Structure of a Carnatic performance: RTP (Carnatic Music Fundamentals II)
Nayakan
(and other musical forms) (Carnatic Music Fundamentals II)
Last time we talked about the basic concepts and
building blocks for the kritI. To recapitulate,
kritI rendition is based on the following
building blocks:
AlApana
pallavI
anupallavI
sangatis
caraNam
neraval
cittasvaram
kalpanAsvaram
With these building blocks, and a few new ones,
we can try to understand a very important construct
in Carnatic music called rAgam-tAnam-pallavI.
The first new idea that we need to understand here
is the tAnam. The "tA-nam" is an onomatopoetic
name that derives from the sound of the vINA.
The vINA is the instrument to which the
tAnam form is perfectly suited. In fact, on
the vINA, the tAnam is a stand-alone piece.
(Note that in Carnatic music, the vINA refers
to the sarasvatI vINA, not the rudra vINA
used in Hindustani music.) When the tAnam is
rendered vocally, the words "nom", "danom"
"anomta","Anomta", etc., are chanted in place
of vINA sounds.
The tAnam, like the AlApana, is a free-form
improvisation of the notes of a rAga, but in a
rhythmic pulsating fashion. The default form
of the tAnam has, generally, no tALam or rhythmic
cycle associated with it, although sometimes the
tAnam is played with mridangam accompaniment.
A Hindustani equivalent of the tAnam would be
the nom-tom AlAp, known better in instrumental
Hindustani music as the joD.
The Carnatic word for speed is kAla. The tAnam
is performed is medium speed, that is, in
madhyama kAla. (the corresponding terms for
slow and fast are, like in Hindustani music,
viLambita kAla and durita kAla.) The tAnam almost
always starts in the madhya sthAyI. This is because
it either follows an AlApana, which concludes with
the tonic/base sA, or it is performed by itself, in
which case it starts at the base sA by default.
One of the important differences between Carnatic
and Hindustani musics is that in Hindustani music,
speed can be varied during the performance of a
single item, as when a musician is trying to go to
a climax, whereas in Carnatic music the basic speed
must be fixed. One is allowed to go at twice the basic
speed or at four times the speed, but the base speed
cannot be changed arbitrarily during a given piece.
Thus. one can sing:
nom tom tom tom ...
or
nom dom da nom da nom dom danom ...
This is used, along with the ascending pitches in
the rAga, to create tension and release in the
tAnam. As in the AlApana, the tAnam also comes back
to the base sA in the end.
In vINA performances, a piece that is often
performed is the rAgamAlika tAnam, esp., a
ghanarAgamAlika tAnam. The rAgamAlika is a device
common to both Hindustani and Carnatic musics;
it literally means "garland of rAgas" and is
a quick succession of one rAga after another.
The ghanarAgamAlika tAnam is a tAnam in the
five rAgas in which tyAgarAja
composed his five great masterpieces, the
"panca ratnas" or "five jewels": said rAgas
being nATTai, gauLa, ArabhI, varALI, and shRIrAga.
Another common practice in vINA concerts is to
play an AlApana and a tAnam in a rAga, and
then follow it with a kritI in the same rAga.
A rAgam-tAnam-pallavI is a musical form
consisting of a rAga AlApana ("rAgam"),
a tAnam in the same rAga, and a detailed
pallavI elaboration. To understand this
further, therefore, we need to understand what
pallavI elaboration means.
A pallavi is just a refrain of one or two
lines, as in a kritI. There is an important
difference, though. In a kritI, the pallavI
only partly reflects the entire form, the
"svarUpa," of the rAga. (The rest is left
to the anupallavI and the caraNam). In a
pallavI elaboration, the pallavI must be
constructed such that it reflects the complete
svarUpa of the rAga. This is not as difficult
as it seems, for pallavIs are usually relatively
drawn out, so that within all the syllables
embedded within, one can tune them to
phrases such that the whole accurately
portrays the svarUpa of the rAga.
The word, "pallavI,"
is made of three parts:
pa: padam
la: layam, and
vi: vinyAsam.
padam refers to song/music
layam refers to rhythm. This is an important
distinction when comparing North and South Indian
music. The word "laya" in HCM refers only to
speed; the word for rhythm in HCM is "tAla."
