Dhrupad and Kriti

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Published: September 11, 2014 19:16 IST | Updated: September 11, 2014
19:16 IST
Where dhrupad meets kriti
Ranee Kumar
A 'dhrupad' and a 'kriti' are parallel streams of renditions structured
by the Hindustani and Carnatic norms respectively.

Though the music of India got bifurcated into north and south
(Hindustani-Carnatic), there still exist certain similarities in the two
streams especially when one takes a re-look at the archetypes sans
evolutionary makeovers. By now it's evident that the Islamic rule
changed the contours of Indian music in the northern parts ushering in a
new era of creative (khyal/kalpita) music. The Carnatic music flourished
with its performance-based orientation with the advent of the Trinity
who composed 'structured' 'kriti' in a certain format which comprised a
raga (melodic configuration of syllables), a tala (beat), a rhythm and
poesy (sahitya) all arranged in a metrical fashion. The kriti was also
vested with ample scope to improvise under the rules of the raga to
which it was tuned.

Similarly, in Hindustani music, a genre that survived the winds of
change that swept across the northern belt is the 'Dhrupadh' which was
an orthodoxc musical system that evolved in 1400 AD. The term is a sort
of contraction of 'dhruva' which means firm and 'padha' (a composition
fashioned through words). The origin is traced to the 'prabhandha' of
ancient times. On keen observance, this traditional form bears close
resemblance to the south Indian kriti in more than one way. If a
Carnatic music connoisseur were to attend a dhrupad recital, he/she
would be able to discern a lot of similarities between the two.

For one, like the kriti, the dhrupadh is also a highly formatted piece
of music which follows a set pattern of rendition that comprises majorly
of two halves — a preface (alaap/alaapana) of the raag (raga) done
through syllabic sounds like that of the alapana in Carnatic music with
a splash of the tanam too and not the aakaar taan of a khyal. The alaap
of a dhrupad is supposed to contain 'beeja mantras'. It explores the
nuances of the raag, scales through the three octaves and then launches
into the bandish (song/composition) led by a mridang or pakhawaz (not
the tabla). The raga grammar is rooted in tradition and text; hence it
is not easy for a Hindustani audience to appreciate since most raag are
of the ancient school.

By the same token, a Carnatic musician/listener can fully comprehend and
appreciate the dhrupadh which sounds close to his/her own school of
music. Like in a Carnatic kriti, the 'padh' (hymn/verse/bandish) of the
dhrupadh is of supreme significance. This is the core of the dhrupadh
and like a kriti rendition, a bandish exploration takes up a larger part
of the recital. The devotional poetic element apart, the rhythm and
melody are inherent in the bandish of a dhrupadh composition. The
underlying spiritual wisdom in the bandish is to be evoked by the
musician, so it calls for in-depth involvement and dedication.

The improvisations and variations within the bandish are akin to the
sangathis and also neraval of the kriti, more so the latter and are in
keeping with the spirit of the bandish. The bandish is generally in the
ancient Vraj baasha , a very popular regional lingo of the northern
states in early times. The composition is divided into two or four parts
(like the pallavi, anu pallavi and charanam). The slow glides between
the swar (notes) with a mild oscillation (gamaka) of the dhrupadh are
also similar to the kriti.

If Carnatic music is all math and singing, so is it with the dhrupadh.
Also strict adherence to the taal makes it sound so similar to the
kriti. The taal often set for dhrupadh is the 'chau taal', a 12-beat
cycle, a remnant of the southern 'chaturasra jaathi ata talam'. The
theme of the composition is spiritual/bhakti like all Indian classical
music. The 'laiy vyavahaar' (dwigunh, chaugunh) sounds close to the
trikala renditions of the pallavi of a kriti. Many a scholar on the
Hindustani and Carnatic medium have acquiesced to similarities between
the kriti and dhrupadh, especially with regard to Muthuswami Dikshitar's
compositions. Both must have been delved out of the same source
(Caturdandi). The vilambit (slow tempo) is also akin to most of
Dikshitar's vilamba kala, roopaka tala kritis, we are told. The dhrupad,
like a Dikshitar kriti, has a dignified flow of melody sans jerks which
is as imposing as an elephant's saunter.

Keywords: dhrupad, kriti, Carnatic, Hindustani,
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