Carnatic Music Appreciation Fundamentals I: The kritI (revised and enhanced)
Nayakan
by
Seshadri Kumar
Prelude:
In response to one of my earlier posts, Havanur wrote:
"No, seriously, a write up like this is very useful not just for the
international clientele on this ng but also the desi newbies. These
innocents, eager to soak in their glorious cultural heritage, attend
their first classical program by a well known brand name like BJ, PJ
or KA. And not having the slightest clue to the overall format, come
out wondering why the artist was not "singing" something instead of
going aaa aaa aaall the time."
It is exactly for such desi newbies that I have been writing these articles.
I had not thought of the international clientele, but it is good that
they will also benefit. I hope I will be able to get across to both
groups.
As for this write-up on Carnatic classical performance (the kritI),
I have rewritten large portions of this guide, which I first posted
about 10 days or so ago, to make it easier to understand. I have
also added sound clips to explain concepts more clearly.
Some of the clips are large (upto about 21 minutes
long.) They take time to download, but are well worth it, and
are essential to a complete understanding of the topic at hand.
A broadband connection will be a great help.
I am sure I will hear from people in case there are any
technical difficulties.
And now, time for the show.
THE KRITI
What to expect in a typical Carnatic music performance:
Each Carnatic music performance will feature a
main performer, either a vocalist or an instrumentalist
playing the violin, flute, vINA, nAdasvaram, etc.
For all of the above, with the exception of the
nAdasvaram, the main performer is accompanied by
a violinist (often, in a violin concert, there
will not be an accompanying violin), and at
least one percussion instrument. There are four
percussion instruments used commonly in Carnatic
music. The most common is the mridangam, and the
others are the ghaTam, kanjIrA, and mOrsing.
vINA concerts usually do not have a violin
accompaniment. This is because the vINA is
considered to be a self-sufficient instrument;
sometimes it is even played by itself, with no
percussion accompaniment.
The description below will focus on vocal performances,
but is applicable without loss of generality to
instrumental performances. This is because
instrumental performances in Carnatic music
are closely patterned after vocal
music. I will assume, in what follows, that there
is a violin and a percussion accompaniment.
You will usually first hear a composition known as
a varNam.
This will be followed by several compositions
known as kritIs. An optional feature is the
inclusion of an improvisational device known as
a rAgam-tAnam-pallavi. The concert will end
with several short pieces such as padams, viruttams,
tillAnAs, bhajans, etc., and end with a mangaLam.
(Don't worry if I'm introducing unknown terms here;
all will be clear in time.)
Here we will skip the varNam for now, and
mainly talk about kritIs and their elaboration,
because they dominate the performance.
A kritI, also known as a kIrtana,
is the Carnatic word for a song/composition,
equivalent to the Hindustani cIz or bandish.
I will talk about varNams later, but I wish to
get the fundamentals of Carnatic musical practice
down first. So, for now, forget the first piece
you heard at the concert! :-) :) (unless it happens
to be a kritI; you will be able to see the difference
with practice.) (In what follows, whenever you
hear a rendition, I will mention the performer.
In the cases where no performers are mentioned, the
demonstration will be done by yours truly.)
rAgams:
Each kritI is based on a "rAgam" (in some
rare instances, in a group of rAgams).
(HCM: rAg/rAga). A rAgam is a melodic structure
based on a scale: it has characteristic phrases and
points of emphasis that give it its "form";
every rAgam has its own personality, just like
every human has his/her own personality.
And just like you understand a human being better and
better with more contact with him/her, you understand
and recognize a rAgam by listening to more and
more renditions in that rAgam.
Every rAgam has its own base scale, but the svarUpa
(lit. essential form) of the rAgam can only be
deduced from an elaboration of the rAgam. An
example of a rAgam is hamsadhvanI, a very short
introduction to which can be given by:
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/hamsadhvanI_elab.rm
Another is rAgam kalyANI:
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/kalyANI_elab.rm
A third is rAgam khamAs:
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/khamAs_elab.rm
Homework: Look up www.musicindiaonline.com and
search for the string "kalyani" under Carnatic
classical music and listen to all the kritIs
that are in kalyANI. See if you can tell the
commonality in the different versions. Do the
same for "khamas" and "hamsadhvani." (try
changes in spelling; I am using a phonetic
spelling here.)
