to put it to this use is to constrain it to do badly what literature does well. *Music is neither the slave nor the mate of poetry, nor, when she is constrained to run in double harness, can she do her own work. * * * * * *

As a general rule the more meaningless the words the more successful the songs; * * for the same reason Masses and oratorios tend to be superior from the musical point of view to operas, the words in a Mass being few and conventional * * * * thus the music, undisturbed by the meaning of the words to which it is yoked, can develop freely according to the laws of its own nature. Even so, however, the human voice, in so far as it makes articulate sounds, must be regarded as an intrusion a fact which was recognised by the early English musicians who used it in articulately like a music instrument. The only pure form of music is the instrumental.

—Mattes, Life and Value. Part II. Aesthetics as the Awareness of Beauty, ii. Significance of Music pp. 283-299.

(Oxford University Press).

29]QppgimieurLS $ 3 $ pit

(ojSGU&Tibpnifl jrrrau.— ^ ^ p ire rr ii i .

C en ( ehen) ifl u> u ^ 6W eh> iS js ir u Loir & ip ew

E d ite d b ySangita Yidwan Mudikondan Yeukatarama Iyer.

[T h e piece is on the d e ity a t V a lla la r k o il n e a r M a y a v a ra m . T h e P a th a o f th is piece is from V id v a n K e e ra n u r S u b ra h m a n ya A y y a r.]

3 % S 3 33T 3^rf?lf% c33Si 3 ^ ||

f3 3 3 f3 f3 3 § ^ 3 S3r ii

3 ^ 13— q^qrewfa^ {3 ^ 3 3 3 q ^ R 3 3 3 3 3 3 R 3 3

fcryqiwViRfed 31333fsiw f3?333t 33 333

V fbR 533 f8R qi?I?3

q ^ q fl f r c i f a w q f ^ q<5333i; 31® ^ ^

3*53$l3q*3333*q33 3RT3^3I5? 5H33 II

t>AHTS I—

IV]

MU

TTUSVAM

J DiK

§ITA

R K

IlTt

■the

jou

rn

al

oe

th

e m

us

ic a

ca

le

my

. tv

oL. x

iv njfi# • jss • j/33 * sp 5/ ices

i £ (U19 & jg f M 9 yi 9 m Jin J in

• 01JS& * f • mJ}Q90) • yyff* • tnjfls1 107 y i aro Ji » 0 7 (J1 <W9 i J1

q u a s i J1

(m jsn s& n a -) B a ji& to )

|| t/®" no tn®" 'a n a s • ti®1 g cb © © © a^ <us

II l® ^ (i/© 1 .1/© y/s> ‘ 07 n 2? (gf (i/© yi Jis?

• • inis' • 'a iS )n n sji • • ff"

n <77 SP 07 i n s f jg f st j § f Jinns

• m S? • • »s> g f ■ • 01100 •

‘ in /© yi ons y i L0/T9 SP (77 !

miOiMn |(R

(m ifn a & m a ^ jssjis? to )

|| • j /^ c/D • • (77(D • §2g) • • IT)®’

II W J in Jim j i sp 07 ‘ J in • j i&

• • • j/a / rt» • • <nap5 ' 8»£) • * nyi 9 m y i yi j i& j § f (1© ‘ ^/ sp y i a m

gDjsipn5?

jfn • o jjib ■ js» • ....................... ® ni n u cn yi 9 m ‘ j in & § ? ji& §1 s i J in

• & • 1 j / c n £ ) ® ' Jin •» nsp a ? 107 (77 n i n n j in i J in 1 0 7 J in

m g’ s / © dDgl gs s f si g» m3? yi&Mst rt»J1VJ9 £ y j SP y / '.uar© yBl®'’ <1/©

i/® to • ff'o) #* g» • injfy in/© ‘ i®^ i n 107 yi 9 m n

Jim sf • • SUQB • • ! » ' f 7

1/07 Jin & jfjf & $ «/© ytf t i®^ i n

• • * ' © to ^ 101/0/© OTO {£ 1 1/© JJ jjl SP jjf/ 1 1 © i 1®^ 107

• • mu nst • • ■ rvQw • ■ J/ff1 • to

/ sp 07 i n s9 si § f <v& 0 m b * is^

PART

S i—

IVj

MUT

TUSV

AMX

DiK

§lTA

R (iT7jr(®j>m »)ie9j/ai'n9)II cnjr & bi & (77j an$ ’jim& g® m®’ • • Ji9i /ifII W n (77 yi jiam yi so i iin & asp or© yu mip

