Is Carnatic Music Ailing or Flourishing in the New Age?
There is no doubt that Carnatic music is flourishing and has not been affected by the assault from film music.
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Many are making waves currently in the Carnatic arena and almost all of them are less than 40.
Malladi Brothers and Pantulu Rama (from Andhra), Trichur Brothers (from Kerala) and Amrita Venkatesh (from Bengaluru) are some of them. They are of great promise. They should aspire to reach the heights of Ranjani and Gayatri, acclaimed as the best among women singers just now. They hail originally from Mumbai and started as violinists, only to switch over to vocal music. Their felicity with Hindustani music is something that would amaze the best of singers from the North.
The violin maestro Lalgudi Jayaraman’s children –Krishnan and Vijasyalakshmi- are at the top and have ensured the longevity of the lineage. Shashank (30) on the flute reigns supreme in an instrument that has universal appeal.
In the area of percussion there are at least ten young mridangam players who can accompany the greatest and the most demanding and fastidious of vocalists. What more variety can you expect from a genre of music that has captivated millions at home and abroad?
Carnatic Music Remains ‘Stagnant’
There is no doubt that Carnatic music is flourishing and has not been affected by the assault from film music. The age profile of performers is however dropping, much to the delight of many avid listeners. Paradoxically, the audiences are becoming older!
This is a matter for concern. There is also a partly valid criticism that Carnatic music remains stagnant, the same old kritis of Saint Thiagaraja, the same old raga alapana (raga elaboration) and the same old ‘thani’ ( the stage at which a percussionist is allowed to play solo during a vocal concert). Every elaboration of a ‘raga’ is said to be so predictable that innovation takes the backstage. I am no expert or a connoisseur, but many knowledgeable music lovers in the south of the Vindhyas have told me this.
One rebel is trying to change it all. He is T.M. Krishna, a phenomenal singer, who is against the conventional structure of the Carnatic concert, that was constructed seven decades ago by Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar. His efforts to change the order inside a concert have been pooh-poohed by many as a mere popularity stunt and an attempt at headline grabbing.
I feel that this is unfair to a genius and a genuine human being. TMK would now sing only at free concerts, and during the ‘season’ he would perform only in the mornings. His tirade against the Academy is particularly sensational. In his view music has been gravely commercialised, and there is a lot of politics that has defiled this divine art. There may be difference of opinion on these matters.
An Immortal Art
What has been jarring however is Krishna’s charge that Carnatic music has been the exclusive preserve of the TamBrahm, one that has denied a place for the talented non-Brahmin. (TMK himself is a TamBrahm and has an enviable pedigree.) He has persisted with this kind of attack on prominent singers and organisers of Carnatic music. His superb book ( A Southern Music: The Karnatik Story) highlights his obsession, and somewhat detracts from the merits of his otherwise eminently readable book.
Krishna does not lose any opportunity to speak or write about this. Sadly, as a result, he has lost some of his enormous following. This is nothing but a tragedy for Carnatic music. There are no signs of this changing at all.
I am particularly aggrieved, because Krishna and I respect each other and admire each other, and I love his music nearly as much as I do Sanjay’s. Perhaps controversies like these enhance the appeal of Carnatic music to the passionate listener!
The music will go on, and more and more people will be drawn to it. That is the beauty of an immortal art like Carnatic music.
Read the first part of the story here.
(The writer is a former CBI Director and a music buff.)
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