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Concept of Art Music1

(N.Ramanathan)

Art Music is the term that is presently being used in the sense of 'Classical Music'. The term

Classical is no longer in use since there are many other connotations for the same term in the

Western world. The term 'Classical' in one sense denotes the styles prevalent in the Ancient Greek

arts and in another sense refers to one of the styles in Western Classical Music represented by the

music of the composers like Beethoven, Haydn etc. that preceded the 'Romantic' style. But the term

'Classical' has also been used in the sense of 'Art music' to distinguish it from the 'Popular Music'. In

modern times to avoid any ambiguity, the term 'Art Music' is being used.

Before we understand the term 'Art Music' we must understand what the term 'Art' means and

what 'Music' means. In human life there are many kinds of activities such as eating, playing, sleeping,

reading etc. We also pursue arts. We know Music to be one of the Arts. There are different kinds of

art like, painting, dance, drama, sculpture, poetry and music. What are the Arts? And how are they

different from other activities like, say, cooking, car driving, carpentry, learning physics and

economics?

Art:

The aim of art lies in activities, which are not intended to achieve an outside goal. But the activity

itself is important and the enjoyment of the art lies in seeing how beautifully the activity takes place.

The activity is an end in itself. One may object that, any activity, cooking or car driving too can be

done beautifully. It is true that all activities can be done beautifully and we do use the expression that

a certain work has been done very artistically, such as Tendulkar's Square-cut. But cooking or driving,

even though done artistically, is nevertheless intended to achieve some other object in view like

preparing food for eating or traveling from one place to another or winning a cricket match. But

sculpture, painting, music and the like are activities which do not intend to achieve any mundane

benefit and the doing or the performing of these arts themselves is the end of these arts. The arts are

also regarded as an eternal source of delight and entertainment. This is because they present

structures for perception, which delight in themselves, without arousing any urge to action or the

desire to possess them. They provide appearances, which please merely by appearing. They not only

delight, but wholly absorb the attention so that all thoughts of 'self' is forgotten.

1
Published earlier in the Journal, Samakalika Sangeetham, Kozhikode, No.15. Oct 2013, pp.14-21; No.16, Apr 2014, pp. 14-
21, No.17, Oct 2014 pp. 7-13.
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Art and Craft:

Sometimes, as pointed out above, some utility objects also express great beauty and are

appreciated for it. Some objects like chairs, ornaments, pots, flower vases and bangles, which are

beautiful to look at, are often displayed as exhibits and not put to use. We sometimes see that even a

musical instrument like, Tambura or Vina that has been made very beautifully being preserved as an

exhibit and not used in performance. The making of these utility objects with beauty as its aim is

referred to as 'Craft'. Thus 'Craft' is distinguished from 'Art' in that the former pertains to making of

utility and decorative objects in a beautiful manner. We shall now take up 'music’ which is one of the

arts.

Music:

'Music' refers primarily to 'a form created by sound which is pleasing to the listener'. Thus

whatever be the kind of music, Art music, Film music, Dance music, Drama music, Folk music,

Religious music, Social music, Advertisement / Jingle music, at the core of if it there will be a sound or

tonal form which pleases the listener. Thus the art of music has for its material, sound. In music one

creates with sound a recognisable structure or form. Sound in music has two aspects to it. First is the

syllabic aspect, which is bestowed on sound by the various parts of the mouth which are touched

while producing the sound. The other is that of the pitch. Pitch is the character that denotes the

differences in sound due to which one sound is generally said to be higher or lower than another or to

be of the same level. It is this aspect of the pitch of sound that is made use of in weaving a picture

with sound. The word tone may be used to designate sound considered from the point of view of

pitch. Thus when we sing a song like 'annamē", the same sound expresses the words as well as the

melodic structure based on Ārabhi rāga. The words would be referred to as 'coṟ-pakuti' or 'sāhitya'

and the melodic structure as 'Icai-vaḍivam’ or simply melody or tune. They may also be referred to as

'Mātu' and 'Dhātu' respectively.

Sometimes the sound structure may express a combination of syllables that may be linguistically

meaningless, as seen in the Jatisvaram songs or in the pallavi of a common Tillānā. Apart from the

words the duration of the tones or svara-s also plays a part in giving an image to the musical

structure. The duration of the tones when expressed in a recognisable pattern is called rhythm. In the

different kinds of music the emphasis could shift from the tonal structure to the words, to the

meanings or to the rhythm.

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Having seen what Art is and what Music is, we now come to the concept of 'Art Music'. We have

seen that music is presented in various contexts and in various ways. For instance, music is seen to

be presented by itself as is seen in an Art Music concert or Kaccēri, in a Light music concert, in Pop-

music concerts, with lights and dance in Disco-s and with visual embellishment as seen in Television

Channels like V-TV channel and M-TV channel. Music also serves as a limb of other arts like, Dance,

Cinema, Drama, Harikathā etc. Music also figures in other activities in our life, such as in Temple

worship, Social functions like Marriage and Death, in war, in the welcoming of dignitaries, in the

inauguration of sports events like the Olympics. In each of these contexts, the form and content of

music varies. Music has to orient itself to the art or to the context of which it is a part.

Music in Dance:

For instance, the art of Dance primarily denotes beautiful figures created in space using the

movements of the various limbs of the body. However, as in the case of most Indian dances, and

especially Bharatanatyam, dance is a composite art in which there are other subordinate arts like

music and drumming that contribute to it. Dance expresses through action the sung syllables,

meaningful or meaningless. Thus when the pallavi of a Pada-varṇam is sung, the movements of the

limbs communicate the meaning of the words. This is called 'Abhinaya'. And as opposed to abhinaya,

in Suddha-nṛtta, as in the performance of a Jatisvaram, there is dance performed to svara-syllables,

sa, ri, ga etc. sung as a song. In this the movements of the limbs are not representing any meaningful

words and hence this type of dance is referred to as 'non-representational'. In either case the dance is

said to be performed to music. However the music has to be of the kind that is suitable for dance. One

cannot sing 'manodharma' or ornamentations in the melodic line as one would do in the case of music

Kaccēri-s. In other words, the music has to be subordinate to the dance.