(7717 V • 81 IP (\9 • 0777 » ’ ®ffl(J7 » 7 (1^ a/©g/ ^n/© yj si jin <n n yi iji s <n

• cna* • n * 09B • ^ • y/=f. •‘ JW9 yi (v© ‘ j / fp cn n <77 n srf

• • <T7m (10 /O 1 yets n . . . ojm0/19 ^ W 07 n i /n in & gf &

• cnro r7 • * <77/10 n • ■ • • •JJ^ J/n 1K77 sp cn Jin & fff [qf & in

• cnff1 gf &z) • • ■ 07®" * ‘ g®f A& 1/(77 J/n ^ ^ g f a/p yijtf

<tijt ® jf • mmn 07 jtr a> ntfzp •

iicup yi & igf aipyis err yj ana g7a/p yi&y/cvp<n$ n • • jj® g i • < p © • J © n *■ n

tana yi # os® yi s cn n <77 i/r? <n n ^(ns* n • * • op ®» • £ p * #* • s»

^ DS? flu a/p aip yi Jicup wp yi yi & oi yj jia/po» gj ^ • j / r n * ' • • ■*> g®

j/'g’ ^ (y© ‘ ua? jjn cn n jjtt

J» (B (O * * <W(£7 • 077© • fgATI in A& ^ 0J?9 or© m 1/V© i yi <up 4

n ..v j ® « ) c s • j i n ■*> ^

j/n ‘ i® 1 Pen f un J/a/19 j/a/©

G><siru/T6oS(nj<a$>Gar u irir^ iu irir &<V)f§.

“ G in b -n jsg iir ir j5L —< m ih 99

!,lLjt j n r « i i — & itl/ p irarib.

( en> iB \ & u 18

a ib u <s iQt § / S IT U LO a U) (P

( em-*ibpinr)

EDITED BYSangith Vidwan Mudikondan YENKATARAMA IYER.

— &t>-oiBpirir mistrii Q&tiip eSlianpantu isireor <sr&sr<stsr QeireoGaieor n

dlgpUsMofl— eitmppii* efilorTiBQfjih ^CJS pis&i jr£aP<i(9jih i£$s)<arfJ n

fianrfiisdr— (1 ) «/rsufibr 2__<sm&j£p xireo&r s^js^soirasrupu) piflppsu<s®ir& Qpirisuisp (aireoifafi&u3pjpii—GssrLjjDib 6ruSlj£>jnssafi& rijt—Gar s n ip (&ires>ckfr<® Gif-isp sireo&sr').senp&nGiifBp <sirpQ1sir(B’3sjeL Q u it r$&&jd<& @ su® ijty0Q j;» Qpir(B®JiBp (aireocbor')d>/E/5t»<ST68)UJ )jSSsBlE<t &SOSOTyooQpgjie£sn— G&l&ireoasrssortij-GBrGuir&Ggipi <*>_6\)6ar ( fiWn/BjSjr/r)

(2) sirmSsor eriflpp sswresar<sar« 0 (iL/ eSI&DeSooQJQtjth 5F0 i i«n u /5/rsaraf? Q&itpgi&Q&iressti— (<s/rui<%Br)

* © 8 3 m «f0 t-6 5 r gg/s^/jfSsar iBsiQsiretksrL. («/ru>Sbr)

&83O6IJHLHB (9j<3B)(-Quji)jpiGinfl<£<5t—SsoOPffQ&tred pfii-'&Q&rrGStsrt-- (<s/ru><

O'o -

*3:»0c*o<=r§►ro•*i

saCO

>oSoo ts:gK

<}O.O'Wl - t .<

PARTS I—IV] GOPALAKRISNA BHARAT I KRTI 151

•b

•BL•eP

•i -a3* 3*

•3 -3§> 9)

• B■e w

•B© m 6 ®

» ■ !fe i

%

•§ « g -8

®L Ql 3

*-®t

o 3 -k s

S i ® 5 -1 1

i n i l l

•afc»3-

•3I )

•8s «

J

& f>§ »

•3 -9.ei 9 § J j (B

•J -si eg *

§ 3! > < 3

fc»BL•B

lb©

©

«lbfe b

•9 3 -fe<T-§ 8

© 1 •£•‘s 18 ©l9>,l8 QB

1 3 *•BL' . ©§ > ^

CO

152<

[VOL. XIITHE JOURNAL OF THE MUSIC ACADEMY.

