The Cords

A couple of books about the sociocultural history of Indian Classical Music

2009-10-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

Given my schedule lately, I am surprised myself that I am writing this blog post, but much to my own amazement I was able to grab a few minutes today!

The last two books I read were both about Indian Classical Music. My mom got them when she came from India in August. They both have a lot to say about the sociocultural history of Indian Classical Music, besides focussing on specific artistes.

The first book was The Music Room by Namita Devidayal. A very lucid and expressive work, this book is about the tradition, practice, culture and the history of Hindustani music, woven around the stories of two specific artistes, Kesarbai Kelkar and Alladiya Khan. It also talks about a third supposedly very talented artiste, Dhondutai, the author's music guru, who for reasons not easy to fathom, never made it big as a professional singer. The story also speaks of the life of a girl who like me, was educated in classical music as a kid. That made it interesting to me as I could well relate to how one tends to take something like music for granted when one is just "plugged" into the field almost from the time they're born. For that reason I somehow never took it seriously and that was exactly the case with the author.

The second book was MS : A life in Music by TJS George. After reading The Music Room which was about the history of Hindustani music, I realized that I already knew most of it, whereas my knowledge of the history and evolution of Carnatic music was limited. For instance, I knew about the evolution of Hindustani music from pure devotional Drupad style of singing to the Khayal style that is centered around the human spirit and is often romantic. I had always wondered why Carnatic music on the other hand had Bhakti as the central ideology, and why it was lyrically heavy unlike Hindustani music which gives the artiste a lot more freedom to boundlessly explore the essence of the raga. Although MS : A life in Music is meant to be a biography I suspected that the life of such a musician and the path of their professional life was inseparabale from the history of the art/field itself, and decided to read the book to see what it had to say. Sure enough, the book did deal with Carnatic music itself, its evolution and the culture around it. It does not answer all the why-questions about Carnatic music that I mentioned above; and I am not sure one can answer them since the way any field evolves is purely a product of the entire sequence of specific circumstances at different points in time, but the book helped appreciate better the Carnatic ideology/point of view.

Though this book is a biography of Ms M.S Subbulakshmi, the thing that you'd be quick to notice is that it is as much a biography about her husband Sadasivam, and I can kind of understand why. Sadasivam was MS's "lord and master", and practically ruled her professional and personal life.

The aspects that were most interesting to me were the family and background that MS came from, and some of the anecdotes from her life in her 20's that project a completely different persona from the usual image that the name "MS" makes one conjure up. I saw a young woman, vulnerable and human, rather than a poised, mature woman who is an image of piety and divinity.

Some of the things the author says about MS's aura and her fan following brought back memories. The bit about her being a big fashion icon and a legend, after whom the term 'MS blue' was coined (refering to the color of a saree she once supposedly wore during a performance), and the fact that women of those days loved to dress like her and emulate her, reminded me of my grandmother who's no more, who was an ardent fan of MS, and who would sometimes wear her Bindi like MS did, with a big red dot on top and a little one underneath! The description of MS later becoming the very symbol and personification of Bhakti reminded me of what the same grandmom once said: "MS is the Goddess Saraswati incarnate of Kali Yuga"!

It was interesting to note that the two books agreed with each other perfectly and didn't contradict each other in any way with regard to the history of classical music in India and the social view and the status of musicians. In this regard, I used one book as a corroboration of the claims in the other. It was also interesting to note that both the North and the South went through the same social complexities and developments with regard to the musicians' status quo, the society's perception of artistes and the controversial Devdasi tradition.

After having spent the last month and a half reading about Indian Classical music in the social context, I am now ready to move onto something different; magical realism, perhaps...

We'll see how that goes, with the newborn hogging most of my time. :-)

Another sister trip, another duet session

2009-07-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

I'd presented Albela Sajan, a duet with my sister, last year. She's in town again and here are a couple of songs we recorded together two nights back.