In what follows, I will discuss the elements of
a complete kritI performance: AlApana, pallavI,
anupallavI, caraNam, ciTTasvarams (if any), neraval,
and kalpanAsvarams. The pallavI, anupallavI,
caraNam and cittasvaram are parts of the kritI
proper; the AlApana, neraval, and kalpanAsvarams
are improvised.
In what follows, we will discuss each of these
elements in detail, using compositions in the three
rAgas I have already introduced: a kritI in rAgam
hamsadhvanI, another in rAgam kalyANI, and a third in
rAgam khamAs, performed by three different
main performers of different styles.
AlApana:
When a musician renders a kritI, he/she might start
with what is known as an AlApana (Hindustani equivalent:
AlAp). An AlApana is the methodical exposition of the
notes of a rAgam. The objective of an AlApana is to
establish the svarUpa of the rAgam in the listener's
mind. This requires, as in all music, control and
virtuosity in being able to maintain the correct
balance of tension and release ... too much tension
and the listener gets tired, and too little tension
and the listener gets bored. To a seasoned listener,
the AlApana is a measure of the imaginativeness
and creativity of the singer and his/her
knowledge of music (HCM: rAgdArI).
The AlApana has no rhythmic accompaniment;
it is a free-form elaboration of the rAga. As in
Hindustani music, different musicians prefer different
approaches for elaboration. Some people go from the
sA of the madhya sthAyi (saptak in HCM), the middle
octave, and hit the tAra (high) sthAyi sA within a couple
of seconds, and then improvise in the middle and
higher octaves, then suddenly coming down to the lower
octave (mAndra sthAyI) and improvising there.
Others prefer a note-by-note development.
An example of AlApana in the rAgam hamsadhvanI,
by the (late) great vocalist, Chembai Vaidyanatha
Bhagavathar:
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/chembai_hamsadhvanI_AlAp.rm
The violin accompaniment is by MS Gopalakrishnan, one
of the "trinity" of Carnatic violin, the other two being
Lalgudi G. Jayaraman and TN Krishnan), who is
unsurpassed in his control and technique on the violin,
and is renowned for his silky touch. (The only other
violinist who can be compared to MSG in technique
is L.Subramaniam.)
After the (optional) AlApana by the main performer,
there might be an shorter AlApana by the violin accompanist.
Except in rare circumstances, the accompanying violinist
will either be of the same level or junior to the
main artist. (A notable exception to this rule was
the great TR Mahalingam, also known just as Mali,
probably the most creative musician in ICM,
who, as a lad of 10 years, would have much senior
vidvAns like Papa Venkataramaiah and Dwaram
Venkataswamy Naidu clamoring to play with him.)
If the violinist is much junior to the main artist,
his own AlApana will usually be much shorter.
Part of the job of the accompanist is to
complement and emphasize the development
of the rAgam achieved by the main performer ... thus,
very often he will replay specially nice phrases from
the main performer's AlApana.
Here we have MSG's supporting AlApana:
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/msg_hamsadhvanI_AlAp.rm
This process of developing the svarUpa of a rAga
is known as vistAra (baDhat in HCM).
(You might have noticed that during the AlApana,
no words are used; the musician usually uses the
syllables 'da', 'na', 'ri', 'ta', and 'A'. In some
cases, the words "harI" or "ambA" are also sung
in the AlApana).
Next, we have a brilliant example of AlApana by the
great Madurai Mani Iyer, one of the greatest creative
performers of the last century, in the rAgam kalyANI:
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/mmi_kalyANI_AlAp.rm
And, as with MSG, Lalgudi here gets to show his creativity
and skill in his supporting AlApana (In Lalgudi's AlApana,
below, there are parts in which Lalgudi plays the
AlApana exactly as Mani Iyer sang it, which draws a word of
praise from Mani Iyer):
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/lalgudi_kalyANI_AlAp.rm
For short pieces, this second AlApana will
be omitted (and the first AlApana, if it exists,
will also be shorter).
A third example of AlApana, this in the rAgam khamAs,
is provided by Palghat KV Narayanaswamy (KVN).