-3 I fL

_ -ts

3 «fc i a«L-«L a

*c3 § a • a © >8 <3

• 3 •8 a 18•e e: • r»

a 3 <e •#« • • #» •

et . 9 .3 .‘CL *§

<g •Is

eg 3 *6L • 3 •9 •

PARTS I—IV] GOPALAKRI§NA BHARATI KRTI l63

4K

3<6L

*

•HifiL s

>=»

*8% ’

ba

at=

i «- #

i® t®. %

£ * eb 4!

s ‘1^ (c

^ • 3 ■

© b 3

9 • ‘I •

® 3 Qb ^ <S «3l 1

99fes>6

fcs«9

©•>#si(Bta

C9•J>»t

o

*6L <«.

I '*8 •3 ^

9 :2

f t

a«L

(3

•arJ

=6te,ta

esd§■ Q3-

m•@

%°9

3 -tl *b

>6,3 9 *

*e •1 §> s

K3b3«

b •I9 *

M— 20

BOOK REVIEW SMarathi Ramgabhumica Itihdsa. Veil. I, Pt. 1. By Dr. Y. G.

Lele, B.A., B.Sc., D.Sc. Abhinavaiaradopasaka Mandal, Sadasiv, Poona. Rs. 2:

This is the first of a series o f studies on the history and devclop- ‘ ment of Marathi theatre. In this volume of 96 pages, divided

into five chapters, Dr. Lele devotes special attention to the contribution of the Marathi Court of Tanjore to Marathi dramatic literature. This contribution is a new type of operatic play intended to be sung and danced to, and is an imitation of the local Tamil and Telugu Natakas and dance-plays, such as the Yaksag&na, the Bhagavata Nataka and Kuravanchi. Kings Saliaji, Sarabhoji, Ekoji and others composed many Marathi plays on the models of these, and it is to a study of these that Dr. Lele has devoted this study. The Kuravanchi is not included in the examination here and on pp. 28-9, there are also some errors in the details given about several poets and authors patronised by the Tanjore Marathi Kings. The book will be of great use to students o f Marathi literature, giving as it does an account of the history and features of the Tanjore Marathi plays.

1 1 V. R.

A Bibliography of Periodical Literature in Musicology and Allied Fields. No. 2. October 1939 to September 1940. Committee of Musicology, American Council of Learned Societies, Washington. Assembled by D. H. Daughertz, L. Ellinwood and R. S. Hill. One Dollar.

A couple of years back, Dr. H. I. Poleman of the Indie Section of the Library of Congress wanted me to supply him Notes on Musical Articles in Indian Journals and on Music Publications, for inclusion in a Music Bibliography contemplated in U.S.A. Recently this year the above noted volume of the contemplated Bibliography reached me from the Library of Congress, Washington. This volume is No. 2 of the series, but No. 1 which was sent here was probably lost in the unsafe waters. In 156 pages, this bibliography indexes articles published all over the world on several topics of the music of different countries. The subject arrangement and the indexes greatly enhance the usefulness of the Bibliography. A few articles on Indian Music are found mentioned here. Attention may be drawn to an article on the Marathi song called OvI by L. B. Mary Fuller in the Neio Review, (Calcutta), which is described by the author as a song accompanying the grinding of flour.

V. R.

&OOK-HEVIEWS 155

Sri Sanya Gana Sudhodayam— Compositions .in Tamil by Sangita Vidwan Brahmasri. Nerur Srinivasachariar—Copies can be had of Thompson & Co., Ltd., 33, Broadway, Madras.

Under the above title, Sangita Vidwan Brahmasri Nerur Srinivasachariar has published sixty-eight kritis, along with a good number o f gitas, svarajatis and tanavarnas, all in Tamil, in simple notation, with the mudra “ Srinivasadasa ” .

It is noteworthy that these compositions of this talented musician stand unique in striking contrast to most of the available works of other contemporary composers in Tamil, in respect of diction, gradation of sangatis, richness of musical conception, exposition of all shades of ragabhava and sublimity of thought and import. An analytic study of his songs “ Vishvaksena ” in Todi, “ Mayane idu ” in Kharaharapriya, “ Yadugirithai ” in Darbar and “ Hayagriva ” in Kalyani ought to confirm the above opinion.

