Accompanists:
Veena Support : Smt R. Ramani

Madhyamakalam is a unique product that showcases the multi-dimensional vidvat of Sangita Kalanidhi Smt. R. Vedavalli, and provides ample testimony to her mastery as a musician and musicologist.

Madhyamakala, or Tanam as it is commonly known today, is a very special part of the manodharma aspect of Carnatic music. In this musical form, the syllables a-nam-ta are used to create varying patterns to produce a sense of infinite melody. In instrumental music, particularly the vina in which tanam occupies a very significant place, there are different techniques of strumming, to produce the desired effect.

Renowned for her unparalleled style of tanam exposition, Smt. Vedavalli, in this CD, presents a lecture demonstration in Tamil, with a lucid explanation of the intricacies of this highly complex musical form. Here the veteran speaks about the evolution of tanam, the types of tanam that were prevalent, methods of singing, exercises for practice in developing tanam singing skills and finally how it has been handled by musicians over the past few centuries as an integral part of the Ragam Tanam Pallavi.

Sangita Kalanidhi R. Vedavalli is an outstanding Carnatic musician, a legend in her own time. An expert in lakshya and lakshana, she stands on a pedestal of pure classicism reaching out to the highest form of music. Her deep knowledge, finesse and sense of timing are evident in her concerts. She is considered the foremost authority on the most intricate aspects of Carnatic music, which include Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi and neraval singing. Her literary acumen and musical creativity are reflected in her tuning of pasurams and other compositions.