(Unfortunately, my recording of this AlApana is not
complete; a pity. I have provided all that I have.)
This is taken from a live concert in Palo Alto in
June 1993.
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/kvn_khamAs_AlAp_semicomplete.rm
I do not remember the name of the violinist in that concert;
likely HV Srivatsan ... if someone knows, please let me know.
After the AlApana, the main performer will then sing the
kritI proper.
The kritI proper:
In Carnatic music, generally speaking, the kritI
is VERY important, in contrast with Hindustani
music. You will find a LOT of words in Carnatic
performances. The general conception of Carnatic
music performance is that there are two parts to
any performance: kalpita sangItam (fixed compositions)
and manOdharma sangItam (improvised music). The
distinction between the two is very clear. In other
words, there are parts of the performances reserved for
fixed rendering, to honor the composer, and there
are parts where you are allowed to freely improvise,
to the extent that your creativity permits.
The other important distinction between Hindustani
compositions and Carnatic compositions is that
whereas Hindustani music compositions consist of
both religious ("ArE man rAm nAm", "brij mE dhUm
macAyE kAnhA") and secular themes ("prIt na jAnE,
nA jAne", "piyA to mAnat nAhin rE"), Carnatic music
*almost completely* consists of religious themes.
This is because a large pecentage of the Carnatic
compositions come from saints. There are modern
composers too, but they follow the usual custom and
compose religious themes; their compositions are
modeled on those that already exist!
The kritI proper consists of a pallavI (P), an anupallavI (A),
a caraNam (C), and an optional ciTTasvaram (Ci).
(There are exceptions, such as "mahAgaNapatim," in
rAgam nATTai, which don't have a caraNam at all.)
A concert consists of several kritIs, but usually the
first kritI is in praise of Lord ganEsha, so that the
concert may proceed with his blessings and without
obstacles.
pallavI:
The pallavI is the main refrain of the composition.
It is equivalent to the Hindustani sthAyI. The
anupallavI is the secondary theme of the composition;
it is equivalent to the antarA of Hindustani music.
The caraNam is the third theme of the composition.
It doesn't have an equivalent in khyAl, but does in
dhrupad (sancArI). A good composition in a rAgam
should completely illustrate all aspects of the
rAgam: give due importance to the stressed notes,
and employ the characteristic phrases (calans in
HCM) of that rAgam.
The composer sets (in stone :-) the main melody
and the variations that are to be sung with it,
called sangatIs. So, for example, the most popular
first composition is "vAtApi gaNapatim bhajEham"
a composition of muttusvAmI dIkshitar, again in
rAgam hamsadhvanI, and in Adi tALam (8 beats
to a cycle). It is sung as:
vA tA pi gaNa pa tim bhajE ham
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
The following clip from Chembai Vaidyanatha
Bhagavathar shows the pallavI (the first line)
along with its sangatIs:
P: vAtApi gaNapatim bhajEham
vAraNAsyam varA pradam shRI
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/chembai_vAtApi_pallavI.rm
The percussion accompanists are TV Gopalakrishnan
on mridangam and Alangudi S. Ramachandran on
ghatam. This is taken from an All-India Radio
(AIR) concert in 1967.
Next, in rAgam kalyANI, the pallavI of the kritI,
"vAsudEvayani veDalina," a composition of Saint
Tyagaraja, in Adi tALam (at half speed), is handled
deftly by Madurai Mani Iyer:
P: vAsudEvayani veDalina Idau vAri kunikanarE (shRI)
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/mmi_vAsudEvayani_pallavI.rm
This is also a live performance from the 1960s,
with mridangam accompaniment by Palani Subramania
Pillai (one of the two giants of mridangam
playing in Carnatic music in the 20th century,
the other being Palghat Mani Iyer.)
Some sangatis *have* to be sung in performance,
since they are set by the composer. This is the
kalpita sangIta part. There is also a manOdharma
aspect to this. *After* you sing the composer's
sangatis, you are allowed (if you are capable of
it) to improvise your own sangatIs and add them
to the variations already there. (There are
exceptions to this rule; generally speaking,
the more famous you are, the more you can
get away with doing your own stuff. |||:-) -):-))
KVN sings the pallavI of the kritI, "brOcEvArevarurA,"
a composition in rAgam khamAs and Adi tALam, in his
1993 concert. "brOcEvA" is a composition of
Mysore Vasudevachar, a prominent musician and composer of
the 20th century.
