naadaswaram or naagaswaram? both!
sri...@wsuhub.uc.twsu.edu
I have added some of my own material to this)
The historically correct term is naagaswaram. The instrument appears
to have been invented less than a thousand years ago. The name is
attributed to the (vague) resemblance to the tone of the snake
charmer's magudi. Dikshithar has mentioned the instrument in a
composition in sriragam (thyagaraja mahadhvajaroham). The anupallavi
goes
aagama siddhaanta pratipaadyam
aananda chandrasekara vedyam
naagaswara maddalaadi vaadyam
naamarupa adeetam anaadyam...
Observe the aadipraasam (rhyme of initial syllables) of the first and
third lines. The song is actually a long one and describes the festivities
on the occasion of the dhvajaaroham (flag raising) at the Thiruvaarur
temple (dhvajaaroham itself is a component of the theer festival when
the great chariot is taken in procession around the temple, a great
spectacle that lasts a couple of weeks; it is indeed a sight to see the
chariot go around, with all its mass and major momentum). The term
naadaswaram originated sometime early in this century but has since
become quite an acceptable term. Thus, it appears that both
naadaswaram and naagaswaram are acceptable names.
Sriram.
Rajagopalan
>The historically correct term is naagaswaram. The instrument appears
>to have been invented less than a thousand years ago. The name is
>attributed to the (vague) resemblance to the tone of the snake
>charmer's magudi.
i have one question that is related to this one - rangaramauja iyengar's book on
history of karnatik music mentions some of the giants of naagaswaram of
yesteryears. the book talks about a timiri naagaswaram and a baari naagaswaram
(i presume the baari refers to a larger size). does any one know when this
differentiation was made and what the original was (if there was one - probably
people of different regions and schools played naagaswarams of different sizes
and pitches.) also what is the naagaswaram instrument of current times - bari or
timiri and what the usual sruthi that it is played at?
i remember a story that the great nagaswaram player of the early part of this
century t. rajarathnam (or perhaps it was his teacher) introduced the longest
ever naagaswaram which was almost a man's height - it could be played
comfortably only standing up and was played usually during the grand processions
where hundreds of people gathered just to hear the naagaswara vidwan play. the
booming instrument could be heard over the din of the temple precession and the
naagaswaram vidwaan would play for hours at a stretch. this ultra-long
naadaswaram was also rumoured to be the cause of shortened life-spans of some of
these artists.
rangaramanuja iyengar waxes ecstatically about the quality of naagaswaram in his
youth - even allowing for exaggeration on the part of the author, it seems that
the naagaswaram-playing tradition is very old and very true to its lineage in
terms of technique and style. listening to people like karaikudichi arunachalam
and his teacher rajarathnam one can get a glimpse of what karnatik music was in
the days of yore.
i am reminded of a snide joke that vocalists and other instrumentalists
sometimes make - "playing like naayanakaara" ( "naayanakaara"is the generic term
for naagaswaram and thavil vidwans) - means someone who plays the tune by memory
without knowing the words of the song - perhaps this is based on the specious
assumption that the naagaswaram vidwans do not understand the language of the
kritis.
since sriram points out that the naagaswaram instrument is a thousand years old
i would like to know what the tradition was like before the kriti became the
main vehicle of the music. i have a feeling it was much different from the
pallavi-singing tradition that was the mainstay of vocal music but i could be
mistaken. is there any source of information on the really old forms of
naagaswaram playing? why is naagaswaram playing such a little exposed facet of
our music?
one nitpicky point - are thavil and mattalam (or maddalam, i dont know which
word is more correct) synonymous? there is mention of mattalam in many songs -
nandi, the bull, is supposed to be playing it when lord siva dances in
chidambaram. is the mattalam wholly a south indian thing in terms of mythology?
i have never heard of the instrument in the northern versions of the story of
aananda taandavam of lord siva.
