Who classified ragas?
 Continuing from the last episode, we take a further look at the correspondence between Dikshitar and Mudaliar that was published by Mudaliar in his book, 'Oriental Music in European Notation'.
Another extract of a letter to 'The Hindu' by Subbarama Dikshitar reveals the following information. He asserts that the author of the 72 Melakarta raga classification is Venkatamakhi himself. Strangely, in a foot note, Mudaliar states that "Venkatamakhi may have improved upon the nomenclature of the modes, but the modes themselves must have pre-existed for several centuries before the time of Govinda Dikshit".
In the letter, Dikshitar also talks about the 22 srutis and says that "To ascertain with mathematical accuracy the srutis of the svarams the use of a sruti vinai can be availed of. The musical instrument is not in use and neither could it be found anywhere in the several collections of musical instruments. The mode of construction of this instrument is given by Venkatamakhi and sooner or later I hope to make one myself."
Subbarama Dikshitar next makes a passionate plea to adopt the names given in the lakshaNa gItas as the names for the Melakartas. He says, "If these are not adopted, the whole set of lakshaNa gItams will be of no use as the names in practice could not be found in them." (Here he is referring to the sampUrna kanakAngi-ratnAngi nomenclature as the ones in practice).
He continues, "So I propose again to urge that the names adopted in Mr Chinnaswamy Mudaliar's book are not those adopted in the science of music and also in those exquisitely and beautifully framed lakshaNa gItams of Venkatamakhi. The greatest of musicians of recent date as Sonti Venkatasubbier, the guru of Thyagaraja Iyer, were adopting only these scientifically approved names, and Dikshitar has put in his compositions not the names in practice but those that are adopted in the science, so the names in practice are spurious outgrowths and the sooner they are discarded the better."
Here again Chinnaswamy Mudaliar differs with Subbarama Dikshitar and puts in another footnote that reads, "The new names will certainly be adopted and placed side by side with the old ones but it is feared that it would be difficult to supplant or explode these altogether. They have been adopted in several works by European scholars and in Captain Day's recent publication. They have taken a deep root in this country."
Another footnote in connection with the statement about Sonti Venkatasubbier knowing the old names says, "This is by no means apparent; none of the disciples of Tyagaraja appear to have heard of the new names which are believed to be recent interpolations."
To be continued...
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Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini
- 4