P: brOcEvA evarurA ninnu vinA raghuvarA
nI caraNAmbuja mulunE, viDajAla karuNAla vAla (brOcEvA)
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/kvn_brOcEvA_pallavI.rm
The mridangam accompanist is Vellore Ramabhadran...I like
his accompaniment because it is unobtrusive and complements
the singing very well.
anupallavI:
Once the pallavI and its sangatIs are sung,
the singer moves to the anupallavI, the second
theme in the composition. The
anupallavI usually explores a part of the
octave that has not been explored by the
pallavi. (BTW, this is true of dhrupad and
khyAl compositions in HCM too with regard
to the relationship between the sthAyI and
the antarA.) So, sometimes,
the pallavI starts on the madhya sA, and the
anupallavI starts on the madhya pA, and
shoots up to the tArasthAyI. Some other
times, the pallavI starts on the tAra
sa, and moves down in the octave, and the
anupallavI starts on the madhya pa.
And, in some cases, as in vAtApi gaNapatim,
the pallavI and the anupallavI start on
the same note, but the pallavI explores
the middle and lower octave, whereas the
anupallavI explores the middle and upper
octave.
Again, Chembai with the anupallavI of vAtApi:
A:
bhUtAdi sam sEvita caraNam
bhUta bhautika prapanca bharaNam
vIta rAhinam vinuta yohinam
vishvakAraNam vighna vAraNam
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/chembai_vAtApi_anupallavI.rm
As you can see, the anupallavI, too, has its
sangatIs (variations), and the same rule about
your own sangatIs applies.
Here is Madurai Mani Iyer singing the
anupallavI of vAsudEvayani:
A:
vAsavAdi sura pUjituDai
vArija nayanuni madini talasucunu
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/mmi_vAsudEvayani_anupallavI.rm
Prof. KVN, with the anupallavI of brOcEvA:
A:
O caturAnanAdi vandita nIku parAkEla naiyyA
nI caritamu pogadale ninA, cinta dirci varamu lIcci vEgamE
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/kvn_brOcEvA_anupallavI.rm
This kritI, brOcEvA, has a ciTTasvaram (fixed sargam
tAn, a combination of notes within the rAgam,
set by the composer), at this point:
Ci:
sa . . sa ni dha pa dha ni sa ni ni dha dha pa ma |
1 2 3 4
pa . .dha ma ga ma pa dha ni ||
5 6 7 8
sa . ni dha pa ma ni . dha pa ma ga ma pa dha |
1 2 3 4
ma ga re sa sa ma . . ga ma pa dha ma pa dha ni ||
5 6 7 8
sa sa ri ni ni ni sa dha dha dha ni pa... dha |
1 2 3 4
ma pa dha nisa ni dha pa ma ga ma ni dha ni pa dha ||
5 6 7 8
ma . pa dha ni sa ma . . ga ri sa ri sa . ni . |
1 2 3 4
dha pa sa . ni . dha pa ma ga . ma pa dha ni
5 6 7 8
KVN sings this in two speeds:
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/kvn_brOcEvA_ciTTasvaram.rm
Not all compositions have ciTTasvarams. When the
ciTTasvaram appears, it is found after the anupallavI,
and it is sometimes repeated after the caraNam (see
below for what a caraNam is.)
One always returns to the pallavI (refrain) after
performing other elements of kritI singing. Usually,
the pallavI is sung in the form of its final sangatI.
(Not a fixed rule, but that is how it is taught.)
caraNam, neraval, and svarakalpanA/svaraprasthAra:
The pallavI and the anupallavI are usually
of one or two lines each. The caraNam, which
follows the pallavI and the anupallavI,
usually has four lines. (The conventions are slightly
different for muttusvAmI dIkshitar compositions,
such as vAtApi). A composition has only one
pallavI and anupallavI, but may have many caraNams.
Not all of them are sung in practice, since they
may all be melodically similar. (Sometimes,
because of the beauty in the lyrics, the
singer will sing more than one caraNam.)
