Ragam Thanam Pallavi
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| Indian Music | |
|---|---|
| Indian classical music | |
| Carnatic music | |
| Composers | |
| List of Carnatic composers | |
| Singers | |
| List of Carnatic singers | |
| Hindustani music | |
| Modern music | |
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| Folk music (Indian) | |
| Concepts | |
| Śruti | |
| Raga | |
| Melakarta | |
| Katapayadi sankhya | |
| Swara | |
| Tala | |
| Mudra |
Ragam Thanam Pallavi is a form of singing in Carnatic music which allows the musicians to improvise to a great extent. It is one of the most complete aspects of classical music, demonstrating the entire gamut of talents and the depth of knowledge of the musician. It incorporates raga alapana, or the improvised rendering of the raga, Tanam, the rythmic rendering of the notes of the raga, neraval, the mathematical elaboration of the notes, Kalpanaswara, the improvised combinations of the raga notes and tani Avartanam in which the percussionist is allowed to demonstrate his skills.
[edit] Ragam
Each song in Carnatic music has a raga associated with it. A Raga creats the mood for the song through its combination of notes and rules associated with the ascending and descending rendition of the notes. The Ragam of the Ragam Tanam Pallavi is similar to a raga alapana in which the musician elaborates the raga without the aid of any lyrics before the song proper is sung. But there are a few subtle enhancements. In this form of pure melodic improvisation, the musician starts with a refrain to create the mood of raga and lays a foundation for composition to follow.
[edit] Thanam
Thanam is the next stage in the Ragam Tanam Pallavi. It is a medium tempo of the rendition of the raga alaapana, which follows a rhythmic pattern. Alhough thanam is often rendered without percussion support, the element of rhythm is more obvious in this type of improvisation. It is rendered in medium speed and just before commencing the main piece called Pallavi.
[edit] Pallavi
The word Pallavi is derived from the three syllables Pa - Pada (words), La - Laya (rhythm) and Vi - Vinyasam (variations). Pallavi is the equivalent of a refrain in Western music. The Pallavi is usually a one-line composition set to a single cycle of tala. The tala could range from the simple to the complex and there may also be different gatis being employed.
Pallavi consists of Raga alapana and Thanam. The other creative aspects like the Neraval, Kalpanaswara and Tani Avartanam follow. The Pallavi challenges the musician's ability to improvise with complex and intricate patterns. The whole exercise is very demanding, both technically and musically, since all the artiste's musicianship is put to test.
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