who are the good naagaswaram and thavil players of these days? i remember that i
used to be completely in awe of the rhythmic mastery of some of the thavil
players, especially, valayapatti. he was/is an extremely creative player and
some of his phrases were really ingenious. there is an old music cassette of his
(with thiruvizha jayashankar) on the naagaswaram where the A side is almost
entirely thani avarthanam. an uncle of mine who has listened to many artists
over time commented once that valayapatti played fabulously whenever it was
rumoured that he was dead drunk and unable to walk!
any mridangam vidwans on the net want to comment on the give-and-take between
mridangam and thavil playing traditions?
cheers,
raj
P J Narayanan
>i am reminded of a snide joke that vocalists and other instrumentalists
>sometimes make - "playing like naayanakaara" ( "naayanakaara"is the generic term
>for naagaswaram and thavil vidwans) - means someone who plays the tune by memory
>without knowing the words of the song - perhaps this is based on the specious
>assumption that the naagaswaram vidwans do not understand the language of the
>kritis.
The naagaswaram playing style surely has a reputation of being short
on the kriti. I remember a comment by Prof. T. R. Subramaniam during a
lecture-demonstration. He said the naagaswara vidwans used to know
only the pallavis of the kritis. (Exaggerated, of course). Rajaratan
Pillai, for instance, would play Thodi for an hour elaborately
(alapanam). He starts the pallavi "Kaddana variki", plays it a few
times. Then he will take the mouthpiece (reed ?) out and clean it
while the thavil is beating away. He will put the mouthpiece back and
start Kalyani! Jest apart, I believe there is some truth to the story,
as naagaswaram wasn't much of a katcheri-instrument. It was used
during temple festivals and processions lasting for hours.
>one nitpicky point - are thavil and mattalam (or maddalam, i dont know which
>word is more correct) synonymous? there is mention of mattalam in many songs -
>nandi, the bull, is supposed to be playing it when lord siva dances in
>chidambaram. is the mattalam wholly a south indian thing in terms of mythology?
>i have never heard of the instrument in the northern versions of the story of
>aananda taandavam of lord siva.
It is my understanding that the Sanskrit word "maddala" or "maddalam"
is akin to the word "percussion"; it refers to a generic percussion
instrument. It is not a South Indian instrument. I have heard of a
percussion instrument called "maddala" either in connection with
Odissi dance or in connection with Manipuri dance. (Most probably the
latter).
Maddalam is a very well-defined and popular instrument in Kerala. It
is used extensively in Kathakali dance and in the percussion-orchestra
PanchavAdyam. Maddalam sort of looks like a large mridangam, but has a
hard-sounding surface on the right hand side and a soft one on the
left. Unlike mridangam, it is not tunable. It is a fairly heavy
instrument. The performer stands while performing, with the
instrument hung from their waist. It is not similar to thavil by any
stretch of imagination.
>cheers,
>raj
PJN
--
---
Robotics Institute, CMU p...@cs.cmu.edu
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
---
Rajagopalan
>Maddalam is a very well-defined and popular instrument in Kerala. It
>is used extensively in Kathakali dance and in the percussion-orchestra
>PanchavAdyam.
>Maddalam sort of looks like a large mridangam, but has a
>hard-sounding surface on the right hand side and a soft one on the
>left. Unlike mridangam, it is not tunable.
is maddalam played with the bare hands like the mridangam or with a
stick and/or wooden knuckles? is naagaswaram and thavil- playing equally
popular in the various geographical regions of karnatik music influence? i once
attended a panchavaadyam concert in bombay - i could not figure out the
structure of the program. can someone email or post what happens in a
panchavaadyam concert? what are the usual taalams and how/when the various
artists play separately and together. is there a leader and is there a climactic
"moraa" like in mridangam playing? can someone familiar with manipuri or odissi
comment about "maddalam"? i would also like to know if there are other
percussion ensembles like panchavaadyam in other parts of india.
>PJN
sure appreciate all the clarifications.