Music in Cinema:

In Cinema music has a very important place. Especially in Indian cinema almost every cinema

has songs sung by characters in the story or anonymously. Besides the songs there is what is called

'Background Music' which is normally instrumental music that is present in the background whenever

any action is taking place. Again the songs or music should perform the supporting role of fulfilling the

artistic aim of the cinema. Cinema, like a drama, is a story-based art, but along with the actors the

Camera too plays a very important role in projecting the emotions. The music in cinema has to help in

reinforcing the emotions created by the characters. The kind of music that is used will depend on the

situation. Thus if the story is set in a village surrounding, the music would be more folk-like; if the story
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is based on Purāṇa-s then the music may draw from rāga-s of art music; if the scene is set in a Club,

the music may be based on Western, Latin American, Chinese, or West Asian. Thus the music has to

suit the situation in which the action is taking place in the cinema. And in order to suitably express the

emotions the music supporting it should also be composed accordingly. Even if music is based on

raga-s from Classical or Art music certain liberties can be taken with the lakṣaṇa of the rāga if the

mood in the cinema so demands. In other words, music has to be subordinate to the cinema.

Music in Drama:

As in the case of Cinema, in Drama too the music has to play the subservient role of having to

enhance the emotions and mood in the drama.

Music in the Arts of Story-telling:

Harikathā, is an art of story-telling which uses music and sometimes dance too. The songs come

as illustrations and sometimes help in taking the story forward. Ślōka, Viruttam, kīrtana-s, Marathi

musical forms like Abhaṅga, Khaḍgā etc. are sung as part of the story narration. Thus music again is

subordinate to the story-telling entertainment.

Like the Harikathā, Villuppāṭṭu is a story-telling art popular more in the rural area. It also is full of

songs that support the progress of the story.

There are other related art forms like Isaippērurai and Upanyāsam in which too music is there.

The extent and proportion of music would depend on the musical knowledge of the performer.

Music As an Entertainment:

There are also some entertainment forms in which music is not sub-ordinate but dominates. We

generally come across music entertainment presented under the banners like Musiano, Lakshman-

Sruti, Gangai Amaran Nite etc. These programmes primarily revolve around presentation of songs

drawn from Cinema. Although removed from its original context these cine songs have an appeal

since the audience mentally associates the songs with the films or enjoys for its musical value alone.

However the music in the entertainment programmes is primarily film music.

In the Television programmes many may be aware of channels like V-Channel, M-TV etc. In

these channels songs are presented with the support of Visuals. This is a case of visual being

subordinate to Music though at times one is tempted to ask whether in these programmes it is the

music that is primary or the visual. In any case the music is of a popular kind and not art music.
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We also hear of 'DISCO’ music, in which along with the music there are also coloured lights going

on and off rhythmically and there is also dancing. Thus in music presentation we see light movement

and even dance becoming subordinate limbs. However the music in these presentations too is of the

lighter variety.

Art music:

Art music concerts are well known. They are primarily performed by one and sometimes two

singers or by (one or two or more) performers of musical instruments like, Nāgasvaram, Vīṇā,

Pullāṅkuzal, Violin, Gottuvadyam, and Mandolin. The form and other aspects of Art music concerts

will be gone into in detail later but it is important to note that art music is also presented for

entertainment in Music halls as a commercial proposition and is also marketed in recorded form as

Cassette tapes and Compact Discs.

Music in Other spheres:

Besides music in other arts and besides music presented with other features as sub-ordinate

limbs, there are other spheres in life where music figures as for instance, in Temple rituals, social

functions in a man's life - Birth, Marriage, Death etc., during work / occupation etc.

Music in Temple Rituals:

In the temples there are many rituals to be performed for the deity starting with the 'Waking up the

God' before sunrise to 'Putting Him to Sleep' at night. During all these stages there is music.

Whenever there is 'Dīpārādhanā' or even offering of 'Naivēdyam' of 'prasādam', or whenever the

'utsavar' (the deity intended for procession) is moved from one place to another, there has to be music

or at least ringing of the bell. In many temples the 'Āgama'-s (manuals for temples and religious

worship) prescribe the songs to be sung for each occasion and also the ragas to be employed. In

most temples the music is provided by the Nagasvaram performers. Many temples also have in

addition Oduvār-s singing Tēvāram and other songs during various occasions.

Thus the musical compositions of art music are commonly not used in temple rituals. However

during the annual temple festivals concerts of art music are usually held which is quite another thing.

Occupation and Music:

It is common to see men and women singing, when they are engaged in work, mainly to take their

minds off the tedium and dreariness of the work. In the rural area, when working in the agricultural
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fields, when pounding rice at home and during various other occasions, a number of songs are sung.

In the evening, during rest period prior to retiring to bed, villagers gather and sing ballads of great

heroes. There are different kinds of music for different seasons. In all these music the melody is

relatively simple and words and linguistic content are very important. Often the tune in the different

sections of a song is repetitive. Music in the rural area and music of the poor class in the urban area

are popularly referred to as Folk Music.

Today, in urban areas too, in places of work like the Banks and factories and in places of busy

and crowded human activity like Railway stations, Bus terminals and Airports soft recorded music

(mostly instrumental) is played to soothen the nerves of the tired workers and public and to keep their

temper under control.

Music in Social festivals:

During social festivals or occasions like birth of a child, marriage, death, instrumental music and

songs play a very important part. Nāgasvaram accompanied by Tavil, for instance, is an important

part of Marriage and all happy social functions. It is present in folk festivals and folk music This is

seen in rural as well as in urban areas. The music figuring here too is specific to the occasion and

totally integral to it. Of course in happy occasions like marriages, it is also a practice in South India to

organise concerts of art music or Light (Film) Music during "reception", an occasion when the married

couple is greeted by the relative and friends.

Thus we have briefly seen the different kinds of music presentation, the different arts in which

music is used as a limb, different spheres or contexts in which music figures. This was done to

prepare for a discussion of the nature and individuality of Art music on the background of other kinds

of music.

What is Art Music then?

All music, as pointed out earlier, is made up of the following elements - Melody (Icai or Dhātu),

Text (Col or Mātu) and Duration (Laya). Melody refers to the change in the pitch aspect of sound while

the Text refers to the syllable aspect of sound. Laya refers to the duration of pitches or to that of the

syllables of the text. These elements are part of any music, art, light, semi-classical, folk, music in

other arts, music in advertisement etc. Thus any music has to be melodically pure, sung to an

unswerving tonic or Śruti and has to be rendered without deviating from the prescribed laya or

kālapramāṇa. These are basic requisites of music irrespective of the kind of music being performed.

