amrtavarshiNi

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SrinathK
Posts: 2477
Joined: 13 Jan 2013, 16:10

amrtavarshiNi

Post by SrinathK »

This full December, not one day of rain in Chennai. We're facing a looming water crisis on the horizon any day now. And the thread that we should have opened to answer our prayers, I didn't find, so I am opening this one.

And am I right in making a statement that no one in this entire music season wanted to sing amrtavarshiNI barring Sanjay (I was there). This extreme yo-yo ism between asking for so much rain it causes floods (that was mostly a man made tragedy of not taking timely action and building in marshland below the city's mean level) vs fear of any drop of water and total drought is really ill balanced.

So hoping that my prayers will at least be answered, in the optimum quantity, by Dikshitar's AnandAmrta karshiNi :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kitfhlVZO-o - Official channel of MusicToday (and a reminder of how AS used to sing)

And Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar's sudhAmayi sudhAnidhi, by the one and only : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlBSmPpLfN4 -- this also has an AlApanA.

MaheshS
Posts: 1186
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36

Re: amrtavarshiNi

Post by MaheshS »

DK Jayaraman, V Thyagarajan, Dr. TK Murthy Part 1

DKJ starts the concert with the MD master piece!

SrinathK
Posts: 2477
Joined: 13 Jan 2013, 16:10

Re: amrtavarshiNi

Post by SrinathK »

Reboot. Because our water crisis is still not over, while nature is cruel to inflict floods on all other states. Seriously....

So let's give a proper wiki introduction to amrtavarshiNi : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amritavarshini

The scale of amrtavarshiNi :
Aro : S G3 M2 P N3 S
Avaro : S N3 P M2 G3 S - as I said in the gambhIra nATa thread, amrtavarshiNi has a lot in common with it, but with the M2, the difference from gambhIra nATa is starkly evident.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61GZCR9Vkfg - an introduction to the rAgam.

As a pentatonic raga, amrtavarshiNi has a lot of scope in both AlApanA and swaras, but it comes up lacking when it comes to compositions - it hasn't been explored enough and there are no heavyweight compositions in it unlike the big pentatonic rAgAs. It can use all of its notes and combinations extensively and connect any two of its notes together. Particularly the tendency to hang on to the M2 gives a certain pallor to the bhava of the rAgam.

The slides on GMGS and the kampita on the G3 are places of heavy gamaka. At other places though, there isn't so much scope for big shakes. The rAgA also shines perfectly even when played totally plain, in fact with a special flavour (which means it can make an ideal fusion raga that can be played on just about any instrument)

Speaking of fusion, amrtavarshiNi will be special for me because in 2003, our school had a superb orchestral setting arranged in this rAgam for our annual day and that was the first time I played my violin on stage.

Searching for it on Youtube is a bit of a chore as YT seems to know that film so much better ....

So more of it - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqjSoHoOqsQ - MS Amma

MLV went for the big one here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JunNQ4nLguE - RTP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viLtsKaIF2g - The kriti of MD

I had to dig up Youtube to find anything else composed in it : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vBPkYOd-dY - KJY

But digging up Sangeethapriya was more fruitful, and threw up some unheard numbers :
A bAlagOpAlamu - a varnam by BMK - http://www.sangeethamshare.org/murthy/K ... impa-1969/

There is a kriti attributed to Thyagaraja (saraseeruha nayanE) in it too : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfPBPNG_hDU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYz1Jmim8iI - but the veracity hasn't been established and it might be spurious. Still let's listen.

stiratA nahi is a kriti of Sadasiva Brahmendra which has been sung by BMK in this rAga : http://www.sangeethamshare.org/sreeniva ... y_Special/

And a Purandaradasa number now tuned in it : http://www.sangeethamshare.org/mpmohan/Charangi/

Let's do something different for a change, shall we? jatiswaram incoming - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9er6Fh8XVnM

This raga I believe is one of CM's exports to HM : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tjKtSarTs - where it has the same scale.

