what is 'SANGATHI'?

Rachana · Post by **Rachana** » 20 May 2008, 00:16

Dear friends,
A single line/word of a song sung in different ways without deviating from the raga really is enjoyable.We often talk about sangathees in carnatic music.Is it the gathi(flow) of sangeetham?
Please explain what is 'sangathi'?
Regards
Rachana

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 20 May 2008, 07:41

Definition of sangati, from http://www.karnatik.com/glosss.shtml

a particular variation of a phrase in a kriti or song with slight or large changes in tune and gamakas. Each phrase maybe repeated with different variations or sangatis

And from http://www.ecse.rpi.edu/Homepages/shivk ... an-III.htm

Sometimes, in a kriti, the first lines will be varied systematically as the singer repeats it over and over. (This happens even in some movie songs). That is, the Pallavi will be sung intentionally in different melodies as it gets repeated. The text of the line will be the same, but the music will be different. Such variations are called 'Sangatis'. These variations or Sangatis are intended by the original composer (or cleverly introduced by some other musician somewhere along the line) and are parts of the song. If you listen to a Kriti like 'Vatapi Ganapatim' in Ragam Hamsadhwani, you will notice that the singer spends a long time mulling over the first line itself. But if you paid close attention to details, the singer is in fact varying the melody of that line over and over - in other words, the singer is producing the various 'Sangati's. Sometimes, after all the variations are done, the final version of the Pallavi could sound totally different from what one started out with. In fact, usually, the final version of the Pallavi is what is the official version of the Pallavi from that point on - and this is the version that is sung after each stanza (charanam) subsequently. Even Anu pallavi can have associated Sangatis.

Saint Thyagaraja is credited with introducing sangati-s into the kriti form.

Rachana · Post by **Rachana** » 20 May 2008, 09:22

Thank you very much, dear Mohan...I will be grateful if you could give the exact meaning of the word 'sangathi' also.Is it a sankrit word?
what are sangathis called in western music?

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 20 May 2008, 09:47

Please refer to -
http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?id=964&p=7 (Post No 153)
In the post regarding Thyagaraja Kriti 'graha balamEmi', I have catalogued in how many different ways the words could be joined to make sangatis. However, musicians take up the pallavi line 'anugraha balamEmi rAma anugraha balamE balamu' and join the words wrongly to sing sangati 'anugraha balamEmi rAmAnugrama balamEmi' - totally twisting the meaning - kind courtesy great musicians of the past.

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 20 May 2008, 09:47

I think the literal meaning is 'coming together' but the best meaning related to Carnatic music would be 'variation'. Variation is the term that would be used in Western music as well.

There is an article by Robert Morris
'Variation and Process in South Indian Music: Some "Kritis" and Their "Sangatis" '
Music Theory Spectrum, Vol. 23, No. 1 (Spring, 2001), pp. 74-89

If you have access to JSTOR through a university library, you can read this article.

Rachana · Post by **Rachana** » 20 May 2008, 10:49

Yes, Dear vgvindan,...How the meaning changes?!IThanks a lot for the explanation.
Dear Mohan,...Very useful information, you have provided.Sometimes we hear musicians talking about improvisations in variations when it comes to filmi songs.Though there is not much scope for such new improvisations(for fear of breaking words and thereby changing meanings) in carnatic music,the age old sangathis are perfectly fine.

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 20 May 2008, 10:56

If you look at the text of Muthuswamy Dikshitar krithis in the Sangita Sampradaya Pradarsini, very few sangatis are given for most of the compositions. However, when we listen to some of them sung these days, we hear lots of sangatis. It suggests that sangatis have been added by musicians at a later stage.

Rachana · Post by **Rachana** » 20 May 2008, 11:07

I think this shows that so many improvisations have been made already and there is still scope for more,if only the musicians are careful about the lyrics and meanings...

madhurya · Post by **madhurya** » 24 May 2008, 15:11

sangathis were the introduction of Sadguru Sri Tyagaraaja Swami. they are stepping stones to raga aalapanai. the thematic development of a given line of sahithya in that line of raga slowly introducing complexity in the raga sancharam...so much so that when a beginner takes out the sahithya syllables and sings it in akaaras a raga aalapanai pattern is easily seen!
thinking of students of Music?? that is why HE is called SADGURU!!

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 24 May 2008, 19:41

As I understand a simple repetition of the line without any variations (musically) is called 'pallavi'. This is done to emphasize and reinforce the musical idiom of the line. It is essentialy done for the first lineof the lyric whence it came to be called 'pallavi'. However it can be done at any other line of the verse which has importance musically or even semantically. Sangathi is the 'musical variation' of the line (within the grammar of the raga and tala). Sangathi breathes life into the lyric through its melody. Late MVI was a master of singing sangathi. In short it displays the musical genius of the performer. The violiniist usually follows the pattern set by the performer, but he can introduce his own variations too which make the rendering enjoyable!

ragam-talam · Post by **ragam-talam** » 24 May 2008, 23:11

I suppose the key difference between sangatis and neraval is that the former is pre-composed (i.e. what the composer had set) versus the latter being manodharma-based?

Also, what is the origin of the word Neraval? (Niravadhi means many, multi-faceted - same root?)