Thus whether it is music rendered in a dance performance or in a Cinema or in Art music concerts or
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in other occasions we expect the music to conform to these requisites. Thus with these elements

being common to all kinds of music, no music should be said to be superior or inferior to another.

What is it then that distinguishes Art music from other forms of music? We have seen that music

in other arts has to be subordinate to the requirements of the main or the principal art. The Music in

other spheres has to orient itself to the needs of the social or occupational environment. But Art Music

is independent of links to any other art or situation. It is governed by its own rules and has to conform

to and operate within the norms that are musical in nature. For instance, certain kinds of vocal

embellishments may not suit music in a Cinema or certain rāga phrases used in a Cinema song may

not be acceptable to art music. Further in a cinema the music would have to be subordinate to the

words and meaning. Thus music in cinema has to suit the aesthetic aims of cinema. But in art music

rules are not dictated by any external agencies but by the music itself. Thus how a the melodic

structure should be formed, what kind of rhythmic movement should be adopted, how the words

should be placed in the melodic line, what should be theme of he words -- all these are specified and

these 'rules’ or 'norms’ form the 'System' within which the music is created.

What is a 'System' or the 'System of Music'? The system is the set of conventions that are to be

adhered to when creating a musical piece. It covers all aspects of music, as pointed above, namely,

the melodic, rhythmic, verbal etc. These conventions are primarily unwritten and these unwritten rules

are present in the sub-consciousness of all the teachers and performers. When the system is written

down or documented then it becomes the 'theory' or 'Śāstra'. Hence art music is sometimes referred

to as 'Śāstrīya-saṅgītam'. The term 'Śāstram' stands for the system and in fact it describes the music,

its structure and content.

For instance, all melodic structures in South Indian Art music have to be based on one rāga or the

other. This is not true for music of other kinds, like folk music, cinema music or for music in an Ad-

jingle. And again songs have to be created within a time framework called Tāla. There are two other

frameworks within which the musical creations have to be confined. These are with respect to sound,

the three registers or sthāna-s or sthāyi-s, namely, mandra, madhya and tāra. Thus one is not

expected to or should preferably not traverse beyond the tāra or the mandra. Similarly the temporal

movement or the tempo or laya should be within three levels, druta, madhya and vilambita. Thus one

should be trained to sing or play in three sthāyi-s and in three kālam-s. Finally, the most of important

of all, the shapes or structures in which music is to be presented or the 'form' that musical product

should assume is also prescribed. Thus a musical system in Art music, defines,

a) the form,

b) the melody,
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c) the rhythmic movement and duration

d) the text

and the music is expected to accord to this system.

Vocal-Based Music?!:

Are all musical systems in the world governed by a similar set of norms? No! Although the North

Indian System shares many features with the South Indian system, the way the concepts of rāga and

tāla are understood differ. The Western art music is based on the system of harmony, chords and

polyphony. Their understanding of 'new' scales too is different from ours. And again each system has

its own preferences regarding how it presents music. For instance, in our system, singing or the voice

based music or the 'vocal music' is considered as primary and the instruments are regarded as

presenting 'vocal music' on the instruments. Irrespective of the channel of musical expression being

voice or an instrument, all musicians learn the same music and sing or play them. That is why the

music syllabus in a South Indian music Institution is the same whether it is presecribed for Vīṇā main,

Violin main or Vocal main. This is not so in North Indian Music. In North Indian Music there are two

styles followed. There is primarily a 'Gāyaki aṅga' or 'vocal style', which is the style of singing and

which is adapted by some instrumental performers. Other instrumental performers adopt an

'instrumental style' or a 'Bāja / Gata aṅga'. In the Western Art Music, the Instrumental and Vocal are

totally different.

Thus in South India we have preferred to adopt a totally 'voice-based' music. However the music

is not totally voice-based. For instance, each instrument has its own preference too. Every Vīṇā

performer has an extra liking for playing 'tānam'. There is a 'license' for Vīṇā performers to play tānam

any time they wish to. Playing tānam in the five Ghana-rāga-s, Nāṭṭai, Gaula, Ārabhi, Varāli and

Śrīrāga, is a privilege vīṇā performers have during the tānam playing of any rāga. On the other hand,

Nāgasvaram performers prefer not to play 'tānam' at all. Again in playing the concluding part of a

phrase, a vīṇā performer might employ a 'sphuritam', which may not figure in singing, thus bestowing

an exclusive 'vīṇā' colour to it. Similarly a violinist may use very quick turns of the bow (tremelo) or

play svara-s almost near the bridge, not reflecting the vocal style. Thus there is to a small extent an

'instrumentalisation' of the voice-based music in our system too and hence we could say that by and

large we have a 'voice-based' musical system.

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Musical System:

Is it a rule that one has to conform fully to the system? No! In arts there is nothing as a rule. There

are only conventions and customs. If there is a breakaway from the rule, say by a 'creative' or a

'rebellious' artist and it gains acceptance by the musical society then the system redefines itself. For

instance, the song 'jñāna mosagarādā' composed by Tyāgarāja in Şaḍvidhamārgiṇi rāga came to be

sung in the rāga Pūrvakalyāṇi and the latter version became popular and has now gained acceptance.

The songs composed by Tyāgarāja in Dēśādi-tāla are now being sung in Ādi-tāla. Further the ādi-tāla

itself has changed its structure from 'one laghu' to 'one laghu and two drutam-s'.

Besides the strong system that underlies Art-music, there is also the aesthetic point that in art

music the melodic aspect should dominate or reign supreme. It does not mean that words and laya

are not necessary. They are. But the intricacy and depth of melodic aspect must be the primary factor.

In art music the words are not always linguistically meaningful. For instance, in our music system,

there are two aspects, Manodharma and Kalpita. In Manodharma music, Ālāpana, Tānam, Neraval

and Kalpana-svaram are the forms in use. In Kalpita, Tāna-varṇam, Kīrttanai / Kṛti and Rāgamālikā

are important musical forms. In Ālāpana, Tānam and in Kalpanasvaram meaningful text is totally

absent. Some compositional types like Tillānā are mostly made up of syllables that form meaningless

text.

