TAMIL MUSIC - தமிழ் இசை
"...தமிழன் சொந்தத் தாய்மொழிச் சொல்லில் இசையைக் கேட்க இச்சை கொள்வதே 'தமிழிசை' என்பதன் தத்துவ மாகும்..." Nammakal Kavijnar "..In consideration of the tremendous original contribution of the ancient Thamizh people to the development of isait Tamizh, the least we can do to recognize their efforts is to present their ideas in a simple form which can be understood by ordinary people. Mere references to mutthamiz (முத்தமிழ்) alone is not adequate to convince the world that Thamizh music traditions go way back to the fifth century A.D. or even earlier..." Dr.C.R.Krishnamurthy on இசைத் தமிழ்: Tamil Music |
Tamil music is sometimes categorised into Devotional, Classical and Popular Folk music. Rythms of popular folk music express a vitality which stems from the closeness of its contact with the life of a people. Classical music deepens and refines these associations with life and its moving ragas and melodies have withstood the passage of time and remain almost timeless. Finally, the devotional music of the Tamil people, gives expression to the ecstasy that comes from transcending our fragmented and partial self and becoming one with that which is whole and therefore holy.
The musical traditions that have developed amongst the Tamil people have also been influenced by the differing origins and languages of the peoples of the Indian sub continent. Carnatic classical music is related to speakers of the Dravidian group of languages. In the South Indian Classical Music website, Dr.K.Srinivasan refers to the origin of the word Carnatic music. He points out: | "The name Carnatic music refers to the traditional music of a region called Carnatic. All books on recent Indian history note that before British rule, the kingdoms in South India were: Travancore - most of today's Kerala, Mysore - the southern part of today's Karnataka excluding the west coast, and Carnatic- most of South India. (almost the same as Madras State of the 1950s i.e. all of today's Tamil Nadu, southern Andhra and some neighboring areas). When the Carnatic kingdom came under British control, they renamed it Madras Presidency. They also renamed the town of Chennai patnam as Madras City... see Encyclopedia Britannica for a map of Carnatic.... ...Tamil 'Nadu' is also often called as Tamil 'agam'. 'Karu' means black and also means central. 'naadu' means country and 'agam' means home. Thus Karunaadu meant central country, as well as black (people) country. The name 'karu naad agam' got anglicized to 'Carnatic' state. In Tamil, the word karunaadagam is still used. The British renamed the territory as Madras. The music of karunaadagam was called karunaadaga isai..." |
Dr.Srinivasan's interpretation of the origin of the expression 'carnatic music' is not without controversy. Appapillai Rajendra points out: | " 'Carnatic music' did not come from the word karnatak nor does it have any connection to the state of Karnataka. Although the western world up holds the Roman Empire as the crux of all ancient civilization, in reality, long before the advent of the Roman Empire, the glory of the Tamil arts and culture was at its peak during the Chera, Chola and Pandya dynasties. Cilappathiharam makes mention of Cavari Puhum Pattinam. During this period the performing arts were very popular and as a matter of routine, dramas and music expositions were held on every full moon night on the banks of the river Cavery, where it merges into the sea. The popularity of these dramas cum music prevailed in the township that was located on Cavery near the sea shore (Kadal Carai) which got its name as Cavery puhum Pattanam and the festivity on the sea shore became known as ‘Carai’ (Shore) ‘nadaham’ (Drama) and ‘issai’ (music), which turned out ‘carai nadaha issai’ to ‘carnadaha isssai’ and anglicized as ‘Carnatic music’." |
And Kalki Krishnamurthy pointed out in an article titled "Bhayappada Vendam" (translated by Burma Sankaran into English) | "..To which country does Carnatic music belong? There is no doubt that it belongs to Tamilnadu. Since the days of Silappadikaram Carnatic music has been present in Tamilnadu for generations. This music has not attained its pre-eminent state in Andhra or Karnataka. Only in Tamilnadu has it reached its pinnacle of glory. But then why is it called Carnatic music? It is similar to Bharath being called India. The Greek invaders when they entered India they encountered the river Sindhu. So they called this country Sindhu, which in course of time got changed into India. In the same way the North Indians named the south Indian music as Carnatic music because the state of Karnataka was nearest to them..." |
