On a rhythmic beat
V. KALADHARAN
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Ethnomusicologist Rolf Alfred Groesbeck has chosen to concentrate his studies on Thayambaka.
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... This highly sophisticated form of Kerala music offers me glimpses of innovations that no similar forms have access to.
MESMERISED BY THE CHENDA: Rolf Alfred Groesbeck is the author of `Pedagogy and Performance in Thayambaka.'
In 1988, Rolf Alfred Groesbeck, an ethnomusicologist from New York University, arrived at Kerala Kalamandalam with a scholarship from the American Institute of Indian Studies. Much more than Kathakali, Rolf was drawn to the background music of Kathakali, particularly the sound of the chenda.
Indian percussion music was not alien to Rolf. He had been trained on the tabla and the mridangam at Oberlin College where he graduated in music history. Rolf was the first international student of the Kalamandalam to undergo practical training on the chenda for nearly two years.
Training and research
Rolf learnt the rudimentary lessons of Thayambaka under the consummate teacher and performer Kalamandalam Balaraman. From the mukham and pathikaalam, he progressed to the chemba and adanatha koorus.
Having studied the essential items of Thayambaka, Rolf switched over to keli, purappad, pakuthippurappad and melappadam, the four alluring segments preceding a Kathakali recital. Towards the conclusion of his studies, he became skilled enough to play in the cholliyattam kalari. But, by then, Rolf had decided that he would pursue the stylistic richness of Thayambaka for his doctoral dissertation.
Rolf delved into the arithmetic and aesthetics of Thayambaka devotedly. His profound and extensive interviews with the leading stalwarts of Thayambaka and Kathakali melam such as Chethali Rama Marar, Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduwal, Pallavoor Appu Marar, Pallassana Chandramannadiyar, Kalamandalam Achunni Poduwal, Thrithala Kunhikrishna Poduwal and the like revealed the rich repertoire of both genres. Apart from playing Thayambaka in a number of temples, he keenly listened to the performances of the old and new generation of soloists.
When he returned to the United States (U.S.) after two years, Rolf had with him an excellent collection of audio and videocassettes of interviews and performances of eminent artistes in the field.
Years of analysis and interpretation of the materials followed, supported by the arguments and inferences of musicologists and art-scholars. He has been successful in demystifying the liturgical content of percussion music like Paani, which is exclusive to ceremonies in temples. The result of his incisive and comprehensive exploration related to the individual expressions in drums was a monumental work titled `Pedagogy and Performance in Thayambaka.' Attoor Revi Varma, an accomplished poet and art-connoisseur, has found the thesis of Rolf illuminating and fastidious.
Rolf's thesis has many an insightful observation. `Ennams and manodharmams are both indispensable parts of the modern Thayambaka because the modern drummer lives simultaneously in the conceptual worlds associated with each. Like the characters in Mukundan's and Kamala Das' short stories, he cannot turn his back on either the home or the world, and so gives a performance that incorporates both. In the ideal performance there is harmonious balance between the two, but in general it is a precarious balance, as the debate over slow atanthakooru shows."
Rolf is currently Associate Professor in the Department of Ethnomusicology at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, in the U.S.
His intensive training in Malayalam under the renowned linguist V.R. Prabodachandran Nayar has enabled Rolf to speak Malayalam fluently.
While more and more young artistes are distancing themselves from indigenous traditions of art and culture, Rolf strives to highlight the richness and diversity of the artistic heritage of Kerala. His endeavour is an eye-opener to all those who have fallen prey to fashions and ephemeral trends in the sphere of arts.
On Thayambaka
Asked whether he has any regrets in choosing an esoteric tradition as his topic of a life-long study, Rolf replied, "The dynamism of Thayambaka is startling. On every visit, this highly sophisticated form of Kerala music offers me glimpses of innovations that no similar forms have access to."
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