The Music of Kerala
South Indian music
on the whole is generally known as Carnatic music. Like western music,
there are 7 basic notes that are thrown into a variety of combinations to form a
tune. The English syllables of “Do-Re-Me-Fa-So-La-Te-Do” are replaced by the
Sanskrit syllables of “Sa-Re-Ga-Ma-Pa-Da-Ne-Sa”. These 7 notes are strung
together in different combinations and sung at different timings or thalams
creating a wide variety of tunes or ragas. So much is common to all South
Indian styles of music. But, each region in the south has it’s own musical
culture which retains it’s own special identity.
The roots of all
music in Kerala are hidden in Dravidian rituals and rustic self-expression of
the common people. Later, the Aryan influence, which developed from the Vedic
rituals, added a new dimension to this artistic culture. This combination of
Vedic music and folk and tribal music of the region produced a distinctive style
of music. It retained the sophistication of the Vedic music and while
maintaining the rustic nuances and feelings of devotion that were hallmarks of
the Dravidian music. This music was termed as ‘Sopanam Sangeetam’ [Sopanam
music].
Born in the temples
of Kerala, Sopanam music developed its traits and grew through generations. It
is believed to have become popular through the practice of singing invocatory
songs in front of the ka4lam (floor drawing) of Kali and later on at the
sanctum of the temple.
This music derived
its name from the word ‘Sopanam’ which referred to a flight of steps that lead
up to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The structure of Sopanam music is
believed to reflect the experience of the devotee in ascending the heights of
devotion – much as one would mount the Sopanam steps to enter the sanctuary and
commune with the deity.
At one time,
Sopanam music was associated with most of the rituals and performing arts. But
later, the rectal of this music was neglected and it was virtually discarded in
most area. It was preserved in temples as a ritual. However, it still retained
it’s vitality and freshness. Today, there are a few powerful schools in temples
like Guruvayoor, Ramamangalam etc, where this style of music was taught. In the
temples, temple singers have hereditarily practiced this music.
The introduction of
‘Geet Govindam’ during the 14th and 15th centuries
resulted in the revival of the Pattu school of music. This style was preserved
in the traditional tyanis. These were simple 2-lined prayers that were
sung at the sanctum of the temple along with different puja [cermonial
offerings] at each time of day. The musician was inspired by the time at which
the offering was made to the deity and selected the raga best suited for
that time. Such ragas were known as ‘Samaya ragas’ because time was the
deciding factor in singing.
The period between
1813 and 1847 saw the revival of most art forms of Kerala. This was during the
rule of Sri Swati Tirunal Rama Varma Maharaja the royal composer – musician who
is acclaimed as the father of modern music in Kerala. this period also witnessed
a serious setback in indigenous system of music and a growth of Carnatic music.
Talented singers from Tanjore and other places were invited to the state and the
king himself composed songs in all styles.
Sri Swati Tirunal
composed Carnatic style pieces known as kritis. Apart from these, he also
composed padams using the musical mould of Kathakali and improved and
recreated existing formats. These padams were exclusively meant to be
enacted in Mohiniyattam. Sri Swati Tirunal used to compose his songs at the
sanctum of his favorite deity Sri Padmanabha (Lord Vishnu). Being a
Vaggeyakara (singer – composer), he used to sing them in a local and
intuitive style. This style is preserved even today by a set of musicians known
as ‘Mullamuttil Bhagavathers’
As in the
case of Hindus, Christians and Muslims too had their own forms of
music. In spite of their foreign influence, they still reflected a
great deal of the folk culture of the land. There were a lot of
Christian songs in Pattu literature, which were meant to propagate
the Christian faith. One of the main songs deals with the life and
deeds of St. Thomas. In the songs, one finds a touch of western
music, but the tunes are not all western. The songs also contain
an interesting blending of the folk tunes of Kerala. There were 2
types of popular songs – ones that were sung by Christian converts
from lower castes of Hinduism and the other which retained the
songs of the aristocratic church that had a blend of Suriyani or
Syrian music.
Muslim songs or ‘Mappila Pattukal’
reflect the day-to-day life of the community. These songs
represent a long tradition of a beautiful blending of Arab and
local elements of music. The language used in these songs also
represents a mixture of Arab, Persian, Urdu, Hindi, Tamil,
Sanskrit and Kannada. The rich literature of Mopla songs dates
back 700 years. The oldest known Mopla songs are extremely
lyrical, highly imaginative, and at the same time, humanistic and
earthy. The earlier songs were mostly devotional, dealing with the
lives of religious people. There are songs sung in rituals and
ceremonies and as vocal accompaniment for dances. Love, heroism
and devotion to God are the basic sentiments in these songs. The
working people among Muslims sing these songs to minimize the
monotony and weariness of labor.
Thus, a rich and varied heritage of artistic culture in Kerala has
been preserved and practiced either as a ritual or an art.
