5 months ago
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Muthuswami Dikshitar’s imposing philharmonic virtues are being extolled implicit the past fewer months connected the juncture of his 250th commencement anniversary. One of the sterling aspects we would similar to dwell upon is Dikshitar’s exposition of uncommon and hard ragas and his publication successful bringing them to mainstream performance. Just for establishing the moving grammar of truthful galore uncommon ragas, Dikshitar should person got a Nobel-equivalent, had determination been one.
In bid for a raga to beryllium portrayed successful detail, some successful the kriti signifier and successful alapana, a fewer requisites are a must: A chiseled unalloyed scale, capable signature phrases, jeeva swaras and associated landing rules, distinctiveness successful wide flavour, the accidental to amusement differences with adjacent ragas without trespassing, and bully contours for a wholesome acquisition alternatively than scale-based phrases. If a uncommon raga could beryllium acceptable to kritis with antithetic hues, the vista of imaginativeness for manodharma opens adjacent wider. Dikshitar’s handling of Brindavana Saranga with the 2 masterpieces, ‘Ranga puravihara’ and ‘Soundararajam’ is simply a bully spot to begin.
Dikshitar starts the 2 kritis successful precocious rishabam and mediate octave rishabam, respectively, to unit the contours to tally differently, arsenic lone Dikshitar can. He past varies the tempo and gamakas distinctly to springiness each kriti its ain charm. The ranges are besides different, with ‘Ranga puravihara’ stepping into the melody of the apical octaves regularly portion ‘Soundararajam’ explores the depths of the standard artistically. To sing ‘rajam’ with its aggregate karvais and sensitively optimised oscillation, successful the little octave, is simply a dainty that the fable D.K. Pattammal had perfected. Between conscionable the 2 compositions, Dikshitar gave america capable originative essence of the raga.
Dikshitar explored Hindustani influences successful different ragas specified arsenic Dwijavanti (‘Akhilandeswari’, ‘Chetasri balakrishnam’), Yamuna Kalyani (‘Jambupathe’) and others. We would astir apt not sing oregon play Dwijavanti but for these 2 kritis. Similarly, the Dikshitar mentation of Yamunakalyani has fixed america cardinal anchors to enactment with portion the much accepted Yamunakalyani has much appeal. I privation to marque a peculiar notation of 2 ragas successful which Dikshitar has composed lone 1 kriti each (as acold arsenic I know) but successful which the grammar and the aesthetics of these 2 ragas are afloat laced in. Manirangu (‘Mamava pattabhirama’) and Narayana Gowlai (‘Sri ramam’) are present mainstream ragas successful concerts. Manirangu is adjacent an RTP choice. ‘Mamava pattabhirama’ describes the crowning of Rama, with Dikshitar creating a afloat imagery of the lawsuit and mentions each important quality successful the epic successful a brilliantly studded 16-line charanam. There is adjacent a crescendo arsenic if everything other wasn’t sufficient.
Swaras are often sung for Narayana Gowlai with patterns that enactment existent to ‘pa ni da ni sa’ oregon ‘ri pa ma ri ga ri sa’ phrases with janta swaras and don’t infringe connected its unsocial grammar. Dikshitar’s agelong charanams and the faster lines supply much chromatic for him to chisel enhanced quality and defining phrases, arsenic borne retired successful these kritis.
The funny caput extended to a Sampoorna raga, Hemavathy, which is present a staple prati madhyama item. Dikshitar’s colossal ‘Sri kanthimathim’ and the lesser-known ‘Hariyuvathi hymavathi’ built the architecture of the raga. Among different one-raga wonders are Kumudakriya (‘Ardhanareeswaram’), Naga Gandhari (‘Sarasijanabha sodari’), Navroj, and the fashionable Thevaram hymn tune (‘Hastivadanaya’). We cognize these ragas astir exclusively successful the Dikshitar context, the evident limitations of specified ragas notwithstanding. The one-off kritis ‘Veena pustaka’ (Vegavahini), ‘Mahaganapathe’ (Nata Narayani) and ‘Maye’ (Tarangini) are emblematic of the gems hidden successful them. Finding the psyche of each of these ragas and utilizing that successful 1 creation is the concealed condiment that Dikshitar deployed. That the master-composer scaled specified heights not conscionable with treatise connected uncommon ragas, but successful astir everything helium worked connected – music, language, lyrical elegance, spiritual angle, places, history, temples and bhakti successful 1 beingness would stay arsenic an unparalleled feat for a euphony composer. That tantamounts to favoritism successful each subjects passim one’s world life. Each facet tin basal the toughest scrutiny.
Dikshitar’s endeavour portion handling specified uncommon ragas was not conscionable to someway make a kriti fitting the scale, but to agelong the built-in aesthetics of the raga successful galore antithetic shades truthful arsenic to supply a beardown knowing of the raga, its boundaries and unravel its astir artsy touches. In that process, the maestro has besides provided capable fodder for originative enlargement by galore musicians, particularly the likes of Madurai Mani Iyer, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and T.N. Seshagopalan, who person each lingered successful these uncommon ragas for long, opening up the quality petal by petal, successful alapana and kalpanaswaras.
Dikshitar has intelligibly been the inspiration for america to bask specified peculiar nectar. There is truthful overmuch to observe the large composer, but truthful small vocabulary to genuinely seizure that greatness.
