poetry

In an earlier column we explored how musicians attempt to push boundaries in their presentations, particularly by bringing poetry, often arcane, to the stage. In this post, let’s continue examining how others have attempted to similarly expand both the listeners’ choices and their own exploration of vernacular poetry. Swati Tirunal is perhaps the most famous of all poet-composers from Kerala. The works of other Malayalam poets such as Warriyar, Thampi, Tulasivanam are slowly becoming popular as they are presented as songs thanks to the efforts of vocalists such as Shankaran Namboothiri. Here is the composition "Karuna Cheyvaa Enthu Thaamasam" of…

[This is part 1 of a 2 part series. You can find part 2 here.] When poetry and devotional verses are set to classical music their appeal reaches a wider audience. Depending on the nature of the lyrics it is often not difficult to set the verse to a particular melody. But it is not easy for the words to be sung to a particular rhythm or beat. Words may get truncated or sound awkward when they are fitted into a rhythmic pattern. Yet good musicians are able to creatively fit a verse to both the melody and beat without…

As India celebrates its 65th Republic Day today, here are some songs that invoke the spirit of patriotism in different languages. The song Ae mere watan ke logon in film Haqeeqat described one's deep love for the motherland. The crystal clear sweet voice of Lata Mangeshkar left a strong impression in the hearts of millions of people.      Here is a Kannada patriotic song presented by H.S.Venkatesh Murthy and Ricky Kej. The visuals highlight the natural beauty of the land and its rich cultural heritage.       When MS Subbalakshmi sang the popular Bengali patriotic song of Dwijendralal…

Songs are but poetry set to music some would argue. In Kannada, such poetry set to music, is called Bhavageethe. From the vachanas to the dasarpadas to the poems of Kuvempu, composers have added to the allure of the poetry, by setting them to music. Vachanas are devotional octets composed by Veerashaiva saints from Karnataka such as Akka Mahadevi and Basavanna. They are characterized by simple lyrics that speak directly to the listener. By bringing poems to non-readers, Bhavageethe have enjoyed great popularity in Karnataka. As with many fields, specialists that focus singing Bhavageethe have emerged. One such popular singer…