But in CCM, "laya" connotes the entire art
and science of rhythm, a position that is held
in HCM by the word "tAla"; tAla in HCM refers
both to the rhythmic cycle in which a composition
is played, as well as to the science and art of
rhythm.
vinyAsam refers to variations, including the
elongation, shortening, splitting up or the
joining of textual matter
All three of these aspects must be explored in a
pallavI elaboration.
A pre-composed pallavI may have its sangatis.
These must be sung along with the pallavI.
After this, the elaboration begins
with a neraval (see part I of Carnatic Music
Fundamentals) of the pallavI, followed
by a set of musical exercises all designed to
showcase the technical brilliance of the musician:
anulOma and viloma anuloma:
in anulOma, the pallavI is sung at twice the speed
and then (perhaps) at four times the speed, all the
time making sure that the tALa is preserved. This
can lead to complicated rhythmic challenges if the
tALa is complex. The viloma anuloma is the reverse
process: keep the tALam constant and sing the pallavI
at half the speed and (perhaps) at quarter the
speed.
pratiloma and viloma pratiloma:
In pratiloma, the pallavI is sung at its regular
speed, but the tALa is sped up by a factor of
two or four. Similarly, in viloma pratiloma, the
pallavI is sung at its regular speed, but the tALa
is counted at half or a quarter of the speed.
A way to understand anuloma and pratiloma is to
take a pallavI in Adi tALam (8 beat cycle)
that can be written down as
A B C D E F G H |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 |
In anuloma, the pallavI is performed at twice the speed and
keeping the tALa constant as:
A B C D E F G H A B C D E F G H |
or at 4 times the speed as:
A B C D E F G H A B C D E F G H A B C D E F G H A B C D E F G H |
In viloma anuloma, the pallavI is performed at half the speed as:
A B C D |
E F G H |
(i.e. one full pallavI rendition takes two rhythmic cycles)
The sketch of the viloma anuloma at quarter the speed is left
as an exercise to the reader.
In pratiloma, the speed of the pallavI is the same, but the tALa
count changes as:
A B C D E F G H |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 |
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 |
and a viloma pratiloma would be
A B C D E F G H |
1 2 3 4 |
A B C D E F G H |
5 6 7 8 |
Now, in Carnatic music, the vocalist counts out the beats as he
is singing, and so the audience can see that he is counting the
beats twice as fast while singing the pallavI at normal speed.
In an instrumental rendition, this is obviously not possible, for
there is no free hand. However, one can do an instrumental
pratiloma if one instructs the mridanga vidvAn to play the tALa
twice as fast.
(most concert artists these days don't perform pallavis to this
level of sophistication ... the most that artists do these days
is one level of anuloma and one of viloma anuloma, i.e., something
like singing it twice as fast and singing it half as fast ...
really a diluted effort. I had the privilege of attending a
concert at the Music Academy in 1994 when the great pallavI
vidvAn, Chingelput Ranganathan (a disciple of the Alathur Brothers)
demonstrated pallavI in its entirety for an hour and a half.)
Once this is done, the performer will go to the next phase, i.e.,
kalpanAsvaram. This is just like in regular kritIs (see part I).
One thing I forgot to mention in part I about kalpanAsvarams is
that there is an order to how kalpanAsvarams are sung. The
usual order is to sing simple svara patterns, about half an
Avartana (a rhythmic cycle) long, then about one Avartana long,
then 2 Avartanas long, then multiple Avartanas. So there is
a gradual increase in complexity of svara patterns in
kalpanAsvarams.
This is usually followed by a rAgamAlika, a "garland of ragas,"
in which the pallavI is sung in different rAgas and kalpanAsvarams
for all those rAgas are performed in brief.
The performance is concluded by a fast kalpanAsvaram in the main
rAga and ending in the pallavI with a flourish. The exercise of
pallavi singing can be made very complex, by using complicated
tALas and tALa patterns.