Further, •Brahmasri Srinivasachariar has indeed achieved a rather enviable degree of success in the matter of originality of raga-portraiture. A composer who attempts to compose in obscure ragas has not much of the musical experience of pioneers to draw inspiration from; he has only to ransack his own musical resources. If in spite of this handicap he succeeds in shaping sweet melody-moulds, his success is rather remarkable. For example, the Simhavahini kriti ‘ ‘ Jaganmatave ” is a type by itself for the following reasons: The sahitya is very simple and the words are very few and naturally there is a profusion of vowels. (vide p. 86). When we look at the sahitya alone, we get the impression that it is a very simple kriti; but the truth is that he has cleverly fitted this simple sahitya to a very beautiful and majestic dhatu, and has shown clearly that in musical compositions music ought to play a predominant part and the words should merely act as a vehicle helping the composer to express his musical thoughts. The majesty of the first sangati itself starting with the phrase “ G M P j p m g R s n D N S ; ” suggests an elaborate treatment; it is simple in setting, leaving ample scope for the later variations. The second and third variations treat the laghu and the fourth one is a crowning and spectacular elaboration of the whole scheme of the pallavi. The anupallavi has three sangatis. They are in the best order and succeed one another quite naturally. The charanam based on the phrase “ D ; P ; D P ; M G E S ; ” serves more or less as a commentary on the musical setting of the pallavi beginning with G M P ; etc. Rendered on a fine gamakaiarira, the piece ought to leave a deep and pleasurable impression in the

156 THE JOURNAL OP THE MUSIC ACADEMY.

mind of the listener, since at every stage the raga is given a scholarly and classical treatment; and it is highly entertaining.

.In short, the book on the whole shows itself to be the product o f many years’ labour in music. And inasmuch as it has cogently graded preliminary svara exercises and good gitas, varnas, etc. arranged so as to take the student through an intelligent and practical course of elementary music training, the book can be used as a text book for technical as well as melodical coaching in music. Although lovers and students of music can benefit a lot from this publication of his, yet, unless and until one listens to these songs sung by the author himself, one can never hope to appreciate the poetry, music and emotion he expresses in the songs. It is earnestly hoped that Brahmasri SrinivasaChariar would be adequately encouraged by the discerning public to compose many more songs.

P. K. Rajagopadan-, Dip. Mus.

Art of Kathakali. By Gayanacharya A. C. Pandeya. Kitabistan, Allahabad. Price Rs. 5-4.

This well got up volume on an interesting subject raises mingled feelings of interest and disappointment. Thanks to the efforts of Poet VaUathol, IJdaya Sankar and others, Kathakali has attracted world-wide attention and art-lovers are eager to know more about it. Except stray articles by different authors, no authoritative work has so far appeared in Einglish on the subject and Mr. Pandeya’s attempt to meet this demand is really praiseworthy. But we regret we can only congratulate him on his intention and not on the execution thereof. He suffers from two serious handicaps for taking up a work of the kind. His lack of first hand knowledge of Malayalam and the cultural traditions of Malabar has led him to one error after another so much so that the reader is more confused than convinced about his exposition. He has been misled to believe that Kathakali is a Travancore Art. Art criticism in India is being developed on strange lines. Theoretical criticism by itself leads us nowhere. Practical artists are unable to understand or expound the theories underlying their practice. So far no one has successfully combined theory and practice. That is why even an artist like Gopinath who writes the introduction commits the fundamental error that Kathakali is a folk-art. Kathakali is everything except a folk-art although it may be possible that some of its features are

BOOK-ttEvlEWS 157

founded on folk-practices or demonstrations particularly its dance- modes. The author confuses Kottarakkara Raja with KottSyattu Raja (p. 33, 34). The former wrote the Ramanattam series and the latter the four famous Kathakali plays, Bakavadham, Kalyana-» sougandhikam, Kalakeyavadham and Kirmeeravadham. The incident related in the note under page 33 of the book has nothing to do with Kottarakkara Raja who lived at least 150 years before Kottayattu Raja on whom the distinction of having perfected Kathakali Art is usually bestowed. It passes one’s comprehension how the Cakkyar Kuttu in which only the narration of puranic stories is done by Cakkyars, once professional actors of Kerala, could be associated with Kathakali (p. 44). They are poles apart. Kutiyattan again performed by Cakkyar is on a different footing.

