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Manodharma and spontaneous creativity in Carnatic music

At the Music Academy’s morning lec dem session, violin vidwan H.K. Narasimhamurthy spoke about the significance of manodharma. 

The 13th day of the lec dems at this year’s conference and concerts at The Music Academy began with a session by vidwan H.K. Narasimhamurthy, accompanied by his disciples H.N. Bhaskar, Mysore Srikanth and Sindhu. The topic was ‘Teaching manodharma sangita on the violin.’

Narasimhamurthy emphasised that manodharma, or the creative aspect of Carnatic music, is one of the final chapters in a musician’s never-ending learning journey. He stressed the importance of mastering foundational exercises such as sarali, janta, datu, alankara, geetham, varnam, and other basics, as these are essential prerequisites to developing manodharma. He then proceeded to explain the components of manodharma sangita in Carnatic music: alapana, niraval, swaram, and tanam. Narasimhamurthy noted that earlier artistes often employed sarva laghu more extensively. He pointed out that today’s artistes often prepare manodharma in advance, which, he argued, goes against its true essence of spontaneous creativity.

To illustrate his points, Narasimhamurthy elaborated on the basic exercises for the violin. He demonstrated sarali varisai without gamakas, with Srikanth starting in the mandra octave, followed by Bhaskar playing the same with gamakas. He explained that not all swaras take gamakas and showcased this concept using ragas Sankarabharanam and Mayamalavagowla. All three violinists played sarali varisai in Sankarabharanam across three speeds, both with and without gamakas. He recommended practicing all compositions on a single string, dedicating at least two hours every day to rigorous practice.

The session also covered the nuances of phrasing and pauses in playing. Narasimhamurthy insisted on leaving gaps between phrases and maintaining composure even during fast passages. Bhaskar advised musicians to listen to concerts with a musician’s analytical perspective, rather than as general listeners, and to study the aesthetic approaches of different vocalists and use that as information to improve one’s accompanying skills. 

To demonstrate the application of manodharma, Srikanth was tasked with playing Thodi without the note panchamam, while Bhaskar showcased Begada, focussing on the range between shadjam and dhaivatham. 

Narasimhamurthy emphasised the importance of staccato bowing, which he referred to as “cutting bow,” particularly for tanam playing. This was demonstrated by Srikanth in Raga Keervani and Bhaskar in ragas Natraikurinji and Kapi. Narasimhamurthy highlighted the need to bring out the raga’s essence effectively, even during a short duration concert.