On Two Ragamalikas Sung by D.K. Jayaraman by Pia Srinivasan Buonomo

From time immemorial, flower garlands have been offered to musicians, composers, dancers and teachers, be it after a performance or during festivals like the popular Tyagaraja Aradhana celebrations. The preciousness associated with both “types” of garland justifies the care and skill invested in their creation. 

Such connotations matter when considering the limitations posed by Western staff notation, given that in Indian music most melodic features are committed to memory and performed without reference to written records. In the following work only a few musical signs and symbols will be used to compare a particular phrase or motif rendered on one occasion with similar renditions heard on other occasions. This clearly differs from the way Western composers have traditionally used notation to indicate how their music should be sung or played. Conversely the inclusion of more details than needed would defeat its purpose from an Indian perspective, comparable to prescribing each and every feature of a flower garland as if it were a mere consumer product rather than a carefully crafted expression of respect, gratitude and devotion (bhakti).  

In a similar vein, discerning listeners expect a modicum of creativity and spontaneity. So if Indian musicians still prefer a simple notation system, this affirms a pragmatic approach to music pedagogy, namely that “much more has to be left to the musician [as] it is futile to put all music on paper.” (This cautionary remark is noteworthy for being “the last word” in Prof. S.R. Janakiraman’s Essentials of Musicology in South Indian Music; Chennai: The Indian Music Publishing House, 2008)

The English text follows conventions proposed by S.A. Srinivasan, without whom this publication would have been inconceivable. Their love of “Carnatic” or “classical South Indian music” prompted them to support musicians in need, particularly those who embodied cultural diversity and eclecticism. Their insights in changing social norms had already prompted Pia and S.A. Srinivasan to write another substantial monograph titled The Goddess Mariyamman in Music and in Sociology of Religion (https://archive.org/details/mariyamman-in-music, open access). It was preceded by liner notes for the award winning recording “Vina music from South India” (https://en.schott-music.com/shop/sambho-mahadeva-no174008.html) that elucidate the sophisticated Karaikudi tradition for benefit of newcomers and “insiders” or rasika alike. 

The above characterization of “two musical lives well lived” would, however, remain incomplete without briefly turning to their profound love of nature, so evident from Pia’s 1968 diary entry which may be paraphrased as follows: 

During our stay in the Nilgiri hills we woke up to the staccato tune of a small bird locally known as Manikkuruvi – a “bird treasured like a jewel” for singing precise motifs capable of evoking certain ragas in listeners’ minds.*

In short, their joint endeavours never took anything or anyone for granted and, instead, convey a sense of wonder and dignity in every way imaginable without becoming sentimental. This combined interest naturally calls for critical inquiry, not idealization. It prompted S.A. Srinivasan to pursue yet another life project worth mentioning here: a monograph titled Nonviolence and holistically environmental ethics gropings while reading Samayadivākaravāman̲amun̲i on Nīlakēci (https://worldcat.org/en/title/929910155). 

eBook (pdf, 16 MB) >>

Timings, incl. cittai svaras and pallavi refrain at the end

pallavi: 0:01 – 1:21
carana 1: 1:22 – 3:01
carana 2: 3:02 – 4:12
carana 3: 4:13 – 6:03 

Timings 

raga 1: Kalyani: 0’01″→5’13” 
(vocalises upon the text: 2’25″→2’58” / violin solo: 3’01″→5’13”)
raga 2: Kharaharapriya: 5’15″→10’38″
(vocalises upon the text: 7’25″→8’20” / violin solo: 8’21″→10’38”) 
raga 3: Saveri: 10’40″→13’25″
(vocalises upon the text: 12’41″→13’25”)
raga 4: Madhyamavati:13’26″→16’17” 
(vocalises upon the text: 15’24″→16’17”)