Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
Informative sessions on composers
B. RAMADEVI
|
Lec-dem A lot of research had gone into the presentations.
|
Photos: M. Periasamy.
Enriching: B.M.Sundaram.
Thanjavur Vadivelu will be remembered by lovers of music and dance for two reasons. He was the first to try out Carnatic music on the western instrument, violin, and the credit for reviving Mohiniyattom goes to him. This information and many such in
teresting details enriched the knowledge of the audience that attended the lec-dem sessions organised by Rajalakshmi Fine Arts, Coimbatore, as part of their September Season, 2007.
Jeyalakshmi, grand daughter of Muthiah Bhagavathar, spoke on ‘Rare and not yet popularised compositions of Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavathar’. He was a pioneer in lec-dem and the first person to get a doctorate in music.
Jeyalakshmi
She presented ‘Sannuthangi Sri Chamundeshwari’ (daruvarnam in Vasantha), ‘Veda Mathe, Veda Vinuthe’ (Nattai), ‘Yoginee Ganasevithe’ (Bowli), ‘Mahavishnu Sodari’ (Ananda bhairavi) and ‘Sathi Deviya Bhaji’ (Shanmukhapriya), and many more compositions. She drew attention to the fact that Muthiah Bhagavathar’s compositions resemble the style of the trinities as he belonged to the post-trinity period. Her samples from Bhagavathar’s Chamundeshwari Ashtothra Keerthanas, ‘Jaya Mahishasura Mardini’ (Hamsadhwani), ‘Ratna Kanchuka Dhaarini’ (Khambodi) and ‘Suganda Pushpa Bana Lasatkare’ (Malayamarutham) were lovely and the musical lyrics packed with beauty.
Lesser-known kritis
B.M.Sundaram’s lecture on the lesser-known kritis of the Thanjavur quartet, dealt with a lot of controversies regarding the authorship of many of the compositions attributed to them. The contribution of the four brothers — Chinnaiah, Ponniah, Sivanandam and Vadivelu — to the field of Carnatic music and dance has been voluminous as well as of excellent quality. They composed many varnams, javalis and kritis. Ponnaiah and Sivanandam remained in Serfoji’s court while Chinnaiah, the eldest, settled in Mysore (Wodeyar’s court) and the youngest Vadivelu flourished under the patronage of Swati Tirunal of the Travancore court. They take the credit for designing the ‘margam’ beginning with alarippu and ending with tillana, followed in Bharatanatyam recitals today. Sisters Nithya and Vidya presented ‘Neevanti,’ a varnam in Kamalamanohari (Adi-Chinnaiah), ‘Vanajaksha Ninne’ (Saveri-Kantajathi Ata talam-Vadivelu), ‘Mahadeva Manohari Sringari, Gowri’ (Devamanohari-Ponnaiah), ‘Brihadeeswara Nammithira’ (Varali-Ponnaiah) and ‘Mangalapradambulichu’ (Madhyamavati -Sivanandam). The lecture, based on extensive research, sure would have benefited students of music but the common rasikas certainly would have preferred a few more kritis.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Friday Review
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
|
