Trichy Sankaran Archives | Research & Innovation

Music professor's new book teaches the South Indian art of konnakkol

fmaquito — Tue, 25 May 2010 08:00:00 +0000

It is a human urge to imitate percussive sounds, says 91��ɫ music Professor Trichy Sankaran, whose new book, The Art of Konnakkol (Solkattu), delves into the rhythmic spoken syllables of south Indian drumming.

A master percussionist, Sankaran wrote the book and used selections from his albums Laya Vinyas and Catch 21 on the accompanying CD to outline and demonstrate the principal rhythmic concepts of konnakkol. He will launch the book on Thursday, May 27, at 8pm with a short concert along with members of (featuring his daughter and 91��ɫ grad Suba Sankaran) and other special guests at The Music Gallery, 197 John St., Toronto. A reception will follow. Admission is free.

Konnakkol is the art of reciting drum syllables (solkattu). “Sol” means syllable and “kattu” means group, says Sankaran, who is a master of the south Indian drum, the mrdangam. “All the patterns played on the drum can be translated into spoken words. You can verbalize what you play and play what you verbalize. It can go both ways. These rhythms are structured and arranged in highly complex and comprehensive ways.”

Learning the art of konnakkol can enhance anyone’s rhythmic skills, he says, and not just a drummer’s – it can help a vocalist, instrumentalist, composer or dancer improve their sense of rhythm. The book outlines the principal rhythmic concepts and contains numerous exercises and compositions suited for the beginners as well as the advanced. In addition, there are 42 tracks on the accompanying CD corresponding to different chapters and lessons.

This is Sankaran's second major publication; both are instructional, as it is his goal to teach others and keep the art form alive. He was a pioneer in introducing konnakkol as a university course back when he first started teaching at 91��ɫ in 1971. Since then, other colleges and universities have followed suit. “Students have appreciated it and have immensely benefited by learning to adapt to their own instruments,” says Sankaran, a recipient of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations Award for teaching excellence and the Professional of the Year Award by the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce for artistic excellence.

Left: Trichy Sankaran performing. Photo by Greg King.

Konnakkol has been widely used in the film and music industries in India in one form or the other. But it doesn’t stop there. “It has far-reaching effects. It’s a great art form,” says Sankaran. "Many artists are fascinated by these drumming syllables and this has really attracted many musicians from around the world. From simple counting to conceptualizing musical ideas to creating musical compositions, the konnokkal has played a major role.”

In his research in 91��ɫ's Faculty of Fine Arts, Sankaran has traced the history and origin of konnakkol back to 2nd century treatise Natya Sastra. "This work is a dramaturgy dealing with dance, drama and music. So from the beginning solkattu has been part of drama, dance and music,” he says. The history of konnakkol is explained in detail in the book to give the readers a better idea of the context of the art form.

Indian music is essentially based on oral tradition and so there is no formal notation. Sankaran, however, has created a notation to help preserve the traditional way of playing the drum so students in the West who are used to reading music would better understand it. “That way they learn the fingering and hand techniques in the proper way, and so it won’t get changed along the way,” he says.

Sankaran, recipient of an honorary doctorate from the University of Victoria in 1998 in recognition of his contributions to music in Canada and abroad, has performed many concerts with leading Indian musicians and has given numerous solo recitals. He has also played with jazz, electronic, African and world music ensembles besides his own fusion band, Trichy’s Trio. He has also composed works for various ensembles. His recordings include Laya Vinyas (1990), Sunada (1993), Lotus Signatures (1997), Ivory Ganesh Meets Doctor Drums (1998) and Catch 21 (2002).

For more information, to purchase a copy of The Art of Konnakkol, to listen to or watch the art form being performed, visit 's Web site.

By Sandra McLean, YFile writer

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Music professor's new book teaches the South Indian art of konnakkol appeared first on Research & Innovation.

91��ɫ music professors spread the word about their research

fmaquito — Fri, 21 May 2010 08:00:00 +0000

The research and creative work of 91��ɫ music professors spans a wide range of genres and media formats. Disseminated through recordings, print publications and live performances, it’s reaching growing audiences at home and around the world.

