1. Why is violin used as an accompaniment to vocal music?
A. The violin, ever since its introduction to Carnatic music in the 19th century, has proved itself to be most suited to accompany vocal music, mainly because of its smooth tone, continuity and capacity to produce slow to super fast music. The violin is also a very successful lead instrument in Carnatic music, and violin solos, duets and trios are quite admired.
2. Why do Indian musicians sit cross-legged on the floor while performing?
A. In India, a number of people have preferred to sit on the floor for centuries (chairs or thrones were used more by the elite few). Thus, the designs of the instruments have been made to suit this manner of sitting, and it continues to be so since the need for a change has not been perceived so far. The musicians, too, feel comfortable this way. Even artistes handling imported instruments such as the violin have evolved postures to suit their style and comfort.
3. Should the melodic accompanist reproduce note for note the main artiste’s ideas, or can he or she display his/her own skills of creativity?
A. What a melodic accompanist should do depends on the requirements of the main artiste. Some artistes may prefer the accompanists to repeat their ideas, as faithfully as possible, while others may instruct them to just touch the key notes now and then. But the important thing is that the spirit of the lead artiste’s music is re-emphasized by the accompanist.
4. What is the definition of a good voice, in the context of Carnatic music?
A. Any voice capable of executing the commands of the mind, in a manner acceptable to the majority of the listeners, may be deemed a good voice. This naturally implies command over modulation of volume and tone, besides a range of different octaves and speeds.
5. How important is voice culture in Carnatic music?
A. Carnatic music does have several methods for improving tonal production, purity, range, breath control and handling various speeds. If a student were to follow the prescribed and proven methods meticulously under expert guidance, the overall output is certainly bound to be much superior.
6. What is the role of a tanpura in a concert? Is the electronic tanpura an acceptable substitute?
A. The tanpura is used to provide the tonic note and its fifth perfecr for the artistes, serving as a constant reference point to them, to enable them to render all the notes in their perfect values. It is constantly droned during the concert. A well-tuned tanpura enhances the musical atmosphere and plays a key role in making the concert more enjoyable ro one familiar with Indian music. Lately, various kinds of electronic tanpuras have been designed, and some of them have gained the acceptance of many musicians and music students, but there are also those who prefer the old natural ones. The advantage of a well-designed electronic tanpura over the conventional cannot be doubted. It has more flexibility in pitch, volume and tone, and eliminates dependence on another person to physically play the tanpura, a feature that makes it even more advantageous to an instrumentalist.
7. Is knowledge of language essential to enjoy a composition?
A. Since Carnatic compositions are a blend of melody, rhythm and lyrics, they can be enjoyed both in isolation and in various combinations. Thus, knowledge of language is not compulsory, though it may add to the listening pleasure.
8. Is it possible to make orchestral presentation of Carnatic compositions?
A. There is ample scope to do so and there have been attempts at arranging various compositions for live or electronically synthesised orchestras.
9. Does Carnatic music have a precise notation system?
A. Indeed, it does. It is simple but very orderly. Since the tonic note is different for various artistes, there is flexibility of the pitch of the compositions. The notation system is based on the notes of the tunes, with the lyrics written below. It has to be noted that there is no need for separate symbols, for marking the actual tempo of a composition or the change in dynamics within it, as it is left to the individual’s interpretation. However, there are clear methods to indicate change of speed or octaves.
10. Is it wrong to expect sensationalism in a Carnatic concert?
A. Carnatic music has proved time and again that it can be enjoyed purely as an art, appreciated purely as a science, and can elevate the human soul in a purely spiritual manner. Different art forms make use of the suggestive as well as the sensational to cater to different types of people. Carnatic music is no exception and therefore one need not feel guilty if one expects a bit of sensationalism in it, but again, whether a specific artiste displays it or not is a matter of individual choice.
11. How old is the present concert pattern? Is it inflexible or does it allow modifications?
A. The concert pattern as is being followed today is about 100 years old. Prior to that, the emphasis was more on the creative aspects and compositions played a minor role. The present format is by no means inflexible, but due to its general acceptance, a change does not seem imminent.
12. Do the accompanists rehearse with the main artistes prior to the concert, or is the entire exercise spontaneous?
A. A few artistes prefer to rehearse before the concert while others do not. But the system is such that any set of reasonably competent artistes can perform straightaway on stage, without any kind of rehearsal whatsoever.
13. Why does the mrdangist sit to the right of the vocalist?
A. It is conventional for the mrdangist to place the main side of the instrument (the smaller, black-centred one that produces a more tuneful sound) facing the audience. Thus, one will find that right-handed mrdangists sit to the right of the main artiste and vice versa.
14. What is a ragam tanam pallavi? Is it a must in concerts?
A. Ragam, Tanam Allavi (RTP) is a unique piece that relies almost totally on the artistes’ improvisational abilities. A raga is taken up for melodic expansion {alapana and tanam). Following this, a short composition of a single line is taken up for melo-rhythmic improvisation neraval and kalpana swaras, and finally wound up with a purely rhythmic improvisation by the percussionists (tani avartanam). Besides, the piece also offers much scope to all artistes to display their rhythmic abilities through special features like trikalam, tishram (rendering the basic piece in three speeds and in other gaits) and so on. RTP is considered by the connoisseur to be the ultimate test to an artiste’s technical and creative skills. Though it is not a compulsory piece, the concert gains in substance through skilful RTP renditions.
