An Introduction to the Carnatic Flute No part of this presentation either wholly or partially be used as references without the mention of the Vamshidwani institution. For the propagation and promotion of the arts, conditional rights will be given upon written requests. All rights reserved.
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Objectives • Create an awareness on the nature of the Carnatic flute & the Hindustani flute • Understand the basic fingering of the notes • Understand the major contributions of the Carnatic flute to Indian music • Understand the development of the Carnatic flute
Synopsis • Origins • Technique • Performers • Survival • Conclusion
Origins Topics: • Early Music • Sangam Music • Post-Sangam Music • Vedic Music • Modern Era
Origins – Early Music • Across many cultures around the world, the flute has been the first melodic instrument that has captured the imagination of man • Built with a diverse range of materials from animal bones, to hollow wood tubes, bamboo & even metal, every major culture in the world has its musical origins from the flute. The only exception that makes them unique from each other is the type of music that each flute is designed to play
Origins – Early Music • Types of Early Flutes – The earliest known flutes are made of animal bones and often produce limited tunes. Most surviving types are found throughout Europe & China – Ancient cultures including the Assyrians, Egyptians, Jews, Chinese & Indians also developed flutes with mainly wood based materials
Origins – Early Music • Some Examples of Early Bone Flutes
Source: BBC News Online
Source: National Geographic Channel Web
Origins – Early Music • Other Types of Flutes
Source: The Gutenberg Project
Origins – Early Music •
Materials
Bamboo however, became the preferred instrument in the East over centuries of evolution by Japanese, Chinese & Indian scholars
Though Japanese & Chinese flutes have been redesigned today with metal parts, the Indian bamboo flutes remained exempt of such modifications & it remained as an important music instrument in pre-historic Indian music until the dawn of the Sangam eras in South India
Origins – Sangam Music • During the 3 Great Sangam Eras, the evolution of Tamil music saw a new peak with the introduction of ragas, thalas, playing techniques & design of the flute • The Silappadikaram is the first Indian treatise, written in Tamil that introduces the classical flute with such important details – Kovalan, the protagonist of the epic is an expert flautist • The introduction of scales like Harikhamboji, Kalyani, Mohanam, Valaji & Hindolam defined the flute fingering of all the 16 notes of South Indian music that is still used today including the playing posture
Origins – Sangam Music • The Silappadikaram quotes 3 types of flutes: – Kondraikulal – Ambarkulal – Mullaikulal
Origins – Sangam Music • The Sangam eras also showcased the importance of the flute with its association with classical music thereby being the first civilization to use the flute for classical music in the world • It is to be noted that the Sangam era predated the period of the vina, a successor to the Sangam lute. In addition, the flute became a standard instrument of assessing the competency of Sangam music bards for their patronage in royal courts & temples
Origins – Post-Sangam Music • Sarangadeva, a North Indian musicologist of repute, began to read & write extensive commentaries on Indian music & its instruments with strong emphasis on the flute • His work the Sangitaratnakara became a technical masterpiece of Indian music literature that is only parallel to the Silappadikaram • It is the only pre-Moghul Sanskrit literature that is highly regarded by both Hindustani musicians & Carnatic musicians
Origins – Post-Sangam Music • 15 varieties of vamsa (flute) are mentioned by Sarangadeva: – – – – – – – –
Ekavira Umpati Tripurusha Chaturmukha Panchavaktra Shanmukha* Muni Ashtadasangula
- Vasu - Nathendra - Mahananda - Rudra - Aditya - Manu - Kalanidhi
*In practice, only the Shanmukhavamsa types are in common use, the rest are either too short or too long for practical application
Origins – Post-Sangam Music • After the fall of the last Sangam era, the premedieval kingdoms of South India devoted their scholars to compile & consolidate all remaining Sangam literature • The Cholas in particular took a great leap in enshrining art by building numerous temples of art, & preserving important art manuscripts • They were also the first & the last southern kingdom to patronize Sangam music in the courts & temples before being absorbed into the Vedic traditions in the early years of the first millenia A.D.
