Chenda
Chenda ( Malayalam ചെണ്ട , cheṇḍa), also centa, cenda , is a cylindrical double- head drum that is mainly used in the ceremonial Indian music at Hindu temple festivals in the southern Indian state of Kerala . The chenda is closely related to the chande in the neighboring state of Karnataka .
Design
The one-piece body consists of a cylindrical trunk section of a jackfruit tree (malayalam generally chakka , the suitable variety with solid wood varikka-plavu ), which is hollowed out to a wall thickness of just under 1.5 centimeters and sanded smooth on the outside. The common chenda is a little larger than the chande with a diameter of 25 centimeters and twice the length . The drum is covered on both sides with cattle hides, which are braced against each other by means of a V-shaped circumferential, thick cotton cord.
The manufacture and design essentially correspond to the chande . The chenda differs from the chande in that it has a differently shaped tension ring to which the eardrums are tied. In the Karnatak chande , each skin is pulled over an iron ring that does not lie directly on the body. Similar to the idakka and other hourglass drums, the eardrums protrude somewhat laterally over the body. With the chande , the wooden tension ring is thicker and stands a few centimeters lengthways over the body as a beaded edge. This results in a technical difference: Certain light strokes and vertebrae that are performed flat can be cushioned with the edge as a pivot point, with the chande a small wooden stick tied to the edge for the left mallet occasionally serves this purpose. The drumbeats are loud and piercing. In order to change the pitch, leather rings are moved, each looped around two tension cords.
Depending on the region, the chendas differ in some details or have their own names depending on the purpose. The uruttu chenda is the leading instrument and is used for variations and interludes, with the veekku chenda the basic rhythms are played. In particular, the acchan chenda differs from the muri chenda .
Style of play
Usually only the upper membrane ( ethantala ) on the "left" side is hit with two sticks slightly bent at the ends, the lower, "right" membrane ( valanthala ) provides the necessary counter- pull and serves as a resonance amplifier . The left side consists of a single air-dried animal hide, for the right side six to seven hides are placed on top of one another and glued together. Often times the drummer uses only a stick in his right hand for the main beats and adds decorations with the fingers of the left hand.
The chenda is mainly played while standing. She hangs on a belt over the left shoulder with the membrane slightly inclined forwards at hip height so that both hands are free to hit her with sticks. In rare cases, the musician moves the drum into an almost horizontal position on the left hip so that he can hit both heads with the sticks at the same time. The player sitting on a chair fixes the drum on the floor with his knees. With his feet half pushed underneath, he brings the chenda into a slightly inclined position so that the lower membrane can swing freely.
There are six types of impact:
- Na is performed with the tip of the stick on the edge of the eardrum, which creates a hard and high tone.
- In dhim , the player hits the skin near the middle with the bent part of the stick in his right hand. The result is about a sixth below na and a dull sounding tone.
- In the na-karan (also came ) the fingertips of the left hand hit the edge. The tone is similar to the na , but less sharp.
- Corresponding to the dhim , the dhim-karan is a blow with the flat fingers of the left hand approximately in the middle of the eardrum.
- Cappu is a hard and particularly loud, overtone-rich clap with the left hand on the middle of the fur.
- Its dull sounding equivalent is called pottu . The open palm hits the middle.
use
The chande accompanies the religious dance drama Yakshagana together with the barrel drum maddale in Karnataka , for temple festivals and processions in Kerala the drum pairs chenda and idakka or chenda and madhalam are in the foreground. Ceremonial music in Kerala is rhythm-oriented, it consists of different drums and idiophones and mostly dispenses with melody instruments.
Similar to the idakka , the chenda also has a religious meaning, it is considered asura vadyam, "demonic musical instrument", in contrast to the instruments classified as deva vadyam , which are associated with a deity. For this reason, usually only the left side is struck, the right side is reserved for special rituals of possession, for example for the goddess Bhadrakali (a form of Kali ). The jackfruit tree, the wood of which is used for construction, has a magical meaning in the Bhagavati cult (cult of the goddess, for example in the ritual drama Mutiyettu ) and is associated with the divine snakes of the underworld (the naga yakshas and naga yakshis ).
Panchavadyam ("five instruments") is a ceremonial temple orchestra that performs in various formations at annual religious festivals. In the usual formation, the five types of instruments do not include chendas , but rather the two hourglass-shaped drums idakka and timila , the double-headed barrel drum madhalam (equivalent to the maddale ), the bronze pair of cymbals elathalam and the curved natural trumpet kombu . The orchestra Kriyanga Panchavadyam plays in the possession ritual Shri Bhuta bali , an invocation of the Bhutas (spirits), five instruments in a different composition: the veekku chenda , the hourglass drum timila , a snail horn ( sankh ), the small cymbals kaimani and the gong chengila or cher- mangalam , the latter is now mostly replaced by the pair basin elathalam .