The first is a very short piece and is a classical rendering of Vande Mataram in the Carnatic raga Khamas. It was originally sung by a group of four renowned Carnatic singers: Bombay S. Jayashree, Sanjay Subrahmaniam, Unni Krishnan and Sowmya.

The second one is an old Kannada movie classic, sung originally by Vani Jayaram and S. Janaki. It's an all-time favorite of many in the Kannada movie world.

Vande Mataram in Khamas

vande mataram in khamas Online recorder

Teredide Mane

Hope you enjoy listening to these as much as we enjoyed singing them! :-)

As always, I'd really appreciate your feedback.

My first attempt at composing music

2009-03-27T23:20:00.000-07:00

Ajay Chandran, a fellow blogger who composes Hindi poetry and Ghazals, presented a challenge for me, a few months back. He asked me if I could compose a tune for one of the songs he had written. He suggested a classical rendering. This is my very first attempt at composing something. It was pretty hard to start out with a blank canvas and come up with something that conveyed the emotion of the poetry. The theme is Viraah (Separation).

I realize this is pretty elaborate and deep for someone who is not very much into classical music. This is meant for a more musically inclined audience. The composition starts off in Khamaj, transitions to Pilu and ends in Bihaag. If heard on headphones, the background score on the keyboard is discernible. I just tried to play simple chords that gelled with the transition of the basic frequencies across the song.

I got feedback from Murali Venkatraman, a talented composer and an avid blogger on this composition, which was useful. Though I failed to incorporate a lot of the suggestions in this, I hope to use them for the next time, if there's one. One thing that's easy to note is that the composition lacks a rigid rhythm structure, which Murali also pointed out. It's only loosely structured on an evenly spaced three beat cycle. I hope to improve on such weak points as I do more of this. I would really appreciate your feedback, positive and/or negative, as I found this project difficult and am ready to grab whatever I get that would better equip me for my next time.

Ajay's posts of this song:
Muziboo
Uhuroo

I thank Ajay for this opportunity and the lovely lyrics. And here's hoping for more such opportunities!

Mere Naseeb Ne...

2009-03-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

Here's a simple ghazal, though melodious (and I love it for that reason), that I learnt from a Begam Akhtar collection. It took just about 30 minutes to learn and yet has a nice tune to it.

Mere Naseeb Ne.mp3

Ghazal with live Percussion!

2009-02-15T21:16:00.000-08:00

I had presented my version of the famous Farida Khanum ghazal, Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo in an earlier post. But now I got to do it again - a better version , I think, with Tabla! Yup, my husband is learning to play the Tabla and he has accompanied me on this - our first jam session! We had fun doing this. I have removed the earlier mp3 since I think this turned out better anyways.

ghazal.mp3

I would appreciate your feedback!

PS: I realize the widget is completely inappropriate... but it's so cool and goes with the title that screams excitement about percussion and the drummer's just as adorable as my drummer (;-)); it was hard to resist.

'Breathless' Violin!

2009-01-31T11:09:00.001-08:00

Years back (back in the early 90's, was it?), there was a Tamil movie called Kaeladi Kanmani. Ilayarja did the music for this movie. The super celebrity, S.P Balasubrahmaniam sang one of the songs, Mannil Inda Kaadal that became a huge hit.

Let me be honest- I have never been a fan of SPB. He's a good singer and all that. But there's just this quality in his voice that doesn't appeal to me. However, I randomly remembered this song and looked it up and found it on Youtube and I must say, I was totally impressed with him! It's a very difficult song, not only in the musical aspects like the speed coupled with the complexity of the tune, but also from the lyrical aspect. It's hard! And Tamil does not "flow" easily. It *is* a harder language. I looked up the lyrics (of course, transliterated in English), and boy! I could never sing it!

Anyways, the highlight of the song is that SPB sings the last two stanzas 'breathless' - don't know how true it is but this was his claim to fame. I mean, even if it wasn't truly a breathless performance, I am impressed!