Origins – Vedic Music • The spread of Vedic philosophy from the Gangetic plains of North India through conquests & intellectual interaction made possible for new discoveries in the evolution of Hindu music by the invention of the vina, which according to the research of the worldrenowned musicologist of Carnatic music, Padma Bhushan Prof. P. Sambamoorthy had its origins from the flute
Origins – Vedic Music • With the rise of the Vijayanagar empire & the decline of the Cholas, the influence of Vedic music took precedence as its vocal music tradition appealed more to the educated elite of the royal courts • The flute declined in its importance as a classical music instrument giving way to the rise of string instruments which easily emulated the vocal nuances of Vedic music as compared to the flute
Origins – Vedic Music • In a time warp, the flute returned to its early origins in folk music while Indian music literature continued to expand in leaps & bounds under the Vijayanagar empire • The art loving Moghuls however had a penchant for flute music & patronized flautists from South India. However no developments in flute took place in Moghul India. Recorded patronage of flute music was last noted in Jehangir’s Memoirs.
Origins – Modern Era • It was only in the closing years of the 19th century, that the flute gained its due classical status. The blind musical prodigy, Sharaba Shastri revived the instrument by easily playing the compositions of the Trinity with flair & quality. Even though, the instrument did not achieve the popularity of vocal music • Playing on the 7-hole Carnatic flute, which is much similar to the modern bansuri form of North India Sharaba Shastri gave a concert worthy status to the Carnatic flute
Origins – Modern Era • It was the 8-hole flute which eventually gave a vocal status to the Carnatic flute which was introduced by T.R. Mahalingam or better known as the infamous flute prodigy, Flute Mali • Influenced by the Nageswaram players using the same fingering techniques as the ancients used, Mali created the vocal nuances on the 8-hole flute, & added the 8th hole to reach the anumandira rishaba • Today most successful Carnatic flautists employ the same techniques introduced by Mali
Technique Topics: • Basic Fingering • Playing Posture • Advisory
Technique – Basic Fingering • The preceding slides will show some of the basic fingering that is required to play the 7 basic notes: • Shadjam • Rishabam • Ghandharam • Madhyamam • Dhaivatham • Nishadam
Technique – Basic Fingering • Shadjam – Mandira & Thara Sthayi – Played by closing the first 2 finger holes from the blow hole – Thara sthayi Shadjam is played by overblowing, until a shrill is achieved
Technique – Basic Fingering • Suddha Rishaba – Mandira & Thara Sthayi – Played by partially closing the 2nd finger hole from the blow hole & closing the 1st hole – Thara sthayi Rishaba is played by overblowing, until a shrill is achieved
Technique – Basic Fingering • Chatushruthi Rishaba – Mandira & Thara Sthayi – Played by closing the 1st finger hole from the blow hole – Thara sthayi Rishaba is played by overblowing, until a shrill is achieved
Technique – Basic Fingering • Sadarana Ghandaram – Mandira & Thara Sthayi – Played by partially closing the 1st finger hole from the blow hole – Thara sthayi Ghandaram is played by overblowing, until a shrill is achieved
Technique – Basic Fingering • Antara Ghandaram – Mandira & Thara Sthayi – Played without closing any finger holes – Thara sthayi Ghandaram fingering may vary with different flutes
Technique – Basic Fingering • Suddha Madhyamam – Mandira & Thara Sthayi – Played by closing all finger holes except the 1st & the 7th holes – Thara sthayi Madhyamam is played by overblowing, until a shrill is achieved
Technique – Basic Fingering • Prathi Madhyamam – Mandira & Thara Sthayi – Played by closing the first 5 holes & partially the 6th hole – Thara sthayi Madhyamam fingering may vary with different flutes
Technique – Basic Fingering • Panchamam – Mandira & Thara Sthayi – Played by closing the first 5 holes – Thara sthayi Panchamam fingering may vary with different flutes
Technique – Basic Fingering • Suddha Dhaivatha – Mandira Sthayi – Played by closing the first 4 holes & partially closing the 5th hole – Thara sthayi Dhaivatha fingering is rarely played & only possible in certain flutes
Technique – Basic Fingering • Chatusruthi Dhaivatha – Mandira Sthayi – Played by closing the first 4 holes – Thara sthayi Dhaivatha fingering is rarely played & only possible in certain flutes
Technique – Basic Fingering • Kaisiki Nishada – Mandira Sthayi – Played by closing the first 3 holes from the blow hole – Thara sthayi Nishada fingering is rarely played & only possible in certain flutes
