A well-known example of many such arranged pieces is the Swara passages (Chittaswaram) that G. N. Balasubramaniam composed for the now popular Vara Raga Laya composition set to the challenging Chechukhamboji raga by Tyagaraja. The Chittaswaram has acquired a synonymous status with the composition itself and many popular musicians today sing the Swara passages in the same way that is arranged by G. N. Balasubramaniam, because of its rhythmic dynamism and unusually beautiful Swara combinations of the raga. His introduction of Shruthi Bedam, a technically challenging approach of shifting raga from one to another by taking the last note of a raga as the tonic note and starting another raga with it. Though challenged by many of his counterparts as absurd and a taboo for it was claimed that it never existed, G. N. Balasubramaniam identified literary and historical evidences to support the existence of this method in early Indian music. Today this method is almost used in the renditions of most popular Carnatic musicians. The Music Academy, after detailed discussion agreed with his approach to Sruthi Bedha, as St Tyagraja himself is said to have used it in one of his songs. The Academy, however warned that all and sundry should not try it, as it may land them in trouble. |