Now this video has the famous Carnatic violin maestro, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan playing the same song 'breathless'. He stops in the middle of the performance to explain what he means by playing 'breathless' on the violin and shows the contrast, by first playing that same stanza 'normally'; i.e., lifting his bow and putting it back on the strings, and then 'breathless'; i.e., without lifting the bow at all. I have always found Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan hilarious. He bears a resemblance to one of our cute cousins in the ape family - no! No offense, I mean this with the most genuine of affections! But his playing Carnatic never appealed to me because of his gimmicks. I do recognize that he was very very talented and a lot of fun, though! But this piece- the stretch that he plays 'breathless' is just amazing! One hell of a talent! Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYfSHElYR2M&feature=related

At long last!!!

2009-01-03T17:24:00.000-08:00

Ah, a rain song!

Finally, my throat cooperated and opened up, after trying lots of techniques, that included the carrot (hot ginger tea, lozenges and what not) and the stick (rigorous rigorous practice sessions) and I was able to get somewhere.

Here's a Bhajan by Mirabai, the famous composer-saint-poet from Gujarat, India. She supposedly dedicated her life to the love of Krishna. A bhajan, by definition is a devotional song. However this song inspires a mood of romance and ecstasy as it brings the image of a love struck young lass singing and dancing while being soaked to the skin in the monsoon rain. The poetry uses rhythmic sound words that naturally lead the listener to conjure up a thunderstorm, a storm within and without.

Thanks to my sweet husband who played the background drone for me on his electric guitar! :-)

Barse Badariya.mp3

Frustrated

2008-11-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

I constantly have a cold and some phlegm... almost! It's only in summers that I am able to use my voice as I please. My throat feels so rigid and mute the rest of the time! I am frustrated! Anyone got any ideas? I try to keep away from having salads and try to have only warm food but I just have this constant problem! I just lack the unrestrained (musical) expressiveness and feel so handicapped! :-(

Albela Sajan

2008-09-03T02:55:00.000-07:00

I finally got the much awaited opportunity for jamming sessions with my sister who's now in the U.S. Here's our first recording together (first in the cyber age at least)!

It's the song Albela Sajan from the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, with a short aalaap of Ahir Bhairav.

We would welcome your feedback!

Since I now have a great software for recording (thanks to her), I hope that the quality of this track and of my future recordings is better than that of the tracks I've posted so far.

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Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo

2008-06-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

It's been very long since I sang anything. My throat actually feels underutilized and rusty (I don't talk much either ;-) ). Anyway, I attempted something finally. This tender song in Yaman Kalyan is one of the tracks in the movie, Monsoon Wedding, and is a famous Ghazal.

The song is about pleading a loved one not to leave. "Life is bound by time. There is no escape from the rhythm of the world... But moments such as this are our only deliverance from the race against time. Love of my life, let not these moments slip away before you can live them..."

I have removed the mp3 from this post since I subsequently did a better version with Tabla.

Homage : Pink Floyd

2008-03-12T17:31:00.001-07:00

I am partially repeating this post from my other blog since it belongs here in the Music blog as well...

This post is intended as a homage to Pink Floyd. It's my most cherished Pink Floyd song and everytime I hear it I quiver.

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
You were caught on the crossfire of childhood and stardom, blown on the steel breeze.
Come on you target for faraway laughter,
Come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!
You reached for the secret too soon, you cried for the moon.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Threatened by shadows at night, and exposed in the light.
Shine on you crazy diamond.
Well you wore out your welcome with random precision,rode on the steel breeze.
Come on you raver, you seer of visions, come on you painter, you piper, you prisoner, and shine!

I consider myself lucky to have had the chance to hear the song live. Ah, Roger Waters, ah, Key Arena, ah, marijuana drenched dreamy smoky air....

Bol Re Papeehara...

