Madras Music Season
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Chennai Music Season is an event hosted every Mid November–January in
Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
(formerly known as ''Madras'')
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
. Spanning some 9 weeks, it comprises top-flight professional and amateur musicians . The traditional role of the Music Season is to allow aficionados of Carnatic music to appreciate performances by renowned artists, and to allow promising young artists to display their talent and skill. Audiences and artists come from across India and her diaspora to enjoy the season.


History

The Madras Music Season was first created in the 1927 by a group of individuals who later went on to establish the Madras Music Academy. Lakshmi (2004), p123 Concerts would be held at various venues at different places every year, before the Madras Music Academy settled on its present venue at T.T.K. Road. Although the season was initially held during March/April (the Tamil month of Panguni), the timing of the season was later changed to December (the Tamil month of Maargazhi) due to more favourable weather conditions and the likelihood of attracting more tourists during this period. The All India Music Conference was held in 1927 concurrently with the annual session of Indian National Congress in Madras. A resolution was passed at the conference to formally establish the Madras Music Academy. From 1928, the academy started organizing the Music Season every year during the month of December. Previously it was a traditional month-long
Carnatic music Carnatic music, known as or in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. It ...
festival solely consisting of Carnatic music concerts,
harikatha ''Harikatha'' ( Kannada: ಹರಿಕಥೆ : ''Harikathe''; Telugu: హరికథ : ''Harikatha;'' Marathi: हरीपाठ '': Haripatha'', ), also known as ''Harikatha Kaalakshepam'' in Telugu and Tamil (), is a form of Hindu tradition ...
s, lecture demonstrations (otherwise known as ''lec-dems'') and award/title ceremonies. However, over the years it has also diversified into
dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire ...
and
drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
, as well as non-Carnatic art forms, and is now of a duration of at least six weeks.


The festival

The Music Season has grown over the years, and has been described as one of the world's largest cultural events.The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : MUSIC MUSINGS
/ref> Generally, the concerts take place in the afternoons and nights, and consists of all sorts of Carnatic music
compositions Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...
and
improvisations Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
. In 2004–2005, there were over 1200 performances by about 600 artists (about 700 vocal, 250 instrumental, 200 dance, 50 drama and others).Chennai Music Season 2004 - 2005
/ref>


Sabhas and Halls

The performances are typically organised by ''sabhās''. A Carnatic sabhaa is an organisation that helps conduct concerts and bestow ''titles'' and ''awards'' to artists to recognise talent. Most sabhaas own a ''hall'' (or two). Some smaller sabhaas rent a hall during the season. Generally, the main halls, on average, can accommodate about 300 people while the ''mini'' can take no more than 75 people. Most performances are held in such halls.


Prominent Sabhas

The following prominent sabhaas have regularly organised concerts during the Music Season: * Brahma Gaana Sabhaa: ''Sivagami Pethaachi Auditorium'' * Chennai Cultural Academy Trust * Indian Fine Arts Society:Sri Shanmukhaananda Fine Arts & Sangeetha Sabhaa - Shanmukha 1986, p44 ''Baala Mandir German Hall'' * Kalaarasana: ''Rani Seethai Hall'' * Kalaa Pradarshini: ''Bhaarathiya Vidyaa Bhavan Auditorium, Mylapore'' * Kaartik Fine Arts * Madras Music Academy: '' T. T. Krishnamachari Auditorium'' * Mudra : ''Freedom Hall'' * Mylapore Fine Arts Club * Naadha Inbam : ''Raaga Sudhaa Hall'' * Narada Gana Sabha: ''Sathguru Gnaanananda Hall'' * Rasika Ranjani Sabhaa : ''Dakshinamoorthy Auditorium'' * Sri Krishna Gaana Sabhaa: ''Sri Krishna Gaana Sabhaa'' * Sri Paarthasaarathy Swaami Sabhaa : ''Vidyaa Bhaarathi'' * Sri Thyaaga Brahma Gaana Sabhaa: ''Vaani Mahaal'' * Tamil Isai Sangam: '' Raja Annaamalai Chettiar Hall'' * Hamsadhwani NRI Sabha * Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society : Tatvaloka, Teynampet * Triplicane Music Festival; NKT Muthu Hall * TAPAS Music and Dance Festival * Sat Sangam Sabhaa - Madipaakkam
Chennaiyil Thiruvaiyaaru - Kaamaraajar Arangam


Free Kutcheris

Most of the Sabhas have free concerts in the morning and afternoon slots. Only the evening slots starting from around 4 pm are ticketed in most Sabhas. All Concerts at Bharathi Vidya Bhavan are free. They start the season a bit ahead but all popular artists sing here. SIFA holds concerts at Tattvaloka, Teynampet and all concerts are free Concerts at Narada Gana Sabha mini hall, Obul reddy hall at Vani Mahal and Kamakoti hall in Krishna Gana Sabha are also usually free. The Music Season 2013 was when live Streaming technology embraced carnatic music when Parivadini launched the first Parivadini award and also started streaming live carnatic concerts for free.


Season tickets and tickets for Individual concerts

Season tickets are available at various denominations in all major Sabhas. At the music academy, season tickets are mostly sold out on the first day, which is mostly in the first week of December. Individual concerts tickets are available only starting from morning on the day of the concert Most of the other Sabhas have advance booking for individual concerts, at the respective venues, mostly starting from First week of December. Brahma Gana Sabha and the Chennaiyil Thiruvayyaru have online ticket booking facility.


See also

*
List of Indian classical music festivals The following is an incomplete list of Indian classical music festivals, which encapsulates music festivals focused on Indian classical music. The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in t ...


Notes


References

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External links


Editorial in ''The Hindu''Madras Music Academy
Page on Chennai music season 2008 -09

Information on Concerts {{Chennai Topics Carnatic music Culture of Chennai Music festivals in India Carnatic classical music festivals 1927 establishments in India Tamil festivals Music festivals established in 1927 Hindu music festivals