An internationally acclaimed mother-daughter duo will present an evening of South Indian music Friday at Beall Hall as the second installment of the School of Music’s World Music Series.
Rajeswari Padmanabhan and her daughter Sreevidhya Chandramouli represent the ninth and tenth generations of professional vina (a large, plucked string instrument) players in their family. They will perform with mridangam (a double-sided drum) player Karthik Gopalaratnam.
Assistant music Professor Mark Levy said a show featuring two female Indian musicians is unusual.
“It is interesting that they are women,” he said. “They are two prominent musicians in a very male-dominated music scene.”
Levy said he chose to spotlight India for the second time this year because he is currently teaching an Indian music course, and Padmanabhan and Chandramouli both happened to be in town. This fall’s World Music Series event featured North Indian music.
The performers’ family tradition began in the 1700s in Southern India with the first seven generations of players being male, and the remaining generations following a female lineage. The family’s personal vina style is called the Karaikudi Vina Tradition, which falls into the category Tanjore, one of the four distinct styles of vina practice. Padmanabhan provided most of her daughter’s instruction, which was based mostly on oral and aural learning techniques instead of musical composition on paper. Chandramouli said South Indian music integrates several aspects of Indian culture that steps outside of entertainment.
“The languages, philosophy, mythology, religious and secular ideas of South India are woven into the music,” she said. “With this kind of arrangement, there is always room to grow and learn the culture in depth.”
Both North and South Indian music employs the same “raga” (melody) and “tala” (rhythm) structures. Levy said North Indian music developed under Persian influences and therefore sounds more folksy and is ornamented with small, grace notes.
University folklore graduate David Kosmatka, who wrote his master’s thesis about the mother-daughter team, said South Indian music is more mathematical than North Indian music because the tempos switch between different speeds systematically.
Padmanabhan and Chandramouli’s performance will include improvisation, compositions and vocals. They will play a highlighted piece called “ragam-tanam-pallavi,” which will feature a raga exposition, pulsating improvisation and a solo by Gopalaratnam. The duo will wear traditional Indian saris. A pre-concert lecture and demonstration will take place Friday at 2 p.m. in the EMU International Lounge, where the three performers will discuss their musical backgrounds and the history and cultural elements of South Indian music.
Kosmatka said the duo is unique because they often break into song while playing. During most Indian music concerts, vocals and instrumentals are provided by separate performers. He also said their ability to improvise onstage flawlessly is impressive.
“Usually they decide what they are going to play the same evening of a concert,” he said. “One night when they were performing in Berlin, (Padmanabhan) didn’t tell (Chandramouli) what they were playing. When she sang the first note on stage, her daughter was able to pick up the raga and tala.”
The show begins at 8 p.m., and tickets are available only at the door for $10 for general admission and $8 for students. The box office will open at 7 p.m.