Again in Ālāpana there is no laya / gati or there is absence of pronounced laya. In tānam, there is

very pronounced laya / gati but it is not bound by tāla.

Melody being the primary and core aspect of music, it can never be dispensed with and in art

music it holds the principal position. When we say that melody dominates, what we mean is that the

words and meaning go into the background. They become vehicles for conveying or a vessel for

containing the melody. Laya too should not project itself in such a way that it over-shadows melodic

beauty. Thus art music is the creation of a musical form that is constituted by Melody (Dhātu), Rhythm

(Laya) and Text (Mātu) and in which, each of the limb contributes in a prescribed proportion. If there is

a change in the proportion, then music is regarded as having become light or non-classical. Once

could cite the analogy of 'a cup of coffee’. There is a proportion in which milk, decoction and sugar

have to be mixed to prepare a normal cup of coffee. Any change in the proportion would render the

coffee 'strong’ or 'light’. In the same light the constituent elements of music can be said to be 'mixed’

to create a musical piece. Every musical piece is said to belong to a form. Thus the primary aspect is

the Musical-form, that will be taken up now.

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Musical Form:

In South Indian Art music, the musical forms, as mentioned above, are of two kinds. They are

Kalpita and Manōdharma. Kalpita refers to the forms that are already composed or whose shape is

pre-determined and is learnt and rendered beautifully. Manōdharma, on the other hand, refers to the

forms, for which the manner or method of shaping is pre-determined but the actual shaping gets done

only during the performance. However both, manōdharma and kalpita, require a very high level of

training in music requiring deep knowledge about the 'sañcāra-s' or the characteristic phrases in raga-

s and about their proper rendering and about laya and tāla. Manōdharma is denoted by the term,

'Improvisation'. Some people refer to it as spontaneous or as extempore music. Whatever term may

be used, but the concept should be properly understood. Whether the music is manōdharma or kalpita

the presentation must be primarily musical, that is, a pleasing concordance of sound. Whether it is an

ālāpana or a kīrtana, it must be music first. Thus manōdharma need not be considered superior to

kalpita. Both require as much training and practice and should be equally beautiful when rendered.

Manōdharma :

In present day South Indian Music, manōdharma has four channels or four musical forms under it.

They are - Ālāpana, Tānam, Neraval and Kalpanāsvaram. For each of these forms the basic form or

structure is defined. However it must be understood that our textbooks still do not prescribe the

structures for Tānam, Neraval and Kalpanasvaram. We shall see this presently.

Ālāpana:

The form generally described for Ālāpana in our textbooks, in terms of Ākşiptikā, Rāgavardhani,

Vidārī etc. do not seem to reflect the contemporary practice in concerts. Further today there appears

to be an absence of a formal procedure about the rendering of ālāpana. Not all ālāpana-s are very

detailed. Sometimes an ālāpana is rendered for a duration of just one minute, sometimes for 3

minutes, sometimes 7 and sometimes 15. Thus unless a full-fledged ālāpana is sung it will not

technically conform to art-music.

But then not all rāga-s provide scope for performing a long ālāpana. It might be normally difficult

to sing ālāpana for a duration longer than 3 minutes for rāgā-s like Āhiri, Aṭhāṇā. One could perhaps

sing an ālāpana in Bilahari, Bēgaḍā or Dhanyāsi rāga for a longer duration. Bhairavi and Kāmbhōji

might allow an elaborate ālāpana. Tōdi, Şaṇmukhapriya, Simhendramadhyama, Kīravāṇi and

Madhyamavati would allow perhaps the most extensive ālāpana. However mēla-rāga-s especially

those like Latāṅgi, Vācaspati, Gaurimanōhari, Cārukēśī might allow very extensive ālāpana but the
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elaboration can be deceptive. This latter set of rāga-s does not have very large number of typical,

individual and characteristic rāga-sañcāra-s.

Thus art music would also have to take into account, what kind of rāga-s are being used in the

system. Although there are many rāga-s in our system, not all are of the same kind. A rāga like Āhiri,

Asavēri or Husēni have a number of characteristic phrases and even a single melodic phrase, using

just three or four svara-s, could suggest and reveal the image of the rāga. But the rāga may not allow

the singing of decorative or alaṅkāra phrases which are necessary for developing an ālāpana. These

rāga-s are thus very restrictive when it comes to manōdharma. Thus for manōdharma a rāga must

have a large number of typical and characteristic phrases and also a fair amount of freedom to create

alaṅkāra phrases.

A rāga like Bhairavi or Kāmbhōji has a proper balance of rāga-rañjaka prayoga-s and freedom for

creating alañkāra phrases. If we take a rāga like Latāṅgi or Carukēśī we find that there are practically

no other sampūrṇa-janyarāga-s in those mēla-s. In the absence of other rāga-s in a mēla this single

rāga could take any possible combination of svara-s or phrases as characterising it. In other words

there would be total freedom to coin any phrase and yet not be outside the rāga. In case of mēla-

rāga-s like Kharaharapriya, Harikāmbhōji and Mālavagaula, there are a number of co-janya rāga-s in

each of the respective parent mēla-s and hence rendering any possible combination of svara-s may

result in a few phrases infringing into the territory of another co-janya rāga. Hence mēla-rāga-s like

Latāṅgi, Vācaspati, Gaurimanōhari and Carukēśī can rarely be said to manifest their images when

using svara-s fewer than seven (except perhaps omitting sa/pa). Hence many of the mēla-rāga-s

except perhaps Śaṅkarābharaṇam and Kalyaṇi, are often regarded as 'svarasthāna-based' rāga-s

rather than sañcāra-based rāga-s because in these rāga-s the svara-s derive their image or svarūpa

from their respective svarasthāna-s and intervals. And in turn the rāga-s assume their image from all

the svara-s that constitute them rather than from sañcāra-s based on a few svara-s. Even rāga-s like

Şaṇmukhapriya, Kīravāṇi and Simhēndramadhyamam were of this kind but in the course of the last

one century or more, have developed a fairly rich image for themselves. In the case of Tōḍī, although

it is similar to Kalyāṇi and Śaṅkarābharaṇam it has acquired a greater potency because it has as

many large number of phrases that omit pañcama as there are phrases that incorporate pañcama. In

the earlier period Tōḍī rāga was devoid of pañcama and later came to include it. Thus Tōḍī, because

of combining two rāga images, one without 'pa' and the other with 'pa' has acquired a very large

potency for itself.

