|
The linear sliding movement is the basic playing technique of the chitravina, making the process seem very simple. However, mastering the instrument is quite a challenge, not the least due to the need for great accuracy in placing the slide on the strings to hit the right notes and their microtonal variations. Also, the chitravina is much longer than other fretless instruments like the violin or sarod.
This, coupled
with the fact that no elaborate
fingering techniques can be
employed, make it a great
challenge to match the speed
and felicity of the other
instruments.
An interesting observation about the chitravina was made by Ustad Allauddin Khan (when he heard N Narasimhan
in the 1960s) - since the
instrument is plucked with
a plectrum and played with
a slide, there is no direct
contact between the players'
fingers and the instrument.
Most other fretless instruments
are played directly with the
fingers; according to the
Ustad, this gives the artiste
a better "feel"
of the instrument.
These challenges
have probably made the chitravina
somewhat uncommon. However,
once they are overcome with
diligence and practice (as
many artistes have done),
the rewards are great. Its
continuity and smooth, rich
tone make the instrument ideally
suited for presenting all
facets of Indian music.
Early history
The earliest reference to the chitravina is in Bharata's Natya Shastra, placed by scholars between 200 BC and 200 AD. It is described as a seven-stringed instrument played with fingers and a cylindrical device (kona).
The Natya Shastra also refers
to a similar instrument with
nine strings, Vipanchi vina.
Sarangadeva's Sangeeta Ratnakara,
written a few centuries later,
also refers to both instruments
in exactly the same manner,
suggesting that there was
no major change in the intervening
years. The chitravina has
obviously undergone many modifications
since, though not much has
been documented clearly.
Some scholars
believe that the instruments
mentioned in the Natya Shastra
and Sangeeta Ratnakara were
harp-like instruments and
not of the lute type. However,
it should be noted that today's
chitravina is a combination
of the two. While the main
playing strings in the top
layer form the lute part,
the harp-like character is
provided by the sympathetic
resonance strings in the bottom
layer.
Over a period
of time, fretted instruments
were tried and held sway for
many centuries. The reasons
for this are quite obvious.
The advantage of an instrument
with frets, is that the margin
of error is considerably reduced,
as the notes are fixed by
means of the frets, and the
artiste can place fingers
almost anywhere between two
frets and get the right note.
However, there is a trade-off
between this initial ease
and the ultimate versatility
of the instrument.
Recent
history
Srinivasa Rao, a Maratha who
had immigrated to the Tanjavur
district in Tamil Nadu, made
the pioneering effort towards
the reincarnation of the chitravina
in modern times. He was an
ardent music lover and an
amateur artiste himself. He
started experimenting with
a slide on the Tanpura. His
son Sakha Rama Rao was drawn
to this instrument since childhood.
He was able to perceive its
tremendous potential to produce
high-class music.
Sakha
Rama Rao
Sakha Rama Rao re-designed
this instrument as a fretless
veena with its usual set of
seven strings - four strings
on the top and three in the
side for drone and rhythm.
He put in regular and arduous
practice on this instrument
and gave occasional performances.
Since he was not aware of
the history of the instrument,
he gave it a new name - gotuvadyam.
He casually referred to the
slide as gotu. Vadyam, in
Sanskrit and many other languages,
means instrument. Thus, gotuvadyam
was a literal name for an
instrument played with a slide.
Several decades later, a few
scholars went into the origins
of the instrument and have
restored the more traditional
name, chitravina. Sakha Rama
Rao was a "musicians'
musician" and trained
many great artistes like Gotuvadyam
Narayana Iyengar and Semmangudi
Srinivasa Iyer. Soon there
were several others who started
performing on the gotuvadyam.
Gotuvadyam
Narayana Iyengar
The next path-blazer was Narayana
Iyengar. A born genius and
a performer of the highest
order, he enjoyed tremendous
popularity. He worked ceaselessly
to refine and improve the
instrument. His experimentations
led to the addition of three
more main playing strings
and 12 sympathetic resonance
strings in a special row below
the main strings. The new
instrument thus had 22 strings
(in the present day, one of
the 7 main strings has been
discarded, thereby making
it a 21-stringed instrument)
and a breathtakingly rich
tone previously unheard in
veena-type instruments.
