Samashti Charanam

Ideas and innovations in Indian classical music
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TheListener
Posts: 28
Joined: 03 Feb 2012, 04:52

Samashti Charanam

Post by TheListener »

What are the rules for a charanam being called Samashti Charanam?

I understand one requirement is that there is no anu-pallavi in the composition.
However, there are songs like "Devi BrovasamayamidE' without anupallavi but its charanam isn't called Samashti Charanam.

Is it that the charanam(s) follow the dvityAkshara prAsA of the pallavi?

Is there is a list of songs with samashti charanam I can find somewhere?

Thanks.

Ranganayaki
Posts: 1760
Joined: 02 Jan 2011, 06:23

Re: Samashti Charanam

Post by Ranganayaki »

I usually don't post in this particular forum, but I'll have a go because I like this question.

My nderstanding is that Samashti means something like a global viewpoint - vs the individual or the differentiated. So songs that seem to eschew an Anupallavi, but that have a charanam, the charanam is considered a Samashti Charanam, as one that is undifferentiated from the anupallavi.

Personally, I because of the word, I feel it is not a song with no anupallavi, but only that the Anupallavi is undifferentiated from the Charanam.

I cannot generalize about the features of a samashti charanam, but the ones I think of do follow prasa rules, and many MD's songs also have a few madhyamakalam lines followed by a chitteswaram. I wouldn't generalize as I don't study, and my knowledge of songs is not as vast as that of many others here.

bhakthim dehi
Posts: 539
Joined: 24 Feb 2014, 21:28

Re: Samashti Charanam

Post by bhakthim dehi »

My discussion pertains only to the krithis of Sri Muthusvamy Dikshithar. Samashti charanam is a misnomer. They are the krithis with Pallavi and anupallavi; probably an innovation. The dvitiyaakshara prasam in anupallavi perfectly confirms with that of Pallavi in these krithis. Hence better to call them as anupallavi.

Sivaramakrishnan
Posts: 1582
Joined: 02 Jan 2010, 08:29

Re: Samashti Charanam

Post by Sivaramakrishnan »

May be because of the length (compared to anupallavi) it is called Samashti charanam.

Ranganayaki
Posts: 1760
Joined: 02 Jan 2011, 06:23

Re: Samashti Charanam

Post by Ranganayaki »

bhakthim dehi wrote:My discussion pertains only to the krithis of Sri Muthusvamy Dikshithar. Samashti charanam is a misnomer. They are the krithis with Pallavi and anupallavi; probably an innovation. The dvitiyaakshara prasam in anupallavi perfectly confirms with that of Pallavi in these krithis. Hence better to call them as anupallavi.
Sivaramakrishnan wrote:May be because of the length (compared to anupallavi) it is called Samashti charanam.
Yes, I did read years ago somewhere (don't remember where) that Dikshitar or his lineage did not refer to this as Samashti Charanam, it was probably the Anupallavi if I remember right - and was later referred to as Samashti. I wanted to offer an interpretation of the word "Samashti". But I'm certain that the word does not signify length.

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