the lalgudi bani | ravishankar ramamurthy
 | Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman is an internationally recognized violin maestro in the Carnatic tradition. Jayaraman was born into the illustrious musical lineage of Saint Tyagaraja and received rigorous training in Carnatic music from his father Sri Lalgudi Gopala Iyer. He started his musical career at the age of twelve as an accompanying violinist and quickly rose to become one of the most prominent solo Carnatic violinists of our time. He revolutionised the art of Carnatic violin by accompanying vocalists in their own style and by inventing a whole new "voice-based" expressive technique of playing the violin that has come to be known as the 'Lalgudi Bani.' He has performed all over the world at premier venues, and is the recipient of many major awards, including the Govt. of India's Padmashree and Padmabhushan. |
Related Links - Official web-site of Lalgudi Jayaraman, G.J.R.Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi - Sruti magazine interview with Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman: On developing a new style - The Hindu article on Sri Lalgudi Gopala Iyer Books - Jayaraman, Lalgudi G. (1994), Lalgudis' Creations: Compositions of V. R. Gopala Iyer and Lalgudi G. Jayaraman, Indian Foundation for Performing Arts, Madras.
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Ravishankar Ramamurthy is interested in all forms of music and has a profound interest in Carnatic music. He is a direct disciple of the violin maestro Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman and has been learning the violin since the age of eight. He has performed in Seattle as both an accompanist and a solo artist. His recent performances include Utsav 2007 and the Northwest Folklife Festival. He has a Ph.D in Computer Science from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and currently works for Microsoft. |  |
The Lalgudi Bani by Ravishankar Ramamurthy
Sri Lalgudi G. Jayaraman is widely recognized as one of the foremost exponents of Carnatic violin today. He has had an extensive career as accompanist to several generations of leading vocalists, and as a solo violinist. He has assimilated this rich experience, combined it with his own great sense of melody (raga) and rhythm (tala) and evolved a unique style of solo violin play that has come to be known as the Lalgudi bani. In this article, I would like to discuss and illustrate some key elements of his music in general and the "Lalgudi bani" in particular.
The Lalgudi bani is characterized by a style that essentially emulates vocal music. The fingering techniques are designed to capture the anuswaras or ornamentations that are highly specific to each raga. The bowing style is smooth and uses modulation very effectively. This combination of fingering and bowing techniques makes the music very 'vocal' in nature. Listeners often have the experience of hearing the 'syllables' very clearly.
Raga Alapana
His raga alapana is always comprehensive, whether a short sketch bringing out the essence of a raga in a few minutes, or an elaborate version, systematically exploring the raga, one melodic phrase naturally leading to the next. A reviewer once compared the rich modulation in his raga alapana to the light and shade effects in a Rembrandt painting.
The key to this kind of raga alapana is the knowledge of appropriate gamakas for each raga and how they are produced on the violin. This requires a keen awareness of sruthi. For instance, the chatusruthi rishabha (ri2) in raga Saama occupies a slightly lower tonal place than it does in Kharaharapriya. In addition, there are infinite other subtleties such as variations of timbre, shade and volume for each swara that need to be mastered in order to capture a raga on an instrument. This is one of the specialties of the Lalgudi bani.
Here is a short sketch of Kalyanavasantham, a raga popularised by Lalgudi Sir. Notice the judicious use of gamakams as well as 'plain' swaras in bringing out the essence of the raga in such a short time. The discerning listener will notice that the identity of the raga is revealed in its very first phrase!
Audio*: Kalyanavasantham [1m 36s; 1.47MB] Live in Jamshedpur ,1978.
Bhairavi is presented in a more elaborate fashion here. Notice how the alapana is beautifully structured, like an essay with a coherent outline filled in with intricate raga-specific details. Also note how modulation enhances the overall presentation.
Audio*: Bhairavi [8m 52s; 8.12MB]
Sruthi bhedam is another element that has been put to skillful use in the Lalgudi bani. Lalgudi Sir has demonstrated sruthi bhedam during his raga alapana on many occasions. Playing sruthi bhedam on the violin is quite difficult. Unlike vocal music, the tonic note (sa) cannot just be shifted without re-tuning the violin. Sruthi bhedam requires playing the new scale on a violin that remains tuned to the original tonic note (sa). This calls for true mastery of the instrument.