2008-02-17T21:19:00.000-08:00

I have not been overly fond of this song since the original song in the movie Guddi was at a very high pitch with too little bass for my liking. But I unexpectedly had to learn this song and sing it for a show a few weeks back and I started appreciating the raga, Miyaan Ki Malhaar. So here's my attempt of a romantic melody in which a girl wishes for the monsoon clouds to carry her message to her lover.

Bol Re Papihara.mp...

PS: I know the widget doesn't suit the mood of the raag, but.... oh well... (I liked it too much) :-p!

Bihaag

2008-01-13T20:44:00.000-08:00

In my India trip in November I was lucky to get my much awaited Taal Mala I asked my mum to buy for me! I just couldn't wait to get to hear the sound of Tabla any time I wanted. Here's my attempt of a Chhota Khayal in Bihaag, my current favorite raag.

Khayal, or Khyal, which is a Persian word that literally means
thought or imagination came into Hindustani Music from Persian influence during the Mughal times and is by far the most popular style in Hindustani. Khayal compositions are often romantic and this one, Faagun Maas Suhaayo is one such, that describes the month of the new moon and the joyous celebrations of Hori or Holi with Krishna.

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Much as I tried I couldn't get rid of some of the background hum and uneven volume in different parts of the track, sigh! I really need to look into the technicalities of my recording equipment. Having a special external soundcard of supposedly the best quality doesn't seem to be all there is to it.

Lines I read and loved

2008-01-02T21:48:00.000-08:00

The following lines from Salman Rushdie's The Ground Beneath her Feet describing the protagonist, Vina Apsara, made an impression on me. They are narrated by Umeed Merchant, aka Rai, a photographer and one of her many lovers:

"... The music of India, from northern sitar ragas to southern Carnatic melodies always created in her a mood of inexpressible longing. She could listen to recordings of ghazals for hours at a stretch, and was entranced, for what? Not, surely, for an "authentic" Indianness that she could never attain? Rather, I must conclude- and this is hard for a lifelong sceptic like me to write- that what Vina wanted was a glimpse of the unknowable. The music offered the tantalising possibility of being borne on the waves of sound through the curtain of maya that supposedly limits our knowing, through the gates of perception to the divine melody beyond.

A religious experience, to be brief, was what she wanted. In a sense, this meant she understood the music far better than I, for its spiritual element is of central importance to so many people, not least the musicians themselves...."

I wholly and completely relate to these beautiful lines. To me music, especially Indian classical music, is a doorway to a different realm of consciousness. And I could never equate it to other forms of art, dance included. Music has an immensely abstract quality amd can penetrate the soul.

Priceless...

2007-10-15T22:16:00.000-07:00

I have autographs from three great singers so far: Ms Aruna Sairam, Mr T.N Seshagopalan and Ms Lakshmi Shankar! While the first one I got from a concert I attended back in Chennai at Bharat Kalachar during my last India trip, I got the latter two from concerts I attended on Friday and Saturday respectively last week in UW.

Obviously I remember the latest two concerts a whole lot better, although I still have not forgotten my experience listening to Shubha Pantuvarali by Ms Aruna Sairam. It was a celestial experience.

Madurai Seshagopalan has an unbelievable vocal range. His Aalaapanai of Raga Lalita was perfect in the balance of feel and technicality. The bass parts were especially moving as they completely brought out the meditative and spiritual nature of the raga.

During the break in this concert, some women in the restroom were confused between Raga Lalita and Raga Vasanta. When I tried to recollect Vasanta, I thought the only difference was that you go "S M G M" in it and "S R G M" in Lalita. I was cracking my brains about how the moods of the two ragas are so starkly different. I just found out that they are quite, quite different, essentially because of the D.

