The history of Kathakali’s evolution shows how the vocal element has shifted from the actors to individual singers to make the acting and physical movements effortless. In Ramanattam, a predecessor of the art, the actors used to sing the verses.
Earlier in Kathakali, no importance was given to the melody or emotion because the singing was viewed as a supporting skill.
Nemmara Madhava Menon (1874-1913), perhaps, was the first to adapt elements of Carnatic music to enhance his presentations.
Venkitakrishna Bhagavatar (1881–1957), the first maestro of the Kerala Kalamandalam, introduced it to exercise students’ throats for proper raga bhava. Additional reforms were made by his disciples, especially Kalamandalam Neelakantan Nambeeshan (1920–1985).
Until the late 1950s, when musicians switched to the harmonium for pitch, which was later replaced by a manual sruti box, the verses were sung for the sruti of the bronze gong and the humming of the supporting singer. (These days the electronic sruti box is popular.)
The accompanying instruments - maddalam, chenda, gong and cymbal - produce varying srutis and often both the singers would also perform in different srutis. The unique aspect of the art lies in creating a sruti out of the mixture of incoherent ones.
Kathakali uses almost 75 ragas. While a few, such as Pati, Puranir and Indalam, are familiar in Kerala and alien to Carnatic music, the rest are the same although the application is different. Some names are similar and others different such as Maradhanasi (Dhanyasi in Carnatic music), Kamodari (Khambodi) , Erikkilakamodari (Yadukula Khambodi), Begada (Vekada), Usani (Huseni), etc. At the organic and application level, Kathakali renderings are more related to the sopana sangeetam as this temple music structure works well for it.
Thanks to the effort of the past musicians, Kathakali music has begun to enjoy an independent identity. The introduction of microphone was revolutionary. Till the 1960s, the vocalists practically struggled to make themselves heard over the sounds of chenda and maddalam.
Not only that, but singing in the open, foggy grounds at midnight during December-January also affected the throats of many performers.
Unnikrishna Kurup (1931-1988), who had served outside Kerala institutions such as in Santiniketan, introduced a few subtle Hindustani ragas. From the 1970s, Sankaran Embranthiri (1944-2007), Hyderali (1946-2007) and Venmani Haridas (1946-2005), experimented further with ragas in the name of bhava sangeetam, the music that aptly supported the emotional scenes. They sang passionately, which connected with audiences and focussed on plays known for their musical scores.
During the 1970-80 period, at the peak of Kurup’s career, the play ‘Keechakavadham’ was often arranged so that audiences could listen to his renderings of ‘Malini……’ (Pati ) and ‘Harinakshee……’ (Khambodi ).
Hyderali also experimented with Hindustani ragas such as Bhagyasri at a later stage in his artistic life. To accommodate him, a makeshift stage had to be constructed for which the outer walls of some of the temples in Kerala had to be demolished, as non-Hindus were not allowed inside the temples.
Embranthiri, on several occasions, stopped the percussionists from playing as his unaccompanied voice embellished his bhava sangeetam.
Understanding the limitations of his vocal chords, he intelligently exploited modern acoustics. Despite kidney and eye problems, and an amputation of a leg, he was commissioned by connoisseurs to sing, albeit in a wheel chair.
Kathakali today is attracting more people, thanks to a bunch of young and extraordinarily brilliant singers.
Kathakali padam recitals and jugalbandi with Carnatic music are also not uncommon, even outside Kerala, underlining its pan-Indian identity.
“The future of vocals in Kathakali, as supporting and independent traditions, is very bright”, reflects septuagenarian Kalamandalam Gopi, who now performs to the tune of fourth and fifth generation artists. Of late, some of the Carnatic musicians have also started singing verses from plays such as ‘Nalacharitam,’ in their kutcheris.
(The writer is Director, Centre for Kutiyattam, of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi)