The following audio clip outlines this subtlety of shruthi bhedam. The original raga is Natakurinji. Notice the tonic shift at 1:10 where the madhyama becomes the new shadja and the resulting raga Nilambari is parlayed until the shift back at 2:13.
Audio*: Shruthi bhedam [2m 38s; 2.4MB]
Compositions
Lalgudi Sir's concerts include compositions of a wide variety of composers, from the Trinity to Papanasam Sivan to poem-songs of Subrahmanya Bharati and Meera Bhajans. Among the Trinity, Thyagaraja krithis are given great prominence, which is not surprising given his musical lineage1. Krithis that offer maximum potential for projecting raga bhava are preferred in this bani.
One of the key aspects of the Lalgudi bani is the arrangement of compositions. The sangathis (variations on the pallavi refrain) and the kalapramanam (tempo) of the piece are chosen such that the artha bhava (import) is best articulated. This is irrespective of whether the song is a grand composition of Dikshitar or a "thukkada" piece that is played towards the end of the concert. Lalgudi Sir has also popularized rare krithis such as Enta muddo (raga Bindumalini), Evarunnaru (raga Malavashri), Entani vina (raga Urmika), Ka guha (raga Kosalam) and many others. The following audio clips show how the gradual progression of sangathis and the judicious use of gamakas and jarus (slides) accentuate the lyrics of the song.
This audio clip is the pallavi of the Tyagaraja composition "Marugelara" in raga Jayantashree. Notice how the series of sangathis for "O raghava" in the pallavi and the right kalapramanam bring out the poignant mood of the composition, and how the bowing is effective in "enunciating" the lyrics.
Audio*: Marugelara O Raghava [1m 53s; 1.73MB]
Another illustration of beautifully sequenced sangathis is this audio clip of Tyagaraja krithi "Naa jeevadhaara" in raga Bilahari.
Audio*: Naa Jeevadhaara [4m 7s; 3.77 MB]
Lalgudi Sir's playful interpretation of Bharatiyar's "Teerada vilayattu pillai" is presented in the following audio clip. Notice the "knotted" sangathis for "pinnalai pinnindru..." (Lord Krishna pulling the gopikas' ribbons), the flute like intro for "pullanguzhal kondu varuvan..." ("he would come with his flute") and the swaying phrases in raga Mand that portray "kaLLal mayanguvadhu polai..." (becoming intoxicated). His ability to portray the emotions of the song so vividly is sheer genius!
Audio*: Teerada vilayattu pillai [8m 52s; 8.3 MB]
Swara prasthara
Lalgudi Sir's style of swara prasthara has become another truly unique feature of this bani. Traditionally, swara prasthara has been divided into two schools of thought: the sarva laghu approach, in which the emphasis is on the melodic aspects, and the kaNakku approach, in which the emphasis is on the mathematical aspects of the rhythm. At one time, it was a commonly held view that a focus on rhythmic exercise could only come at the cost of melody. Lalgudi Sir was among the first to reconcile the two approaches. Poruttams (patterns of notes that are apt for a raga) are utilized in imaginative ways so that the patterns played are melodic and appropriate for the raga chosen and at the same time rhythmically interesting.
This swara prasthara for the Shankabharanam krithi "Eduta nilachite" is a good example. This is from a Krishna Gana Sabha concert in the 80's.
Audio*: Shankarabharanam swara prasthara [5m 23s; 5 MB]
The swara prasthara is at the charanam "Taraana dorakani." The swaras corresponding to the charanam line are "d..p..m.g.r.g.m." Notice how the kalpana swara patterns naturally flow into the swaras corresponding to the charanam. For example, r..s..g..r..m..g..p..m..[Taraana] and R..S..d..p..r..s..[Taraana]2.
The swara patterns are both melodic patterns and rhythmic patterns at the same time. They are aesthetically structured to bring out the raga bhava of Shankarabharanam and dovetail neatly into the charanam line. His amazing ability to improvise such patterns on the fly speaks to his absolute mastery over tala and laya.
