NAVYA C
INSTRUMENT OR VOCAL - THE ULTIMATE DEBATE
Art is known for having an individual perception for each viewer / listener . Perhaps , this is the reason why every artist , or a listener have a unique opinion- that is solely confined to them . This individual nature applies to Classical Music greatly . An element of any composition , some listener connects to lyrics , or another listener would be connected to the main melody . However , some even find a deep connection with the arrangements ( as in symphony ) or the interludes that offer like a beautiful break between Pallavi and charanam of a composition .
The ultimate debate about which aspect of music- whether Instrumental or Vocal is good has been going on since years altogether . When it comes to Carnatic Music , the lyrics play a greatest role- as composed by musical trinity such Saint Thyagaraja , Muttuswami Diskhitar and Syama Sastry have given utmost importance to show devotion in the terms of lyrics . Annamacharya , Kshetrayya and Narayana Teertha also have equal importance to melody and lyrics as well . For these legends , lyrics are of prime importance and mostly the emotional link comes through the beautiful words of devotion , and being in unison with the nature . One cannot imagine to listen and get the excellent meaning conveyed by Saint Thyagaraja in kritis like Manasa Yetulorthune ( Malayamarutham ), Pakkala Nilabadi ( Kharharapriya ) if an instrumental version of it is played . The same applies with Muttuswami Dikshitar is a complex lyricist with main use of Sanskrit as a language of expression . Syama Sastry has dedicated his entire life towards Goddess Kamakshi , through his fantastic compositions .
But as times passed by and with more experiments coming on the bay , some of the music learners picked up instruments as a main lead when it comes to expressing the emotion of the lyric through it . This style is particularly called “ Gaayaki ” in Hindustani Music . With their beautiful prowess , instrumental players have proven their mettle by successfully presenting the lyric in an instrumental form . It all takes to have passion , emotion in the mind and mastery of the instrument- to show the multitudes of the melody . There have been stages where the instrumental versions played by legends like Chitti Babu , U . Srinivas , L . Subrahmaniam and the recent violin duo Ganesh-Kumaresh surpassing the vocal renditions as well .
When we witness incidents like these where the instrument becomes the lead- and expresses every aspect of the composition and its emotional graph , we are forced to believe that music is all that matters-whether it is instrumental or vocal . But , the instrumental musicians should put an extra effort of showing up the composition and expressing the lyrical value seamlessly . In one way , the instrumentalists have higher grade of freedom when it comes to express the lyric- by breaking the limit of lyric in a certain fashion and also rediscovered unexplored elements of the composition .
As the monsoon drifts by , take a moment and listen to the instrumental classical versions which actually opens higher realms of realization and surrender . Devotion gets a new meaning for the composition when it is performed through an instrument . Listen to the greats such as U . Srinivas , Kadri Gopalnath , Rajhesh Vaidhya and there is biggest musical ocean out there to cherish and relish !
The Score Magazine
14 highonscore . com