-raj
P J Narayanan
>>Maddalam sort of looks like a large mridangam, but has a
>>hard-sounding surface on the right hand side and a soft one on the
>>left. Unlike mridangam, it is not tunable.
>
> is maddalam played with the bare hands like the mridangam or with a
>stick and/or wooden knuckles? is naagaswaram and thavil- playing equally
>attended a panchavaadyam concert in bombay - i could not figure out the
>structure of the program. can someone email or post what happens in a
>panchavaadyam concert? what are the usual taalams and how/when the various
>"moraa" like in mridangam playing?can someone familiarwith manipuri or odissi
>comment about "maddalam"? i would also like to know if there are other
>percussion ensembles like panchavaadyam in other parts of india.
>
>>PJN
>
Maddalam is played with a cloth-contraption wrapped around the
fingertips of the right hand. It is also played with bare hands often,
but the former is more popular, and is always the case in Kathakali.
I am told the finger-tip-pads are made of cloth, but they sure sound
"hard", but not as hard as the wooden knuckles worn by thavil players.
I think nAdaswaram is popular in all geographical regions of Karnatic
music's influence. It might have something to do with it being given a
place in temples and temple-processions. It is not very popular in
northern Kerala, but is a must in the Shree PadmanAbhaswAmy temple,
thiruvananthapuram. MahArAjA swAthi thirunAl has composed musical
pieces for every occasion in that temple. His compositions are the
ONLY ones played in that temple, I believe. In fact, we are greatly
indebted to those nAdaswaram artists for giving us the original
musical score of some of his compositions.
Reading the treatise on nAdaswaram by Srini Pichumani, I think that
instrument has played a major role in keeping many classical
traditions alive in south India. For having rendered such service,
they do get a raw deal today -- they are almost instruments of
ridicule, at least as far as "classical" music is concerned.
Am I right?
I am not very familiar with PanchavAdyam. I will repost one of my
earlier articles in that regard.
P J Narayanan
From: p...@mimsy.cs.umd.edu (P. J. Narayanan)
Newsgroups: rec.music.indian.classical
Subject: Re: Wondering about the Panchavadhyam of Kerala
Date: 16 Jan 92 21:24:20 GMT
^^^^^^^^^^ What a coincidence!!
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
In-reply-to: kris...@plains.NoDak.edu's message of 16 Jan 92 18:14:07 GMT
>> I was wondering as to different instruments used in playing
>> the Panchavadhyam in Kerala. Can anyone enlighten me on this?
>> Also are any of the instruments formally taught and learnt?
The instruments in the Panchavadyam `rhythm ensemble' are
the following five vadyams or instruments (hence the name):
1. Maddalam -- a both-sides-closed drum, approximately 1 meter
long (longer than mridangam), with a slight bulge at the center.
The sides, which are struck with hands, are approx. 30cm in
diameter. Essential for Kathakali performances also.
2. Timila -- another two sided drum of similar length. The sides
are 15cm in diameter, but the diameter at the middle is only
5cm or so. The instrument is hung from a shoulder. Only one
side is played on, with both hands.
3. Edakka -- a "very" Kerala instrument. Very fragile looking.
About 50cm long with an hour-glass-like barrel closed using
stretched skin on both ends, which are approx. 25cm in diameter.
It is "played" using a curved, very thin stick of length ~30cm,
striking it (rather) softly on only one side. By pulling and
pushing the barrel, the stretch can be varied, generating
different tones or "notes". Primary use of Edakka is in
"sopanasangeetam", the (semi-?)classical singing done just outside
the steps (sopanam -- hence the name) leading to the sanctum
sanctorum of Kerala temples, mostly consisting of lyrics from
Jayadeva's Geethagovindam Ashtapadis. Used widely in Mohiniyattam
performances and in Kathakali performances when a female role
is dancing!
4. Kombu -- a curved "horn" covering about 210 degrees of a circle of
approx. 60cm diameter, with a slowly varying circular
cross-section, held vertically and blown from the thin end.
