K. S. Subramanian: “Vina in Voice in Vina”
Thursday, October 10, 2024 at 4:30pm
Adzenyah Rehearsal Hall, Room 003 (Daltry Room), 60 Wyllys Avenue, Middletown
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The 48th annual Navaratri Festival at Wesleyan will begin with a Music Department Colloquium talk presented by K. S. Subramanian.
Vina is a historic name in India, a national instrument. But a recent evolution into the current form has brought a different perspective to the raga classification through a scheme of 72 melas attributed to Venkatamakhi (fl.c 1630). A raga is a pattern of notes used as a basis for improvisation, while a mela is a scale. Technically it is called ‘Saraswathi Vina.’ In the performance parlance it is just called vina.
In this colloquium, Subramanian will be presenting a perspective on vina, as a vina (large plucked string instrument) player, still toiling with ideas of improving upon its use in different platforms as its chances of concert platform appearances have dwindled greatly. Although the reasons for such a state can be pointed out by scholars, what Subramanian intends highlighting here are: 1. observations and experiments in using this instrument to its full advantage, through a fretting system they have devised to adhere to the just intonation, with minor adjustments to bring to a state of accuracy in the tonal positioning of the 24 frets, resulting in octaval unity. 2. The techniques in playing vina to go beyond the stylistic boundaries to make use of this instrument to its full potential, contextually relevant. 3. The concepts of vina in voice and voice in vina, meaning a metaphorical interplay of vina in the body, akin to the ‘chakras’ (centers of spiritual power in the human body) from the point of view of yoga and the vina characteristics in singing voice.