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The high decibel level
E. Gayathri... a haunting recital.
YOUNG MUSICIANS seem to be convinced that loudness alone sells their music. May be it is not the general trend yet, but soon it is likely to happen. At least that was the impression one got after listening to three young artistes in a week and watching the audience response to them. The audience erupts into noisy applause every time the artiste raises the decibel level and this encourages the artiste to be even louder. Many of these concerts also are turning out to be a sort of two-in-one affairs — music plus part dancing. Sometimes this becomes rather funny. Purandara Dasa and Tyagaraja, for example, go down to the lower octave when referring to themselves and to the (thaara) higher octave when referring to God. But the artistes often wave their hands in the opposite direction.
P. Unnikrishnan started his concert for the Indian Fine Arts Society on a sober note with the Kanada Ata tala varnam. Obviously this was not his cup of tea because the majestic gait of the piece was totally missing but every time the vocalist raised his voice the audience responded with thunderous applause. Unnikrishnan provided a neat Mayamalavagowla piece, ``Maayatheethaswaroopini," followed by ``Andavane" (Shanmukhapriya - Sivan) ``Sri Kumara Nagaralaye" (Atana - Swathi Thirunal). In all these the audience acted as before. The major raga was Kedaragowla and the song was ``Saraguna Palimpa." Some members of the audience at least had the distinct feeling that he sang the song twice - once without the sahitya and then the sahitya, the earlier one passing for alapana. A master of swaraprasthara, after several rounds of very attractive swaras, Unnikrishnan concluded the exercise with a long theermanam, and it all led up to deafening noise. The same night, the concert of Sudha Raghunathan was of the mono variety with no dance portions in it. She provided thoroughly enjoyable music . Beginning with a Ranjani varnam of GNB she sang ``Vatapi Ganapathi," Sivan's Sahana piece, Sri Jalandhara, Mysore Maharaja's Gambira Nata piece, and Andal's Tiruppavai song, ``Aazhi Mazhai Kanna" in Varali in the last of which she also did some pleasant neraval and swaraprastharam. She next sketched a beautiful Lalitha and as she began singing ``Nannu brovu Lalitha" hopes rose high, only to end in disappointment. Sung slowly and with "weight" the song can be a joyous experience but neither was there. Sudha ran through the song in a hurry. Her next piece was Akhilandeswari in Dwijavanti raga . This was a greater disappointment. She eliminated the Hindusthani touches that Dikshitar had incorporated in the pallavi and charanam with such loving care. Trichur V. Ramachandran's concert on December 23 was a well-structured and pleasant one. Beginning with the Abhogi varnam, he went on to sing ``Parvati Patim" (Hamsadhwani). The next was ``Sujana Jeevana" which he sang in the correct raga - Carnatic Khamas. He somehow seems to have escaped being caught in the web of Hindusthani Kamach (``Brochevarura") with all its easy kakali nishadha phrases. It was such a delight to hear this original version. An elaborate Purvikalyani raga and ``Meenakshi me mudham Dehi" was followed by Sriranjani and ``Bhuvini Daasudane." This krithi of Tyagaraja contains a valuable piece of advice - how to sift the unimportant from the important. ``Hey Rama, whether your feet are washed in milk (as the rich alone can afford to do) or is washed in plain water (as I and other poor can do) your feet are the refuge for all of us.
Those sacred feet do not differentiate the poor and the rich." The way Ramachandran sang, these words went straight to the heart. Kambodhi raga and ``Evvari mata" was the other major piece of the evening.
Sweet music
Very pleasant and sweet music marked the concert of the Priya Sisters on December 24. Starting with the Begada varnam, the two sang ``Sri Maha Ganapathe Sri Vallabha Pathe," ``Maakelara Vicharamu" (Ravichandrika) and ``Sri Venkatesa Girisam Alokaye" (Surati). Bhairavi was well elaborated followed by ``Thaaye Ezhaipal Dayai Seivaye." Pahi Jagajjanani (Hamsanandi) was followed by the rather angry piece from Tyagaraja - ``Samayamu thelisi punyamu arjinchani kumati undi yemi poyi yemi" (what does it matter if the man who cannot earn punyam at the right time lives or dies).
This was rendered in a very moving manner. In every case the sisters took care to see that the tempo of the krithi matched the emotional content and it all came out very well.
What is great music? Thyagaraja has given many hints on this. The swaras are sundarulu (beautiful and delicate girls). The swaras, again, are Kolahala Sapta Swaras (The swaras are ebullient and joyous girls). And if a pleasant raga is properly sung it takes on an enchanting feminine form and dances joyously (Ranjilla jesudu ragambulu manjulamagu avathaaramuleththi manjeeramu gallu gallumani natiyinchu).
The important point is that music is not for wailing and weeping. It is always joyous dancing. That this is true was amply proved by veena Gayathri's concert on December 24). Every item danced on the frets of her veena - Surati varnam, Bantureeti kolu (Hamsanadham), Sankari Samkuru (Saveri), Vasudevacharya's ``Palukavademi" (Devamanohari), and ``Sive Pahimam" (Kalyani). But what stood out was her elaborate alapana of Brindavana Saranga(Sri Ranga puravihara). An unforgettable experience.
The raga and the song haunted one long after the recital ended. That Yesudas has his own ideas about singing is wellknown but the liberties he takes are sure to astonish even the most indulgent listener. He sang Dikshitar's ``Sidhdhi Vinayakam" and after singing the sahitya towards the end in the prescribed second kala he sang it also in trisra nadai.
This is indefensible. If he were so particular about what he did, he should have separated the required words, did some neraval on it and sung it in any nadai he wanted or converted it into a pallavi and sung it in any manner he liked. Interfering with the text in the way he did was surely misplaced.
Then again he omitted many sangatis in the pallavi of ``Ksheerasagara" (Devagandhari) and sang a truncated version.
The whole song is an integrated organic unit and omitting portions of it surely destroys the poetry and rythm. He however sang some pieces in a pleasant manner : Bantureeti kolu, Meru samana, and Evartitho Ne Delpudu.
G.D.
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