No tonal music is attempted on it as it has no holes or keys
to produce different notes (sort of like uni-tone war horns)
It's just blown just for the tonality of the heavy-on-drums
ensemble. This instrument is blown also during chendamelams,
another type of drum ensemble of Kerala, but nowhere else as
far as I know.
5. Elatthalam -- a kind of metallic cymbals, about 15cm in diameter
and 5-8mm in thickness. Used for the rhythmic effect, almost
with a tone. This is also used to announce the rhythm in Kathakali
performances (by one of the singers) and in a host of other
occasions.
There is another instrument called "Kuzhal" which is a crude
shehnai producing a few notes. No tonal music played on it either, I
believe -- just a few different notes to add some colour. Some people
think Kuzhal is the fifth instrument of the Panchavadyam ensemble and
not Elatthalam.
Kerala has innumerable artforms that emphasis pure rhythmic
effects, mostly of folk origin. But they are based on the taalams of
classical music like Chempata (Adi taalam or teen taal 8 or 16 beats),
Ata (14 beats), Jhampa (10 beats), or Panchari (3 beats or multiples),
with the first and last being most common. Panchavadyam,
interestingly, is barely 100 years old. It was the renown Kathakali
Maddalam artist Venkichaswamy who put together these instruments into
an ensemble and `designed' it. Panchavadyams are mostly associated
with temple festivals. They are used in other public festivities
today, like political rallies.
Traditionally, one learns these instruments from other artists
in the gurukula-style. Usually, it is maintained as a family trade.
It is possible to learn Maddalam playing and Edakka playing in Kerala
Kalamandalam, the school famous for reviving Kathakali instructions
(at other Kathakali schools also, I guess), mostly oriented towards
playing for Kathakali performances, I believe. I am not sure if they
have lessons in Panchavadyam itself (it's likely), in which case one
should be able to learn all of the above.
Panchavadyams sure are classical art. I guess they can be
discussed in rec.music.indian.classical, though "musical" is NOT a
title given to them usually.
P. J. Narayanan
From: p...@mimsy.cs.umd.edu (P. J. Narayanan)
Newsgroups: rec.music.indian.classical
Subject: Re: Wondering about the Panchavadhyam of Kerala
Date: 17 Jan 92 20:30:25 GMT
Reply-To: p...@cs.umd.edu
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742
In-reply-to: mcc...@cs.rpi.edu's message of 17 Jan 92 18:35:16 GMT
<So, are these percussion instruments which accompany the Kudiyattam
<drama as old as the drama form, or have they replaced other instruments?
<Is this Panchavadhyam percussion ensemble then an outgrowth of dramatic
<accompaniment? The style reminds me very much of balinese gamelan, which
<also started as dramatic accompaniment. Does this sort of music get
<performed outside of Kerala?
These are tough questions and, frankly, I don't know the
answers. From the `primitive' nature of the Mizhavu, one can conclude
it is very old, but I have not read anything about the history of
these instruments. I have no idea if they replaced other even older
instruments. As I mentioned, Panchavadyam as an artform is barely 100
years old, but the instruments it contains were existed already. Yes,
the Mizhavu accompaniment of Koodiyattam can remind one of Balinese
Gamelan. As far as I know, this music gets performed very rarely in
Kerala and extremely rarely outside of it. The days of Koodiyattam are
numbered due to its complexity and lack of patronage (related, I
guess). It's a very sad state of affairs. The sadder part is that the
art -- Koodiyattam, Kathakali, and many other classical dance/artfroms
-- die with each artist as no efforts are made to record their mastery
even in this technological age. The wizard of Koodiyattam -- an
allrounder in every sense -- the nonogenarian Mani Madhavachakyar
passed away a couple of years ago, leaving very little of his legacy
for the future generations to see.
<Todd McComb mcc...@turing.cs.rpi.edu [128.213.1.1]
P J Narayanan