The caraNam also has its sangatis, but there
is a special feature here. Optionally,
a musician may take a line of the caraNam
text and improvise on it. This is called "neraval."
When the (optional) neraval is completed, or
after the caraNam is sung, another optional
improvisation (manOdharma sangIta) is allowed.
This is called "svaraprasthAra" or "svara
kalpanA" or "singing kalpanAsvarams", literally
meaning, "singing imaginative note combinations"
similar to sargam tAns in hindustAni
music.) Here, the notes of the rAgam are
sung in sargam fashion, i.e., sA nI dhA
pA ma ga ma pA dha nI , etc. kalpanA
svarams can be any note combinations the
singer can think of, which are consistent
with the svarUpa of the rAgam. Along with
the neraval, this is another opportunity
for the singer to showcase his/her creativity.
When both neraval and svarakalpana are sung,
there is no break between the neraval and
the succeeding svarakalpanA.
Here is Chembai, performing the caraNam and
subsequent svarakalpanA on vAtApi (he did not
perform neraval in this rendition of vAtApi):
C: purA kumbha sambhavamuni vara
prapUjitam trikONamadhyagatam
murAri pramukhAdi upAstitham
mUlAdhAra kshEtra stitham
parAdi catvAri vAgAtmaham
praNava svarUpa vakratunDam
nirantaram nikhilacandra ghaNTam
nijamA makaravi dhrutEkshu daNDam
karAmbujapAsha bIjApUram
kalusha vidUram bhUtAkAram
harAti guruguha dOshita bimbam
hamsadhvani bhUshita hErambam
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/chembai_vAtApi_svarams.rm
A truly amazing neraval and svarakalpanA is
exhibited by Madurai Mani Iyer in "vAsudEvayani veDalina."
C: bAgumIra naTanamu sEyucunu
patita pAvanunIdA vEDucunu
rAgatALa gatulanu pADucunu
tyAgarAja sannutuDu pogaDucunu,
and MMI does a heavenly neraval (one of my two
all-time favorite neravals, along with Prof. KVN's
neraval in khamAs, which will be presented below)
on "rAga tALa gatulanu", followed by a svarakalpanA:
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/mmi_vAsudEvayani_neraval.rm
The Professor (KVN) astounds us with this incredible
display of musicianship in his neraval in brOcEvA at the
phrase, "Atura muga karirAjuni brOcina vAsudEvuDE nIvukadA ?"
("O beautiful-faced one (Rama), are you not the same vAsudEva
who rescued the elephant king when he called for your help?"
...the implication being, "why don't you do the same for me?"
... an especially beautiful lyric; neravals are often chosen
for lyrics that are particularly significant)
C: sItApatE, nA pai nIku abhimAnamulEdA ?
vAtAtmajA arcita pAda, nA moralanu vinarAdA ?
Atura muga karirAjuni brocina vAsudEvuDE nivukadA ?
nA pAtaka mella pOgOTTi gaTTiga, nA cei paTTi viDuvaka
http://www.crsim.utah.edu/~skumar/Music/kritI/kvn_brOcEvA_caraNam.rm
The neraval, as you can see, is followed by a nice
set of kalpanAsvarams, and ends with a repetition of
the pallavI.
Summary:
The performance of a kritI consists of the (optional)
AlApana (Al), followed by the pallavI and its sangatIs
(variations), and then by the anupallavi and its
sangatIs.
The caraNam is then sung with its sangatIs,
and the performer may sing/play a neraval (N)
on the caranam text. This is usually
followed by an (optional) svarakalpanA (K).
Al (optional)
P
P'
P"
P"', etc.
(variations on P)
Ci (sometimes)
A
A'
A"
A'", etc.
(variations on A)
Ci (sometimes)
C
C'
C"
(variations on C)
N (optional)
P
Ci (optional)
K (optional)
P
So, in theory, you could give a concert with just
fixed compositions and no improvisation whatsoever,
and this is what many beginning students do. But
if you were to do this in a professional concert, and
didn't show any creative aspect of the music, you would
not satisfy anybody, and the audience will simply
walk out. It is, however, okay to sing a small number
of pieces in this fashion, as the audience is often
fond of some kritIs just for the sake of listening
to a beautiful composition, not for the sake of
improvisation.