In the chapter on the Technique of Kathakali reference is made to certain other secular recitals like Tullal, Mohiniyattam, Kaikottikkali and Pathakam, p. 54. The first three are different types of dance but the last one has nothing to do with it. It is agfliti like Kuttu a narration of puranic stories done by Nambiar who can have it even outside temple precincts while Cakkyars’ art (Kuttu) must be confined to its four avails. There are similar mistaken remarks on the make-up also: Ravana is taken to be both a Tadi and Katti (p. 118); evidently the author has mistaken the white border painted on the actor’s face as a beard. It is only an artistic finish for the green and katti varieties and nas no place in Tadi. It is unnecessary to add to the list. Malayalam words like Cenda are mis-spelt*

The language of the book is also badly in need of revision. ‘ The verses which are acted, are designated by a Kalasa.’ What the author means here by the word designate is not possible to conjecture. I f ‘ followed ’ is substituted it makes some meaning.

C. A. SI.

THE JOURNAL /)F THE MUSIC a c a d e m y ! MADRAS

OPINIONT h e O r ie n t a l L it e r a r y D ig e s t , P o o n a , w r it e s :—

“ A .-journal of all-India character, solely devoted to music has been a serious and long-standing desideratum. Though the Sangita a quarterly published from the Maris College, Lucknow, and the Journal of the Music Academy, Madras (JM AM ) were started in 1930, both had, unfortunately, to be suspended after issuing a few excellent numbers. The reappearance of the JM AM will therefore be welcomed by all thoughtful lovers of Indian music and culture with no small amount of gratification. The volume under review, though dated 1934, was published only a few months ago, and the promise of soon bringing out the volumes due for each of the years 1934 to 1938, resumes the thread of its publication from where it was broken.

Though naturally it is devoted chiefly to South Indian Music, there are features which make it indispensable for serious students and lovers of music throughout the length and breadth of India. Publication of original articles on music by experts, and of classical works on Indian music are instances in point. Authoritative reports of the annual conferences of the Music Academy, Madras, are to be found only in the pages of this journal, and embodying as they do the discussion on important topics by experts and acknowledged authorities, they cannot be overlooked by serious students of Indian music.

This alone should suffice to draw the attention of all scholars, societies and institutions concerned with Indology to this important journal.

• • • • • •W e wish the journal a long and brilliant career of

service to the cause of Indian music. Let all lovers of Indian music make common cause with those in charge of the Journal to see its growing prosperity.” ,

T H E J O U R N A L O F T H E M U S IC .A C A D E M Y , M A D R A S

SELECT OPINIONSThe Indian, Express : “ The lesumption of the

Journal is an event of the first m.îiitude in the musicalw °rl” • .

TM Hindu: “ The revival of thiSsWalhatjle Journal, devoted to the study and promotion of Indian Music will be welcomed by all lovers and exponents of the art.”

The Madras Mail: “ W e are glad to note the revival of the Journal of the Madras Music Academy (a quarterly>,dev6te<t to the advancement of the science and art of music) * * * Fulfilling as it does a realneed of music foyers, we are sure all lovers of art and culture will supfpprt it.”

H. H. The Maharaja of Dlkinm/mr : “ * ,* His. HigW es^îgteîjl^jlglitpd to read the attic|g| ih jtour magazinewSfieh airerui^doul'l edl y very in te^ tiu g and instructive. lie is alfe ipleese.i to read the proceedings o f the Academy’s Music Conference- *

The Adyar Bulletin: “ The resumption of the publication of this journal devoted to the promotion of research in the field of music; must bfe ’toelcgmed by all lovers of Indian culture. The Joarnh)|fulfils a real need as it Is the only Journal'of its 'India.”

„ S. N. Bhattacharya, Bemres Mindu University: ** A glance at the Index for the last jfiljsi years’ articles in your Magazine reyemg to me the keUjA interest in Musie taken by the Soum Indians: TihercyS no such Journal in $orth India.”

ere 3

Documents

Jmtrmit - Madras Music Academy...NOTICE All correspondence should be addressed to Dr. V. Raghavan, Joint Editor, Journal of the Music Academy. Articles on musical subjects are accepted