National Mathematical Year and Music

Inida has decided to observe 2012 as the National Mathematical Year to mark the 125^th birth anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan. Records say that his mother Komalatammal used to sing in a local temple in Thanjavur district. I have tried to get some idea about how much music was in Ramanujan, but could not locate much information. However, a lot of studies have gone into the aspects of mathematics in music and vice versa. German philosopher-mathematician of the 17^th century, Leibniz wrote: “Music is the pleasure the human mind experiences from counting with out being aware that it is counting”

Notable studies of Xiadeng and Gordon Shaw in this area state that classical music and higher mathematics excite the same part of the cortex in human brain which contains the repertoire of spatio-temporal thinking. Spatio-temporal thinking is the base of all rhythms and scales in music…and these T.N.Seshagopalan renderings prove that.

1. http://gaana.com/#/streamalbums/Madurai_T_N_Seshagopalan_Vocal_Vol_2_Live_8581

2. Seethamma Mayamma- http://www.muzigle.com/artist/t-n-seshagopalan#!track/seethamma-maayamma

3. Hamsaanandi Ragalapana- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP6wCPZ4SPU

R. Vedavalli: One Question and its Answer

If not innovation, what is the way for a system of arts to change and grow with the times?
R. Vedavalli: Those who are doing innovations do it only for name and fame, they cannot add anything to this great art.

Take any krithi that you have learnt, sing only that for 30 days. Let me tell you the swaroopam and rasam of your own singing of the same ragam and the same krithi will be very different at the end of the 30 days.

(courtesy: http://www.kutcheribuzz.com/features/interviews/vedavalli.asp)

Please listen to an outstanding one-hour concert by Smt. R. Vedavalli (a Doordarshan production)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTsJNAhVxkM

Music, Musicians and their noisy fame

December 26. In this early morning of Delhi winters I was listening to a soothing Jugalbandi of two great Ustads, Vilayat Khan and Bismillah Khan. I wanted a bit of meaningful silence within me and hence decided to tune to this track. How does a sound track bring silence to one's mind? Probably, it's my subjective experience though I am sharing that with you.
I remember an interesting saying by an eminent American writer of the 19th century, Oliver Wendel Holmes on music, musicians and their handling of 'noisy fame'... "A few can touch the magic string, and noisy fame is proud to win them: Alas for those that never sing, but die with all their music in them!"
It is interesting to think how Ustads Bismillah Khan and Vilayat Khan had managed their noisy fame with out affecting their magical music.

http://gaana.com/#/streamalbums/Vilayet_Bismillah_19244

What happens when Sanjay Subramanyan sings for a commercial release?

Once Sanjay Subramanyan, eminent Carnatic musician of the new generation was talking about his relation with the audience. He says that first of all, he sings for himself and the audience comes to his mind only as a second preference. To him it is an aggregate process, where at the first instance the artiste creates music, then the music travel to the rasikas, then the response comes from the listener. He said “ So I cannot think about the listeners before singing”. But once the vibrations start coming from the audience, it is an experience to live…he feels. He said: “There are days when it does not happen…when I know I am not doing a good job. There are days it happens in abundance”

I would like to believe that when he was singing this beautiful Tamil composition ‘Chandiran Ozhiyil Avele Kanden’ in Malayamarutham ragam, his composite process of singing as a blend of himself and the rasikas was at its best…

But my question is….then how one sings in a studio for a commercial release? What happens to the composite process there?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78PYv37RiK8&feature=related

Experiencing Tranquility

This rag is named as Kabiri Bhairavi.While listening to this reflective or introspective rendering of Pt. Mallikarjun Mansur, I was thinking how much Kabir could be in me….Once Kabir himself has said that “All know that the drop merges into the ocean, but few know that the ocean merges into the drop.” I am sure, Kabir has merged into tiny drops like all of us and that is why the world of love and co-existence quietly flows for ages amidst all aberrations of violence in history. Please listen to this Kabir Bhairavi and experience the essence of tranquility

http://audiofarm.org/audiofiles/13322