PREFACE:
One of the first impressions that an observer or student of our music gets is that Muthusvami Dikshitar was a strict conformist to sampradaya and to the raga lakshanas that were laid out by Venkatamakhi. But if one undertakes a scrupulous analysis of the Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini, one can see how hollow that statement is. [...]
INTRODUCTION:
Andhali is an old raga with a textual tradition which is now virtually extinct. Its close cousins, Purnachandrika and the much latter born Janaranjani have usurped much of its musical material. We have compositions of both Tyagaraja and Dikshitar in this raga. There is an element of a controversy, nay a puzzle about the nativity [...]
Preface:
Since the original post and the feedbacks that were received, an update to the post had become imperative. This sequel is intended to cover 3 areas:
Update the discography by providing audio links to the renditions, to illustrate raga lakshana as found in the Dikshitar kriti “Bakthavatsalam”
Consider one other rendition, that of “Bakthavatsalam” by Vid Kalpagam [...]
Raga Lakshana - Vamsavati
The raga Vamsavati (the Asampurna 54th raganga of the latter Kanakambari* nomenclature), the equivalent to the sampurna mela raga Vishwambari has been given an expansive treatment by Muthusvami Dikshitar who has invested 2 krithis in this raga. His co-trinitarians Tyagaraja and Syama Shastri have not composed in either of the ragas. We [...]