Thus in art-music, ālāpana and the other manōdharma forms have to be elaborately developed

and the extent of elaboration would depend on the kind of rāga that is chosen. In addition the ālāpana
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has to be rendered in all three laya-s, vilambita, madhya and druta. In modern times, rendering of

ālāpana in vilambita laya is rather rare. But the requirement of art music is that phrases in all three

laya-s should be present in the development of an ālāpana.

Tānam:

Tānam primarily signifies 'madhyama-kālam' and thus it should be rendered in this tempo. It

requires singing or playing of melodic phrases using syllables like 'ta' and 'nam'. The phrases should

reflect different rhythmic formations as contrasted with ālāpana, which has no pronounced rhythm.

Further the tānam should have profusion of consonants with very little vowel extensions as contrasted

with ālāpana, which should be dominated by vowels with sparse use of consonants.

Neraval and Kalpanasvaram:

Neraval and Kalpanasvaram, in the early 20th century and earlier, appear to have formed a part of

only Pallavi singing. Singing Neraval and Kalpanasvaram to Kīrtana-s appears to have been a

development of the 20th century. Singing neraval to oru-kaḷai (Ēka-kaḷa) tāla-s would not provide

sufficient scope for melodic variations and elaborations. This is so because in oru-kaḷai tāla-s, the

syllables of the text are placed at very close proximity. There would be very less space available for

introducing melodic variations or svara changes. In reṇḍu-kaḷai kīrtana-s or in reṇḍu-kaḷai pallavi-s the

number of syllables would be same as in a kīrtana in oru-kaḷai but the tāla-āvarta in reṇḍu-kaḷai would

take double the duration or have a longer time span. This would provide a long time duration between

two syllables and thus allow for introducing variety in the melodic material. Thus reṇḍu-kaḷai tāla-s

would allow heavier melodic material and variation in them and would thus provide a good base for

neraval and kalpanasvaram of a level that would rise up to art music. In fact, a Pallavi of nālu-kaḷai

would provide the ideal platform for rendering neraval and kalpanasvaram of the level of real art

music. This is because a Pallavi in a tāla in vilambita laya will have the same number of syllables

(akşara-s) as the one set in oru-kaḷai or reṇḍu-kaḷai. And hence the same number of syllables when

set in a nālu-kaḷai would be well spread out to provide scope for melodic variations. In a vilambita tāla

there would be facility for singing in all three kālam-s, first, second and third, but in a madhya or druta

kāla musical piece, this possibility is not there. In other words in a madhyama-kālam musical piece

one can render Neraval and Kalpanasvaram only in madhyama and druta kālam-s and not in

vilambita-kālam-s.
 13

Neraval singing too has to be spread over three sthāyi-s. Quite often neraval is seen to focus

more in the upper tetrachord of the madhya-sthāyi and in the tāra-sthāyi. But as mentioned earlier, in

art music, performance of all forms should cover all the three sthāyi-s as long it is permissible by the

rāga on which it is based. For instance, rāga-s like Ānandabhairavi, Sāraṅga, Pantuvarāli, Kamās and

Harikāmbhōji do not allow melodic movements in mandra-sthāyi or below nişāda in the mandra-

sthāyi.

Neraval and Kalpanasvaram are rendered within the framework of tāla and hence they have to

exhibit the basic rhythm, namely, two svara-s per beat in the first kālam and four svara-s per beat in

the second kālam, or else, four svara-s per beat in the first kālam and eight svara-s per beat in the

second kālam. However in the first kālam the melodic flow is more fluid and sometimes the melody

assumes the flow akin to that of an ālāpana. For this, towards the end of the first-kālam Neraval, a

'sama-kālam' rendering is performed in some music styles. This is done to exhibit the rhythmic format

of first kālam that would project two svara-s per beat / four svara-s per beat.

Sometimes while singing kalpanasvaram in an Alāpana-tānam-Pallavi there is a practice of

rendering svaram in other rāga-s referred to a rāgamālikā svaram. This might help to provide a relief

or a change from the musical intensity that the pallavi singing has created. But as Pallavi singing is

primarily directed towards a musical exposition based on a single rāga, singing of rāgamālikā svaram

does lighten the seriousness that art music is associated with.

As mentioned earlier, art music requires that manōdharma be performed with discipline and in a

formal manner without slackness and casual approach. Thus the rāga for which manōdharma is

rendered should be respected and the various forms, ālāpana should be elaborately rendered, spread

over all three sthāyi-s and using all three kālam-s.

To sum up this note on manōdharma forms we see that while tānam and kalpanasvaram provide

dense organization of syllables or consonants, ālāpana and neraval have both large vowel extensions

as well as stressed akāra syllables resembling dense syllabic organization (as in fast akāra phrases

seen in the 'sthāyi’ of ālāpana and second kālam neraval).

Kalpita:

There are many kalpita musical forms in art-music that are learnt by a student and which are sung

in concerts. It would be necessary to understand them in order to assess which forms would come in

the sphere of art-music. The textbooks themselves classify musical forms into Abhyāsagāna and

Sabhāgāna, namely, into those intended for use in training period and those intended for use in

concert performances.
 14

The gītam-s that are taught during initial stages of learning are simple songs. However in the

earlier centuries, the Sūlādi type of gītam-s and later gītam-s were quite intricate and had elaborate

melodically dominating structures that would rank them under art music.

Jatisvaram has text made up of only svara syllables, sa, ri, ga etc. Since melody is the dominating

aspect it would come under art music. But it does not allow for vowel extensions at all and for that

reason it is taught only at the abhyāsagāna level and is used as a musical form in dance.

Svarajati compositions come in different levels. Those of Śyāmā Śāstrī and 'Nī aruḷāyō' of

Ponnayya Piḷḷai are really melodically heavy pieces and would constitute art music pieces but not

others.

Tāna-varṇam-s set in Āditāla and in Āṭatāla are art music forms. But they have to be assessed in

terms of the rāga-s in which they are set. Thus varṇam-s set in Bēgaḍā, Sāvērī , Tōḍi, Bhairavi

(Aṭatāla), Kalyāṇi (Aṭatāla) would be compositions of advanced level while those in Ābhōgi,

Hamsadhvani and Mōhanam would be of an elementary level. Thus the varṇam-s in the later rāga-s

would be too elementary for presentation in Sabhā.