Ragam Tanam Pallavi
Another interesting aspect of Lalgudi Sir's concerts is his ragam tanam pallavis. His tanams are usually brief. He uses the bow on multiple strings simultaneously to accentuate and give an interesting texture to his tanams. The following is a short clip of his tanam in raga Simhendramadhyamam from a duet concert with Flute Ramani in the 70's. This piece showcases his control over the instrument and his bowing skills, aspects that he does not emphasize otherwise.
Audio*: Simhendramadhyamam Tanam [6m 46s; 6.34MB]
Generally speaking, pallavi renditions of the time used to be either too simple or too laborious and inaccessible. Lalgudi Sir may have been one of the first to present intricate pallavis, couched in melody and delivered with such great ease as to belie its underlying complexity.
This audio clip outlines a pallavi in Simhendramadhyamam which is set to khanda jati triputa talam in khanda nadai (a cycle of 9 beats in which each beat is a khanda chapu talam of 5 beats).
Audio*: Simhendramadhyamam Khanda-nadai Pallavi [1m 57s; 1.83 MB]
Note the smooth flow of the pallavi and the emphasis on melody despite the complicated tala cycle. One can just sit back and listen to the pallavi for its melody without paying any attention to the tala cycle. Those interested in laya can dig deeper and appreciate the rhythmic aspects of a pallavi set to a complex tala. In other words, his pallavis can be appreciated at multiple levels. This again is a unique aspect of his bani.
There is tremendous range and variety in his repertoire of pallavis. For example,
1) Pallavis in minor ragas such as Ranjani etc.
2) Pallavis in rare talas such as Misra triputa, Misra roopakam, Chatusra ata etc.
3) Intricate Nadai pallavis in tisra, khanda nadais etc.
4) Multi-raga pallavis. He has played the famous 4-raga pallavi "Shankarabarananai" and has composed additional multi-raga pallavis such as a dvi-raga pallavi in Mohanam and Ranjani and a beautiful three-raga pallavi in Shanmugapriya, Sama and Anandabhairavi.
This three-raga pallavi "Shanmukhapriya janani, Saama gana lolani, Sadanandha bhairavi" is set to Chatustra ata talam. Notice how the kuraippu as well as the final korvai weaves in and out of all three ragas.
Audio*: Three-raga Pallavi [2m 45s; 2.4MB], Swara-prasthaara [4m 52s; 4.5MB]
Lalgudi Varnams and Thillanas
Lalgudi Sir has contributed many new varnams and thillanas to the Carnatic music repertoire. These compositions typically serve as the prologue and epilogue of his concerts, and are identified as an essential part of his "bani." He has composed varnams in unusual ragas such as Devagandhari, Asaveri, Nilambari, Charukesi, Sama etc. His thillanas are so popular that the entire genre has become associated with him. His thillanas are truly exquisite and cover many North Indian ragas like Desh, Bageshri and Pahadi, as well as traditional Carnatic ragas such as Kanada, Vasantha and Chencurutti. As in his swara prasthara, rhythmic complexity is couched in beautiful melodic patterns.
It would be fitting to conclude this article with a Lalgudi thillana. The following clip presents a relatively rare thillana of his in the raga Bhimpalas. Notice how the final korvai in the charanam connects seamlessly with the pallavi to conclude the thillana.
Audio*: Bhimpalas thillana [6m 49s; 6.4MB]
It is not often that an artist's style is classified as a "bani." The style must not only be innovative and distinct but also make a significant contribution to the tradition of Carnatic music, in order to gain credibility as a bani. Different aspects of the Lalgudi bani discussed above, have influenced not only instrumentalists but also the next generation of vocalists. An article or a paper, however thorough, cannot hope to capture the depths and dimensions of a bani. But we hope that this serves as a starting point for a journey into the music of the Lalgudi bani.
Acknowledgements
Ragavani is grateful to Lalgudi GJR Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi for their ready support and permission to use audio clips, some rare and unpublished, for illustration purposes.
* Due to technical difficulties, all new audio samples on Ragavani will temporarily stream from www.esnips.com. Ragavani is not responsible for any content on external web-sites other than the file being explicitly linked to, in this case, the audio file.
1. Lalgudi Sir's great-grandfather Lalgudi Rama Iyer was a direct disciple of saint Tyagaraja. The saint is said to have composed the "Lalgudi pancharatnam" krithis when he came to stay with his disciple in Lalgudi.
2. Upper-case letters indicate taara-sthayi swaras.