And would you believe it, it went into Dhrupad as well : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dc4I9fvcJg - Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar (He sounds really old here, hope to get something in his prime)

Alternate spellings : amrita varshini, amrutha varshini, amrutavarshini, amrithavarshini, etc.

PS : There are a few more compositions of HMB, some by Subramania Bharati, BMK, Kovai Subri, Madurai GS Mani, and even @arasi in amrtavarshiNi But no recordings alas!
Last edited by SrinathK on 23 Aug 2019, 19:14, edited 1 time in total.

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: amrtavarshiNi

Post by rajeshnat »

SrinathK wrote: 23 Aug 2019, 13:41 Reboot. Because our water crisis is not over, while nature is cruel to inflict floods on all other states. Seriously....
What a raga is amruthavarshini. Well there is a flagship aanandamamruthakarshini by dikshitar, sudha mayi by hmb , a rare enmugham parayya by Yazhpaanam veeramani . Quite a lot of artists starting with BMK, MLV were the early pioneers to have sung a rtp . This raga certainly needs more frequency.

Rains rains some time it can be a delight to watch or it can be a disaster to watch . In the last 2 to 4 weeks i just heard this two . Rain raga can be in a poor recording or in a sophisticated audio recording with lovely interludes adding rich harmonics. Just putting two of those taking the youtube link to start at that time when song begins.

Poor Recording Live but still rain drenched feeeling :
----------------------------------------------
Madurai somu singing a krithi amruthavarshini anandavalli - amruthavarshini -??. He knows only to fall at the feet of rain god with his spontaneity. Rain from unexpected vaggeyakkara by a maverick vidwan.

https://youtu.be/8hCc4k7ScfI?t=674

And

Sophisticated audio recording with lovely interludes adding rich harmonics.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sreevalsan Menon if he moves from kerala to chennai water problem wil be solved for ever. Govt is bringing water from jolarpettai and wasting money instead menon can come from cochin to Madras . What a lovely voice and shruthi . Rain from expected vageyakkara by right unexpected addendum of western harmonics and layering without losing the core classical purity.

AnandaMruthakarshini - amruthavarshini - MD
https://youtu.be/Vv1zb2AstzE?t=91

And

First strike of amruthavarshini for many :
------------------------------------
Rajesh pullaiyar suzhi of amruthavarshini without knowing for many years that this song is in a ragam by name amruthavarshini for atleast few years since it came up.

KJ Yesudas and S Janaki singing in agninakshitram composed by God Of Music - Illayaraja.
ThoongAtha vizhigal - amruthavarshni - agninatchatiram
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46dpMsOjSHI

tmmurali
Posts: 35
Joined: 16 Sep 2018, 23:01

Re: amrtavarshiNi

Post by tmmurali »

SrinathK wrote: 23 Aug 2019, 13:41
PS : There are a few more compositions of HMB, some by Subramania Bharati, BMK, Kovai Subri, Madurai GS Mani, and even @arasi in amrtavarshiNi But no recordings alas!
My favourite rendition of this ragam is by TNS at a 1996 concert in the Ashland Temple in MA. TNS sings "bhUlOka kumAri amruthanAri" (items 4 and 5).

http://www.sangeethamshare.org/manjunat ... -USA-1996/

Thanks for this series, Srinath. Your posts are highly informative.

Lakshman
Posts: 14019
Joined: 10 Feb 2010, 18:52

Re: amrtavarshiNi

Post by Lakshman »

In post# 4, rajeshnat posted a link for the Madurai Somu song.
Here is the link for the same song where the AlApanA is included.

https://youtu.be/8hCc4k7ScfI.

KKishore
Posts: 91
Joined: 31 Aug 2021, 07:19

Re: amrtavarshiNi

Post by KKishore »

"Ennai nee maravaadhe Angeyarkanni " is another popular song in Amrithavarshini .By MM Dhandapani desikar.
Vaani Jayaram "AnathineeyaRaa" Telugu Film song in SwatiKiranam movie is in this ragam I think. She won award for her rendition.

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