Unity in diversity

Dr Radha Bhaskar elaborated upon the origin and nuances of Carnatic music in a workshop

May 18, 2017 08:03 pm | Updated 08:03 pm IST

Dr Radha Bhaskar

Dr Radha Bhaskar

The Sangeet Natak Akademi recently organised a two-day workshop on Carnatic music conducted by eminent vocalist Dr Radha Bhaskar. Attended by students of Carnatic music and lovers of North Indian music wanting an insight into Carnatic music, the workshop was fascinating.

Hindustani and Carnatic music had a common origin, but started to take different routes from around 16th Century. Certain basic differences crept in like ragas used, system of unfolding the raga, format of concert presentation and emphasis on key elements. Outside influences from the North were adapted into Hindustani music, which also retained certain key elements which were abandoned in the Carnatic way. Carnatic music relied heavily on presentation through compositions while Hindustani music developed a distinct instrumental style and differences in gayeki that Carnatic music was not subject to.

In fact, Dr Bhaskar emphasised that unlike the Hindustani tradition today, where every musician, even instrumentalist, is first taught vocal music through compositions, earlier, no doubt, dhrupads were taught to instrumentalists, but today a Hindustani instrumentalist can learn the raga without relying solely on compositions.

Another very significant difference was the lack of time theory relating to the performance of the raga in the Carnatic system. Dr Bhaskar highlighted how this has resulted in all ragas being of equal popularity as each is heard equally. In the Hindustani system, noon and afternoon ragas are rarely heard as most concerts are morning or evening. Evolution in the Hindustani music system was deeper, and specific ragas for the seasons like monsoon (Malhars, Megh) or Spring Ragas (Basant, Bahar, hindol) were defined. This doesn’t exist in the Carnatic system. However, she admitted that for example in the Chidambaram temple, only certain ragas are used in the temple rituals.

Comprehending meaning

An additional necessity imposed on the vocalist in the Carnatic system was knowledge of the language of the composition – since the lyrics were essentially Hindu devotional, it was imperative to understand the meaning so as to impart the required “bhaav” (emotion) in the rendering. Since the common compositions are in Telugu, Sanskrit, Tamil and Kannada, it is difficult for an outsider to learn Carnatic music in its entirety. In the Hindustani system, lyrics are relatively unimportant, and as a result, there are no religious restrictions.

Purandara Dasa in the late 15th Century formulated a lot of the technique of learning Carnatic music and also composed many songs in Kannada; three contemporaneous composers in the early 19th Century known as the Trinity; Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Satri prolifically composed pieces in mainly Telugu and Sanskrit, and these are still performed religiously.

One reason for the popularity of Carnatic music today even amongst uninitiated may be its almost universal application in the film industry. Another factor may be the small familiar pieces that make for instant recall. These may also be the reason why Carnatic music is so immensely popular even abroad. Carnatic music is constantly evolving, not static at all, she said. This of course applies to Hindustani music as well, which has adopted several Carnatic practices.

After the workshop Dr Bhaskar said, “Our music, whether Hindustani or Carnatic is unparalleled, and the more we delve into it, the more we realise how vast and magnificent it is.”

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