Composer and choral conductor Professor Stephanie Martin (left), who serves as music director of Toronto’s historic Church of St. Mary Magdalene, is celebrating the publication of five new choral compositions. Ave Verum Corpus, a song for unaccompanied choir, was recently published by Vancouver-based Cypress Choral Music. Martin directed the Gallery Choir of the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in a performance of the work at the choir’s home church in Toronto and Calvin Presbyterian Church in Kitchener on April 30 and May 1, respectively. Ave Verum Corpus will be heard again later this month, having been selected for inclusion in the performance repertoire of , Canada’s Choral Conference taking place in Saskatoon May 20 to 23.

Martin’s other recent composition publications include Kontakion, an unaccompanied choral piece on a text from the Greek Orthodox liturgy, also released by Cypress; God so Loved the World for choir, oboe and flute, and O sacrum convivium, a Latin communion motet for unaccompanied choir, released by Hamilton’s UtReMi Edition; and Drop, Slow Tears, a choral work set to a text by the 17th-century poet Phineas Fletcher, released by Victoria’s Fairbank Music Publishing.

91��ɫ’s Grammy Award-winning “rock ’n’ roll professor”, ethnomusicologist Professor Rob Bowman (right), has added another release to his long list of popular music reissues. His latest production, , is a 5-DVD boxed set documenting some of the legendary rock artists and greatest hits of the 1960s. Bowman associate-produced the series for , home of the world’s largest library of music footage. Joining a chorus of critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic, the Toronto Star’s Greg Quill hailed the DVD series as “a well-researched and expertly curated package.”

The set includes four titles: Dusty Springfield - Once Upon A Time 1964-1969, Small Faces - All Or Nothing 1965-1968, Gerry & The Pacemakers - It’s Gonna Be All Right 1963-1965, and Herman’s Hermits - Listen People 1964-1969, plus a bonus disc with additional content from the same artists. Rare concert and archival interview footage of the performers in their prime is accompanied by recent interviews that Bowman researched and conducted with Peter Noone (of Herman’s Hermits), Gerry Marsden (Gerry & The Pacemakers), Kenney Jones (The Who and Small Faces) and Ian McLagan (Small Faces), among others.

Bowman attended the launch party for the United States release hosted by the British Consulate General in Manhattan on April 8. While in New 91��ɫ, he got a head start on his next DVD project, conducting a three-hour interview with Graham Nash of The Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Future plans include a trip to England to do more interviews with members of The Hollies and The Pretty Things.

Bowman’s writing also graces the liner notes of two timely CD releases: Canadian blues artist Colin Linden’s recently re-issued debut LP , and an upcoming recording by soul singer Bettye LaVette.

On the jazz front, music Professor Sundar Viswanathan (right) released his latest CD with Sundary Quartet, titled at a standing-room only event at Chalkers Pub in Toronto earlier this season. A collection of jazz standards, the disc features Viswanathan on vocals and saxophone, with 91��ɫ instructor Adrean Farrugia and Dave Restivo on piano, George Koller on bass and Larnell Lewis on drums. Toronto Star jazz columnist Ashante Infantry described Viswanathan’s vocals on the CD as “a cross between Kurt Elling and Chet Baker” and complimented his performance of the material as “as commanding live as recorded.”

Master percussionist Professor Trichy Sankaran is launching his new book, The Art of Konnakkol, on May 27 with a free concert at Toronto’s . The concert starts at 8pm and will feature Sankaran in performance with members of the Indo-jazz fusion band Autorickshaw and other special guests.

The Art of Konnakkol is an authoritative text on the rich tradition of rhythmic spoken syllables of south Indian drumming. The spoken syllables, called konnakko or solkattu, are onomatopoeic to the mrdangam, the two-headed drum of south Indian classical music, on which Sankaran is a virtuoso performer. The spoken syllables can be performed as a call and response to the drum, or simultaneously with the drum beats.

Sankaran’s book, which is accompanied by a CD, outlines in detail the principal rhythmic concepts of this dynamic spoken art form. It can be used as a study guide and will be of benefit to a wide variety of artists, from percussionists and vocalists to composers and dancers, and anyone seeking a greater understanding of rhythm and musical time.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91��ɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post 91��ɫ music professors spread the word about their research appeared first on Research & Innovation.