Manodharma

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (July 2006)

An important aspect of Carnatic music is the Manodharma.^[1] Manodharma is nothing but improvised music and is created on spot during the performance. But, of course within the confines of strict grammar of music. It can be likened to speakers resorting to impromptu speech, While reading out from their prepared texts. Arising out of Manodharma, Individual styles are developed. There is ample scope for manodharma while rendering raga alapana, tanam, neraval, pallavi, swaram and also kritis. the manodharma is cultivated after several years of constant learning and experience in rendering various set compositions like varnams, kritis, javalis etc and also by listening to consummate artistes. Manodharma plays such a significant role that a capable artiste may never render a raga the same way twice! To bring out the quintessence of a raga, one has to resort to the exclusive and distinct raga prayogas of the raga which are mostly taken from the 'set compositions' like varnams, kritis etc. Unless, these Prayogas are brought out in the raga alapana, the BHAVA(identity) of the ragam can seldom be established.

For a beginner to identify a raga, these "exclusive" Prayogas shall be of immense assistance. Keeping in mind, the "lakshana" (swarupa) of the raga, its jeeva swaras and also the special prayogas, the artistes develop the raga, weaving patterns after patterns, using various combinations of swaras. The calibre and finesse of a musician is judged by his/her ability to bring out the excellence of a raga. Many musicians of the recent past like G. N. Balasubramaniam, Madurai Mani Iyer, Rajarathnam Pillai, Karaikkurichi Arunachalam and many others excelled in their application of manodharma bringing in many a sweet combination of notes of melodies, while limiting themselves to the confines of the raga concerned, embellishing the raga with their unsurpassed ability to produce melodic Prayogas.

[edit] References

[edit] External links