Lalita:

S R1 G3 M1 D1 N3 S

S N3 D1 M1 G3 R1 S

Vasanta:

S M1 G3 M1 D2 N3 S

S N3 D2 M1 G3 R1 S

This only goes to say that I need to revive my memory and do my Riyaaz more. To make things worse, the internet seems to have some incorrect information that confuses you. The first website had *G2 (and D1) for Lalita and the second one had *D2 (and G3), which completely confused me and led me light years away from Lalita. My ears were so tainted by my own incorrect humming that I had to search for an audio track to listen to Lalita and figure out the correct notes. I hope the above is accurate. If not, please leave a comment. (In the above I am assuming that G3 and D1 are the G and D that appear in MayaMaLavaGowLa). It made sense to me since Lalita's janya raga is MayaMaLavaGowLa. One thing I was surprised about was that somewhere on the web I read that Lalita is a night raga. The feel of this raga is so much like that of a morning raga, and so much like MayaMaLavaGowla, which is its mother raga and a morning raga. Is Lalita really considered to be a night raga?

Ms Lakshmi Shankar was awe inspiring. It was impossible to hear any strain in her voice due to her age. My favorite piece in the concert was her very first one, which was a Khayal in the lovely Bihag, a raag close to my heart. Her Khayal in Keervani was also wonderful.

I was fortunate to get to meet her backstage even if for just a few moments and touch her feet. If only I could touch the crescendo of a feeling through some art form... I'd feel liberated!

Vaseegara...

2007-07-11T22:42:00.000-07:00

This is supposed to be one of the most romantic songs from recent times, originally sung by Ms Bombay Jayshree. I found a free Karaoke track on the web so I did it. :-p

Vaseegara.mp3

Mera Kuchh Saamaan

2007-06-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

From the movie Ijaazat, originally sung by Asha Bhonsle again, is this wistful melody, Mera Kuchh Saamaan...

Here's my attempt.

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Dil Cheez Kya Hai

2007-06-13T00:05:00.000-07:00

This is one of the classics of the ever young Asha Bhonsle, from the movie Umrao Jaan.

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Piya Bina

2007-06-12T01:07:00.000-07:00

Karaokes are unnatural. You try to sing at a pitch that's not your natural one, you try to drown badly played parts, and try desperately with the poor man's equipment you have to match the original quality; not to mention, the learning curve associated with getting introduced to the equipment and the software for a first time karaoke singer! Nevertheless, what better time is there to go all the way and explore things while on a break from school, AND when you have a couple of Karaoke cds you impulse-bought during your vacation in India?! :-p

So here goes- an old hit originally sung by Ms Lata Mangeshkar in the film Abhimaan.

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Manamayakkum....

2007-06-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

This is definitely one of my favorite Carnatic songs that I learnt from a CD by the great singer, Ms Aruna Sairam. I am not aware of who composed this beautiful poetry and who composed the music for it.

I am attempting to translate the poetry here and sincerely hope I am doing justice. Thanks to my mother who gave me a word-to-word translation of this archaic Tamil literary work, I was able to appreciate this piece in its entirity.

The poet likens the Hindu God Krishna to a king and his paradise forest, Brindavan to a king's court. The song is befittingly set to Brindavana Saranga, adapted from the Hindustani Raag Brindavani Saarang.

My attempt at translation:

He, the bearer of the divine flute from which flows many a mallifluous tune, supremely enchanting!

Is the king of this paradise kingdom!

He sits magnificently on his wild rock throne, under the cool shade of trees rich with green leaves...

Adorned is He, by a crown that holds a single brilliant plume of a peacock!

The little bright flowers whose souls craved to reach Him, now are blessed to rest at His feet...

While He dwells in His paradise with His queen who is tranquil as she rests by His side!

His subjects are none but the enamored maids whose hearts pine for His love...

The bells of justice in His prosperous kingdom jingle in the necks of the cows generous and wholesome!

Sing in praise of this dusky king at the banks of the serene river Yamuna!

Calf, oh my calf! Many a salutation to you, who relentlessly sing His praise!