PUNARVASU · Post by **PUNARVASU** » 25 May 2008, 09:56

There is an expression in Tamil' niravudal' meaning to distirbute; in our houses we hear grandmothers saying 'niravi parimaridu' meaning , 'whatever food item is there, serve it to everybody equally and properly.'
I suppose 'Neraval or Niraval' has its origin from this.

thanjavooran · Post by **thanjavooran** » 25 May 2008, 14:53

mohan wrote:If you look at the text of Muthuswamy Dikshitar krithis in the Sangita Sampradaya Pradarsini, very few sangatis are given for most of the compositions. However, when we listen to some of them sung these days, we hear lots of sangatis. It suggests that sangatis have been added by musicians at a later stage.

Yes Mohan , you are right.
Prof SRJ in a progm in podhigai sang Hamsadwani piece of MD as composed by him w/o sangathis. He also mentioned that most of the MD krithis are w/o sangathis and it is only a later developement.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 26 May 2008, 07:49

niravudal in tamizh--among several meanings--to make even, to spread it out, to manage and so on.
'To expand on' fits in this context...

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 26 May 2008, 08:14

sarasa sangati sandarbhamu gala giramUlurA ---

In Nadhasudha rasambilanu, Tyagaraja defines sangati as modulation of speech (or music, in this context) that is appropriate to the occasion...

The charanam lines are just beautiful:

svara mUlArunnokaTi ghaNTalu
vara rAgamu kOdaNDamu
dura naya dEshyamu triguNamu
nirata gati sharamurA.

and after that he talks about how there is an appropriate sangati for each occasion.

Neyveli Santhanagopalan has done a very nice version of this song with his students (where he breaks down the meaning of the song quite nicely). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ6-uXpE_n8

[The gain on the volume settings is very high, so please reduce the volume on your speakers before playing it].

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 26 May 2008, 09:36

mahavishnu,
The gist of caraNa of the kRti 'nAda sudhA rasam' is given below:-

The seven svaras are the bells (of the bow kOdaNDa); the sacred rAga is the bow kOdaNDa; dura naya and dESya are the three strands of the bow string; the steady pace is (are) the arrow(s); the sweet thematic variations are the words (spoken by the Lord) appropriate to the occasion; chanting the names of the Lord is a fortune; the nectarine juice called nAda worshipped by this tyAgarAja, has assumed a human form here.

IMHO, Sri tyAgarAja is not defining the musical terminology 'sangati', but comparing the 'Lord's use of words appropriate words to the occasion' as 'sangati'; it does not mean 'use of appropriate words' is 'sangati' .

Please refer to panca ratna kRti 'sAdhincenE' where he states 'samayAniki tagu mATalADenE' - 'He spoke words suited to the occasion'; also refer to kRti 'Emani mATADitivO'.

For Sri tyAgarAja, his music per-se is His Lord or music is service to the Lord. That is nAdOpAsana - the nectarine juice called nAda worshipped by this tyAgarAja, has assumed a human form here.

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 26 May 2008, 09:55

Although some scholars point out that sangatis are as old as music itself and were known under the name prayaogas. However, since they became widely used only through the kritis of Swami, it will not be wrong to assume that sangatis were Swamiâ€™s innovations

http://blogs.ibibo.com/carnaticmusicblo ... usico.html

mahavishnu · Post by **mahavishnu** » 26 May 2008, 18:36

thanks Sri VGV.. I appreciate your detailed response.

hsuvarna · Post by **hsuvarna** » 26 May 2008, 22:31

VGV, You are right on spot about Sri Tyagaraja Swamy.

Neraval, I suppose is the tamil word. I have heard it as 'neravu' in telugu sometimes. neravu is usually also heard in the context of 'sarees'. I guess it means how much is the 'zari' spread in a costly silk saree. Basically hinting the expansion. Any ideas how niraval started? Is it HM influence?

Sangathis really add beauti to the music. I found Sri Nedunuri' music full of powerful sangathis. His Bhavanuta is a standing example of that. The variation in sangathis is indication of the musician's creativity also. Sri BMK's version of 'nada tanumanisham' is sung in a diferent way than the usual way we hear traditionally. Similarly I heard many different ways of the evergreen 'Rama Nee samana nevaru'. I would not put these in sangathis category though.

srikant1987 · Post by **srikant1987** » 08 Jun 2008, 19:06

But if Tyagaraja was the first one to introduce sangatIs, then many famous composers before him will have hardly composed much music. Composers like Oothukadu, who wrote a truckload of verses alone (that too in a single caraNam â€” unless the caraNams differed in music) would be an exception, though.

Tyagaraja had a number of disciples, and has a continuing and flourishing disciple chain, and disciples often add sangatis to their guru-ical ancestors' compositions. That is how different people come to sing (or play) different sangatis for the same song. People in the disciple chain can perhaps assume more authority in adding sangatis.

vgvindan · Post by **vgvindan** » 08 Jun 2008, 19:59

People in the disciple chain can perhaps assume more authority in adding sangatis.

Indeed; otherwise how -
(1) 'graha balamEmi ramAnugraha balamEmi' would have become a sangati?
(2) 'rAma nannu brOvarA' would have become a sangati?
(3) dArini telusukoNTini tripura sun-dArini telusukoNTini' would have become a sangati?
There are innumerable examples like this.

Yesterday I was listening to a famous singer in Worldspace - Artist hour - He made a mess of Arunagiri Nathar's Thiruppugazh. Who cares?