Five Songs I want to listen in
#Madhuradhwani2017
It is very rare indeed to find Carnatic music concerts in Singapore, and understandably so, given its size, population, and distance from India. Yet, Madhuradhwani, an organization set up by The Music Circle, a non-registered organization based in Singapore, has delivered a veritable buffet of Carnatic music concerts and performances for many years now, showcasing the talents of amongst the best artistes in the spectrum, including M Balamuralikrishna, TM Krishna, and Sudha Raghunathan. This year promises to be no different, featuring a wide spectrum of brilliant artistes, including Padma Sri Aruna Sairam, Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sanjay Subhramanyan, and a violin duet by Nagai Muralidharan and Nagai Sriram. Here are my list of five songs I want to listen to in Madhuradhwani:
- Pranatartihara, Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan, Melaragamalika
- This Sanskrit krithi, composed by 19th century composer Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan, in honor of Pranatartihara, the presiding deity of the Thiruvaiyyaru temple, is notable for containing an exposition of all 72 Melakarta, or mother, ragas in Carnatic music. The fact that these ragas, which include major ragas such as Kalyani, Thodi, and Kharaharapriya, have been attractively delineated with succinct deliberation, and the graceful solkattu, or verbal rhythmic syllables, makes it an intellectually stimulating and beautiful composition to listen to. Like many other ragamalika compositions like Patnam Subramaniya Iyer’s Varnam Valachi Vachi, and Chitravina Ravikiran’s Ashtaragamalika Ashtalakshmi Namostute, this composition’s pallavi is also set in the Ragam Sri. However, because this magnum opus takes an hour to perform in full, musicians tend to perform parts of it in concert settings. Listeners may be consumed by it here, here, here, and here (it is recorded in four parts).
2. Oh My Lovely, Kharaharapriya, Karur Shivaramiah
It is common to assume that most Carnatic music compositions are set in languages like Telugu, Tamil, Sanskrit, Kannada, and even Hindi. But a Carnatic music composition set in English (and Telugu too). This is a Javali, or a medium-paced love song, composed by Karur Shivaramiah, asking the titular character to return to him. While I was unable to find a recording of this javali, one may read the lyrics and meaning of the composition here.
3. Anathudanu, Thyagaraja, Jingala
This Telugu krithi, set in the rare but bewitching raga Jingala, a derivative of the 20th Melakarta, or mother raga Natabhairavi, is an expression of the ecstasy of the saint Thyagaraja, considering himself as the son of Rama, declaring that he is not an orphan. The krithi’s bewitching, haunting melody is complemented by the racy pace it is usually sung in. One may be bewitched by this composition here, sung by famous singer Nithyasree Mahadevan.
4. Gauri Nayaka, Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan, Kaanada
Another rare piece composed by the inimitable Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan, this thillana, a dance composition, is set to the longest tala in Carnatic music, the Simhanandana tala, with a total of 128 aksharas (or rhythmic units). This tala is also particularly noteworthy for its unique kriyas, or rhythmic elements, like the guru, which isn’t present in other, more commonly performed talas. With its unique rhythmic structure and graceful Sanskrit lyrics, or sahitya, this thillana in particular is one to watch out for. You may find this thillana, rendered by a colossus of the past, Mudicondan Venkatrama Iyer, here.
5. Angayarkanni Anandam Kondale, Lalgudi G Jayaraman, Navaragamalika
Most rasikas, or connoisseurs, have heard of Valachi Vachi, Patnam Subramaniya Iyer’s Varnam, set to a combination of nine ragas, referred to as a Navaragamalika. However, fewer rasikas are aware of this rare Tamil Navaragamalika Varnam, composed by the late violin maestro, Lalgudi G Jayaraman. Set to a variety of nine ragas reflecting the nine emotions, or Navarasas, it delineates how the goddess Meenakshi of Madurai wed Lord Siva, and their travails together as man and wife. The ragas Shri Lalgudi Jayaraman has set this piece to include Bilahari (denoting happiness), Huseni (denoting attraction), Valaji (denoting surprise), Saranga (denoting mirth), Sucharithra, the 67th Mela, or mother raga (denoting disgust), Atana (denoting anger), Rasikapriya, the 72nd Mela (denoting fear), Sahana (denoting sympathy), and Nadhanamakriya (denoting peace). This piece’s melodic maturity and lyrical beauty make it a rare, distinct gem in the musical spectrum. You may listen to this gem of a Varnam here, sung by Lalgudi Jayaraman’s disciple, Harikatha exponent Vishakha Hari.
Excited for Madhuradhwani? Eager to listen to your favourite songs sung by your favourite artists? Send a mail to this email address by the evening of Friday, the 3rd of February, and we’ll forward the requests to the artists, free of charge!
(Note: the performers reserve the right to include the songs requested in their recitals. Madhuradhwani takes no responsibility if the artistes do not include certain song requests)
-Vijay Siddharth(Vijay Siddharth is a two-time champion of the International History Bowl, held in the College of William & Mary, VA in 2015, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa, HI in 2016. His first novel, The Ascent is scheduled to be published in the first half of 2017. Vijay is deeply interested in talking, food, music, and literature, though not necessarily in that order ☺.)