Often times, after the kalpanAsvaram, the RTP may not end, but go
to a percussion solo, in which the percussion instrument (s) will
elaborate on the tALa using complex rhythmic patterns. During this
period, the main performer will not perform, but will count out the tALam
with her hands while the percussionists go at it. This portion of
the performance is called a "taniAvartanam." The taniAvartanam may
also be performed, instead of after an RTP, at the end of an elaborately
presented kritI. (You are advised not to be alarmed if the
percussionist throws his instrument high in the air and catches
it with a thud that passes for music).
Other musical forms:
1. varNam
The opening piece of a concert is usually a varNam. A varNam
is similar to a kritI in that it consists of a pallavI, an anupallavI,
a caraNam, and several cittasvarams following the caraNam. After the
cittasvaram, one has the option of singing/playing kalpanAsvarams of
one's own making. A good beginner as well as a seasoned veteran may sing
the same varNam (which is usually viewed as only an appetizer), but
the difference between the two will be seen in the quality of the
kalpanAsvarams. The beginner usually will have no kalpanasvarams,
whereas the veteran will have beautiful and highly imaginative
kalpanAsvarams.
2. tillAnA
tillAnA is a term for a specific kind of dance composition.
Although technically called the same thing, a tillAnA for a dance
performance will be VERY different from a tillAnA for a classical music
concert. The tillAnA for classical music will, however, have dance
influences. Thus, the pallavI and anupallavI for a tillAnA will only
consist of syllables and phrases used in dance performances, such as "diri,"
"tom," "dana," "tana," etc. There is a caraNam with words, however,
that is sung a few times, in which the composer's pen-name ("mudra")
is embedded.
3. viruttam
A viruttam is a shloka or a set of shlokas that is set to music in
free form (no rhythm). The performer has free rein to elaborate on these
shlokas within the framework of the raga. Often viruttams are set to
rAgamAlika. In any case, the viruttam ends with the beginning of a kritI
that is set in the rAga of the viruttam, or, in the case of a rAgamAlika,
the last rAga of the rAgamAlika. These are very attractive
pieces and can really highlight the bhAva of the singer's voice.
4. tukDA
A tukDA is not a musical form at all, but a term denoting compositions
that have wide appeal and are not performed elaborately, in the sense of a
kritI or an RTP. There are many such compositions, and you will very likely
notice in a concert that someone comes up to the dais and leaves a little
chit of paper with the performer. That is usually a request for a tukDA.
Popular tukDas are "venkaTAcala nilayam" in sindhubhairavI, "enna tavam ceidanai
yashodA" in kApI, "krishNA nI bEganE bArO" in yaman kalyANI, and
"vishvEshvar darshan karo calo man tum kAshI" in sindhubhairavI. Tukdas
are performed at the end of a concert, after all the major musical forms,
including the taniAvartanam, have been rendered. "bhajans" fall under
this same category.
So long, and happy listening,
Kumar
Nick H (UK)
> Structure of a Carnatic Performance: rAgam-tAnam-pallavI (RTP)
> (and other musical forms) (Carnatic Music Fundamentals II)
>
> Last time we talked about the basic concepts and
> building blocks for the kritI. To recapitulate,
> kritI rendition is based on the following
> building blocks:
>
> AlApana
> pallavI
> anupallavI
> sangatis
> caraNam
> neraval
> cittasvaram
> kalpanAsvaram
>
> (most concert artists these days don't perform pallavis to this
> level of sophistication ... the most that artists do these days
> is one level of anuloma and one of viloma anuloma, i.e., something
> like singing it twice as fast and singing it half as fast ...
> really a diluted effort. I had the privilege of attending a
> concert at the Music Academy in 1994 when the great pallavI
> vidvAn, Chingelput Ranganathan (a disciple of the Alathur Brothers)
> demonstrated pallavI in its entirety for an hour and a half.)
>
It is not so unusual, in fact I would have thought it an essential part
of an RTP to present the Pallavi in at least three speeds. I would expect:
first speed
second speed
tisra (6 beats in the time of four)
third speed
mixed two-speed
Even students will do this for arangetram (albeit usually rehearsed)!
