Sound theory
ARUNA CHANDARAJU
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Carnatic vocalist S. Sowmya regrets the tendency to regard theory and practise as separate entities of music, and feels it has to be treated as an integral whole
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Photo: Murali Kumar K.
THE RIGHT MIX S. Soumya: `The deeper you delve into music, the more valuable your insights are'.
Young musician S. Sowmya's guru S. Ramanathan was both a renowned vocalist and a respected musicologist. Sowmya herself has a post-graduate degree in classical music. Naturally, she speaks about music theory with enthusiasm and lucidity. Music-theory study, she says, benefited her tremendously as a student, performer and teacher, because "if you delve deep into it, you gain valuable insights and generally a more comprehensive understanding of music. It's like performing puja knowing the meaning of the mantras."
Theory offers fascinating insights into the evolution of music, particularly ragas. For example the concept of aarohana-avarohona or raga-scale came only with Sonthi Venkatamakhi's 72-melakartha system. However, many ragas existed prior to this. Bhairavi predated Natabhairavi, for example. This reveals the aarhona-avarahona concept isn't totally binding, and not valid for all ragas. It's an indicator of the flow of sancharas and prayogas in that raga; not an ironclad boundary. So, viewing scale as a raga's all-important and defining feature is to impose limits on one's creativity while handling ragas. This narrow view even leads to some performers altering a varnam to suit its raga's scale. This is an injustice to the composer who uncovered the raga's full potential pushing beyond the boundaries of its scale.
Is there then a better introduction to a ragaswaroopa than aarohana-avarohana? Says Sowmya: "Yes, a composition that contains the raga-essence, its total picture. For example, Thyagaraja's "Balakanakamayachela" is a perfectly crystallised form of Athana ragaswaroopa. Knowing it is a better way to understand Athana's entire potential than its aarohona-avarahona."
In fact, she believes it's better to begin music classes with small songs, which introduce laya and raga concepts in easy, interesting ways, than with pure saraliswaras. Theory study also aids better understanding of sahitya structure and the creative process. Once you study sahitya aspects like praasa (rhyme) and alliteration in compositions, you better appreciate Dikshitar's "Akshaya Linga Vibho" where he used these to superb effect. Sahitya study makes you more aware of the sheer artistry and erudition behind a masterpiece like Thyagaraja's "Yendaro Mahaanubhaavulu". And once you understand the process of creation behind every item you perform, you become a more rounded performer.
The folk-or-otherwise origin of ragas is another interesting revelation. Moreover, a detailed study of concepts like yathis helps in construction of pallavis and yamakas. "So in pallavi-creation instead of just having a string of adjectives you also think in terms of yathis and yamakas. And though we talk dashavidha gamakas today, ancient texts mention panchadasha gamakas, making you aware of additional ways of embellishment." Sowmya regrets the tendency to regard theory and practicals in music as separate entities than an integral whole. She advises a holistic view and suggests the teaching of both simultaneously. Something that's easy if the teacher knows how.
For instance, Thyagaraja's "Sarasa Nethra" contains a smooth passage from chaturasra nadai to thrisra nadai. Once the student has learnt the song, the teacher can point out this technicality and use it to teach him about nadai changes which he will then understand easier. Ramanathan made students understand the complexities of vivadi ragas and 16-note concept using the analogy of the Ramayana where the four brothers followed a strict hierarchy. While teaching allied ragas like Darbar-Nayaki or Suruti-Kedaragowla-Narayanagowla, he would first explain jeevaswara theory. And then ask them to take a set of allied ragas and sing in unbroken continuity, one avarathanam in aadi thalam for each raga.
A judicious combination of theory and practice hones an important skill — alapana rendition in such a way that the listener can identify the raga with the first note itself. That's because even though many ragas contain the same note, each raga has a distinctly characteristic or unique pattern of rendition of that note. The intonation and embellishment of the same swara in each raga is different, however subtle that difference.
Further, an alapana should be so rendered that the listener should guess which kriti will follow, since each kriti brings out different dimensions of a raga which its alapana reflects. So, even with 40 kritis in Todi, you should be able to identify from a Todi alapana which of these will follow, she says. Any must-read theory books? "The classic Sangeeta Ratnakara; Sangeeta Sampradaya Pradarshini; and Prof Sambamurthy's Indian Music."
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