The Changing
Profile of Music in Yakshagana
-Purushothama Bilimale
Yakshagana is also
known as Bayalata, Bhagavatarata and Dashavatarata. Some other forms of Yakshagana are
Sannata, Mudalapaya and Doddata.
The etymology and
the meaning of the term Yakshagana have been a matter of much scholarly discussion. The
word Yaksha refers to a class of semi-divine beings, the attendants of Kubera (the God of
wealth) and the term gana signifies music. Govind Dikshit (1620 A.D) and Saranga Deva
(1210-1247 A.D) termed it as a style of song and music, However the term Yakshagana today
refers to the theatrical medium using music, dance and dialogue. Originally it may have
been a style of music to which other aspects have been added in the course of time. Parti
Subba, the greatest composer of Ramayana texts for Yakshagana (1700 A.D), stated that 'the
story will be narrated using thirty two varieties of raga and tala'. From this it is clear
that the performance was primarily musical in nature.
Yakshagana
training in the past
We can now outline the details of Yakshagana training:
Music is an interal
part of Yakshagana and it was developed as a powerful theatrical medium capable of
expressing the whole gamut of human emotions. It acts as the central force controlling the
entire performance. All other facets of the performance are guided and shaped by it. Most
of the ragas and their modes of development remain the same in all its regional
variations.
Ragas
The Yakshagana songs are written to be sung in certain ragas, each raga having its own
scales. The term raga in Yakshagana refers to a melody that conforms to a set of notes
grouped in a particular way. Currently we have more than 3000 prasangas in which more than
100 ragas are mentioned.
Some of these ragas
are more akin to Hindustani ragas while others resemble Carnatic ones, as is evident from
the names. The influence of Hindustani music is more noticeable in Badagu tittu though it
has now entered Tenku tittu as well. Apart from their mention in the prasangas there is no
real evidence that all of these ragas were actually performed.
However, these
ragas can be rendered in many ways. The singing depends greatly on the proficiency of the
bhagavat. If he is well-versed in the raga scales he can sing in any melody that he wishes
to, improvising within the framework of the raga. If the bhagavat does not know the raga
he continues to sing the songs in a fixed melody as learnt from his teacher. Many
bhagavats including some of the most famous do not know the names of the ragas they
perform nor are they consciously aware of the underlying scales.
From the ninety-six
listed here, today only about thirty-two ragas are commonly used in actual performance.
Rhythm in
Yakshagana
Rhythmic patterns called talas are a very important aspect of music in Yakshagana,
providing rhythms for the dancer and integrating the dance and the music.
Traditionally one
song would be sung in a single raga with the same tala. In recent times, with more
consciousness about choreography, some of the young bhagavats sing the same song in more
than one tala while retaining a single raga. This is normally associated with the shift in
the tempo as well, providing the dancers with an opportunity to exhibit greater
versatility within a small segment of the performance. It enlivens the performance and
adds to its appeal. This is gaining popularity especially, in Tulu Yakshagana.
