Learn the Lingo
Photo: M. Srinath
Kirtanam Commonly in praise of Lord Shiva.
Dance, Music
Kirtanam: A kirtanam is, as its name suggests, a musical composition whose main thrust is on devotion, or praise of the Lord. In the dance repertoire, particularly Bharatanatyam, the kirtanam is performed in the second half of the prog
ramme. In this portion, technical virtuosity gives way to interpretative pieces. Each of these is in a particular mould, of which the kirtanam is one. It provides a fitting foil to, say, padams, in which the mood of shringar or love is interpreted. A famous kirtanam from the Bharatanatyam repertoire is “Natanam Adinar” which relates the story of how Lord Nataraja danced the Tandava at the request of his devotees. Kirtanams of Annamacharya are favourites among Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dancers particularly.
Shlokam, viruttam: Literally, a shloka or shlokam is a verse in Sanskrit, while a viruttam is a verse in Tamil. In a vocal recital of Carnatic music, to sing lyrics in the shloka or viruttam style means to sing them in an improvised ma
nner, not bound by any tala pattern (rhythmic cycle), and not set like a song.
In the Bharatanatyam repertoire, a shlokam is the traditional end to a recital. The emphasis of the dancer and the accompanying vocalist in interpreting a shlokam is on improvisation. The dancer uses a variety of expressions and gestures to bring out the core idea of the verse, while the singer and other musicians bring the appropriate mood to the music. The challenge is for the dancer and the musicians to create a whole that is at once spontaneous yet not haphazard, orderly yet not pre-planned.
The shlokam traditionally follows the tillana. The idea behind this juxtaposition is to bring about a feeling of calm and tranquillity after the virtuoso display of the tillana. This practice is not so common today, as performances often end on the exhilarating note of the tillana.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
