Kuthu met at the Lake Dame session of the Academy of Classical Music

There were two interesting topics on the fourth day of Lake Dames at the Music Academy. First, on the subject’buckwheat Presented by Vidwan P. Rajagopal and Hanne M. De Bruin, ‘Raaga-S: Evoking the Character’ began with a unique musical performance by P. Rajagopal and his group comprising Vijayan on harmonium, Sasikumar on mukhveena and Selvakumar on Were included. Mridangam and Dholak. The absence of amplification emphasized the natural and emotional depth of the art form. Hahn provided insight while Rajagopal demonstrated various aspects Kattai KoothuA traditional art form of dance, drama and storytelling.

Kattai Koothu Performances are unamplified, requiring a higher vocal range, especially for male performers singing at a pitch of F#, which is considered very high today. This practice is reminiscent of an older, unloved era, giving the art a unique time that expresses emotions more naturally. Performances often last through the night, lasting more than eight hours, with stories rooted in Indian mythological epics. MahabharataHistorically a men-only performance, women have recently begun participating in the performances. Hahn highlighted that physicians coming from traditionally marginalized communities were often ignored by the privileged urban elite.

one of the major rasas (emotions) expressed in koothu Veera (valour), which is often displayed through the raga Mohanam. Rajagopal acted out a scene HiranyavilasamShows Hiranyakashipu’s boastful proclamation of his glory. In koothuThe dialogues are sung, merging seamlessly with the music, reminiscent of a musical narrative. Hahn told how of Koothu Adaptability evolved as a response to social hierarchies, incorporating colloquial dialects into epic narratives for greater audience relatability. Rajagopal performed a comic scene between Krishna and Subhadra MahabharataDemonstrating the flexibility of the art in incorporating traditional stories with modern slang and humor.

structure of koothu Songs typically consist of two lines repeated by the chorus, followed by a rhythmic or dance interlude. The often simple and repetitive melodies, like Namavalis, are rooted in Carnatic music but have distinctive aesthetics. koothucommon chords like Canada, Kamboji, mohanam And Sindhubhairavi Were recognizable by the performances, but were imbued with uniqueness koothu Sound, as Sangeetha Kalanidhi designer TM Krishna noted during his summary. Krishna also stressed the need to maintain the ragas as they are in each art form and one should not try to tamper with them in the name of cleaning it.

Another attractive element was the concept of ‘thiraipravesham”, demonstrated by Rajagopal through the introduction of Karnan” of Mahabharata Kurukshetra war. In this technique, a translucent curtain initially reveals only the character’s head, with text/dialogue highlighting the character’s attributes. The curtain is then removed to completely expose the character, creating a dramatic effect.

The expert committee discussed the adaptability of ragas in character representation and considered Mukhveena, once a temple instrument, now eclipsed by Shehnai. Sasikumar expressed his dream of reviving Mukhveena and passing on its knowledge to future generations. Rajagopal stressed the lack of formal training structure koothuFearing that a rigid curriculum might dilute its essence. Krishna elaborated on the distinction between community art and organized art, advocating minimal use of the term “folk”. The session concluded with an interactive performance by Rajagopal and Krishna, exploring the nuances of word-segmentation in Karnataka and Carnatic. koothu Music while maintaining melodic integrity.

This lecture-demonstration offered a deep dive into the complex artistry of Kattai KoothuBlending scholarly insights with live performances to highlight its cultural and musical significance.

The second lecture performance of the day, titled ‘Between Page and Stage: Ragas and Raga Music in Classical Literary Sources’, by Naresh Kirti, enthralled the audience with a nuanced exploration of raga descriptions in literary works from the 13th to the 17th century. . Naresh highlights how these texts provide detailed information about the characteristics of ragas, thereby enriching our understanding of early musical traditions.

Start of session’Vijayashreenatika’ By Rajguru Mandana from 13th century Malwa. This work describes the lack of dhaivatham in raga Hindola and performing kampita movement on shadja and pancham. It was also identified as ‘Gram’ raga.

After this the king discussed Terakanambi Bommarasa sanatkumarkarite From Karnataka (1485). A notable story from this work describes a woman playing the mridangam while another Apsara woman dances through several talas, including the seven Suldi talas. An important stanza mentions ragas like Dhanyasi, Malahari, Lalit and Kambhoji, which shows his talent in performance.

Next was on focus Kokkanathacharitamu A story by Thiruvengalaraju (circa 1540) ThiruvilayadalSinger Hemnath boldly proclaimed his musical talent before the Pandya king. The text references the Gita and the Prabandha, which contains a line, “Geeta Prabandhamulu Nanuvoppa Mantra Madhyam Tarakulam Pade,” refers to the singing of these forms in all three octaves. The work also mentions ragas like Arabi, Gurjari, Samanta (now a forgotten raga) and Devgandhari.

discussion of king Nalcharitamu poetry (1600) Raghunathnayak surprised the audience. While describing Raga Nattai, the text details the sliding of Ri into Sa as seen in the lines.Durini Shadjambu Pondu Padanga Migula Sarigama Sarigama Padanisa Kramamu…” and Damayanti’s rendition of Raga Gaula, where Rishabh “embraces” Shadja. These elements match contemporary Carnatic practices. Additionally, the text describes Raga Jayantiseni as incorporating Gaula’s Dhaivatham, close to the Pancham, and employing the kampita gamaka on the Madhyam during the avartan.

Raghunathvilasnatakam Yajnarayan Dixit threw further light on the characteristics of Nattai. The hero, Raghunath, describes the characteristics of the raga: dhaivatam and rishabham in satshruti position, nishadham as kakali, and gandhara as antara. These detailed descriptions highlight the period’s increasing focus on the stylistic nuances of the raga.

Naresh emphasizes that early modern literary works often provide more detailed and technical raga descriptions, reflecting the growing popularity and development of the song genre. Innovations such as new ragas emerged prominently during this period.

The discussion of the Expert Committee further enriched the session. Vidushi RS Jayalakshmi mentions musical notes Silapathikaram From the 2nd century, while scholar RK Sriramkumar highlighted the mention of Grama Raga system beauty waveKrishna concluded the session by cautioning against interpreting these literary raga descriptions only through a scalar lens. He also cites a poem by Bhattumurthy which describes raga Vasantha as Pancham and explains how Subbaram Dixit has incorporated this description into his own. sect exhibitionMusic underlines the continuity of thought.