Mahadevan Ramesh's essay affords a Gentle Introduction to Carnatic Music and in Isai Inbam Singai Krishnan explores in Tamil the antiquity of Tamil Isai - "இப்புவியெங்கும் வழங்கிவரும் இசை முறைகளுக்கெல்லாம் அடிப்படையாய் இசை விளங்குபவை ச, ரி, க, ம, ப, த, என்னும் ஏழு சுரங்களே. இவற்றை உலகுக்குத் தந்தவர்களும் பழந்தமிழர்களே.." Mohan's Carnatic Corner is a comprehensive web site for everything related to carnatic music. Other important websites for Carnatic Music include Srinivasan's South Indian Classical Music and Kishore Balakrishnan's Carnatic Webring. Dr. T.M. McComb writing in Carnatic Music - Recordings & Discussion comments: | "Carnatic music is the classical music of Southern India. The basic form is a monophonic song with improvised variations. There are 72 basic scales on the octave, and a rich variety of melodic motion. Both melodic and rhythmic structures are varied and compelling. This is one of the world's oldest and richest musical traditions..." |
He also addresses the question Why Carnatic Music? and responds: | "As a Westerner interested in Carnatic music, I am frequently asked to explain my interest and to articulate what makes South Indian music special. Both Indians and Westerners ask the same questions. Since I did not grow up with it, but rather chose it for myself from among a broad range of world traditions, Carnatic music is special indeed. There is always a sense in which cross-cultural interactions serve not only to broaden one's horizons, but also to set one's own cultural identity more strongly in relief.... I value Carnatic music first for the effectiveness with which it can build positive mental discipline. It helps me to focus and organize my thoughts, and it helps to eliminate negative mental habits. How does it do this? Of course, I do not really know. However, I do claim that music naturally illustrates patterns of thought, and in the case of the great composers of Carnatic music, these mental patterns have been effectively conveyed at the highest level..." |
V. N. Muthukumar and M. V. Ramana point out "Until the late 19th century, the primary location for performances of Art music was at the abodes of kings and other rich patrons. These concerts are described as being centered on ragam-tanam-pallavis, elaborate exercises in musical creativity, usually in major ragas like Sankarabharanam, Todi and Bhairavi. The modern concert format (kaccheri paddhati), on the other hand, is largely dominated by kritis, which were either composed by "the trinity" – Syama Sastry, Tyagaraja, and Muthuswami Dikshitar - or vaggeyakaras following their styles. The relationship between these two musical forms – ragam, tanam, pallavi (RTP) and kriti – is complex..." Unusual Pallavi Themes The Carnatic Beginner's List, provides a 'fairly broad introduction to the variety of Carnatic music in a manageable number of recordings' and is 'an attempt ... to provide a starting point for people who are interested in listening to and learning more about Carnatic music'. The Carnatic Recording List sets out at greater length a selection of Dr. T.M. McComb's favourite Carnatic music recordings. Amongst the traditional musical instruments of the Tamil people are the Veenai, the Thavil, Nagaswaram, the Tambura the Mirudangam and the Ghatam. Every year, in December and January, Chennai in Tamil Nadu, hosts a Festival of Tamil Music & Dance and many frontline Tamil musicians perform before Tamil music enthusiasts, including many from the Tamil diaspora. Among the major music societies participating in the annual festival are the Music Academy, the Tamil Isai Sangam founded by Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiar, the Mylapore Fine Arts, Kartik Fine Arts and the Sri Krishna Gana Sabha. The words of Namakkal Kaavingar's about Thamizh Isai remain relevant today. 'பாடுவோன்' கருத்தைக் 'கேட்போன்' பருக
எண்ணமும் ஓசையும் இசைவதே 'இசை'யாம்.
இசைப்பவன் கருத்தும் கேட்பவன் எண்ணமும்
ஒன்றாய்க் கலப்பது ஓசையால் அன்று.
சொல்லே அதற்குத் துணையாய் நிற்பது.
அந்தச் சொல்லும் சொந்தச் சொல்லாம் ;
தாய்மொழி ஒன்றே தனிச்சுவை ஊட்டும்.
அவரவர் மொழியில் அவரவர் கேட்பதே
'இசை' எனப் படுவதன் இன்பம் தருவது.
புரியாத மொழியில் இசையைப் புகட்டல்
கண்ணைக் கட்டிக் காட்சி காட்டுதல்.
