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Book Review
Tamil concert music
TAMIL ISAI RESEARCH — Concert Musical Forms: Dr. Rama Kausalya; Meenambikai Padhippagam, 6/78, Tillaisthanam, Thanjavur-613203. Rs.100.
IN RECENT times many books have been published on the antiquity of Tamil music. During the Naik and Mahrata rulership at Thanjavur, encouragement was given to Telugu.
And it so happened that the Music Trinity, Thyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri were contemporaries staying in the Thanjavur area and their magnificent compositions provided a setback to Tamil music.
So, at present many scholars have taken pains to bring to public attention that many Tamil compositions of eminence deserve an airing.
This trend is also to be seen in concerts where many Tamil songs find a place.
The book under review deals with the several items that constitute the programme in a concert — Kirtanas, Ragamalikas, Padams, Javalis, Darus and Tillanas.
The author has spelt out in detail the many variations in each category — for instance Kirtanas with many Charanas, with Samashti Charanam, with Chittaswarams, with compositions in other talas besides the prominent Adi and Rupaka.
Similarly under each head, the different structural aspects are pointed out with relevant examples from only Tamil compositions.
The focus of attention is on the stress that like the compositions of the Trinity, Tamil composers like Muthu Thandavar, Marimutha Pillai, Papavinasa Mudaliar, Anai Ayya and others to the present day have enriched Tamil music that had been eclipsed by the royal patronage of Naik and Mahrata dynasty to Telugu music exclusively.
The examples to substantiate the author's point have been drawn from a number of compositions by the Tamil composers.
She admits that in some cases the texts of the songs alone are available and not the Raga or Kirtana structure, necessitating a later day musician to set the tune for such songs.
The coverage under the heads of Kirtanas, Ragamalikas, Padams, Javalis etc., is exhaustive.
Only the sahityas of the songs are mentioned but not the structure with notation.
Even as it is, one gets enough information as to the number of Tamil songs and a galaxy of Tamil composers.
SVK
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