This is the first thillana we learnt. Thillanas are a form of song where the rhythm is given a lot of importance. In fact the whole piece is centered around the rhythmic syllables set to a tala pattern. Unlike the solkattu that we encountered earlier in varnam or shabdam, the solkattu in thillana is the "actual" song and is sung as such. Each thillana is also set to a raga (or scale or tune) and sometimes it might even be a ragamalike (remember shabdam?).
The beauty of the thillana is in the fast verses and the intrinsic and complex patterns that still adhere to the tala patterns. A few months (well, maybe a year) ago I wrote a post on Korvais (joins) and Karvais (splits). Thillana is just full of them. I want to highlight some using the current thillana as an example.
This thillana is set to Ratipatipriya (a little known ragam except for the masterpiece Jagajanani). The ragam is the janya of 22nd Melakartha Karaharapriya. It's a audava-audava raga, very simplistic in its structure. Not a whole lot of neraval swaras. As with a lot of KHpriya janya, it is a very melodious raga. KHpriya is quite the prolific mother but I digress.
As I mentioned the emphasis of thillanas is on the rhythm. This is beautifully explored in the current Thillana. It is set to adi talam which is the regular 4+2+2 however, it is set to cycle of 2 avarthanams or 16 beats (That is it takes 16 beats to complete one cycle).
(Nadir theemtha deem deem deem) -4
(nadirtha deem deem) -2
(deem deem thana) -2
(dhirana thana dheem) - 4
(janu dheem) - 2
(dheemtha dheemtha dheem) -2
What this does is that it gives the percussionist and hence the choreographer a little more freedom to work with which makes for some very beautiful combinations.
A typical structure of the thillana is Pallavi and anupallavi of solkattu followed by a lyrical charanam. In this version, the charanam goes as follows
Ponnezhil mEni vaNNanE
The one whose body has the charm of gold
kANa eNNinEn mEga varNanE
I wanted to see you, the one who's colored like the clouds (dark skinned - as Krishna is said to be dark skinned)
viNNavar pAdum mannanE
The king whose praise the celestial gods sing
maNi vaNNanE kamala kaNNanE
O Beautiful one, O lotus eyed one.
The beauty of the thillana is in the fast verses and the intrinsic and complex patterns that still adhere to the tala patterns. A few months (well, maybe a year) ago I wrote a post on Korvais (joins) and Karvais (splits). Thillana is just full of them. I want to highlight some using the current thillana as an example.
This thillana is set to Ratipatipriya (a little known ragam except for the masterpiece Jagajanani). The ragam is the janya of 22nd Melakartha Karaharapriya. It's a audava-audava raga, very simplistic in its structure. Not a whole lot of neraval swaras. As with a lot of KHpriya janya, it is a very melodious raga. KHpriya is quite the prolific mother but I digress.
As I mentioned the emphasis of thillanas is on the rhythm. This is beautifully explored in the current Thillana. It is set to adi talam which is the regular 4+2+2 however, it is set to cycle of 2 avarthanams or 16 beats (That is it takes 16 beats to complete one cycle).
(Nadir theemtha deem deem deem) -4
(nadirtha deem deem) -2
(deem deem thana) -2
(dhirana thana dheem) - 4
(janu dheem) - 2
(dheemtha dheemtha dheem) -2
What this does is that it gives the percussionist and hence the choreographer a little more freedom to work with which makes for some very beautiful combinations.
A typical structure of the thillana is Pallavi and anupallavi of solkattu followed by a lyrical charanam. In this version, the charanam goes as follows
Ponnezhil mEni vaNNanE
The one whose body has the charm of gold
kANa eNNinEn mEga varNanE
I wanted to see you, the one who's colored like the clouds (dark skinned - as Krishna is said to be dark skinned)
viNNavar pAdum mannanE
The king whose praise the celestial gods sing
maNi vaNNanE kamala kaNNanE
O Beautiful one, O lotus eyed one.
