Music:
The most
fascinating aspect of Dikshitar's songs is the grandeur and majesty of
his music, sublime lyrics, intellectual brilliance and the overall
technical sophistication. They exude a tranquil joy. His vision of the
ragas and their structure is inspiring.
Dikshitar was
blessed with the heart of a poet and the composure of a yogi. He was an
intense devotee but undemonstrative. There is therefore certain
composure, measured grace, dignity and a mellow joy glowing through his
music as in his life.
The Druphad way of elaboration captured his imagination. The tempo of his songs is mostly the Vilambakala- slow, measured and majestic; rich in gamaka just as the meends on a Veena. Dikshitar aptly called himself “Vainika gayaka guruguhanuta”.
Dikshitar’s treatment of the ragaexemplifies the essence of raga bhaava and brings out its delicate shades. It is as if the musician is immersed in contemplative meditation. The graces, the rich gamaka prayogas
of his compositions structured in slow tempo shine in mellow glow when
played on the Veena. This is amply reflected in his works ; for instance
in Cheta Sri (Dvijawanthi), Balagopala (Bhairavi), Sri Rajagopala (Saveri), Meenakshi Me Mudam (Poorvikalyani) and in Sri Subramanyaya Namasthe (Kambhoji).The other compositions of this genre are Dakshinamuthe(shankrabharanam),Manasaguruguha(anandabhiravi),EhiAnnapaurne(punnagavarali), Amba Neelayatakshi (nilambari) and each of the nava_varana kritis. These are monumental works.
It is not all
slow and spacious. He built into his compositions exhilarating bursts of
speed and sparkling delight as if in celebration of the divine spirit,
towards the end. Certain kritis are interlaced with Madhyamakala Sahitya, passages in tempo faster than the rest of the kriti (E.g. Mahaganapatim in Nata).
Dikshitar
redefined the treatment of even the traditional Carnatic ragas by way of
elaborate beginning, rich in gamakas resembling the sliding meends as, for instance, in the slow paced majesty of Akshyalinga Vibho (Shankarabharanam) or in Balagopala (Bhiravi), portraying the beauty of thedivine child, Krishna. His Nirajakshi Kamakshi inHindolamwith dha flat entirely changed the way Hindolam came to be sung by his contemporaries and by the later Carnatic musicians.
Dikshitar was well versed in the alapana paddhati and followed it in the elaboration of the kriti. The musicologists have said “The most outstanding aspect of the compositions of Dikshitar is their richness in raga bhava”. His sense of selection of the apt sancharas of the raga to bring out the true emotion is remarkable. They range from the mandra to the tara sthayi and give a complete picture of the raga. It is said that if you sing his kriti in akara, it can bring out the character of the raga. His kriti are virtually, raga alapana, chiseled to fit in with tala and dressed in sahitya.
Ranganayakam by Shri S Rajam
Structure of kritis
His kritis are well structured, close knit and written in graceful Sanskrit. Dikshitar’s kritis do not have more than one Charanam; and as many as 157 of his creations are Samasti-charanams carrying no Anupallavi or the Anupallavi acting as Charanam. His rhythm is subtle and lyrics are divine.
Each of his compositions is unique,
brilliantly crafted and well chiseled work of intricate art. It is
incredible how delicately he builds into his tight-knit kritis a wealth
of information about the temple, its deity, its architecture and its
rituals; and about jyothisha, tantra, mantra, Sri Vidya, Vedanta etc. He
also skillfully builds into the lyrics, the name of the raga (raga mudra) and his Mudra, signature.
P.S.padithadhil pidithadhu
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