தமிழன் சொந்தத் தாய்மொழிச் சொல்லில்
இசையைக் கேட்க இச்சை கொள்வதே
'தமிழிசை' என்பதன் தத்துவ மாகும். |
Outstanding musicians have nurtured, fostered and kept alive the musical traditions of the Tamil people and many have become household names and these include Muthuswamy Dikshitar, and Saint Thyagaraja. Leading female vocalists include the Bombay Sisters, Nithyasree Mahadevan, D.K. Pattammal, M.S. Subbulakshmi, Sudha Ragunathan, Sulamangalam Sisters, K.B. Sundarambal, N.C. Vasanthakokilam, and M. L.Vasanthakumari. 
The leading male vocalists include M.Balamuralikrishna, G. N. Balasubramanian, Chembai Vaidyanatha Iyer, Sirkali Govindarajan, D. K. Jayaraman S.G.Kittapa, Hariharan, Madurai Mani Iyer, Madurai Somasundaram, Maharajapuram Santhanam, Musiri Subramania Iyer, Rajkumar Bharathi, Semmengudi Srinivasa Iyer, Madurai T.N. Seshagopalan, Thenisai Chellappa, P.Unnikrishnan, and K.J.Yesudas. Amongst the frontline instrumentalists are S. Balachander (veena), Sheikh Chinna Moulana (nagaswaram), Mysore T.Chowdiah (violin), E. Gayathri (veena) Karaikudi R.Mani (mirudangam), Lalgudi Jayaraman (violin), Namagiripettai Krishnan(nagaswaram), Palghat T.S. Mani Iyer(mirudangam), N.Ramani (flute), L. Shankar (violin), Kumbakonam Rajamanikkam Pillai (violin), Mandolin U.Shrinivas, V. Suresh(ghatam) and Kunnakudi Vaidyanatha Iyer.(violin) Ramesh Mahadevan is right to point out the 'grass roots' contribution of Tamil folk music - | ".. When you listen to Tamil folk songs, the thing that hits you the most is the intensity variation - the modulation, sudden up and down in intensity (and sometimes in frequency) - none of the 'glide' or the 'brighas' or microtonal acrobatics of the classical music system. Just to give you an example, if you had listened to 'Inji iduppalaga' in the recent movie 'Thevar Magan', at the end of the fourth line ('Marakka manam koodudhillaye') the singer raises her voice. Another example, (I think from the movie 'Vaaname ellai') from the song 'Kambangaadu' - the second time the singer goes 'Kambangaadu', he raises his voice on the 'kaadu'. A more blatant exhibition of such voice gymnastics is the 'ullulation' (my spelling may be wrong) when a chorus of women go into a loud, short, high pitched scream, to punctuate a song - Ilayaraja employs this often. An example I always give as a quintessential Tamil folk song is from the movie 'Karagattakkaran' which goes 'Mundhi mundhiri naayagane'. This clearly brings out the simple melodic grammar of folk songs vis a vis, classical system. Pure, raw emotional impact seems to be more important than any ornamental presentation. Even the musical instruments complement this. Nayanam, a downsized version of Nadaswaram or simple string instruments like Villu or Kottangachi violin are often the only ensemble with relentless, simple drums like Melam (a cousin of tavil) or Udukkai or Tambattam." |
The Tamil film has become a powerful medium for popularising the music of the Tamil people, and not surprisingly, Tamil film music often draws its inspiration to a greater or lesser extent, from each of the three categories -devotional, classical and popular folk music. The Tamil film music greats include S.P.Balasubramaniam, Ilayaraaja, T.M.Soundarajan, A.M. Rajah, M.S. Viswanathan, and Abdul Rahman. An increasing number of websites have MP3 and Real Audio links to Tamil songs, both classical and popular. Gangai Amaran writes on the Birth & Growth of Tamil Cine Music - | "Research findings have established clearly that folk music preceded traditional, classical music in Tamil Nadu. Cave men and tribal men made sounds that developed into a language. These people gave simple tunes without any rules, but a sense of music was apparent even then. In my childhood days, there was no cinema as there is now. Performers travelled from village to village telling stories . Songs were interwoven in the stories. The appreciative audience offered these performers whatever they could. This was the beginning of symphony.... if you look at the chronology of singers, Kittappa was followed by T.R.Mahalingam, who was followed by T.M.Soundarajan, Sirkali Govindarajan, all persons who could sing in very high pitches. G.Ramanathan brought a fresh air to cine music. ... The Tamil film songs were strongly based on Carnatic music tradition. was followed by Chidambaram Jayaraman, Tiruchi Loganathan. Gantasala was followed by P.B.Srinivas, S.P.B, Mano..." |
Vishvesh Obla commented in 1999 on the Golden Era of Tamil Music - "Listening to a few old Tamil songs always reminds me of the golden era of Tamil Cine Music. The two decades from the late fifties seems to me to have produced the best light music in Tamil. The golden era not only belongs to MSV (& Ramamoorthy) but also minor composers like AM Raja and V Kumar who could create music which has taste and inspiration behind it. Perhaps the formative years of Tamil Cine Music had an element of genuine inspiration behind it that could shape the musical sense of even the minor composers.