Technique – Basic Fingering • Kakali Nishada – Mandira Sthayi – Played by closing the first 2 holes & partially the 3rd hole – Thara sthayi Nishada fingering is rarely played & only possible in certain flutes
Technique – Basic Fingering • Playing Posture – Posture should be upright & elbows perpendicular to the ground – Head should be straight – Position of the flute may be tilted accordingly but may change when handling certain swaras
Technique - Advisory • It is to be noted that the above demonstrations only serve as a introductory guide to the budding flute student • Only the close guidance of a competent flautist is important to achieve in playing the notes correctly • Due to the distance between the holes of the flute & the thickness of the bamboo, fingering for certain swaras may vary • Certain flutes may altogether require different fingering for some notes
Performers Topics: • Sharaba Shastri • Palladam Sanjeeva Rao • T.R. Mahalingam • Dr. N. Ramani • Shashank
Performers – Sharaba Shastri • Seated far right, Sharaba Shastri was the first Indian flautist on the concert circuit. By reviving the ancient instrument, he pioneered the concert tradition of the Carnatic flute & became an inspiration for future Carnatic flautists including the legend Palladam Sanjeeva Rao (seated far left)
Performers – Palladam •
Palladam Sanjeeva Rao (seated far left) who was the first major concert flautist in Indian classical music. He played on the 7-hole Carnatic flute excluding the blow hole & used parallel fingering like his guru which was different from the ancient cross fingering technique. He became an inspiration to successive flautists like the prodigy T.R. Mahalingam who was inspired to learn from him
Performers – Flute Mali •
Perpetually hailed as the Emperor of the Carnatic Flute, T. R. Mahalingam revived the Carnatic flute to its ancient glory by reviving the cross fingering technique used by Nageswaram players in order to execute the vocal nuances on the instrument. He was a major inspiration to many imminent musicians & legends like G.N.B & Semmangudi, who would flock to Mali’s concerts in guise to savour Mali’s divine music. He trained a legion of disciples. The foremost of them is Dr. N. Ramani.
Performers – Dr. N. Ramani •
An avid fan of the legendary G.N.B., Dr. Ramani took his style & incorporated the best tenets of his own guru, Flute Mali, & amplified the glory of the flute that his guru has given. He had given many jughalbhandis with Hindustani musicians & has introduced longer bass flutes in Carnatic flute recitals. So vast is his musical acumen in the instrument that even his own guru, the legendary Flute Mali has learnt some compositions from him! Till date his performances are very well received by laymen & connoisseur alike. He has a strong following of disciples around the world & has also given support to vocal legends like Maharajapuram & K.V.N. His playing style is very popular today
Performers – Shashank •
A prodigy in his own light, Shashank stormed the flute world at the age of 7 & has advanced the instrument to the next level of Neo-classical music with innovations such as transposed fingering & double octave blowing. His vigorous vocal training with the legends K.V.N & R.K. Srikantan has given him immense advantage in the executing of the rich gamakas on the Carnatic flute very well. Self-taught on the instrument, Shashank has given Jazz fusion & Jugalbhandi concerts with Western & Hindustani musicians with much international acclaim as his Carnatic flute recitals around the world
Survival •
It is disheartening to notice that Carnatic flute is often perceived as a light music & fusion instrument. Even experienced Carnatic music lovers do not support Carnatic flute concerts for favour of vocal music
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In the past legendary vocalists very much seeked musical inspiration & techniques from instrumentalists & each created a unique style of their own which appealed the masses. Examples include M.S.S., Semmangudi S. Iyer, & G.N.B.
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The Vamshidwani team hopes that with this ample understanding of the Carnatic flute, more Carnatic music lovers would attend Carnatic flute recitals & support the survival of the instrument for the next millennia & beyond
Conclusion • The presentation serves has platform to create an interest of the Carnatic flute to all classical music lovers & to appreciate the musical richness & value the instrument possess. • The team also would like to dedicate the presentation to the legend, T.R. Mahalingam for contributing the basic fingering technique which formed the basis of playing the instrument as it is today.