That concludes the description of kritI rendition.
By now, you should have gotten to know your three
friends, viz., rAgams hamsadhvanI, kalyANI and
khamAs, quite well ... at least the body shapes
and facial features, and perhaps a little bit of
their personality. Spend a little more time with
them and discover their hidden depth!
Feel free to offer comments/questions/criticisms/
additions/corrections.
So long, and happy listening!
Kumar
VV
"Nayakan" <sku...@crsim.utah.edu> wrote in message
news:7f5f54f3.04012...@posting.google.com...
Shree
It would be very helpful if you can correct the words of the lyrics.
I have tried to post some examples below :
> P: brOcEvA evarurA ninnu vinA raghuvarA
> nI caraNAmbuja mulunE, viDajAla karuNAla vAla (brOcEvA)
>
this should have been
brOcEvArevarurA ninnuvinA raghuvarA
nI caraNAmbujamulu nE viDajAla karuNAlavAla (brOcEvA)
> A:
> bhUtAdi sam sEvita caraNam
> bhUta bhautika prapanca bharaNam
> vIta rAhinam vinuta yohinam
> vishvakAraNam vighna vAraNam
>
this should have been
bhUtAdi samsEvita caraNam
bhUta bhautika prapanca bharaNam
vItarAginam vinuta yoginam
vishvakAraNam vighna vAraNam
>
> A:
> O caturAnanAdi vandita nIku parAkEla naiyyA
> nI caritamu pogadale ninA, cinta dirci varamu lIcci vEgamE
>
this should have been
O caturAnanAdi vandita nIku parAkElanaiyyA
nI caritamu pogadaleni nA cintadIrci varamulIcci vEgamE
My point is, lyrics are important in Carnatic music, and breaking up
the words at the wrong places will often mean wrong things. There are
many other such instances in your otherwise informative post.
I remember myself as a kid having giggles over breaking up "rAmunitO
kapivarunDiTlanen" as "rAmuni tOka pivaru....".
--Shree
naniwadekar
"Shree" <maz...@hotmail.com> wrote -
>
> My point is, lyrics are important in Carnatic music, and breaking up
> the words at the wrong places will often mean wrong things.
>
How often do you find Carnatic musicians getting their
words of the composition wrong or butchering them
or not understanding the meaning of what they are
singing ? I am not sure how many HCM singers know
what 'darbaar dhau' means and I am sure most members
of audience don't know what it means. Yet, that Ramkali
cheez (I found its words from a cassette blurb) can be
enjoyed by everybody.
- dn
Manohar Bodas
> "Shree" <maz...@hotmail.com> wrote -
> >
> > My point is, lyrics are important in Carnatic music, and breaking up
> > the words at the wrong places will often mean wrong things.
> >
>
> How often do you find Carnatic musicians getting their
> words of the composition wrong or butchering them
> or not understanding the meaning of what they are
> singing ?
Dhenuvallbh why blame them. You don't know what is the difference
between Ram Rangi Rangile and Rangale. Check your own posts. You made
a stupid post about this song claiming that this is not a Natya Geet.
I had to tell you that your own Bap was the one who was the author of
the play.
You are making an ass of your self. Not unusual though.
MB
Nayakan
> Hi,
>
> It would be very helpful if you can correct the words of the lyrics.
Hi,
I agree with you that the lyrics are very important and that one
must not mutilate them. I should have checked with my copies of
TKG's Tyagaraja and Dikshitar books to print the correct lyrics
in my post, but I was too tired at that point. Sorry.
I will post complete correct lyrics for vAtApi and vAsudEvayani
when I get some time.
To highlight your point, one thing that distresses me is when
singers sometimes (I am thinking of amateurs) sing the
anupallavI portion of "endarO mahAnubhAvulU":
candurU varNUnI anda candamUla hridayAravindamu nA jUci
brahmAnandamuna bhavincUva...
and split is as
vindamU nA jUci ...
whereas it should be aravindamU (lotus, AFAIK).