I have observed the songs belonging to this era having a kind of organic fluidity that is so natural to good music. The tunes flow to the natural sequence of music and don't have the strain of an artificial imagination at all. The accidental notes fall so perfectly in their places and add charm instead of a jarring sound as one hears in modern Tamil cine music. Take for instance a song like "Unnidam Mayangugiraen". It varies in its rhythm and tune so differently but as a whole it is so beautifully synthesized that it adds so much of beauty and charm to the tune as a whole. The variation of tune sequence (or the scale) in those songs always seems to blend and not forced as one sees in the songs today.
They still appeal to the music lover, for there is the charming simplicity of the tune which combines elegantly with the better lyrics (mostly from Kannadasan, who had a fine sense of the beauty and more importantly, a good sense of sound in Tamil Language). The lyrics, hence, came naturally without any forced or exaggerated poetic association. One notices that those songs don't involve much complex orchestration of modern light music, but nevertheless are so musically elegant ; there isn't any forced imagination ; no aping of Western music as in modern light music. We mostly find the composer in his natural elements trying to synthesize a musical expression in a medium 'native' to his sense of music. Even a later composer like Ilayaraja is original most of the times when he tries his hand at folk music with which he grew up with.
In contrast, today's Tamil cine music seems to appeal to us only by the hi-fi sound effects and rarely by any musical sense. There is always the annoying monotony, one who has any musical sense, observes. I wouldn't say that the songs of the earlier period were all so creatively diverse in their compositions. One can't expect such a thing in a lesser form of music as light music. But then there was at least that part of experimenting and a genuine attempt to create something from the musical sense that was less falsified in its inspiration. The composer of those times, as one can observe, had a kind of devotion to music, which didn't just have commercial interests alone. It is seldom seen today.
It seems to me that it is more than a question of taste and listening pleasure alone when one responds to Tamil film music of its formative period...." |
The Kannadasan lyric specially written for a song by Sirkali Govindrajan in connection with the opening of the London Murugan temple in the 1980s, movingly reflected the spread of the Tamil diaspora and their links with Tamil and Tamil music: 
Today, the Tamil people live in many lands and across distant seas. But wherever they may live, they acquire strength from the richness of their own cultural heritage - not only because that culture has something to do with their own roots but also because that culture has a rich contribution to make to the cultural fabric of an increasingly small world. The struggle for Tamil Eelam has also seen an outpouring of songs and literature which reflect the pain and suffering of a people.  பொங்கி எழுகின்ற கடல் அலையே... sung by S.P.Balasubramaniam and published by the Swiss Tamil Cultural Federation comes to mind - as also தமிழீழம்: தாய்நாடு வணக்கப் பண் 
The Maha Veerar Naal commemorated by the Tamil diaspora in many parts of the world in end November each year, has provided a platform to give expression in dance, drama and song, to a growing Tamil togetherness - a growing Tamil togetherness drawing strength from its roots in the ground. "...Nations are as much cultural as political forms, and the creation of a unique high culture of world significance is often central to their legitimation.... artists ... express the nation's distinctiveness; their creativity is part of the momentum to independence; they are themselves symbols and icons of the nation's unique creative power; they regenerate their nation morally and speak for its heart and conscience..." (John Hutchinson, European Institute, London School of Economics and David Aberbach, Department of Jewish Studies, McGill University, Quebec, Canada in Nations & Nationalism, Volume 4, 1999)
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Nithyasree Mahadevan
Sudha Ragunathan
M.K.Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
