Pallavi - A blog on Carnatic Music

I used to get a lot out of N.Rajam's violin playing at some point. In fact, the main inspiration to study violin came from listening to her playing esp. of Chaya nat and Mian ki Malhar. It was very unlike traditional Hindustani recordings, they had a different flavor altogether, powerfully exploiting the idea of repetition of the same musical phrases, that is very Carnatic-ish. I was digging up my shelves again yesterday and I found this in one of her CDs (in which she plays Bageshree Kanhra).


She says --

"Approach the musical notes with utmost tenderness, love and humility - caress them, cajole them", were the words of my Guruji (Pt. Omkarnath Thakur) while emphasizing on the emotional aspect of music. The ultimate 'bhavbhiyakti', or evocation of the essence, is due to the mastery of neither the left hand nor the right hand technique, but a total and
absolute identification and merging of one's self, body and soul, with the instrument. The Sadhak has to become one with the instrument!