Nottusvara Sahityas of Dikshitar – Part I – Introduction

Part I An essay on the Nottusvara sahityas of Dikshitar. Kanniks Kannikeswaran gave a lecture-demonstration on this topic at the 81st Annual Conference of The Music Academy, Chennai in December 2007.

Introduction to Nottusvara Sahityas -There is a unique genre of music, known as nottuswara sahitya, that is relatively unknown. The body of 39 compositions in this genre by none other than Muthuswami Dikshitar represents a unique dimension of creativity and is also a pointer to the relatively unknown aspect of the cultural interaction between the East and the West during the time of the East India Company’s rule in Madras.

Simply said, the nottuswara sahityas are a body of compositions based on western original melodies and Sanskrit text. The melodies that feature in this genre, that are largely of Irish, Scottish origin, are entirely Western in terms of melodic content and approach. The nottuswara sahityas based on these melodies are totally Indian from the standpoint of the stotra literature-based lyrics that constitute their body.

The beauty of these svarasahityas lies in the fact that the introduction of Sanskrit lyrics into Western melodic themes has not resulted in something jarring or incongruous; on the other hand, these compositions are totally uniquely Indian, although devoid of the characteristic gamakas that decorate Indian melodic passages.

A study of the nottuswaras reveals the contrast between the light-natured tunes and the classical sahityas that adorn them. Kritis and nottuswara sahityas addressed to the same deities show interesting parallels in lyrics. It is also of great significance to note that the nature of the meticulousness that characterises the lyrical component of Dikshitar’s work also pervades the nottuswara sahityas.

Tags: Karnatic Music History, Muthuswami Dikshitar, Nottusvara sahityas