Classical Karnatic Flute

Dr. N. Ramani - Classical Karnatic Flute

Performers:

Dr. N. Ramani - flute
T. S. Veeraraghavan - violin
Srimushnam Rajarao - mrdangam
E. M. Subramaniam - ghatam
Sylvie Lecerf - tampura
From the liner notes:
The classical music tradition in the South of India stems from the same basic historical roots as does that of the North for which roots we have but textual evidence, such as Bharata's Nātyaśāstra (4th Century B.C.) indeed divergence of the two traditions seems only to have commenced around the 14th Century A.D. Thus, pitch is at the discretion of the performer, the seven degrees of the Octave are Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni, whereby Sa and Pa always stand for the tonic and the perfect fifth, and the remaining pitches are determined by taught systems of reference. Tala, time measure, is another principal element shared.
...
The main performing tradition in South Indian music centres round forms of discontinuous religious song called Kirtanā or Krti. The talent of the performer is shown by the extent to which he or she can improvise on the melodic lines of these, while adhering strictly to the time-measure in which they are set and the taught characteristics of their raga. In concert, rendering of a song is frequently preceded by Ālāpanā, 'Discussion, preamble', an extempore essay on the raga's features, sung to meaningless syllables - or played as the case may be - without rhythm. Examples of Ālāpanā precede all 5 items on this record and, before item 4, the violin adds a short Ālāpanā too.
The other principal improvisation extraneous to the song is Svaram, solfeggio-passages appropriate to the raga and again strictly adhering to the tala, inserted at some point in the song or at the end thereof.
In view of the large number of Kirtanā-songs handed down, and of the fact that much instrumental playing - as on this disc - is of the melodies of these compositions, it is clear that the principal vector of music performance in South India was the human voice. However, in recent years instrumental music has assumed a far more prominent position, perhaps in part due to the growth of Sabhās, Music societies, and consequent concert performances. This is true not only of accompanying instruments such as the violin, but also the long-necked lute Vīnā, on which the player used to accompany herself while singing. Moreover the loud shawm of South India, the Nāgasvara, used on auspicious occasions such as weddings, has of recent years become a concert-hall instrument.
Traditionally contrasted with the Nāgasvara, by reason of its smaller size and sweeter tone, is the Flute (Skt, Venu, Tamil Pullānkulal). In the South it is always fashioned from a straight piece of bamboo and is side-blown; the holes are bored either for a scale equivalent to the diatonic Major Scale, or one similar save in having a flat 7th.
The violin in its present form was introduced to Karnatic music from European sources in the early 19th century by a brother of one of the great South Indian composers, Muttusvāmi Dīksitar (1775-1835).
The Mrdanga, despite its name, is a drum whose body is of wood. It has two faces, and is struck with the left and right hands and fingers. The right face is tuned to tonic or base-note Sa of the raga, in accordance with the pitch selected by the principal singer or instrumentalist.
The Ghatam is a large, round-bottomed clay pot, selected for its high quality and consequent ringing tone. It is held in the lap and played with the fingers of both hands. Solo passages by both percussion instruments are heard on this disc.


Tracklisting:

1. Ninnade: Kannada Raga {6:31}

2. Nadaloludai: Kalyanavasanta Raga {10:09}

3. Manasu visaya: Natakurañji Raga {13:40}

4. Ragam Tanam: Rañjani Raga {10:09}

5. Pallavi Ragamalika {18:13}

6. Jayajaya: Des Raga {10:05}

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