5 months ago
2
During the tallness of the Tamil Isai movement, erstwhile Sabhas, musicians and patrons were daggers drawn and hurling imprecations astatine each other, the Madras Music Academy invited Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar to present a code nether the rubric ‘Sangita and Sahitya.’ This was during the 1941 yearly league and the speech was delivered connected December 29.
Ramanuja Iyengar, who had astir apt done much than immoderate different instrumentalist for Tamil songs connected the Carnatic platform, was of the presumption that “the connection contention had nary spot astatine each successful the tract of aesthetic euphony and would bash it nary good”. In this, helium and the Madras Music Academy were of 1 mind. He past went connected to item the inadequate repertoire past existing successful Tamil, which forced astir musicians to sing the pieces successful the station Ragam Tanam Pallavi signifier of a concert.
“Compositions specified arsenic the Tevaram, the Tiruvachakam, the Tiruttandagam and Tiruppugazh were successful the signifier of Kannigal and not kirtanas with pallavi, anupallavi and charanam,” helium said.
It was absorbing that Ramanuja Iyengar, of each people, had made this statement, for helium had popularised the compositions of Arunachala Kavi’s Rama Natakam. Others of his procreation were singing the works of composers specified arsenic Marimutha Pillai, Muthu Thandavar and Gopalakrishna Bharati, each of which were successful the kirtana format. And so, astatine slightest from the 18th century, Tamil excessively had adapted to suit the three-part operation that had travel to specify Carnatic euphony from the 16th period oregon so. For, anterior to this, we look to person lone compositions with pallavi and charanam-s, a format that seems to person existed crossed South India.
For a connection that had astir a continuous relation with euphony since the Silapathikaram, Tamil seems to person been a unfortunate of much format than form. And determination were historical reasons for it. The connection ceased being that of the medication from the clip of the Vijayanagar empire, and much truthful with the Nayaks, who, with a presumption to reinforcing their assertion to kingship, commissioned compositions successful Telugu. The Marathas who followed, simply followed the trend, and so, betwixt the 15th and 19th centuries, Telugu, with Sanskrit arsenic a distant second, was the connection of prime for music. It was lone the composers successful these languages who attracted students arsenic well, for singing these works successful the courts of patrons was a definite way to success. Tyagaraja eschewed patronage but not truthful astir of his students and their disciples.
During this phase, composing successful Tamil did not cease. But the musicians who did truthful had nary lineage to walk their works to posterity. We bash not work of disciples for Marimutha Pillai oregon Muthu Thandavar. Arunachala Kavi’s Rama Natakam was tuned fundamentally by his 2 disciples, but they bash not look to person had anybody carrying connected the tradition. Ghanam Krishna Iyer and the Anai Ayya brothers did make songs successful Tamil but that their tunes survived was much an exception. Even much astonishing is that the Nandanar Charittiram of Gopalakrishna Bharathi, though specified a occurrence successful its time, mislaid each its euphony by the aboriginal 20th period and had to beryllium reset. The aforesaid destiny befell others specified arsenic Mazhavai Chidambara Bharathi and Kavi Kunjara Bharathi.
It is successful this discourse that we request to laud the visionaries who launched the Tamil Isai (more correctly the Tamil Song) Movement, spurred by the writings of Kalki Krishnamurthy and bankrolled fundamentally by Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar. On the 1 hand, determination was a superior workout successful mounting to euphony works of the past and publishing them successful notation. On the other, determination was encouragement to compose, by mode of competitions and the constitution of a assemblage astatine Chidambaram, which would beryllium the halfway of the Annamalai University. It was present that musicians specified arsenic Sangita Kalanidhi-s Tiger Varadachariar and K. Ponniah Pillai, and different stalwarts specified arsenic M.M. Dhandapani Desigar would make their ain songs. Lyrics of others specified arsenic Periyasami Thooran excessively were acceptable to music.
There were immoderate who were extracurricular this ecosystem. Nilakanta Sivan, Papanasam Sivan and Koteeswara Iyer are names that outpouring to mind. In the lawsuit of Papanasam Sivan, cinema was a crushed for a fewer of his songs, but the bulk were much retired of a emotion for the language, which incidentally, helium mastered a small precocious successful life! Taken each successful all, the 20th period has been kinder to Tamil successful Carnatic Music, and the connection has travel to stay. That said, precise fewer musicians whose parent lingua is not Tamil sing successful the connection portion the other is not true.
The authorities surrounding it apart, what emerged from the Tamil Song Movement was for the greater good. And successful saying it would bash nary good, Ramanuja Iyengar was mode disconnected the mark.
