Wednesday, February 16, 2005
The magic of Pancharatnas
Shri Tyagaraja is one of the trinities of Indian Classical Music and rightly so. His compositions are so rich in devotion and melody, that it enthralls the listener and creates a field of devotion and music around him. One certainly has to listen to the "pancharatnas" to know the power that music can bestow and truly feel the magic of it.The Pancharatnas the 5 most famous compositions of Shri Thyagaraja, and veritably among the most complicated ones. They are brimful, and ooze out the devotion from all sides that fills the heart of anyone with a true ear to music and creates such bliss in the being, that it is lifted up to the heavens. One has to listen to "dorakuna ituvanti seva" to feel the longing that the devotee is having for his Lord.Coming back to the Pancharatna kritis:The first one being: Jagadananda kaaraka, in Adi Taala and nattai raagaThe second one is : Dudukugala nanne dora, also in Adi Taala; Gowlai raagaThe third being: Sadhinchane O Manasa, Adi Taala; Aarabhi raagaThe fourth one is : Kana kana ruchira, Adi Taala; Varaali raagaThe fifth one is : Endaro mahaanubhavulu, Adi Taala; Sri raagaThese 5 compositions mark the pinnacle of one's classical music knowledge. Some of the wonderful rendering of these songs are done by Shri Maharajapuram Santhanam and Shri Maharajapuram Vishwanatha Iyer, Smt. M.S. Subbulakshmi, Dr. M. Balamurali krishna and among the more recent singers, Unnikrishnan and Harini
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Music - The Sound of the soul
naahaM vasaami vaikuMThe na yOgi hRudayEravou
madbhaktAH yatra gAyaMti tatra tiShThAmi nArada
Music is a rhythmic, ordered sound produced by a synchronized movement - scientifically speaking. But in the realms of art, music is an enchantment. The power of sound enters into the mystic levels, when it alleviates itself into music. The cacophonous, incoherent sounds that otherwise may seem so disordered and incomprehensible, suddenly gain new meaning and importance. Music becomes a language, of the heart, of the soul.
Right from my childhood, I seem to have a passion for music. It is beyond my comprehension and in the present situation out of context, to dwell on the whys and wherefores of this. I love classical music. The short but significant 1 year that I spent learning Classical music, did succeed in opening up my mind and heart (ears followed..) to the aarOhaNas and avarOhaNas, the swaras, taaLas, raagas, and bhaavas. My whole being rose up and met the beauty of music.
What followed then, was years of association with various forms of music. What is going to follow now, here in this blog, is a journey through them.
madbhaktAH yatra gAyaMti tatra tiShThAmi nArada
Music is a rhythmic, ordered sound produced by a synchronized movement - scientifically speaking. But in the realms of art, music is an enchantment. The power of sound enters into the mystic levels, when it alleviates itself into music. The cacophonous, incoherent sounds that otherwise may seem so disordered and incomprehensible, suddenly gain new meaning and importance. Music becomes a language, of the heart, of the soul.
Right from my childhood, I seem to have a passion for music. It is beyond my comprehension and in the present situation out of context, to dwell on the whys and wherefores of this. I love classical music. The short but significant 1 year that I spent learning Classical music, did succeed in opening up my mind and heart (ears followed..) to the aarOhaNas and avarOhaNas, the swaras, taaLas, raagas, and bhaavas. My whole being rose up and met the beauty of music.
What followed then, was years of association with various forms of music. What is going to follow now, here in this blog, is a journey through them.
