Music of the Tanjavur Quartet – Recording

TANJAVUR QUARTET

V.PARVATHY, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

“There’s the erstwhile home of the Tanjore Quartet. It still houses the ivory violin presented by Maharaja Swati Tirunal to Vadivelu!” I had the house pointed out to me on my way to the Bangaru Kamakshi temple in Tanjavur. All I could see the past the bustle of West Main Road, was a bluish green wall and a tiled roof. The Tanjore Quartet (or Tanjai Naalvar), brothers Ponnayya, Chinnayya, Vadivelu and Sivanandam, illustrious shishyas of a great Guru, Sri Muttuswami Dikshitar.

I tried to imagine how it must have been in its heyday, in the early part of the 19th century. Filled with the strains of tambura and violin, sollukattus and tinkling anklets! Did the brothers just stroll along the western wall of the Peruvudaiyar Kovil to see Brihadishvara and Brihannayaki, who have inspired most of their compositions? Was it in this house that their revered Guru saw them perform and hailed them as Bharata Shreshtar? Would the royal court have eagerly awaited every new piece, written, set to music and choregraphed by these vaggeyakaras? A mural painting of the quartet in Amman mantapam of the Brihadishvara temple shows just how popular and respected the brothers were.

Soon I was back in Chennai and forgot all about it. Until I received a phone call from Dhvani, inviting me to perform an exclusive Tanjore Quartet concert. It took me back to my train of thought from that January evening. I was only too delighted to revisit some of their compositions that I already knew and learn some new ones as well.

The quartet, performers themselves in the courts of Thanjavur, Mysore and Travancore, composed a large number of compositions which form a large part of the Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music repertoire. Very few compositions are specifically ascribed to one of the brothers. In some cases, the vaggeyakara is clearly identified (eg. mentioned by Subbarama Dikshitar in the Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini). In other cases, a mention of their patron in the composition, throws light on who the composer might be (eg. chamarajendrudu points to the Mysore court and to Chinayya, who was a court musician there). But most other times, they fall under a collective identity.

Their compositions cover a wide range of forms which make up a dance/music performance, namely pada varnam, kriti, jatiswara, padam, javali, tillana and so on. Their creations also showcase the union of technique and expression, of sangita and sahitya, of music and dance. The musician finds herself connecting to the abhinaya and the dancer, I’m sure, to the sangita.

Most of their kritis have cittai swaras, painting a vivid canvas of melodic and emotional content. From the fluid movement of ragamalika swaras from one colour to the next in a pada varanam, the sprightly yet rakti filled Kaappaduve unadu baaram (Anandabhairavi) to the fascinating graha swaras of Sri guruguha murtikine (Bhinnashadjam). Another interesting feature is the usage of the rare eduppus (starting points), especially in javalis. Sometimes the pallavi, anupallavi and charanam begin with different eduppus, thus infusing the composition with a medley of percussive flavours. The vaggeyakaras were probably visualising the choreography as and when they composed the song.

I am grateful to Dhvani for this opportunity to contemplate on, explore and learn the compositions of the Tanjore Quartet and eagerly looking forward to presenting a few gems from their repository of stellar compositions.