As for the Mysore Vasudevachar kritI, I don't have a book that
gives me accurate lyrics. Perhaps you can help. I do not
know telugU. But I have some questions about your corrections:
(the general gist of which is that in many of the instances you
have mentioned, I have split things along sandhi lines, and so
don't change the meaning):
> I have tried to post some examples below :
>
>
> > P: brOcEvA evarurA ninnu vinA raghuvarA
> > nI caraNAmbuja mulunE, viDajAla karuNAla vAla (brOcEvA)
> >
>
> this should have been
>
> brOcEvArevarurA ninnuvinA raghuvarA
> nI caraNAmbujamulu nE viDajAla karuNAlavAla (brOcEvA)
The reason I wrote it the way I did is that I wanted to make
the splitting easier when needed. I would contest some of
your corrections...
1. Isn't brOcEvArevarurA = brOcEvA + evarurA?
I know evarurA is a word in telugU, and the sandhI above made
sense to me.
2. I don't see any problem in writing ninnuvinA = ninnu + vinA,
as they are both valid words in telugU, and I didn't think it
changes the meaning. Does it?
>
>
> > A:
> > bhUtAdi sam sEvita caraNam
> > bhUta bhautika prapanca bharaNam
> > vIta rAhinam vinuta yohinam
> > vishvakAraNam vighna vAraNam
> >
> this should have been
>
> bhUtAdi samsEvita caraNam
> bhUta bhautika prapanca bharaNam
> vItarAginam vinuta yoginam
> vishvakAraNam vighna vAraNam
>
>
> >
> > A:
> > O caturAnanAdi vandita nIku parAkEla naiyyA
> > nI caritamu pogadale ninA, cinta dirci varamu lIcci vEgamE
> >
>
> this should have been
>
> O caturAnanAdi vandita nIku parAkElanaiyyA
Again, am I changing the meaning by splitting the words
the way I have done above? Isn't parAkElanaiyyA =
parAkEla + naiyyA ? (or, correct me if it is a different
sandhi). Same goes for varamulIcci = varamu (boon) + lIcci?
Again, keep in mind that I don't know telugU except for
the words that keep coming again and again in Carnatic
compositions. I would appreciate your response.
Kumar
Nayakan
> the words at the wrong places will often mean wrong things. There are
> many other such instances in your otherwise informative post.
>
> I remember myself as a kid having giggles over breaking up "rAmunitO
> kapivarunDiTlanen" as "rAmuni tOka pivaru....".
>
> --Shree
In my previous response to this, I wrote the anupallavI of
endarO as:
canduru varNUni anda candamUla
^^^^^^^^^
this should be candamUna, to the best of my knowledge.
and I wrote:
brahmAnandamuna bhavincUva...
which, I think, should be
brahmAnandamanubhavincUvA (brahmAnandam + anubhavincUvA)
If I have made any more errors, please do correct me.
Thanks,
Kumar
Shree
> I know evarurA is a word in telugU, and the sandhI above made
> sense to me.
brOcEvArevarurA = brOchEvAru + evaru + rA.
But breaking up the sandhi at all times might actually make the lyrics
difficult to sing.
>
> 2. I don't see any problem in writing ninnuvinA = ninnu + vinA,
> as they are both valid words in telugU, and I didn't think it
> changes the meaning. Does it?
>
Agreed.
> > >
> > > A:
> > > O caturAnanAdi vandita nIku parAkEla naiyyA
> > > nI caritamu pogadale ninA, cinta dirci varamu lIcci vEgamE
> > >
> >
> > this should have been
> >
> > O caturAnanAdi vandita nIku parAkElanaiyyA
>
> Again, am I changing the meaning by splitting the words
> the way I have done above? Isn't parAkElanaiyyA =
> parAkEla + naiyyA ? (or, correct me if it is a different
> sandhi). Same goes for varamulIcci = varamu (boon) + lIcci?
>
parAkElanaiyyA = parAku + Ela + aiyyA.
aiyyA literally means father, but very often is used to address a
person, especially affectionately/respectfully.
The 'n' is comes in the when the words are spoken together (sandhi),
but not when they are spoken seperately. But as I said before,
breaking it up like this makes it difficult to sing.
varamulIcci = varamulu (boons)+ icci. Also, varamulicci is the
correct transliteration (according to iTrans scheme).
--Shree