Three stalwarts who brought Carnatic music to the masses

Ever since I started learning Carnatic music formally, I have been
thinking occasionally about its evolution and history. Carnatic music
is very ancient - sages like Matanga have defined
the characteristic of a Raaga. A raaga may be defined as a set of tunes that
conform to a particular frequency pattern. In Tamilnadu,India, the name given to a
"raaga" was "pann". Many of the 63 Saivite saints (Naayanmaars) were musicians
and many of the Thevaram hymns(pasurams) were set to specific "pann"-s.

For a very (unreasonably) long time, carnatic music
remained the preserve of a small minority. It was confined to
the temples or the royal courts. Music was practiced only by certain
communities like the "oduvaars" who sang devotional songs in the temples
or the courtesans who entertained the royalty. Outside of these groups,
nobody had any inclination to learn and practice music. Even if they did,
they weren't encouraged. Even if they were encouraged there was not much of
structure to musical training. In the absence of structured training,
only those with exceptional natural talent could sing well.

Enter Sri Purandara Dasa (1484-1564 AD). A gemstone merchant and pawnbroker by
profession, he had no leaning towards anything other money until the age of 30.
At that age, he suddenly had an epiphany, gave up all his wealth and spent the
rest of his life in devotion. His abrupt transformation was accompanied by
a happy blossoming of music knowledge in his mind.

Purandara Dasa's greatest contribution to the field of Carnatic music training
was the establishment of a set of exercises for beginners. The first set of
exercises - the varisais, were designed to give a beginner control over sruthi or
frequency. The second set of exercises - the alankarams, were devised to help
the beginner develop control over taalam or speed. Together, the varisais and
alankarams helped the learner to get a grasp over the two fundamental aspects
of carnatic music - namely sruthi and laya. In addition, Purandara Dasa also
composed a few geethams - simple songs that gave the student a clear understanding
of how a carnatic music song (krithi) could be built up through the building
blocks of sruthi and laya.

The true beauty of Purandara Dasa's exercises lies in their simplicity.
Anyone with interest in carnatic music and even a very modest amount of musical
talent could learn to sing tunefully by repeated practice of the simple varisais,
alankarams and geethams. Suddenly, the gates to musical training were thrown
open to all. Music was no longer an esoteric science!

The second great stalwart in the field of Carnatic music was Sri Thyagaraja (1767-1847 AD).
He took the next step in bringing Carnatic music closer to the masses. He introduced
the concept of "sangathi". Through his compositions, he captured the main phrases in raagas.
Thus, by singing a major krithi like "Kadhhanu vaariki", an artiste can capture
the essence of the raaga Thodi. In addition, Thyagaraja's krithis also allowed
the singer to explore the nuances of a raaga according to the singer's manodharma(intellectual
capacity). For example, the pallavi of the krithi "Chakkani Raaja" can be repeated
many many times with variations that capture the essence of the raaga Kharahara Priya.
Thus, Thyagaraja's krithis provided a very convenient platform and medium for raaga
exploration.

Another major contribution from Thyagaraja was a set of songs that are categorized as Utsava
Sampradaya Krithis and Divya Naama Krithis. In a musical sense, these krithis were simpler
than his other compositions. These were mainly intended to allow lay people to sing and express
their devotion. Also, they might have been intended for children. The beauty of these krithis was
that, they allowed even people with meagre (or no) musical knowledge to sing raagas without
violating the syntax. For example, Bhairavi is a very complex raaga. A non musical person will
find it hard to understand Bhairavi's patterns, leave alone sing Bhairavi correctly. However, one
of Thyagaraja's Divya Nama krithis "Rama Kothanda Rama" set in Bhairavi, allows everyone
to sing and produce grammatically correct Bhairavi (though not at a very deep level)

The third great stalwart who brought Carnatic music closer to the masses was Sri Ariyakudi
Ramanuja Iyengar (1890-1967 AD). The manner in which he changed the kacheri (concert) format
was truly revolutionary. Pre-Ariyakudi, Carnatic music concerts used to be incredibly long-winded
affairs - often lasting 7-10 hours. Musicians focussed on the raagas and not on krithis. They
expatiated at great length on raagas, often repeating sangathis ad nauseam, never bothering about
audience interest or taste.

Carnatic concerts placed a ridiculous strain on the musicians' physical ability and forced the
audience to lose sleep. It was a lose-lose situation. The audience,
stymied by the shackles of tradition, never demanded shorter concerts and crisper
aalapanas. Nor did any Carnatic musician question this. It was just the way things were done.
Non-musical people who were even remotely interested in Carnatic music were repelled away by the
tedium of attending a concert.

Into this state of affairs strode Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar. He combined genuine musical genius
with an astute marketing mind and a very persuasive personality. He was the first Carnatic musician
who thought about what really made the audience happy. In marketing terms, he was the first
Carnatic artiste without "marketing myopia". He shortened the Carnatic music concert to around 3-4
hours. Aalapanas became more succinct, and krithis were given their due importance. A concert would
typically begin with a short and brisk krithi/varnam, immediately creating an atmosphere of
enthusiasm and sowkyam. Ariyakudi continually checked the pulse of his audience. Whenever he realized
that interest was flagging, he would rev things up with a fast-paced krithi. Two or three raagas would
be expanded upon, towards the middle of the concert, followed by a series of lighter krithis.

The audience loved this pattern. They liked being able to get home sooner, relaxed, refreshed and
enthused. More musicians follwed suit, appreciative of the diminished strain on their physique. The
purists grumbled, but simply had to give in to the overwhelming common sense of the new pattern, and
the power of Ariyakudi's personality. The shorter (and sweeter) concerts began attracting wider
audiences, and encouraged budding Carnatic artistes to perform earlier and more frequently. Today,
there is a widespread interest in Carnatic music. The origin of this interest can be traced to the
shorter concert pattern that Ariyakudi pioneered.In my opinion, the way in which Ariyakudi brought
about this revolution is worthy of becoming a case study in marketing and change management in the
Harvard Business Review.

Carnatic music is said to have originated from God Himself. These three stalwarts brought it down
from Him to the ears and minds of lay mortals like you and me.