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RAgam, ThAnam, Pallavi - fascinating facts!

The easiest way to learn the delineation of any rAgam is to learn a varNam (if available) and at least

three to four songs, set to that rAgam. Listening to great artists is important to develop 'kELvi jnAnam'.

Carnatic music is based on phrases and it is essential to remember the important ones in the rAgam

we are trying to learn.

For example, let us take rAgam KApi.

'Enna thavam seydhanai' will guide us tp get these phrases:

(small letters denote short length and Capitals denote long notes)

G3 M m n P G2..... R s r N. S........; n. s r p G2.....R; R m M P..... n3 N3 S'; n3 r s' n2 P....; m n2 p G2 R etc

the following sangathis give -

m r p m n2 p G2... R; p s' n2 p G2....... R; s s G3 G3 g3 S... G3 m n2 p m g3 M........; p s' n2 P G2 R N. ..... S

We can create the upper octave phrases also similarly.

m p n3 s' r' g'2 R'......; r' g2' r' g2' r' s' n3; n3 s' G'2 G'2....; n3 s' G'3 G'3....; s' g3' m' P' m' G'2 R'. etc

D1 is also used rarely. r m p D2 D2.... r m p D1 D1 p m G2 r is an example.


Though KApi rAgam has S R2 M1 P N3 S'; S' N2 D2 N2 P M1 G2 R2 S as ArOhaNam and avrOhaNam,

G3 is used frequently and D1 is used rarely. So towards the end of the rAgam, most of the artists finish

with a phrase containing all the swarms - s' n3 n2 d2 d1 p m1 g3 g2 r2 s........... in high speed! :)


 
KApi rAgam - continued .....

This rAgam is janya rAgam of KaraharapriyA. Since G3, D1 and N3 also appear

this is a bhAshAnga rAgam.


1. N3 follows the rule of ArOhaNam, always. So, no N2 in any ArOhaNa prayOgams.


2. G2 also follows the rule of avarOhaNam, always.


3. G3 appears only when we break the rule of ArOhaNam. :)

''g3 m p G2 ... R'' is a special phrase which does not fit in the ArOhaNam.

(start of 'enna thavam seydhanai' is an example)

Other special phrases with G3 are - ''s s g g G s g p M''; ''g g g r S r g M g M'';

''g m g m g m n p'' followed by G2 R2.


4. D1 is rarely used. ''r m p d p m g m G r'' / ''r m p d p g r''. (g2 as per rule)


Note: Three numbering system is used here to denote the swarams.

Hence, G2 is sAdhAraNa ghAndhAram and G3 is anthara gAndhAram;

N2 is kaisiki nishAdham and N3 is kAkali nishAdham.
 
Thank you very much for this fantastic reply. Can we use both N2 and N3 when we say SNNP. i. either both of them N3 or both N2. Of course, it should not be one N2 and N3 .
 
N3 appears only in ascending phrases. m p n s' ; p n s' r' etc.

N3 does not appear while descending from S'; but it is used just to add colour to this rAgam.

s' n3 n2 d2 d1 p m1 g3 g2 r2 s - just once towards the end of the delineation of this rAgam!

Hope it is clear now. :)
 
Thani Avarthanam is a special aspect of RTP.

It is always fascinating if 'konnakkOl' accompanies the set of percussion!

Today is Tabla maestro Ustad Alla Rakha's 95th birthday.
award_star.png


So, enjoy this 'thani' + 'konnakkOl' by the father and son.

Ustad Allah Rakha & Zakir Hussain Tabla Solo Teental
 
The interesting aspect in the choice of ragams Abhogi and Valaji is that if madhmayam of the first rAgam is taken as Sa,

(Sruthi bEdham), we get the second rAgam. If Panchamam of second rAgam is taken as Sa, we get the first rAgam.

Sri. BMK juggles very well between these two rAgams while singing the swaraprasthAram. :juggle:
 
Raji Ram said:

Carnatic music gives the artists freedom to exhibit their talents in many ways. RAgam ThAnam Pallavi, now-a-days known as RTP,

gives the maximum freedom! Sruthi bEdham in singing the rAgam, the beauty of different patterns in thAnam, the thALam intricacies

and lyrics of the pallavi are a few specials.


We can say that a Pallavi is a one line composition - either taken from an already existing krithi or just the one line composed

by an artist. The rAgam of the pallavi is indicated sometimes in the lyrics of the pallavi. A famous one is 'SankarAbharaNanai

azhaithOdi vAdi KalyANi DharbArukku'. This has four different rAgams - SankarAbharaNam, ThOdi, KalyANi and DharbAr.