Genii may add an extra level of tisra, or some other complex nadai --
but at this point I will have ceased to understand what they are doing:-)
> Once this is done, the performer will go to the next phase, i.e.,
> kalpanAsvaram. This is just like in regular kritIs (see part I).
>
> One thing I forgot to mention in part I about kalpanAsvarams is
> that there is an order to how kalpanAsvarams are sung. The
> usual order is to sing simple svara patterns, about half an
> Avartana (a rhythmic cycle) long, then about one Avartana long,
> then 2 Avartanas long, then multiple Avartanas. So there is
> a gradual increase in complexity of svara patterns in
> kalpanAsvarams.
>
Worth mentioning also that, after each kalpana swara, the singer/main
performer gives the opportunity to the accompanist (eg violin) to
'answer' with their own rendition of what has just been sung.
Kalpana swara may (if the performer has a liking for calculations) end
with korvai calculations. In this case, the final one will usually end
with a longer and more complex korvai.
There may also be a 'koraipu' section before this where sections of one,
one half, one quarter, one eighth, one sixteenth cycle are presented in
in Question and Answer form with the accompanists.
> This is usually followed by a rAgamAlika, a "garland of ragas,"
> in which the pallavI is sung in different rAgas and kalpanAsvarams
> for all those rAgas are performed in brief.
>
> The performance is concluded by a fast kalpanAsvaram in the main
> rAga and ending in the pallavI with a flourish. The exercise of
> pallavi singing can be made very complex, by using complicated
> tALas and tALa patterns.
>
> Often times, after the kalpanAsvaram, the RTP may not end, but go
> to a percussion solo, in which the percussion instrument (s) will
> elaborate on the tALa using complex rhythmic patterns. During this
> period, the main performer will not perform, but will count out the tALam
> with her hands while the percussionists go at it. This portion of
> the performance is called a "taniAvartanam." The taniAvartanam may
> also be performed, instead of after an RTP, at the end of an elaborately
> presented kritI.
The RTP will often be presented in an unusual tala --- any number of
beats may be chosen. The accompanists have to be able to cope with this
(the soloist may have prepared carefully, but there is usually no
rehearsal) and, if the tani follows, the percussionists must be able to
play from experience or adapt on the fly their korvais, theermanums,
mohara etc. They will seldom, if ever, allow you to see just how
difficult what they are doing is!
> (You are advised not to be alarmed if the
> percussionist throws his instrument high in the air and catches
> it with a thud that passes for music).
I should be *very* alarmed if anyone but the ghatam player did this!
The structure of the thani: scope for another article!
>
> >> snipped to avoid replicating long posting <<
--
Nick H (UK)
Nayakan
AFAIR, even professionals that I have witnessed only do only three
speeds, i.e., the normal speed, and then one speed higher
and one speed lower. Maybe I'm missing something here, or
maybe you are saying the same thing? I mean no one I have seen
goes up 2 levels in speed and down 2 levels in speed.
And I don't recall people doing pratilomam ... do you?
>
> > Once this is done, the performer will go to the next phase, i.e.,
> > kalpanAsvaram. This is just like in regular kritIs (see part I).
> >
> > One thing I forgot to mention in part I about kalpanAsvarams is
> > that there is an order to how kalpanAsvarams are sung. The
> > usual order is to sing simple svara patterns, about half an
> > Avartana (a rhythmic cycle) long, then about one Avartana long,
> > then 2 Avartanas long, then multiple Avartanas. So there is
> > a gradual increase in complexity of svara patterns in
> > kalpanAsvarams.
> >
> Worth mentioning also that, after each kalpana swara, the singer/main
> performer gives the opportunity to the accompanist (eg violin) to
> 'answer' with their own rendition of what has just been sung.
> Kalpana swara may (if the performer has a liking for calculations) end
> with korvai calculations. In this case, the final one will usually end
> with a longer and more complex korvai.
> There may also be a 'koraipu' section before this where sections of one,
> one half, one quarter, one eighth, one sixteenth cycle are presented in
> in Question and Answer form with the accompanists.
Yes, I forgot to add any of this, thanks a ton! The
question-answer session between the main performer and the
accompanist is called "savAl-javAb" in Hindustani music.
