5 months ago
1
Yet different December is upon us, arsenic is different Music Season – a clip erstwhile Carnatic Music and Bharatanatyam are presented crossed aggregate venues successful the city. And arsenic the arts get progressively southbound Chennai-focused, I look backmost astatine a clip erstwhile the venues were each successful northbound Madras. But determination was a clip adjacent earlier that, erstwhile locations were genuinely retired successful the open, nationalist spaces arsenic it were. And to get a flavour of those, and successful the precocious 18th and aboriginal 19th centuries, we request to crook to the Sarva Deva Vilasa.
This Sanskrit work, whose writer is unknown, is disposable lone arsenic an incomplete substance to us, preserved successful the Adyar Library. It was Dr. V. Raghavan, who took pains to spell done it, and springiness america a commentary, which aft being serialised successful the Adyar Library Bulletin successful 1957/58, was brought retired arsenic a publication by the Theosophical Society. Reading it, we get an thought of the arts country successful the Madras of the precocious 1700s and aboriginal 1800s.
Rather similar the concern houses and corporates that enactment the arts present by mode of CSR funds, and marque the December Season possible, enactment past was by mode of the dubashes – fabulously affluent and with retinues of performing artistes. When not engaged with transacting connected behalf of their assemblage masters, the enactment shows them going disconnected to assorted orchards and estates extracurricular the metropolis (then Black aka George Town) wherever they enjoyed scholarly debates and music/dance performances. Some of these see Tiruneermalai, Thottikalai (Tiruvallur district), Nungambakkam, Tiruvallikeni, and Tiruvottriyur.
The advancement to these venues by themselves are philharmonic events, with occidental bands and Indian ensembles accompanying them. The communicative mentions usage of the Tamil instrumentality parai and its 2 varieties – Surya and Chandra parai-s. The venues for the performances and soirees are tents and notation is besides made of bathing by the patrons astatine the Nungambakkam water (now non-existent and partially Valluvar Kottam) and besides astatine the Tiruvallikeni tank.
The works presented astatine these events look to beryllium chiefly songs and verses. The connection utilized for these is either Sanskrit oregon Telugu, Tamil by past having been relegated to 3rd spot owing to historical circumstances. There are besides scholarly debates, alternatively similar world sessions today, with musicians presenting alternate views and a respected elder from the assemblage umpiring. How overmuch of the nationalist had entree to these events successful tents is unfastened to statement but what is for definite is that the adjacent prime of venue, namely temples, indispensable person been accessible to a batch more.
The shrines are those located successful the places mentioned successful an earlier paragraph. The dubashes identified by sanction successful the enactment were administrators and trustees of the assorted shrines. Some of the philharmonic events instrumentality spot astatine the temple precincts and we past work of scholars composing songs connected the deities enshrined there. It besides gives america a bully thought of Carnatic euphony economics erstwhile it comes to composing. It is customary contiguous to state them each arsenic owing to divine grace.
Courtesans, though mentioned lone fleetingly, look successful the work. At slightest 5 idiosyncratic women, of whom thing is known beyond their respective patrons, are identifiable. But their value successful the show abstraction is established.
The December euphony play sees postulation hotspots developing, particularly erstwhile fashionable artistes execute oregon erstwhile a canteen contractor is each the rage. It is, therefore, possibly each to the bully that we nary longer bring musicians to venues by elephant arsenic was the signifier successful olden times.
(Sriram V. is simply a writer and historian.)