The two number system of swarams, which the beginners learn, is denoted by the twelve basic notes, namely

R1 - shuddha Rishabham, R2 - chathusruthi Rishabham, G1 - sAdhAraNa GAndhAram, G2 - anthara GAndhAram,

M1 - shuddha Madhyamam, M2 - prathi Madhyamam, P - Panchamam, D1 - shuddha Dhaivatham, D2 - chathusruthi

Dhaivatham, N1 - kaisiki NishAdham and N2 - kAkali NishAdham.


Since the vivAdhi swaram shatsruthi Rishabam is same as G1, suddha GandhAram is same as R2, shatsruthi Dhaivatham is

same as N1 and suddha NishAdham is same as D2 the three number system came into existence.

It is S; R1; R2; R3 = G1 in two number system

R2, G1, G2 in the two number system becomes G1, G2 and G3 in the three number system

D1; D2; D3 = N1 in two number system

D2, N1, N2 in the two number system becomes N1, N2 and N3 in the three number system

The position of swarams are like this:

S R1 R2 R3
.......G1 G2 G3 M1 M2 P D1 D2 D3
......................................N1 N2 N3

Thus the twelve basic notes became sixteen swarams!

And, the beginner's rAgam MAyAmALavagowlA has these swarams: S R1 G3 M1 P D1 N3 S'


To be continued....... :)
Click to expand...

Madam RR,

I don't know anything about carnatic music but I would like to share the following:

Till recently I did an exercise to discard the old records of my family which were kept more than 95 years from the 1916 to 1926. In one of the editions of a Newspaper of those days, I read a news about Sri Venkitamahi son of Sri Govinda Dhikshita who was instrumental in designing 72 melakartha raghangal. In the subsequent para of the edited news that one of the descendants of Sri Venkitamahi had handed it over to Sri Ramaswamy Dhikshitar, the father of Sri Muthuswamy Dhikshitar one of the Trinities. My father use to say he was the 7[SUP]th[/SUP] generation to Sri Govinda Dhikshita. So goes …… I do have believe over history but none of us learnt Carnatic music but enjoy carnatic music to the core. Previously I wrote about Thanjavur Raghunatha Veena invented by Sri Raja Govinda Dhikshitar who subsequently established Rig Veda Patasala at Kamakshi Josier Street, Kumbakonam which runs on donations only.
 
dhikshita said:
........... I don't know anything about carnatic music but I would like to share the following: ..... Previously I wrote about Thanjavur Raghunatha Veena invented by Sri Raja Govinda Dhikshitar who subsequently established Rig Veda Patasala at Kamakshi Josier Street, Kumbakonam which runs on donations only.
Click to expand...
Dear Sir,

I remember your lineage which you wrote in our forum sometime back! :)

Even if you don't know much about Carnatic music, you can still enjoy listening to the songs.
 
dhikshita said:
Madam RR,

In one of the editions of a Newspaper of those days, I read a news about Sri Venkitamahi son of Sri Govinda Dhikshita who was instrumental in designing 72 melakartha raghangal. In the subsequent para of the edited news that one of the descendants of Sri Venkitamahi had handed it over to Sri Ramaswamy Dhikshitar, the father of Sri Muthuswamy Dhikshitar one of the Trinities.
Click to expand...


Dhishita Ji

I find the following information from Google search on Govinda Dikshitar:

Govinda Dikshitar was a scholar, philosopher, statesman and musicologist. He served as a minister under Achuthappa Nayak and Raghunatha Nayak. He lived in a palatial house in Patteeswaram, the remnants of which are believed to exist. This versatile genius and erudite scholar composed Arivamsa Saracharitram and Sangitha Sudhanidhi(a treatise on music).

Source: Govinda Dikshitar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
mskmoorthy said:
I was listening to carnatic music idol usa 2012 competition. I liked this pallavi piece (in RTP) by a contestant. May be this pallavi line is well known. Here is it
Cmi Finals 6 - YouTube
Click to expand...
Dear Prof Sir,

Thanks for posting this here. It is a difficult Pallvi set in two gathis!

Seems Varun has not have practiced very well!

But his swaram singing for the next song is outstanding! :thumb:
 
Dear RR madam,

Thanks for posting such a beautiful rendition of thOdi (RTP). Listening to it on a cold Sunday morning was a pleasure.
At 46:46 time mark the raaga sung is rEvati ( this is for Sri Sadasivam Sridharan Sir - Please listen sir - you may find a delight in identifying the raagas in raga maalika)

Moorthy
 
This might be a sample of how a pallavi should NOT be constructed!
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Dr. KJ Yesudas performing Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi

Too many words in this pallavi restricts the sangathis which are needed to make it interesting.

The same sangathi is repeated in all speeds and makes it a sort of boring!

ThaLam is kanda jAthi triputa - similar to Adi thaLam but with four finger counting instead of three! :)
 
I came across this concert of Smt. M S S at the Music Academy and wish to share it here.

The R T P in the rAgam Thodi starts here: R T P - Thodi

But I am sure raiskas will listen and enjoy the full concert! :music:
 

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