The term 'kOrvai' refers to a pattern of phrases repeated
thrice, known as a tihAI in Hindustani music.
> > This is usually followed by a rAgamAlika, a "garland of ragas,"
> > in which the pallavI is sung in different rAgas and kalpanAsvarams
> > for all those rAgas are performed in brief.
> >
> > The performance is concluded by a fast kalpanAsvaram in the main
> > rAga and ending in the pallavI with a flourish. The exercise of
> > pallavi singing can be made very complex, by using complicated
> > tALas and tALa patterns.
> >
> > Often times, after the kalpanAsvaram, the RTP may not end, but go
> > to a percussion solo, in which the percussion instrument (s) will
> > elaborate on the tALa using complex rhythmic patterns. During this
> > period, the main performer will not perform, but will count out the tALam
> > with her hands while the percussionists go at it. This portion of
> > the performance is called a "taniAvartanam." The taniAvartanam may
> > also be performed, instead of after an RTP, at the end of an elaborately
> > presented kritI.
>
> The RTP will often be presented in an unusual tala --- any number of
> beats may be chosen. The accompanists have to be able to cope with this
> (the soloist may have prepared carefully, but there is usually no
> rehearsal) and, if the tani follows, the percussionists must be able to
> play from experience or adapt on the fly their korvais, theermanums,
> mohara etc. They will seldom, if ever, allow you to see just how
> difficult what they are doing is!
Incidentally, in this context, the pallavI that Chingelput
Ranganathan sang was set to Adi tALam, 2 kaLai, mishra nadai !!!
(i.e., 8 beats, performed at half the speed, and with 7 sub
beats to 1 beat!
Aren't tIrmANams and moras part of taniAvartanam? Correct me
if I am wrong here, but I thought that the mora is the kOrvai
that the percussionists play just before they play the final
kOrvai (the tIrmANam)? I am not very clear on the terminology.
>
> > (You are advised not to be alarmed if the
> > percussionist throws his instrument high in the air and catches
> > it with a thud that passes for music).
>
> I should be *very* alarmed if anyone but the ghatam player did this!
Yes, I was referring to the stunt that ghaTam players do;
strikes me as a cheap gimmick. :-)
>
> The structure of the thani: scope for another article!
I am not qualified to write that article. I don't know
enough about it ... I would love to read someone else
post on that. Maybe you can? (and will?)
I'll mention all that I think is correct (this could well
be wrong; correct me, anybody, if you know better! thanks!):
All I know is from a conversation I had with Mysore Manjunath
when he was in SLC for a concert...he said that in taniAvartanam,
the percussion vidvAn usually starts playing rhythmic patterns
using tishra naDai (3 beats to 1 beat ... so Adi tALam, which is
8 beats, essentially is played as though it is a 24 beat cycle.
When the percussionist is satisfied with his variations in tishra
naDai, he/she switches to catushra naDai (4 beats to 1) or some
other, depending on his/her taste and ability. When Srimushnam
Raja Rao came here with Mysore Nagaraj and Manjunath, he played
his tani in mishra naDai, which, they told me, was very difficult
to do.
Corrections/Additions are welcome! I think the question of what
people do in taniAvartanam is a very important one, and people
usually don't care much for it, and go out to have some chAi, etc.,
which I think is a situation that needs to be remedied. So,
someone who knows, please do write up on this area.
Kumar
Nick H (UK)
> "Nick H (UK)" <spam...@mridangam.com> wrote in message news:<bts2m7$bv0$1$8302...@news.demon.co.uk>...
>>The structure of the thani: scope for another article!
>
>
> I am not qualified to write that article. I don't know
> enough about it ... I would love to read someone else
> post on that. Maybe you can? (and will?)
>
> Kumar
>
I'll give your posting the attention that it deserves probably tomorrow.
Just, for now, to say that I will put together some notes on the
structure of the thani and ask my teacher to look over and correct them.
Not to put off anyone else who is thinking of doing so too! The more the
merrier!-)
--
Nick H (UK)
(rushing out for the day....)
