Musical Instruments in Sanskrit Literature
by S. Karthick Raj KMoundinya | 2008 | 66,229 words
The essay studies the Musical Instruments in Sanskrit Literature and its relationship with the South Indian musical tradition. The study emphasizes the universal appeal of music and documents how it pervades various aspects of life, art, literature, painting, and sculpture. The thesis further examines the evolution of musical instruments from ancie...
Musical Instruments—Drum making
High sophistication had already been attained in the making of drums even in the early ages. Selection of wood, skin, layers of leather strings, their tension, their tonal variations during tuning according to the gut of the leather, were very well analysed. There are references to this in literature as Marjana or Vilepana. Marjana relates to Sadham or Soru in Tamil. Bharata gives three types of Marjana. Mayuri, Ardhamayuri and Karmarvi. Kalidasa refers Mayun to these in his Malavikagnimitra. Silapadhikaram also refers to the Muzhavu as having and smeared on it. It is also called Karanai. The drumming system had reached a high level of perfection in India during medieval times. The technical aspects of playing the percussion instruments and system of strokes and talas have all been studied in detail. Each stroke has a name. Each syllable is clearly produced and uttered. Utterance of those syllables is called Konnakol.
69 In dance tradition, it is called Nattuvangam added with Kartal. It can be called the percussion version of Gatravadya. The time span or the laya is the pause between two beats; their formations or patterns are called of Yati, which is of six types. 10 types of Prastara reveal the intricate pattern of drumming. 2.16.3.1 Technical aspects of drumming Technical aspects of drumming such as Yati, Prastara, Gati, and Laya etc. are explained in Natyasastra Chapter No.33. tatrasodasaksaramiti yaduktam tadanuvyakhyasyamah | kakhagadhatathadadhatathadadhamaralaha iti sodasaksaraniha | niyatam puskaravadye vakkaranaih samvidheyani | catumarga nama| aliptankitagomukhavitabhtatvaro margah | dvilepam nama | (vadya ) vamordhvakapralepat | satkaranam nama | rupam krtapratkitam pratibhedo rupasesamodhah pratisuka ceti | triyatinami | sama rutogata gopuccha cetyanvayat | trilayam nama | drutamacyavilambitayogat | trigatam nama | tatvamanugatamodhasceti | tripracaram nama | samapracaro visamapracarah samavisamapracarasceti | Natyasastra Chapter XXXIII - 39-46 The sixteen syllables as Ka-Kha-Ga-Gha-Ta-Tha-Da-Dha-Ta-ThaDa-Dha-Ma-Ra-La - Ha are produced with clear accent on that. These syllables form the basic aksaras for the Puskara Vadyas. These are the Vakkaranas or the basic syllables. The four- margas are Alipta, Addita, Gomukha and Vitasta. Lepana (plastering) is of two kinds plastering on the left side and upper portion. The Six- karanas are Rupa, Krtapratikrta, Pratibheda, Rupasesa, Ogha and Pratisuska. The three yatis are Druta-yati, Madhya-yati and Vilambita-yati. The three layas are Druta-laya, Madhya-laya and Vilambita-laya. The three gatis are Tattva, Anugata and Ogha. The three pracaras are Sama - pracara, Visamapracara and Samavisama-pracara.
The three Marjanas are Mayuri, Ardhamayuri and Karmaravi. trimarjanam nama | mayuryardhamayuri karmakhi ceti | Natyasastra Chapter XXXIII - 51 70 AEROPHONES In these instruments, sound waves are produced because of the pulsating of air through various devices. Control over breath is an important discipline for playing these instruments. Bamboo/Wood Single note Ottu being Played Many notes Nadasvaram playable Flute Shenai Metal Other material Kombu Conch Dundubi Horn Saxophone Makudi CHORDOPHONES Chordophones are instruments in which sounds are produced through tightened chords or strings. Some of the instruments are plucked while some others are bowed with a bowstring. Likewise we have instruments with frets and without frets. Frets No frets Bowing Single Note Tambura Many notes Vina Gottuvadyam Violin Sitar Santur ELECTROPHONES Instruments such as Keyboard may be called as Electrophones. We have sophisticated instruments such as Synthesizers that have caught the imagination of the Western audience particularly.