15. What exacdy is tanam, and what do the syllables employed in it, mean? Is it similar to jhala of Hindustani music?
A. Tanam is a type of melodic improvisation, of a slightly faster variety than alapana, and though often rendered without any percussion accompaniment, contains a tangible element of rhythm. A vocalist uses non-meaningful syllables like nom, torn, ta, but these are said to signify the words anantam (boundless) or aanandam (bliss), that are attributes of the Almighty. The tanam could be compared to the jod and jhala, or the nom-tom of Hindustani music.
16. Why are syllables like ta, da, ri, na, used during alapana? Do they have any special significance?
A. Usually, a musician uses the vowel ‘a (as in America), or the consonants ‘ta and ‘na during melodic expansion. These do not have any special significance. They are, however, basically acceptable to the human ears and also bring in a slight contrast. The convention is that the syllables should end with the vowel ‘a’. The syllables ‘da’ and ‘ri’ are sometimes used, but are not desirable, since they already form a part of the seven-note system.
17. What is the difference between sangati and neraval?
A. Sangati refers to the pre-determined variations in a given part of the song, which are rendered in a particular order each time the song is rendered. Mostly, the variations are melodic and composed by the creator of the piece but, sometimes, other artistes may add to it. There are a few composers who have also created sabitya sangatis (lyrical variations). Good examples of this are seen in the opening section of Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi’s Mahashaya hrdaya (Abogi) and Tyagaraja’s Brochevarevare (Shriranjani). It is important for artistes to include all the necessary sangatis while rendering a piece.
Neraval refers to extempore improvisations effected upon any meaningful line of the song selected by the artiste, and is purely optional. The line so selected is rendered with different melodic and rhythmic embellishments, and is intended to bring to the fore the artistes’ creative skills.
18. How much importance is placed on speed in Carnatic music?
A. Speed is one of the more communicative aspects of any system of music, and Carnatic musicians give adequate importance to it. A competent artisre covers multiple speeds in a concert in a colourful fashion, through compositions as well as improvisation. Even students are taught to render some of their lessons like sarali, jantai varishais and varnams in multiple speeds.
19. Can each of the 72 melakartas (parent scales) be elaborated in detail?
A. Yes, it is possible, but a few of them like Shankarabharanam, Todi, Kalyani and Kharaharapriya, offer more scope for elaborate renditions and are agreeable to one’s ears even when extensively elaborated by artistes, than ragas like Kosalam, Salagam etc.
20. Is there a separate repertoire for instrumentalists in Carnatic music, as in the case of some other systems?
A. No, but some compositions may happen to suit instruments more.
21. Does Carnatic music make use of any contemporary themes besides devotional ones?
A. Of late, a few composers have been trying to express other ideas.
22. Is music financially lucrative as a profession?
A. It is one of the best professions one could opt for, provided one has worked hard enough and attained acceptable levels of excellence and perfection. Of course, luck is a factor, as is the case in any field.
23. How many hours of practice per day and how many years are required to attain excellence in this field?
A. Though it is not easy to generalize, four to six hours of practice, over a period of five to eight years, is needed for reasonable levels of — concert competence. -Of course, greater the input, higher the output is likely to be. Besides practice, one should also listen to a lot of good music in order to expand one’s musical perspective.
24. What is the meaning of the term korvai?
A. Korvai may be explained as a mathematical pattern repeated three times (sometimes with minor variations), in order to achieve a rhythmic or melo-rhythmic cadence. Though often employed by percussionists, it also figures as the highpoint of the melo-rhythmic improvisation, kalpana swara.
25. Is it true that Carnatic music does not give adequate attention to purity of notes (shruti unison)?
A. Definitely incorrect. The system places most stress on tonal purity. Every artiste is expected to stick to the shruti. But, alongside this, the system also demands that the musicians spend equal energy on correctness of ornamentation, rhythmic accuracy and clarity in diction, and manage constant shifts in speeds and octaves adroitly. This is quite challenging, but not insurmountably so, as top-notch artistes have proved time and again.
26. What is ragamalika?
A. ‘Ragamalika literally means a garland of ragas. A musician may occasionally render a composition or improvised music covering more than one raga.
27. When the fundamentals of major music systems are the same, how does one account for so many different systems?
A. Consider the following conversation:
X: How was your math class? Y: Good.
X: How was the tennis match? Y: Good.
X: How was the movie? Y: Good.
Taken at face value, the sequence is not terribly exciting, Y’s answers appearing rather monotonous. Suppose Y had changed them even marginally, they might have communicated more to the reader. But, this need not be the actual case at all. It is quite possible that the same word ‘good’ could be used to communicate reactions like genuine appreciation, sarcasm, and pure indifference, with subtle alteration in the manner of uttering it. This happens in music too. It is the manner of rendering the notes that basically accounts for different styles, besides the importance each system bestows on different aspects. This is why the same piece of music rendered by a Carnatic artiste may sound dissimilar to a rendition by a Hindustani artiste or a jazz specialist. The above also holds good within a given system, given the diverse styles of individual artistes.
28. How would one compare and contrast Carnatic music with Western classical? SIMILARITIES
i. Both are well-evolved systems revolving around melody and rhythm.
ii. Both have seven basic notes and corresponding solfas in a 12-tone system.
iii. Both give importance to compositions and have had a galaxy of great composers over the years.
iv. Both are highly successful concert systems, enjoying worldwide respect and popularity.