CARNATIC MUSIC GUIDE
Here's good site containing information all about Carnatic Music, its Origin, History, Aspects, Facets, Biographies Of Composers and more!
For details Visit
http://musicinfoguide.blogspot.com/
Carnatic Music Guide
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gobilalitha
- Posts: 2056
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 07:12
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vasanthakokilam
- Posts: 10958
- Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01
Yes, indeed. One can easily spend an afternoon reading through all the biographical info.
My pet-peeve is ( not about the above web site which has done a tremendous job ), the information about the composers are still very sketchy. If you compare it with say, Bach, Beethoven and Mozart, there is so much more information available from several perspectives: historical, musical, biographical, geographical and related incidentals. If you think about it, the trinity lived not that long ago but if you just go by the sketchy information available, you would think they are some historic figures who lived thousands of years back. Combine that with the paranormal and religious/spiritual connotations attributed to them, we get a feeling that human information about them is somehow beyond our reach. Even when there is some information, the lack of precision and reference material make one wonder if the authors have added their own extrapolation.
Just a few days back, I met a fascinating woman. She is retired from her main job in publishing but has embarked on a new project called the 'Living History' of families. Upon families' request, she and her team visit with the various members of the family, especially the elderly ones and ask them to talk about whatever they know, what they remember their grand parents told them etc. They also collect any manuscripts ( letters etc. ). They then do some scrubbing and editorial cleanup and publish the information back to the families in various formats: CD/DVD/Coffee table book/etc. It is hard work and the methodology is very important. Listening patiently and then asking probing questions to make them remember things is an artform in itself.
When she was narrating about what she does, I could not help thinking that atleast some aspects of CM history can be captured using such a methodology at a detailed level. I have a strong feeling that the information is available with the tens of thousands of families, either in written form or just in their collective memory. The various little kingdoms, chieftens, Zamindar families and others who were patrons of music should have some written information which may be available still with the families. The temples may have information, not just the big ones which probably have been researched but hundreds of others which have had musical connections. But time is running out. Atleast we should be able to capture the first person narratives of people in their 80s-90s who still remember what their grandparents had told them when they were in their early teens about the music scene in their area. Whether it is in Thiruvayyar itself or in other musically relevant places.
When one collects raw data from say 100 to 1000 people, the end result will be quite fascinating. Imagine something like this: Some family who traces their ancestory to the next door neighbor of Thyagaraja and have stories to tell.
This is field work and requires money. Given that CM seems to be a 'sponsorable' subject these days, may be companies like Infosys etc. would be willing to fund such things.
( I am aware of some of the books available which capture such information. The biographies in the SSP are invaluable and also the Mysore Vasudevachariyar's books on the biography of yesteryear musicians and composers. It will be just great to get more detailed narratives captured and recorded from various perspectives and angles. For example: We know Veena Kuppaiyyar, a disciple of Thyagaraja, was supported by Kovur Sundara Mudaliar and that Sri. Thyagaraja visited them there. Most narratives stop there with that one or two liners along with the krithis that Thyagaraja composed during that visit. What other information is available about that visit? Is there any written record from Kovur which may shed more light. etc. What was the travel from Thiruvayyar to Kovur like in those days? Who all accompanied Thyagaraja? Did Thyagaraja visit other places in and around Madras then? At a more mundane level, how was that visit even organized? What was the method of communication in those days? I am just picking this out just as an example. I have not read yet Prof. Jackson's book on Thyagaraja. Does his book cover Thyagajaraja's biography in depth? ).
My pet-peeve is ( not about the above web site which has done a tremendous job ), the information about the composers are still very sketchy. If you compare it with say, Bach, Beethoven and Mozart, there is so much more information available from several perspectives: historical, musical, biographical, geographical and related incidentals. If you think about it, the trinity lived not that long ago but if you just go by the sketchy information available, you would think they are some historic figures who lived thousands of years back. Combine that with the paranormal and religious/spiritual connotations attributed to them, we get a feeling that human information about them is somehow beyond our reach. Even when there is some information, the lack of precision and reference material make one wonder if the authors have added their own extrapolation.
Just a few days back, I met a fascinating woman. She is retired from her main job in publishing but has embarked on a new project called the 'Living History' of families. Upon families' request, she and her team visit with the various members of the family, especially the elderly ones and ask them to talk about whatever they know, what they remember their grand parents told them etc. They also collect any manuscripts ( letters etc. ). They then do some scrubbing and editorial cleanup and publish the information back to the families in various formats: CD/DVD/Coffee table book/etc. It is hard work and the methodology is very important. Listening patiently and then asking probing questions to make them remember things is an artform in itself.
When she was narrating about what she does, I could not help thinking that atleast some aspects of CM history can be captured using such a methodology at a detailed level. I have a strong feeling that the information is available with the tens of thousands of families, either in written form or just in their collective memory. The various little kingdoms, chieftens, Zamindar families and others who were patrons of music should have some written information which may be available still with the families. The temples may have information, not just the big ones which probably have been researched but hundreds of others which have had musical connections. But time is running out. Atleast we should be able to capture the first person narratives of people in their 80s-90s who still remember what their grandparents had told them when they were in their early teens about the music scene in their area. Whether it is in Thiruvayyar itself or in other musically relevant places.
When one collects raw data from say 100 to 1000 people, the end result will be quite fascinating. Imagine something like this: Some family who traces their ancestory to the next door neighbor of Thyagaraja and have stories to tell.
This is field work and requires money. Given that CM seems to be a 'sponsorable' subject these days, may be companies like Infosys etc. would be willing to fund such things.
( I am aware of some of the books available which capture such information. The biographies in the SSP are invaluable and also the Mysore Vasudevachariyar's books on the biography of yesteryear musicians and composers. It will be just great to get more detailed narratives captured and recorded from various perspectives and angles. For example: We know Veena Kuppaiyyar, a disciple of Thyagaraja, was supported by Kovur Sundara Mudaliar and that Sri. Thyagaraja visited them there. Most narratives stop there with that one or two liners along with the krithis that Thyagaraja composed during that visit. What other information is available about that visit? Is there any written record from Kovur which may shed more light. etc. What was the travel from Thiruvayyar to Kovur like in those days? Who all accompanied Thyagaraja? Did Thyagaraja visit other places in and around Madras then? At a more mundane level, how was that visit even organized? What was the method of communication in those days? I am just picking this out just as an example. I have not read yet Prof. Jackson's book on Thyagaraja. Does his book cover Thyagajaraja's biography in depth? ).
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gn.sn42
- Posts: 396
- Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 23:56
Here's a very interesting book (co-authored with Velcheru Narayana Rao by David Shulman and Sanjay Subrahmanyam, who have been discussed on this forum) on this subject:nick H wrote:Could it be that India prefers mythology to history?
http://www.otherpress.com/bookpage.php?bkID=83
Google preview: http://books.google.com/books?id=ffFMJN ... 84#PPA2,M1