Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India

encyclopedia

MUSIC

Nala-Taranga

: Introduced by Ustad Al-

lahuddin Khan of Maihar. He had selected 22

pipes of zinc that are used as water pipes, of

different size, between the length of 2 feet to

6 inches, with a diameter of one and a half to

half an inch to cover a range of about two

octaves of any musical scale,

They are tuned to a desired note by filing

and shortening and also lengthening them. It is

played with two small iron rods that are to be

held in both the hands of the player just like a

jalatharanga. It can be played either seated on

the floor or seated on a stool.

Karatala Manjira

: 'kara' means hand

and 'tala' means clapping i.e. instruments

played by hands to keep rhythm. They are

used for keeping rhythm in devotional song,

kirtana and dance. Both these instruments are

pairs of flat but round or circular discs having

a hole in the centre, which are fastened by a

cotton cord to one another. These discs are

played by both the hands holding each disc in

each hand by striking each other at an interval.

This produces a kind of metallic sound. The

largest of this type is known as jhanjha. Their

use is restricted to folk music and dance and

also to devotional songs and kirtanas.

Panchamukha Vadya

: Drum, seen in some

southern temple sculptures. It is a large vessel

- either of copper or brass - and has to be

mounted on a small wooden cart for trans-

portation within the temple precincts. On the

top of the vessel there are five tubular projec-

tions which are the drum heads and each is

covered with the skin of a milch cow.

In actual performance, two small pot

drums also of metal, the 'kudamuzha', are

placed by the side of the panchamukha vadya

so that there are in all seven faces, it is claimed

that these are tuned to the seven tone ancient

scale technically known as 'shadja grama'.

The five faces are named after those of Lord

Siva, the central one is Isana, the northern is

Vamadeva, eastern is Tatpurusa, southern is

Aghora and the western is Sadyojata.

Eminent Panchamukha vadyam player :

T. S. Sankaramurthi (L).

Dahara or Laddi Shah

: Played by Laddi

Shah singers of Kashmir Valley. It is an iron

rod about 3/4 mm in length, bent like a walk-

ing stick at the top with a small cross handle at

the other end - Metal rings are put on the bar

which is shaken to the rhythm of faqir's song.

Raponi

of Assam. Itis simpiyabamboo

stick, of a metre in length with serrations along

it. Is is held somewhat like a violin. In the

same hand a cowrie is held in the palm and

moved up and down rapidly over the notches.

Plates are very common as music instru-

ments in tribal and folk music. Except in

Kathakali they are rarely used in sophisticated

music. They are invariably made of bell

metal. The simplest ones are just plain metal

discs beaten with sticks. Examples are thali

(N. India), the jagte of Karnataka and Andhra,

chenkala or chennala played in Kathakali

ensemble.

Sree Mandal

: A folk instrument from

Rajasthan it has a number of plates tied to a

metal frame the whole contraption being about

a metre and half in length. The plates being of

varying thickness and diameters they give out

tones of different pitches in a musical scale.

Pirai

: Drums, about 25 cm in diameter,

consist of an iron rod bent in the form of a

circle or crescent across which is stretched

specially treated hide. The frame bears a

handle and to its farthest end is attached a

curved band also of iron. This band is tried

round the forehead of the player who strikes

the instrument on both sides of the membrane

with small sticks. It is divided into two types

Soorya pirai, which is completely circular and

Chandra pirai which is crescent- shaped.

Daff

: They all comprise a wooden or

metal strip which is bent round to form a

circle. Sometimes the shape may be even oc-

tagonal. It is used in tribal or folk music.

Gna

: Drum of Ladakh and adjoining ar-

eas. This has a frame like the daff though

extremely well decorated with ritualistic motifs

in coloured lacquer. It is covered on both sides

and there is a longish handle to hold it. It is

beaten with a stick with a characteristic curva-

ture.

Pambai

: Generally seen in Andhra and

Tamil Nadu, it is a folk musical instrument. It

is not one drum but in reality a pair of long cy-

lindrical or near cylindrical ones tied together.

The unit of two is held near the waist of the

player and beaten with curved sticks.

Chenda

: Drum of Kerala, seen in

Kathakali, Kodiyattam and related forms of

dance. It is cylindrical in shape, made of

jackwood and covered at both ends, Only one

surface is beaten. The drummer suspends the

chenda from his neck so that it hangs more or

less vertically and strikes the upper parchment

with a pair of sticks.

Suddha Maddalam

: It resembles a mri-

dangam but is played in dances such as

Kathakali.

Srikhole

: Drum of Bengal, it is associ-

ated with Keertans especially of Sri Chaitanya

Mahaprabhu. It is usually about three quarters

of a metre in length with one face wider than

the other. The body could be of wood or burnt

clay with the two heads made of multiple

membranes as in the mridangam.

The Development Centre for Musical Instru-

ments had its birth in 1956, as an ancillary of the

All India Handicrafts Board. It is the first and

only one of its kind in the country. It is now

situated at Mylapore, Madras.

The

gallery

musical

instruments

was

opened in 1956. Prof. P. Sambamoorthi, Head

of the Dept, of Indian Music, University of

Madras was its first Hon. Director. From 1964-

76 Sri. B.K. Mishra was the Director. From

1979, Dr. T. Lokandha Sarma is the Director.

The gallery has at present a collection of

nearly 200 instruments, belonging to both East-

ern and Western music.

The latest improvised instruments :

Vasmee Sruthi, 17-8-1979

Sruthi Dandi, 15-11-1979

Vamsee Sruthi Dandi, 24-3-1980

MUSIC AWARDS

Padma Awards

Sangeet Natak Akademi - Delhi

Madras Music Academy - Madras - T.N.

Tamil Isai Sangam - Madras - T.

Indian Fine Arts Society - Madras - T.

Kalidas Samman- M.P.

Karnataka Gana Kala Parishat - Bangalore

Percussive Arts Centre Bangalore, Karnataka

State Academies

Selected References

Journals of Madras Music Academy

Journals of Musicological Society of India,

Publications of Kalakshetra, Madras

Publication of Percussion Art Centre, Bangalore

(on Tala and Laya)

Publication Suraprathi Mahal Library - Tanjore

Publication Oriental Research Institute , Mysore

University- Karnataka)

Bulletins of Sangeeti Natak Akademi, Delhi

Journal of the National Centre for the Performing

Arts, Bombay (NCPA).

Publications of Saraswati Mahal

10.

Marg Publications.