Music compositions

GEETHALANKARAM: Pankajavalli Narayanan; Music Education Trust, L- 24, Anna Nagar East, Chennai-600102. Copies available with the author, ``Geethalaya,'' 10 (old No.18), 16th Street, Jai Nagar, Arumbakkam, Chennai-600106. Rs. 30.

DEVOTION TO God, combined with knowledge of music, has been a perennial source of inspiration to composers to write new kritis on deities enshrined in numerous temples.

The 44 songs in Sanskrit and Tamil published in this book with notation show that the author who is a retired lecturer in music, has ample talent in composing with an adequate command over the two languages and a knowledge of prosody essential to musical compositions. Her style is felicitous with unerring alliteration and devotional appeal. Her earlier book, Durgalankaram, published in 1987, was well received.

Fourteen kritis are in praise of the Lord at Oppiliappan Koil near Kumbakonam and these form a group commencing with a Suprabhatam and concluding with a Mangalam.

The other kritis are on deities like Murugan, Guruvayurappan, Srinivasa, Ranganatha and Siva apart from songs on the Aaru Padai Veedu and Panchalinga Sthalas. The tunes are simple and full of raga bhava.

T. S. PARTHASARATHY

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