[email protected] () wrote: > > I was browsing thru the Ragde book (which lists over 18,000 Carnatic songs) > recently, and found an interesting entry in it. It is a javali titled > "O my lovely" in Kharaharapriya by B. Chandrasekhara Shastri. Has anyone > heard a rendition of this song? Are there any other Carnatic kritis with > English sahitya? And, can English really be appropriate for Carnatic music?This song is actually a maNipravALam song - it uses English, Telugu and probably Tamil. This is mentioned in one of the volumes of Prof. P. Sambamoorthy's series on Karnatic Music. I have heard this sung in a lecture demonstration on "Influence of Western Music on Karnatic Music" at the Music Academy by Dr. S. Sundar ( a medical Doctor and a disciple of the late D K Jayaraman ). He sang a few snatches of this song just to point out that a few composers have experimented with composing in English. I don't think the trend really caught on. I don't know about appropriateness, but I would hesitate before pronouncing any judgements about it.
One can put this in context by remembering that several composers have been inspired by the music offered by Western Bands during the British times. Among the more famous are Dikshitar (who has composed about 35-40 nottuswara sAhityAs, many based directly on western tunes - a famous one being santatam pAhimAm based on God save the King) and Patnam Subramania Iyer (his invention of kathanakutuhalam was reportedly inspired by listening to the band at Fort St. George in Madras Patnam). Others who adapted or were inspired by western tunes are Thyagaraja (sarasara samarai in kuntalavarALi and raminchuvArevarUra in supOshini are good examples) and Subramania Bharati. Bharatiar's song beginning with the words viduthalai, viduthalai, viduthalai used to feature often in Pattammal's concerts. The original tune (set by Subramania Bharati) was in bilahari rAgA and based on the French national anthem. The late Dr. S. Ramanathan once sang this at a lec-dem on Bharatiar's compositions. I have also heard of an incident where Muthiah Bhagavatar heard this piece and was intrigued enough to ask Bharatiar himself about the tune. When Bharatiar told him that he had based it on the French anthem, Bhagavatar congratulated him profusely on his innovativeness.
Composers (and musicians probably) of the earlier centuries, while adopting something from another style of music, also adapted it to Karnatic music. Examples are the many compositions inspired by western tunes, tillAnas (which, according to some, are derived) from hindustAni tarAnAs, kAvadichindus,....
The only major sort of composition that has been introduced to Karnatic music in the 20th century (esp. the latter part) have been bhajans (and abhangs). These are not really adapted to the Karnatic set-up but are just borrowed lock, stock and barrel, albeit (quite often) with bad pronounciation.
Comments/opinions?
Ramana
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