When Sikkil Shanmuga Sundaram (Sivaji Ganesan) played the Western notes on the Nagaswaram in the movie Thillana Mohanambal, the layman was pleasantly surprised just as the Western musicians were, that a typical Eastern instrument could produce Western notes perfectly. That scene was meant to prove the versatility of Indian music and the ability of the artiste.
What he played at that time is known as the ‘English Note’ or ‘Madurai Mani Note’, though Madurai Mani Iyer had not composed it -he popularised his Guru’s (Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavathar) composition by singing it impressively and frequently.
Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavathar
Image courtesy http://www.thehindu.com/2001/07/06/stories/0906070v.htm
The swaras,
“Ga Ma Ga Ri Ga Pa Ri Ga Sa
Ni Sa Ni Da Ni Ri Sa Da Pa
Pa Ma Ga Pa Sa Ni Da
Ga Ma Da Pa Ga
Sa Ga Pa Da Pa Ma Ga Ri Da Ni Sa
Ga Ri Ga Ma Ga Pa Ma Pa
Ri Ni Ri Ga Ri Sa Ni Da Pa.”,
bring to our mind a flamboyant band in colourful uniform, leading a wedding procession.
A brilliant musician and composer, Bhagavathar was equally famous as a Harikatha exponent. He excelled himself while performing ‘Sita Kalyana.’ To make the description of Sita-Rama’s wedding procession more impressive, he composed the band music and sang it. (Band music was an indispensable part of any grand wedding, then.) That is when the popular ‘Note’ was born.
But Western music had entered India and started enjoying the patronage of kings such as Tulaja II and his son Sarabhoji (Tanjore), even during the late 18th Century. Sarabhoji used to visit Tiruvaiyaru for short stays along with his entourage and, perhaps, a young Tyagaraja got to listen to Western music. He could not but be influenced by what he heard and composed songs in that style. At least three of Tyagaraja’s compositions bear evidence to this impact.
Image courtesy- http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Vol_04/01JAN06/tyagaraja.htm
The most famous among them is ‘Vara Leela Gaana Lolaa’ in Sankarabharanam, a great favourite till today. The beauty of the composition is enhanced by the arrangement of words.
In the first stanza,
“Vara leela gaana loala sura paala suguna jaala
bharita neela gala hrudaalaya sruti moola su-
karunaalavaala paalayaashuu maam”,
the repetition of ‘la’ lends an enjoyable lilt to the song. And when the long vowels ‘ee’, ‘aa’ ‘oa’, and ‘oo’ get repeated, they add a different kind of beauty, and listening to this song is an aural treat. ‘Saarasa Naethraa’ is also in Sankarabharanam, though, not as popular as ‘Vara Leela’. Tyagaraja composed another krithi in ‘Suposhini’- ‘Raminchuvaarevaruraa Raghothamaa Ninnuvinaa’, clearly inspired by the music played during the march past.
Image courtesy: http://maddy06.blogspot.in/2010/09/nottuswara-muthuswamy-dikshitars.html
Muthuswamy Dikshithar’s Nottuswaras bear impressive evidence to the influence of Western music on Carnatic music. There are various versions as to how he could have been influenced by Western music. According to one of them, Dikshithar’s father shifted his family to Manali(Chennai) at the request of Muddukrishna Mudaliyar, a Dubash (translator and interpreter), who was well connected with the East India Company. Mudaliyar’s son Chinnaswami (Venkatakrishna Mudaliyar) was a patron of music, like his father. That was the time when the British East India Company was gradually settling down in India. Finding the law and order situation here not up to their liking, they brought troops from the Welsh regions, Scotland and Ireland. Along with them came the army band, to provide the troops direction and entertainment. Chinnaswamy had frequent opportunities to visit Fort St. George, and he would often take Muthuswami and his brother along. Thus, the boys got to listen to the Western Music played by Irish men in the British band.
The lilting melodies and the simple marching tunes played by the band had a lasting influence on the two young men, who were captivated by the melody and rhythm of this alien music. While this kind of exposure made Baluswamy develop a fancy for violin and Celtic music, Muthuswamy composed 36-40 shlokas in Sanskrit based on folk tunes of the British Isles. They are known as Dikshithar’s ‘Nottuswara Sahityas’ or ‘European Airs’. ‘Swaras’ are called ‘Notes’ in Western music, and hence what Dikshithar composed in this style came to be called ‘Nottu swaras’. Muthuswamy has used his signature ( mudra) ‘Guruguha’ in these ‘Nottuswaras’ and they can be considered the forerunners of Dikshithar’s classic compositions.
Some of his popular nottuswarams are:
‘Shakthi Sahitha Ganapathim’, ‘Shyamalae Meenaakshi’, ‘Raama Janaardhana’, ‘Kamalasana Vanditha’, ‘Jagadisha Guruguha’, ‘Paahimaam Jaanakivallabha’, ‘Raamachandram Raajivaaksham’, and ‘Vandae Meenaakshi’.
Baluswamy went a step ahead. He experimented with the possibilities of playing Carnatic music in that Western instrument. The result was a great success, and it is to his credit that violin has become an indispensable part of Carnatic music.
References:
https://indianraga.wordpress.com/2007/10/25/british-raj-and-indian-classical-music/
http://maddy06.blogspot.in/2010/09/nottuswara-muthuswamy-dikshitars.html