From: srini@gip.eecs.umich.edu (Srini Pichumani)
Subject: Re: Subbarama Dikshitar & Pt.Bhatkande (was Re: Bhatkhande)
Keywords: Bhatkhande; musicology
Organization: University of Michigan EECS Dept., Ann Arbor
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 17:25:07 GMT

In article <1icv2pINNlj5@shelley.u.washington.edu> gangolli@frobenius.math.washington.edu (Ramesh Gangolli) writes:
>In article <5ra=lRC@engin.umich.edu> srini@engin.umich.edu (Srinivasan Pichumani) writes:
>>At that time, Subbarama Dikshitar was working on his magnum opus -- 
>>the Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini -- a compendium on music running to about 
>>1700 pages in its original Telugu script edition published in 1904. 
>
>Is this in print? has anyone written an account of this work in other
>Indian languages or in English?

The original edition was in Telugu script -- i.e the musical sections
comprising of the rAga lakShaNa shlokas, the kritis, the sanchArIs etc.
The forewords & explanatory sections on the gamaka symbols used were given in
in Telugu/Tamil. In the 60s, the Music Academy, Madras started publishing the
entire work in Tamil script -- re-organized as 5 volumes; that project was 
finished only in the mid-80s. Meanwhile, the Andhra SangIt NAtak Akademi 
re-issued the book in Telugu script - since the original fast became a 
rarity. I am not aware of its transliteration/translation to other scripts.
[In this country, the SSP Tamil edition is available in a few universities
like Dartmouth, U of Mich, Library of Congress etc. However, all 5 volumes are
not available - only the first 2 or 3]
The Telugu edition is available at U of Wisc,Madison. 

If you want to read an account of this work check your Univ library for
the Sep 1975 number of the NCPA's Quaterly JOurnal. (National CEntre for the
Performing Arts, Bombay). It is a special commemorative issue entirely devoted
to Muttusvami DIkshitar, his music, and his shiShya tradition that brought his music down
to this century. At our library, the LC call no is ML410.D58 M84;the
title is "Muttusvami Dikshitar".

>>In this
>>work, Subbarama Dikshitar has organized the musical material according to 
>>the 72 rAgAnga-upAnga-bhAShAnga rAga scheme originating from Venkatamakhi. 
>>(rAgAnga rAgas are the name given to the parent scales in the Dikshitar tradition
>>- which was rechristened in this century as the asampUrNa mela paddhati to 
>>distinguish it from the sampUrNa mela paddhati wherein every melakarta has all
>>7 svaras in ArohaNa/avarohaNa)
>
>Please clarify. Are you saying that the parent scales of the
>Raganga ragas as conceived by Venkatamakhi/S. Dikshitar did NOT have 7 notes
>in the arohana/avarohana?   

The rAgAnga rAgas do not necessarily have all 7 notes both in the Arohana and in the
AvarohaNa - that's what I meant. 
For example, the 22nd melakarta according to this scheme
is the ancient shrI rAga whose mUrcana (i.e ArohaNa/avarohaNa) is
		S R M P n S
		S n P M R g R S with a alpa(rare) prayoga of S n P D n P
assuming capitals stand for shuddha svaras and lower case for komal svaras.
The union of the set of notes in ArohaNa/AvarohaNa would be all the
7 notes corresponding to the rAga's ordinal no in the 72 rAga scheme.

The scheme of melakartA rAgas having all 7 notes in proper order in both
ArohaNa/AvarohaNa was introduced by Govinda, a post-Venkatamakhi persona, 
in his treatise Samgraha cUDAmaNI, written in the early 1700s approximately.
[We had a discussion on this just a little while back in this newsgroup;
but I don't seem to have saved any posts]

In Venkatamakhi's family itself, only the rAgAnga rAga scheme 
was handed down from generation to generation. Muttusvami Dikshitar's father learnt 
this sampradaya from a descendant of the Venkatamakhi family.

>>Pt.Bhatkande wrote an English foreword to the beginners music book (also written
>>by Subbarama Dikshitar, as an addendum to the SSP) called "prathama abhyAsa 
>>pustaka"(?)
>
>Is this available? a reference would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry, I have not been able to locate this book anywhere in this country. It
might be available in India. The exact title according to the Bibliography
given in the NCPA special issue is:
	Balashikshasampradaya-Prathamabhyasapustakam

-Srini.