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Karaikudi vina tradition: a comparative study
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Date
2021-12-22
Authors
Thevapalan, Thenuga
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University College Cork
Published Version
Abstract
This research study aims to explore and bring to light the stylistic elements of the Kāraikuḍi vīṇā tradition, a Karṇātak vina tradition of South India, through a comparative performance study of the composition Sarasīruhāsana Priyē performed by four eminent vina players from this musical tradition: Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer, Ranganayaki Rajagopalan, Rajeswari Padmanabhan, and Karaikudi Subramanian. In order to understand the individuality of two musical traditions that belong to the same musical system, Karnatak music, but to different traditions within that, a study of individual performances by Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer and violinist Lalgudi Jayaraman from the Lālguḍi tradition, a violin tradition, form part of a second performance analysis. Śaṅkari Nīve is the chosen Karnatak composition for this analysis.
This study takes inspiration from my own position as a disciple in the Karaikudi tradition for the last five years, learning vina from Karaikudi Subramanian. My own situatedness relative to the music has proven particularly useful in exploring these ideas. Apart from the performance aspect, I approach the study by placing a lens on my own experiences and musical pathways through ethnomusicological work with focussed attention on the topic of ‘insider- and outsidership’ that has been the basis for substantial discussion in the field of ethnomusicology for many decades. Furthermore, I have used an autoethnographic approach as means to discover more about the nature of tradition and my own lived experience as a way of attaining insight. I have drawn on different scholars in order to formulate a specific approach, informed by current discussions and thinking. Lastly, biographical accounts, historical discourses, and musical transcription have also formed basis to answer my questions concerning the Karaikudi tradition.
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Keywords
Music , South Indian music , Music tradition , Performance study , Ethnomusicology , Autoethnography , Insider and outsider , Karaikudi vina tradition
Citation
Thevapalan, T. 2021. Karaikudi vina tradition: a comparative study. MRes Thesis, University College Cork.