Thus we see that classifying musical forms as 'Elementary Level' and as 'Advanced Level' would

not be fair as the classification would have to take into account the standard of individual

compositions. This would be true of Kīrtana-s as we shall see.

Kīrtana / Kŗti:

'Kīrtana' and 'Kṛti' are a synonymous and denote a very flexible form. A kīrtana normally has three

sections rendered in the sequence Pallavi-Anupallavi-Pallvai-Caraṇam-Pallavi. The dimensions of

each section may differ. There may be a number of caraṇam-s or just one or else a caraṇam may not

be there at all. Kīrtana-s may again be in oru-kaḷai tāla, that is, a tāla in madhyama-kālam or in a

reṇḍu-kaḷai tāla. There are many other features that are present in some kīrtana-s and absent in

others.

Textbooks make a technical distinction between a 'Kŗti' and a 'Kīrtana'. A kīrtana is said to denote

a melody dominated composition and a kīrtana is said to be a composition dominated by devotional

text and the rendering also strives towards elevating the devotional content. 'Utsava-sampradāya-

kīrtana' and 'Divyanāma-kīrtana' of Tyāgarāja belong to the kīrtana type. There are many

compositions of other composers that come under this category. Although the two terms 'kīrtana' and

'kīrtana' are used one for the other, this aesthetic distinction between the two should be understood.

Otherwise most of the books of the earlier period, use only the word 'kīrtana'.
 15

In the same lines one must also be able to distinguish between the musical level of kīrtana-s set

in madhyama-kālam and those set in vilamba-kālam. Normally only those kīrtana-s set in vilamba-

kālam could be said to reflect art music for it is only in them that the melody is dominating. The

madhyamakāla kīrtana-s songs could be said to serve as the introduction to or as the primary level

songs for learning the vilambakālam ones. As pointed out earlier, the number of syllables of text in

one tāla-āvarta of a madhyamakālam kīrtana and that in a vilambakālam kīrtana are normally the

same. But with the duration of an āvarta of the vilambakāla tāla being double than that of the

madhyamakāla tāla the duration between syllables of the text will be more and with the syllables

being spread out there is more duration available for filling rich melodic material.

In the kīrtana-s of Pallavi Gōpālayyar and in some of those of Śyāma Śāstrī the number of

syllables in vilambakāla tāla is found to be double than normal as for instance in 'nīdumūrtini',

'ambanādu', 'durusuga', 'sarōjadalanētrī'. However these too are found to be of a musically high level

especially due to the kind of melodic flow met with in them. In any case the melodic intensity of even a

kīrtana in reṇḍu-kaḷai is yet lesser than that of a Pallavi sung in a 'nālu-kaḷai' tālam.

Other Musical Forms:

Padam, Jāvali, Tillānā and Rāgamālikā are other musical forms that are normally learnt in a music

syllabus.

Padam has two aspects to it, the theme and the melody structure. The primary characteristic of

the Padam rests on its text and theme, which reflect a śŗṅgāra or erotic theme. Secondly there is a

tradition of padam being sung, clothed in heavy melodic structure. If melody is regarded as the

dominating factor then padam would certainly become a musical form of art music. In such a case it

would also not be different from a kīrtana. However if we consider the nāyaka-nāyikā theme as the

dominating feature then it would cease to be an art music form and would also be regarded as a

musical form used in another art form, namely, dance. And in dance the words of the padam would

have to be projected as the primary element. Thus the question of a form belonging to art music or not

would depend on its manner of rendering.

Similarly Jāvali too belongs to the realm of dance.

Tillānā-s, to start with, were compositional types belonging to dance. The basic structure of the

Pallavi of a tillānā would have a simple rhythmic structure, on which complex jati structures for foot

work of the dancer would be composed, just as in the case of a Jatisvaram. However in the second
 16

half of 20th century, tillānā-s with complex pallavi and corkaṭṭu-svara structures came to composed.

These could be regarded as compositions in art music though not of very advanced level.

Rāgamālikā too is a form that belongs to art music but is of a relatively lighter kind since the focus

is not on one rāga but is distributed over a large number of rāga-s. The composition does not

represent a development of a melodic structure based on a single rāga and hence the melodic

construction would be relatively dilute.

Thus Padam, Jāvali and Tillānā are forms that originally belonged to realm of dance music but are

sung in art music concerts. Tāna-varṇam too appears to have been a modification of Pada-varṇam or

Cauka-varṇam which was used in dance. Even singing of Viruttam or Ślōkam might have come from

dance or from Harikathā / Upanyāsam. Thus we see that art music, in course of time, absorbs musical

forms used in other arts too.

In art music concerts many other musical forms too are seen to be rendered. Musical forms from

the Devotional Music tradition like, Tēvāram, Tiruppugaz, songs of Annamācārya, Sadāśiva

Brahmēndra, Marāṭhi Abhaṅga, Hindustani Bhajan songs of Sūrdāsa, Mīrābāi, Tulasīdāsa; songs from

Musical Dramas like Naukācartiramu, Nandanār carittiram; songs from folk medium like Kāvaḍi-cindu;

songs based on Western tunes, like Muttusvāmi Dīkşitar's 'Nōṭṭu-svara-sāhityam' or other tunes- are

popularly rendered. These are certainly not art music forms but provide a light relief at the end of a

serious art music performance.

Having seen the musical forms in art music sphere we now go to the elements of music namely,

Melody, Laya and Text.

Melody:

In art music as noted earlier, melodic structures have to be based on one rāga or the other. But

again as mentioned earlier, not all rāga-s are of the same kind. Thus songs based on rāga-s of

superior category, namely those that combine profuse rāga sañcāra-s and alaṅkāra phrases in good

proportion will present good orthodox melodic structures.

Again in South Indian art music there is very strict understanding as regards the kind of shake

that should be given to svara-s. In other words, Kampita, Odukkal, Orikai, vaḷi and Khaṇḍippu

gamaka-s are characteristic of this system. However within the system there might be differences in

styles in respect of the extent to which kampita is rendered. For instance, some musicians might give
 17

a small shake to Tōḍi gāndhāra while others might apply a shake that starts from kōmala-ṛṣabha /

tīvra-ṛṣabha and extends upto kōmala-madhyama.

