Kinkini Kuwait Presented Carnatic Music
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Kinkini Kuwait under the baton of Guru Rangashree presented a successful presentation of Carnatic music composers in the Kuwait boys scout auditorium on 12th April.It is not easy to point to one period of history or one ancient form of music as the source of contemporary Carnatic music. Several changes in theory and practice have surely taken place from Vedic times to the present day. Historical records allow us to trace the interesting pattern of evolutionary changes in music.it is believed that music may have had Divine Origins,Natural Origins,folk origin or Vedic origin.
Although there are stylistic differences, the basic elements of sruti (the relative musical pitch), swara (the musical sound of a single note), raga (the mode or melodic formulæ), and tala (the rhythmic cycles) form the foundation of improvisation and composition in both Carnatic and Hindustani music. Although improvisation plays an important role, Carnatic music is mainly sung through compositions, especially the kriti (or kirtanam) – a form developed between the 14th and 20th centuries by composers such as Purandara Dasa and the Trinity of Carnatic music. Carnatic music is also usually taught and learnt through compositions.
There are many composers in Carnatic music. Purandara Dasa (1480–1564) is renowned as the father (Pitamaha) of Carnatic music for formulating the basic lessons of, and his contributions to Carnatic music. He structured graded exercises known as Swaravalis and Alankaras, and at the same time, introduced the Raga Mayamalavagowla as the first scale to be learnt by beginners. He also composed Gitas (simple songs) for novice students.
The contemporaries Tyagaraja (1759? – 1847), Muthuswami Dikshitar, (1776–1827) and Syama Sastri, (1762–1827) are regarded as the Trinity of Carnatic music because of the quality of Syama Sastri's compositions, the varieties of compositions of Muthuswami Dikshitar, and Tyagaraja's prolific output in composing kritis.[47]
Prominent composers prior to the Trinity of Carnatic music include Arunachala Kavi, Annamacharya, Narayana Theertha, Vijaya Dasa, Bhadrachala Ramadas, Sadasiva Brahmendra and Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi. Other composers are Swathi Thirunal, Gopalakrishna Bharathi, Neelakanta Sivan, Patnam Subramania Iyer, Mysore Vasudevachar, Koteeswara Iyer, Muthiah Bhagavathar, Subramania Bharathiyar and Papanasam Sivan. The compositions of these composers are rendered frequently by artists of today.
As always the disciplined performance starting from prayer, pilani geetam, swarajathi ,jathiswaram, krithis like Bhavayami Gopala balam, Muruga Muruga, Okapari, Sri Saraswathi, Himadri Suthe, Brocheva and the pancharathna kriti Sadhinchene ,and the Dhanashri thillana. It is a audiovisual treat with all disciples giving their very best.
The orchestra members flown in from india elevated the standard of the performance .Vocals. Vidwan. D.S. Srivathsa, Mridangam .Vidwan.V.R.Chandrshekar and flute Vidwan .H.S.Venugopal,Choreography and Nattuvangam Guru Rangashree.The surprise was the public request performance by guru.Rangashree which was the highlight of the whole performance.
The 11 year celebration was indeed a beautiful morning of classical bharatanatyam in its purest form. KINKINI bestowed with Karnataka Kalashri from the Karnataka Sangeetha Nrithya Academy is well deserved.
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