Charanams other than the mudra charanam

musicapriya · Post by **musicapriya** » 24 Apr 2009, 07:56

While trying to learn Thyagaraja's Adigi Sukhamu in Madhyamavati, I found that all the recordings of this song had only the Mudra Charanam. Wonder why? After some inspection and analysis, I realized that this is true for many kritis.

I apologize if this has been discussed before - I did search for mudra charanam in the discussions but couldn't find anything relevant.

One answer that I got for this is that the artist has to adjust his/her time in a given concert and not spend a disproportionate amount of time on one kriti but I am not sure this is the case.

Thanks in advance for any insight into this topic.

Cheers

mohan · Post by **mohan** » 24 Apr 2009, 10:57

musicapriya wrote: One answer that I got for this is that the artist has to adjust his/her time in a given concert and not spend a disproportionate amount of time on one kriti but I am not sure this is the case.

This happens not only for Thyagaraja krithis but also Shyama Sastri ones and other composers too. There are a number of reasons why it happens including:
1. Artistes have only learnt one charanam of the krithi
2. There is limited time in the concert
3. The tune of the various charanas are very similar and hence there is little musical variation provided

For some krithis, the mudra charanam is not the popular one. Also, sometimes different music banis will render different charana-s. For example for janani ninnuvina in rithigowla, some people sing the charanam starting with "varadAyaki", while others sing the one which starts with "vanajAyata". I have never heard anyone sing the other charanam starting with "karuNAnidhi".

srinivasrgvn · Post by **srinivasrgvn** » 24 Apr 2009, 15:18

mohan wrote: There is limited time in the concert

This is very much a valid point. Some kritis' charanams have the same tune over and over again. For example, Sri Rama Jaya Rama, A Tyagarajar kriti in Madhyamavati, has 17 charanams in the same tune!! It would be difficult to sing all the 17-that too in the same tune!! So, people cut many of the charanams.
The problem with this cutting of charanams is the lyrical beauty of the song is hidden. Slowly, over a period of time, people will forget the other charanams and the lovely meaning and message conveyed in those charanams become extinct. This is quite a hard problem.

musicapriya · Post by **musicapriya** » 24 Apr 2009, 22:06

Sri Mohan wrote - the artistes have learned one charanam of the kriti - is this by an active choice of the teacher - saying I only know the mudra charanam - so that is what I am going to teach you - I am curious to find out when that loss is acceptable/allowed to happen - the loss of the lyrical beauty of the song that Sri Srinivas wrote above.

All I am looking for is for preservation for posterity.

Another interesting issue is that even though the tune is similar - by the nature of the words - it is important to know how to split the words accordingly etc. Well, I guess many of the charanams in an audio form are lost for ever.

Cheers

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 25 Apr 2009, 06:52

Those krithis that have numerous charanams, do they also have a lot of sangathis for the pallavi line? Wondering if such songs were composed to be sung in a bhajan context. I remember reading somewhere that T and his disciples used to go around the streets singing his songs as bhajans and group singing. Not that sangathis are completely antithetical to bhajans but wondering if there is any such correlation.

narayan · Post by **narayan** » 25 Apr 2009, 17:23

Most famous non-mudra charanam: Palinchu kamakshi? Not-so-close second: Entara nee in Harikambodhi. An obscure one that I know is Muripemu in Mukhari where the one that I have learnt and also that Nedunuri sings does not have T's name.

keerthi · Post by **keerthi** » 25 Apr 2009, 19:09

There are several Krtis where the mudra-charanam isn't in vogue.. Swara-rAga-sudhA (sankarAbharaNam) and Nannu viDaci gadalakurA (RItigaula) should join narayan's list...

The serious musicians of old knew and sang all charana-s for completeness.. Listen to Brinda sing the paras song NIlayatakSi, or to a younger T.K.Govinda Rao sing Telisi rAma-cintanatO.. and you will find multiple, if not all charana-s sung...