Balu Nadig
> "Nick H (UK)" <spam...@mridangam.com> wrote in message news:<bts2m7$bv0$1$8302...@news.demon.co.uk>...
> > Nayakan wrote:
> > > Structure of a Carnatic Performance: rAgam-tAnam-pallavI (RTP)
> > > (and other musical forms) (Carnatic Music Fundamentals II)
> > >
> >
> > > percussionist throws his instrument high in the air and catches
> > > it with a thud that passes for music).
> >
> > I should be *very* alarmed if anyone but the ghatam player did this!
>
> Yes, I was referring to the stunt that ghaTam players do;
> strikes me as a cheap gimmick. :-)
>
> >
> > The structure of the thani: scope for another article!
>
>
> >
> > >
The percussion vidwan literally 'scratching' (yes, scratching) the
sides of the mridangam in answer to a sawal from the tabla ustad -
what do you call that? Utter debauchery? This was at a Ramani/Hari
Prasad Chaurasia jugalbandhi at Shanmukhananda Hall, Bombay years
ago...
Krishna
This is splendid information about an overall concert structure with
special emphasis on RTP. Now I can enjoy concerts better.
I have taken a printout of the same for keepsakes!
I was wondering if you could elaborate on the structure of the thani
avartham. My understanding is that different kalas are played and more
the number of kalas demonstrated, higher the vidwath of the artist. Is
that right?
Krishna
Nick H (UK)
I *think* that what you are referring to is nadai, that is, the number
of pulses in each beat. Assuming that the song is Chatusra nadai. the
thani will begin and end in Chatusra (4 pulse) nadai.
Other nadais are...
tisra -- 3 pulse
khanda -- 5 pulse
misra -- 7 pulse
sankeerna -- 9 pulse.
Tisra is regularly seen, the others less often. It has to be understood
that, although in theory the mridangist could play for as long as he
liked, in reality he will take the time allowed by the main artist.
This will often be a more limiting factor than his ability, so do not
assume that the mridangist can't play eg misra nadai just because he
doesn't! He also has to consider what he thinks the audience will
accept. None the less, what you say of vidwath is broadly true.
--
Nick H (UK)
Nick H (UK)
subject line. Hope you don't mind: no intention to hijack:-)
--
Nick H (UK)
Nayakan
> I have made a separate posting on Thani, keeping to the style of your
> subject line. Hope you don't mind: no intention to hijack:-)
Not at all. I am very happy that you have followed up with your
post on tani. I would like to discuss your article with you as I
don't fully understand it ... would you please email me? (looks
like you are posting from a spam-blocking address)
Thanks,
Kumar
Nick H (UK)
Most of the mail that arises from usenet postings etc seems to be spam,
so it is just so I can identify it. You Have Mail!
>
> Thanks,
>
> Kumar
--
Nick H (UK)
Ashok
Do feel free to discuss such issues here, folks.
We all know which discussions are better conducted
on email, but unfortunately take place on RMIC. :)
Ashok
Nick H (UK)
Oh so true! I have no objections; I can only learn in the process.
--
Nick H (UK)
Sriram
> From: sku...@crsim.utah.edu (Nayakan)
> Newsgroups: rec.music.indian.classical
> Subject: Re: Structure of a Carnatic performance: RTP (Carnatic
> Music Fundamentals II)
> Date: 21 Jan 2004 15:08:44 -0800
>
> "Nick H (UK)" <spam...@mridangam.com> wrote in message:
>
>> I have made a separate posting on Thani, keeping to the style of
>> your subject line. Hope you don't mind: no intention to hijack:-)
>
> Not at all. I am very happy that you have followed up with your
> post on tani.
If I may make the suggestion, could you consider adding these articles
to wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnatic_music)? The
current writeup linked to above can certainly do with some
improvement.
Thanks,
-Sriram.
Nick H (UK)
I just took a look, and copied some info on mridangam from my site
there, just to experiment and see how the site works.
It looks like a lot of work could be done: there are several things in
the description of Carnatic tala that are confused.
--
Nick H (UK)
Spam prevention...
my real domain name is mridangam
which is a dot-com.
You can email nick there.