The Raga Kalavati and the composition Kalavati by Dikshitar

[kanniks]

The Kriti Kalavati by Dikshitar (Soundcloud Link to Recording)
https://soundcloud.com/kanniks/kalavati ... ana-yuvati

The raga kalavati in Hindustani music is described as using the pentatonic scale
SGPDNb ; its equivalent in Karnatic music is referred to both as Kalavati and as Valaji. In the Tyagaraja school of ragas, the name Kalavati adorns the raga using the scale SRbMPDS – SDPMGSRbS (attributed to the chakravaga mela (16) ).
Our discussion pertains to Kalavati belonging to the older Ragaganga raga system of Muddu Venkatamakhi that the Dikshitar clan tenaciously followed in all their creations. Raga Kalavati here is defined as the 31st raganga raga with a murchana that goes as follows:
S R#GM PD Nbb D P D S
S Nbb DP M R#GM R# S
Bearing the dissonant pairs of R#G and DNbb – Kalavati is a vivadi raga on two fronts (the R/G and the D/N); it occupies the 31st position in the Venkatamakhi scheme of Raganga Ragas corresponding to the 31st position occupied by Yagapriya in the later scheme of melakarta ragas propounded by Govindacharya.
Saraswati1
The word Kalavati refers to ‘the one adorned with the arts’; Kalavati here is none other than sarasvati the Goddess of Knowledge/Wisdom. Kalavati here is a modern 18th century raga derived from theory. Dikshitar portrays Sarasvati using a series of adjectives essayed using the contour of this raga – with stress on passages such as ‘PD NbbD’ , ‘MR,,S’ , ‘M,R,P’ contrasted with occasional melodic outbursts in ‘M,G,M,P’, ‘MP,GM,’ etc. in lieu of mere scalar passages.
Here is a recording of ‘Kalavati Kamalasana Yuvati’ rendered by Vidita Kanniks in the compilation ‘Shri Sharadambam Bhaje’ released recently at the Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation – Stroudsburg and at the sacred site of Sringeri itself on Vijayadasami 2015.

Dikshitar paints Sarasvati with epithets such as Kalavati, Bharati, vAg vANi, vINA pANi and Sharada. He refers to Sharada as ‘Kashmira Vihara’. The final madhyamakala sahitya passage in the charanam resembles the one in the saurshtra raga kriti varalakshmIm ‘surArchita padAmbuja shobhanA’ (surArchita padAmbuja vikAsinIm) – where the dvitiya akshara (2nd consonant) is ‘ra’ throughout the composition (the charanam in kalavati also uses ‘ra’ as the second consonant throughout). In the kalavati kriti, Dikshitar describes sarasvati as one who delights the heart of Shiva and Guruguha (as he does in the saurashtra kriti as well as purari guruguha chid vilAsini).

[bhakthim dehi]

Good piece of information.
There are no two different schools, as that of Sri Thyagaraja and Sri Dikshithar. Okapari and ennadu jooduno are misnamed as kalavathi bu referring to Sangraha chidamani by a moron who don't even know the fact that Saint Thyagaraja didn't follow Sangraha Chudamani.

[raviraj]

Writing & posting this note in leisure, for those of us who might want to appreciate this Kalavati of Dikshitar.

There are a few extant renderings of this raga which is the ragangam, head of the varga/clan # 31 by Muddu Venkatamakhin and the hauntingly
beautiful kriti by Dikshitar. They are :

1. Recording ( old vinyl record) of an exposition of this raga & the rendering of the kriti by Vidvan S Balachandar on the veena
2. Rendering of the kriti by S Rajam and a similar rendering of it in a commercial recording of Vidusi Dr Vijayalakshmi Subramanyam
3. A splendid Music Academy lec dem of the venerable Prof S R Janakiraman
4. Apart from the above I heard Vid T M Krishna render this live in a Narada Gana Sabha Concert during the 2014 Dec Music Season.
5. And now the version rendered by Ms Vidita Kanniks posted by Sri Kanniks above.

As always Sri TMK's version was the closest to the SSP, assuming that to be the gold standard notation. I refer to Sri TMK's interpretation as a literal interpretation in contrast to say Prof SRJ's version which is a more creative one with a modern touch. Version 1 above was more the sampoorna form Yagapriya & devoid of the characteristic phrases of Kalavati such as PDDS, DPS etc. Prof S Rajam's version & his disciple Smt Vijayalakshmi Subramanyam's as well ( derived probably from Sri Ambi Dikshitar) makes quite a few departures from the SSP notation- for example the madhyama kala sahitya portion in the caranam.

For those who want to understand ,assimilate and enjoy this creation of Dikshitar I recommend that you do hear all of these versions including Vidita's. IMO, Ms Vidita Kanniks has provided an excellent interpretation of this from perhaps from the SSP & it closely gels with the TMK version I heard.

Now some points to ponder:

1. The melodic construct : What makes Ms Vidita's & offcourse Sri TMK's version ( almost) stand out for me is its distinctive Hindustanish touch - due to the plaintive notes which is implied by the interpreted SSP notation. In contrast for example, Prof SRJ's interpretation is loaded with gamakas - imparting the so called Carnatic "charge" ( as the late Sri NMN, the music critic of "The Hindu" put it when Maharajapuram Visvanatha Iyer in a MA Concert rendered Durbari Kanada to the utter bewilderment of Pandit Ratanjankar, who was in the audience!) to the notes.

I recall hearing to Vidita Kanniks(?) version of the Pharaz composition - Cintaye Mahalinga murtim, the interpretation again on the lines of the SSP notation which is yet another exemplar . Its a totally different take on that raga & composition as notated in the SSP in contrast to the standard editions we hear.

So, was this how ( giving 100% credence to Subbarama Dikshitar's notation )ragas were rendered once upon a time ? Not every note was shaken and not every raga was presented with a sarva svara gamaka ornamentation? Or is it that Subbarama Dikshitar abridged some of the ornamentation in the SSP & we are mistakenly going down the literal interpretation path ?

2. The gait of the composition : TMK's rendering of this composition & for example Maye ( Tarangini) adopting the SSP template is in the same style ( almost) like how Vidita renders 'Kalavati Kamalasanayuvati' . Whereas the versions of Prof SRJ is in a regular "Carnatic' style (if you will for want of a better word- hear it out & you will get a drift of what I mean). Is that how the rendering ought to be assuming fidelity to the intent of the composer & the art form that was prevalent when he composed it ?

Much water has flown under the bridge since the times of the Muthusvami Dikshitar. The raga itself has been mauled & is now being presented in what is now called as Yagapriya. The subtle nuances/graces of the raga has been given a go by, subsumed by the Govindacharya's standardization. Kalavati, Tarangini and their ilk are now dead. The Yagapriyas and Carukesis rule the roost .

The composition of Dikshitar too as well has been recast to a "Tyagaraja" style composition adding superfluous sangatis and needless speeding up - an example is presented ( Prof SRJ talks of it in his lec-dem in his inimitable style with pungent humour) from the filmi edition of this classic Dikshitar composition ( thankfully the version ends with just the pallavi !) - sung by artist Arjun Krishna in the 2007 Malayalam movie 'Anandabhairavi'-
http://play.raaga.com/malayalam/album/A ... s-M0001035 ( scroll down the page to song # 4)

Prof SRJ's gem of a lecdem is here : http://www.sangeethapriya.org/Downloads ... Lakshanam/

Thanks Kanniks for sharing the version. The intonation of the dhaivatha and the nishada is so beautiful in the composition.You have given me much to ruminate

Ravi

(Mods : You may want to move this to to the "Raga & Alapana " section, please.