There was/is? a breed of musicians who consider their role as preservers and chroniclers of a musical tradition more important than success as a performer; which is subject to the vagaries of sabhA-high priests' whims and the ever-changing tastes of audiences.. Such rare creatures will take the trouble to go and look up other charana-s; even those not taught to them; and add value to their musical legacy..

There are the performing artistes who decide that the audience will be bored by more than one charana, and chose to sing the same charana (mudra or not) all their lives, and teach the same stuff and let more and more music get lost..

It is my [totally unsubstantiated] deduction that the sangathi was not just a device for melodic improvisation, but that while the saint sang a sangathi, and while it was repeated; and while he sang the next, and That one was repeated; he got mental space to compose the next lines of the song..

So, there should'nt be a link between sangati-s and a song being a krti or a kIrtanam..

Alternate opinions are welcome..

Technologies have saved us to some extent from the latter hazard; but the danger is still very much there..

Re vasantakokilam's post, there are Divya-nAma kIrtana-s and in some cases, Utsava sampradAya kIrtanas which have a single tune and all lines are sung to the same refrain..

keerthi · Post by **keerthi** » 25 Apr 2009, 19:11

p.s : The mudra charanam in PAlincu kAmAkSi is simply wonderful... Dr.PinakapaNi used to sing it..
It bristles with lovely language and imagery..

narayan · Post by **narayan** » 28 Apr 2009, 09:54

Keerthi, Nannu vidachi and Swara ragha sudha are both 'blind spots' for me, apropos another thread on songs that people (i.e. me) are not too thrilled about. But you're right, of course. I had listed songs where the non-mudra charanam is sung and also neraval sung in that. But, as you say, the mudra charanam in Palincu kamakshi is equally good and the neraval line is as good if not better than the usual one, if I recall. Nedunuri also sang this one, some time back.

Finally, apart from the utsava sampradaya type songs, some songs in which at least I try to sing more than one charanam are: Eti janma and koluvaiyunnade (devagandhari).

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 20 Jul 2009, 16:24

Another song where the mudra CaraNa is not in vogue is raghupatE rAmA in sahAnA...

srinivasrgvn · Post by **srinivasrgvn** » 20 Jul 2009, 16:37

vasanthakokilam wrote:Those krithis that have numerous charanams, do they also have a lot of sangathis for the pallavi line? Wondering if such songs were composed to be sung in a bhajan context. I remember reading somewhere that T and his disciples used to go around the streets singing his songs as bhajans and group singing. Not that sangathis are completely antithetical to bhajans but wondering if there is any such correlation.

Those are 'utsava sAmpradAya' kritis. Those kritis were meant for bhajan purpose. So, Thyagarajar used simple words and easier ragas so that people could sing clearly. [Source: A lec dem]

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 20 Jul 2009, 21:08

Whatever the reason, gurus, time factor in concerts or otherwise, now that we have sources to know the whole meaning of the songs and the happenings in a story (with tyAgarAja, particularly), it is a good idea for students and musicians to go through unsung caraNams and get the meaning and bhAvam invested in them.
One of my favorite songs of T--nA morAlagimpavEmi painted a large canvas in my mind of rAmA's story when I was a child. The continuity of the bhAvam of the song was intact there.
It is difficult though to sustain the interest musically in a concert if all caraNams are sung with every song! The concert format would lose its crispness and tautness and there is no time for that either. However, one song sung in its entireity can take it, if the content of the verses are rich in meaning and imagery.
There is a definite difference with a concert and a bhajanai! In a bhajanai, it is better that all verses of a song are sung. nAmAvaLi kind of songs fit in there better than in a concert--and repeating of the verses with no change in their musical structure is ideal there; draws the participants in, creates a mood for all to sing with ease and abandon.

jnaanasoonyam · Post by **jnaanasoonyam** » 21 Jul 2009, 17:57

In a concert last week at Thiruvanmiyur Asthika Samajam, Smt. Sowmya sang the rarely heard charanam "rEpu mappani jeppite..." in Devi Brova (Chintamani, Shyama Sastri), where the composer alludes to the next day's (rEpu) contest with Bobbili Kesavayya and beseeches the Goddess' blessings...