Then there are rāga-s that are influenced by western music band tunes, namely,

Katanakutūhalam, Supoşiṇi and Budhamanōhari which are based on plainly rendered notes alone

and do not reflect the character of the South Indian art system.

Thus our system is characterised by certain shakes and touches given to the svara-s which have

to be strictly adhered to and these have to be learnt from teachers and from authentic performers.

There is also an understanding that all gamaka-s or shakes have to be rendered with a great deal of

stress (azuttam) and in the absence of such a stress, music is referred to as 'light'. Bŗgā rendering is

also regarded as high level of melodic expression especially in ālāpana. Further full-throated singing

is encouraged and any suppressing of voice or use of 'false voice' is looked down upon. This is an

area that has to be seriously looked into.

Laya and Tāla:

It has already been mentioned that use of all three laya-s, vilambita, madhya and druta must be

present in a performance. Tāla is a canvas of time on which the sound of music is painted. And hence

the canvas has to be stable for the painting to be beautifully created. Although the 35 tāla-prastāra

furnishes 35 tāla-s, only some possess proper balance of aṅga-s for being used in Pallavi singing.

Thus one has to be discriminating in choosing a tāla.

Normally songs or pallavi-s were set only in catuśra-naḍai. But in the 20th century, songs and

pallavi-s are met with in other naḍai-s too, such as tisra, khaṇḍa and miśra. Of course as in the case

of catuśra, the formation of phrases should not be prosaic and directly reflect the naḍai. In other

words, music it should not have a melodic flow and syllables of text distribute in three-three, five-five

and seven-seven forms as met with in folk music or in some songs like 'tīrāda vilaiyāṭṭu piḷḷai’. The

naḍai should be an undercurrent that should not be visible in the outer phrase formations. Further

here too the laya should be vilambita. Further, as far as possible, while rendering pallavi-s in tisra,

khaṇḍa and miśra naḍai-s in, say, Āditāla, the tāla execution should avoid rendering internal sub-

divisions of a kriyā such as 1+2, 2+3 and 3+2+2 respectively. Otherwise the tāla would get

transformed into a combination of Ādi and khaṇḍa-cāpu.

Text or Sāhitya:

In art music, since melody is primary, with regard to sāhitya the importance is given primarily to

the aspect of edugai-mōnai or the Śabdālaṅkāra. The organisation of text of the song within the tāla
 18

framework comes next, in other words, the short and long syllable should be given adequate

proportional duration. The use of language and especially the choice of the words with respect to their

mellifluousness or softness are of next importance. The theme would come at the end.

In South Indian art music, the following languages are acceptable for composing songs, namely,

Tamiz, Telugu, Kannaḍa, Malayāḷam, Saṃskṛta. Songs set in other languages say, Hindi, English,

even if they may satisfy other requirements of art music, such as rāga, gamaka, tāla and laya are not

regarded as serious art music.

Similarly the theme of art music compositions should primarily reflect pure devotion or bhakti. In

the 20th century themes of bhakti extolling not Gods but Tamiz language deified as gods or with

themes that teach morals are also being sung. Secondarily the devotional text should be based on

Hindu Gods. Although Classical songs on gods of other religions have been composed, they do not

appear to have gained acceptance in the Art music concerts as yet.

We have said that in art music, melody is primary while mātu and meaning is not. The mātu in

music as mentioned earlier can be meaningful or meaningless. A musical form like Jatisvaram has

linguistically no meaningful text and in a Tillānā, pallavi and anupallavi do not contain meaningful text.

For argument sake, can one say that in view of meaning being not important, songs with meaningless

text should be art music forms of high order? This is not so. Indian music in particular and Indian arts

in general, is primarily literature / language based. Practically no traditional art or music is dissociated

from literature. Even painting and sculpture depict episodes from Purāṇa and mythological literature.

In music however the words and meaning are there to start with but get absorbed in music and do not

appear in the surface. They are swallowed, so to say, by the melody. Thus in art music, in Indian

context, language is necessary but becomes a subservient limb. This is aesthetic preference of the art

music of our country.

We have thus covered Musical form, Melody, Laya and Text aspects of our music to see what the

expectations and preferences of art music are. It is based on this understanding that we would be

able to see what distinguishes art music or classical music from Semi-classical music and Light

music.

Semi-Classical and Light music:

When the music retains some of the core aspects of art / classical music but makes changes in

the other aspects it could be termed semi-classical. For instance, Javali-s are based on rāga-s but

they sometimes make compromises with the lakşaṇa of the rāga. For instance, in the rāga Kamās the
 19

tīvra-nişāda is practically not there when we render art pieces. But in Jāvali-s like 'Ē rā! rā rā!' and

'Marubāri tāḷalēnu" it occurs very prominently.

Light music:

When music is not based on the aspects of classical then it is referred to as 'Light Music'. For

instance, songs that are not based on a rāga, or based on only the scale underlying a rāga without

incorporating gamaka-s of our system, or incorporating elements of other musical systems or are

based on unorthodox rhythms or are based on themes involving nature or social issues will be

regarded as light music.

We shall now see the nature of Kaccēri or concert to see whether it fully reflects art music.

Concerts and Art music:

A 'Kaccēri’ or music concert is primarily public entertainment that uses Art music as its medium.

Can art music entertain? What is entertainment?

Entertainment takes the mind of the audience away from the realities of life and diverts it towards

objects which it views with a sense of detachment. There are many kinds of entertainments.

Circus is a popular form of entertainment where the audience is thrilled by actions of humans and

animals, which they themselves cannot execute.

Sports is a contest between two men or between two groups of men where the purpose is to win

over the other and this contest provides entertainment to spectators. The suspense of who is going to

win can be very absorbing.

Arts too can be entertainment, especially, those that are story based. Story based arts are

primarily, Drama, Cinema, TV-Drama, Tele-cinema, Harikathā, Villuppāṭṭu, Novel and Short stories.

The last two are not performing arts. It is Cinema and drama that popularly attract audience. Dance is

primarily movement of the limbs of the dancer that would be non-representational, that is not denoting

any object or event. It is called Nŗtta. However the other aspect of dance is Nŗtya, which incorporates

the element of representation and denotes objects, living beings and also represents events and

stories. Thus it also can be an entertainment.

