VOICE CULTURE AND CARNATIC MUSIC

 (post by Madhavi Ramkumar)

© Madhavi Ramkumar

The significance of the human voice in Carnatic Music has been the subject of much debate and discussion. It is often regarded as a mere vehicle for communication of musical ideas, and of no great significance or importance in isolation, in direct contrast to many other systems of classical music including Hindustani and Western, which lay great emphasis on culturing and conditioning the voice to its utmost potential.

This is not of course to suggest that Carnatic Music neglects the voice in its entirety. A good voice is regarded, by many, as a divine gift, and special efforts to enhance its quality deemed unnecessary.  While a naturally rich and pliable voice is certainly a major asset, prescribed ways to aid and improve voice quality need to be practised diligently, much like an athlete exercises to improve physical fitness, agility and flexibility.

That artistes with less than perfect voices have attained the pinnacle of success in Carnatic Music may seem an anomaly. Lack of a strong or pleasant tone and limited range and flexibility have been overshadowed by the primacy accorded to other factors such as adherence to tradition and rhythmic expertise. The very essence of the idiom, its ragas and compositions, its distinctive use of gamakas, and the immense scope for individuality and improvisation, coalesce to create an identity that many consider to be beyond mere felicity of voice. Such is the genius of the system that the quality of these ingredients provides the aficionado with intellectual stimulation and aesthetic pleasure, and the voice, apparently, pales into insignificance.  The sheer beauty of the concepts themselves would seem to condone lapses in their presentation.

There is also a converse argument that such are the demands of the style that it is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve and preserve voice quality comparable to, for instance, that in Hindustani Music. The sheer weight of the gamakas, for example, calls for much effort in their articulation. It is often contended that Carnatic Music is only for a select audience, the nuances and intricacies of which can only be appreciated by a select few. Inclusion of gamakas prescribed for the raga, delineation of the precise aural curve required, and incorporation of the mandatory minute microtones take precedence over beauty of the voice.  A raga like Thodi cannot be rendered effectively without consideration to these aspects, however captivating the voice may be.

However, there is much to be gained by paying more attention to the subject.

There is no gainsaying the fact that the voice is the first thing that a listener hears and reacts to. A clear, steady and refined voice, without the occasional bleat, wobble and quiver, one that maintains its timbre in all three octaves, is unwavering and capable of sustaining itself in the execution of extended notes, would only underscore and accentuate the wonderful attributes of the highly evolved and sublime art form that Carnatic Music is. As a system it holds within itself immense capacity to touch the head, the heart and the spirit, and the voice is the vehicle that carries it to the listeners, irrespective of whether they are connoisseurs or laymen. Sadly, uneven tone, lapses in sruthi alignment, inconsistencies in voice production, and sometimes un-aesthetic modulation, imperfect enunciation of vowels and syllables in both raga alapana and the rendering of compositions, seem par for the course.

 A performance is the culmination of years of learning and rigorous practice. It calls for many tangible and intangible elements including great presence of mind, a razor sharp memory, improvisational skills based on a solid grounding in the system, and rhythmic expertise. The amalgam creates an experience like none other. And it is the voice that conveys all of this to the listener. Each voice is unique, with strengths and weaknesses that are peculiar to it. It is therefore imperative that greater emphasis be laid on culturing and conditioning the voice to become the best that it can be. This glorious tradition of music deserves nothing less.