The Narayana
Iyengar method of tuning the
chitravina is quite unique.
He was among the earliest
to make use of the concept
of octave strings. He also
arranged his resonance strings
so as to create a built-in
tanpura effect. Some of his
other design features included
fine-tuning provision for
each of the 20 strings, (in
itself a very unusual feature
in such complex instruments),
a standardised pitch, and
the types of strings used.
His overall contribution to
the growth of chitravina is
unparalleled.
Chitravina
Narasimhan
Son and disciple
of Narayana Iyengar, Narasimhan
carried on along the lines
of his father but also brought
in some subtle modifications
such as string arrangements
and the length of the slide.
A wonderful performer, he
popularised this instrument
all over the country, notably
among his fellow musicians.
His other great contribution
is the training of many successful
disciples, several of whom
he introduced to the music
world as child prodigies.
Other
notable exponents
Budalur Krishnamoorthy Shastrigal,
Mannargudi Savithri Ammal,
A Narayana Iyer, M V Varahaswami,
Gayatri Kassabaum and Allam
Koteeshawara Rao are some
of the notable exponents of
this instrument in the 20th
century. Of these, Budalur
Krishnamoorthy Shastrigal
(who was an outstanding vocalist
as well) was steadfast in
sticking to the tuning and
string arrangement of the
veena save for an extra string
he added at the top, but only
to rest his fingers on! He
was not keen on the sympathetic
resonance strings at all and
many of his disciples still
follow his pattern.
The
chitravina today
In the last decade or so,
a lot of effort has been invested
towards getting effective
true quality amplification
by experiments in the use
of contact mikes, magnetic
pick-ups, mixers, equalisers
and amplifiers. This has enabled
the chitravina to be presented
effectively to even very large
audiences in indoor and outdoor
settings. In the hands of
Chitravina Ravikiran, who
has worked to refine the playing
technique to suit a highly
classical gayaki style, without
sacrificing the instrumental
quality, the instrument has
gained popularity across the
world and enjoys a highly
respected concert stature.
The versatility of the chitravina
has been demonstrated through
presentations of very complex
compositions, including sophisticated
ragam-tanam-pallavi-s. Ravikiran
has presented concerts at
prominent international festivals,
in jugalbandis with North
and South Indian maestros
and in fusion/crossover concerts
with western musicians. With
its voice-like tone, the chitravina
has been used as an accompanying
instrument for great vocalists
including Semmangudi Srinivasa
Iyer, Dr Balamuralikrishna
and T Brinda.
Speciality
The chitravina is a delicate,
beautiful instrument, which,
in the hands of a master,
can express almost all the
nuances of vocal and instrumental
music. As the New York Times
described, the chitravina
has '…Infinite capacity
for micro-tonal shadings reminiscent
of the human voice'. This
is not only because of its
fretless nature but also because
of its unique string arrangement
perfected by Gotuvadyam Narayana
Iyengar.
Influence on the Hawaiian
guitar
According to historians of
the Hawaiian guitar, such
as Dewitt Scott (Senior) and
Chris Morda, the chitravina
was taken to America in the
1880s by Gabriel Davion, in
a modified form, laying a
foundation for the Hawaiian
guitar.
Here are
excerpts from Chris Morda's
work, Blues Guitar Primer
Series - Development of Slide
Guitar Traditions:"Gabriel
Davion is another gentleman
credited as a possible originator
of the slide guitar in Hawaii.
Davion was reportedly an Indian
gentleman who had stowed away
on a ship on its way for Hawaii.
In 1884 Charles King reports
to have witnessed Davion playing
a guitar laid flat in his
lap and using a pen knife
laid on top of the strings
to sound the notes while he
plucked the strings with the
other hand. Mantle Hood, in
an article published in "The
1983 Yearbook for Traditonal
Music", favors this account
due to the fact, that coming
from India, Davion could have
witnessed one of a number
of instruments that Indians
played with different objects
used as sliders, one of which
is the gotuvadyam (chitravina)."In
his book, The Art of Slide
Guitar, Dewitt Scott also
writes a similar account.
|