Art music is a very abstract art and when meaningful words are not present as in the case of an

ālāpana, it can cease to communicate to an uninitiated audience. It is for this reason that music

concerts in general include a large of number of songs in languages understood by people of that

region. Language, since it is a medium for communication is close to human beings than music which
 20

is quite abstract. That is why quite often songs with emphasis on devotional content, set in

madhyama-kālam are included in concerts. Inclusion of songs can command the interest of a larger

number of audience. Even when such songs are played in Solo Instrumental music performances,

although the words may not be directly perceived, the audience familiar with the songs, would

mentally supplement the words and derive enjoyment.

If pure abstract music is performed, as for instance, in the case of ālāpana and kalpanasvaram,

for an audience not initiated into art music it will be difficult derive enjoyment. The beauty of the mere

pleasant and beautiful sound structure might hold attention of a general audience briefly, just as we

are attracted to North Indian classical or Western Classical music. But beyond that the music will

mean something only to those cultivated in art music. And again for one cultivated only in South

Indian art music, only that system of music will be meaningful and not other art music systems.

We have often heard people say that music has no barriers like language. For instance, in the

case of languages, a person knowing Tamiz may not understand Telugu. But persons from the

regions of Tamiz, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam can appreciate South Indian art music. But to say

that music has no barriers is not true. A person trained only in one system of music will not be able to

understand other systems. It is said that music can cross language barriers. Thus music also has

barriers although different from the barriers that language has. But as pointed out above, a student of

North Indian art music may not understand South Indian art music. Thus different music systems have

their own barriers and to put it figuratively, each music system is a separate 'language’ by itself. It is

for this reason that in the West part of the world a phrase 'Musics' has been coined. Just as there are

many 'languages', there are many 'musics' too.

Thus art music of a high degree cannot be really entertaining in a popular way. That is why art

music concerts try to offer a mixed fare in which abstract music is supplemented with songs, of heavy

and light varieties and other features. This is not true of only music but of other art too. Thus in every

art there are two streams, the serious and the popular. For instance, in Cinema we often hear

reference to two streams, 'art cinema' and 'commercial cinema'; in drama we see popular dramas and

serious dramas; in painting there is 'painting' and 'applied art'. And in all these arts the serious stream

has less audience while the commercial stream is very popular. Thus a general classification of art

into 'art for the masses' and 'art for the classes' is commonly spoken of. Here 'mass' refers to a

general public while 'class' refers to the connoisseurs, those cultivated in arts. This is true of art music

too. In art music concerts some artists appear to be more popular and some not so. But to start with

we see that art music itself has had to acquire certain extra features in order to be an object of

entertainment for public platforms. These we shall see now.

 21

For art music presentation it is sufficient if a single singer or an instrumentalist performs all by

himself supported by a drone instrument providing the śruti. But in a concert performance, the

musician is assisted by a performer/s on one or more drum instruments, tavil, mrdaṅgam, Kañjīrā,

Ghaṭam etc. These instruments provide an extra dimension of a rhythmic background to the music,

which also is an attractive dimension to the art music presentation. In vocal music concerts and in

instrumental concerts of Pullāṅkuzal, Mandolin, Saxophone etc., there is normally a melodic

accompaniment on the violin. The violinist besides providing a melodic support also gets an

opportunity to render an added ālāpana after the main artist has concluded his. The violinist also

takes part in the rendering of neraval and kalpana-svaram and plays individually. This extra artistic

dimension to a concert gives the audience an element of entertainment. The audience enjoys the

exchanges between the main artist and the violin accompanist; it also compares the merits of the

performers. In short the rhythmic and melodic accompanists combined with the main artist make a

concerted effort to present a successful performance.

The artist presenting an art music concert must be equipped to present not only art music of a

high order but also music of lighter variety in case he wishes to appeal to a larger number of

audience. To be a successful artist he must also have a strong stage presence and be devoid of

stage fright and have the capacity to reach his music to the audience. And in fact a stage artist must

possess many other qualities than just knowledge of music. Again there are many kinds of platforms

that an artist has for presenting art music. We turn to that now.

Venue:

Today different kinds of venues are available for concert presentation. They are -

Sabha-s and other institutions; Chambers circles; Marriage receptions; Temple festivals; All India

Radio; Television; Recorded formats like Audio-tapes and Compact Discs.

Thus those who feel uncomfortable singing in front of an audience or suffer from stage fright have

the option to perform over the Radio, Television or record their music into tape or CD medium and try

reach the audience.

Concert Structure and Duration:

Often there are arguments about what the duration of a concert should be or what the format of a

concert should be. As discussed earlier the main aim of South Indian art music of highest level is to

create melodic structure based on a Rāga, using different forms, namely, Ālāpana, Tānam, Neraval
 22

and Kalpanasvaram. Thus each rāga presentation is a separate unit. Now the duration that a rāga

would take for presentation, depending on the kind of rāga that is taken up, for instance, Sahānā,

Bilahari, Kāmbōdi, Tōḍi, Kīravāṇi, would be the main one. Any other song or musical piece in another

rāga that follows it, would only play help in decorating the music concert. A performer could present

two or more rāga-s but they would amount to two or more programmes since there is no way one can

look at the two or more presentations as parts of a bigger whole. Thus presentation of a musical

edifice based on one rāga would constitute one whole and that is what an art music artist strives to

create.

Finally we come to this question. Is Music Concert the only aim and purpose of art music? No!

Art Music can be learnt and pursued not for just for public entertainment. But one can pursue art

music just for itself and to create music. The musician’s attention will be fully concentrated towards

creating the artistic structure without the mind divided into one part of it trying to please the audience

or trying to seek the appreciation for his effort. He will be totally engrossed in creating the musical

edifice.

What will be his reward? Concentrated pursuit of any discipline is said to result in liberation of the

'Self' or 'Mukti'. He becomes a better human being and might even be liberated in his mortal life itself,

or in other words become a 'Jīvan mukta'. Art music in Indian tradition has always been regarded as

the means to realise the 'Absolute' or 'Brahman' and that is why the musical sound referred to as

'Nāda' is extolled as 'Nāda-brahma' and which is said to manifest itself as this Universe.