Tayampaka is an ensemble that consists of five chenda drummers. Two of them hit the left side, the others hit the right side at different pitches. You will be accompanied by one or two elathalams . After starting in the rhythmic structure adi tala , tala variations follow at different speeds. As with many drum orchestras, the piece, which lasts over an hour, ends in a wild crescendo . Tayampaka is performed on stage at concerts, the other ensembles, with the exception of chenda keli, almost exclusively in the temple.
In the temple ensemble Shinkari melam , also Chenda melam, five chendas play , one of which takes on the leading role, three elathalams , a semicircular curved trumpet kombu and the double reed instrument kuzhal (also kurum kuzhal ), with larger ensembles a row of chenda players and several kombu and kuzhal players opposite. The musicians play in the roopakam and in other South Indian talas at different speeds and always with high volume.
Pandi melam is a classical concert led by chendas and accompanied by elathalams, kuzhals and kombus, which is mainly performed outside of temples. The same four instruments play in the Panchari melam ensemble within the temple grounds. The two most famous Panchari melam performances take place at the temple festival in March – April in the Shri Eddakunni Bhagavati Temple in Ollur ( Thrissur district ) and in the Sree Poornathrayeesa temple in Thrippunithura ( Ernakulam district ) in November – December.
Chenda keli is a percussion ensemble with a chenda player performing as a soloist. In contrast to the tayampaka ensemble, it plays less improvisations and mainly composed structures and is accompanied by a madhalam and an elathalam .
Chendas are the essential accompanying instruments in some religious dance and ritual theaters, including Kathakali , Teyyam , Kanyarkali , Ayyappan tiyatta and in the shadow play Tholpavakuthu .
The temple drums are mainly played by members of the Marar (Maaran) and Poduval musicians. In the traditional training of young drummers, which follows a set curriculum ( citta ), the teacher ( asan ) is usually the father or another older relative. Chenda players are mostly men because women in Kerala are generally considered ritually impure and are not allowed to participate in high- class temple rituals. Women also perform in the Shinkari melam procession drum orchestra . Well-known chenda players are Thrippekkulam Achutha Marar (* 1925), Aliparamba Sivarama Poduval (1925-2006) and Peruvanam Kuttan Marar.
literature
- Keyword: Cheṇḍa Melam. In: Late Pandit Nikhil Ghosh (Ed.): The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Music of India. Saṅgīt Mahābhāratī. Vol. 1 (A – G) Oxford University Press, New Delhi 2011, p. 228
- Keywords: Pancha Vadyam, p. 788f, and Tayampaka , p. 1069. In: Ibid. Vol. 3 (P – Z)
Web links
- Chenda, percussion instrument. Indian Net Zone
- Chenda, drum instrument, Kerala. Kerala Tourism (Introduction to Different Playing Styles)
- Panchari Melam, Traditional orchestra, Rhythms of Kerala. Kerala Tourism ( Chenda , curved trumpets kombu , Kurzoboen kuzhal and pair cymbals elathalam )
- Trichur Pooram - Melam. Youtube Video ( Chenda, kombu and kuzhal )
- Kerala: Centa Drum: Traditional Teaching Methods. (Video by Rolf Killius shows lessons given by children at “ Steinchendas ”)
Individual evidence
- ↑ homepage of Peruvanam Kuttan Marar
- ↑ Rolf Groesbeck: DHIM, Kam, cappuccino, Pottu: Discourses and timbral performances among Temple Drummers in Kerala, India. In: Yearbook for Traditional Music, Vol. 35, 2003, pp. 39–68, here p. 46
- ↑ Sarah Caldwell: Kali and Kuli. Female Masquerades in Kerala Ritual Dance. In: David Shulman, Deborah Thiagarajan (eds.): Masked Ritual and Performance in South India. Dance, Healing, and Possession. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 2006, pp. 187, 190, ISBN 978-0891480884
- ↑ Oxford Encyclopaedia , pp. 788f
- ^ Rolf Killius: Ritual Music and Hindu Rituals of Kerala. BR Rhythms, Delhi 2006, p. 69
- ↑ Oxford Encyclopaedia , pp. 1069f
- ↑ Shingari melam - traditional Kerala drums. Youtube video
- ^ Reception to percussionist. The Hindu, October 2, 2005
- ^ Music of India. Chenda. indobase.com