Music and Rhythm in Bharatanatyam

Bharatanatyam is danced to Carnatic music, the classical music of South India. Every piece is set in a raga, which gives the melody, and a tala, a repeating rhythmic cycle such as the 8-beat Adi tala. A live ensemble of nattuvanar, vocalist, mridangam and violin or flute accompanies the dancer, whose footwork is itself part of the rhythm.

The Carnatic foundation

Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music grew up together in the temples and courts of Tamil Nadu. The Tanjore Quartet, four brothers at the court of Serfoji II of Thanjavur in the early nineteenth century, were both dance masters and composers, and much of the structure of the recital they systematised depends on musical forms such as the varnam. Dance compositions are written in Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit and Kannada, and many are by composers also revered in concert music. The history of Bharatanatyam traces this shared story.

For a dancer, the music is not background. The lyric carries the story for abhinaya, the raga sets its mood, and the tala governs every step.

Raga and tala

Raga: the melodic framework

A raga is more than a scale. It is a set of notes with characteristic phrases, ornaments and a particular emotional colour. A padam of longing may be set in a raga suited to that feeling, while a thillana often uses a bright, lively raga. Dancers come to recognise ragas by ear over the years, much as they recognise the face of a friend.

Tala: the rhythmic cycle

A tala is a fixed cycle of beats that repeats throughout a piece. It is shown by the hand with claps, finger counts and waves. Laya means tempo, and kalam refers to the speed level: dancers perform adavus in first, second and third kalam, doubling the density of steps each time within the same beat.

Common talas in Bharatanatyam

Adi tala is by far the most common, and many varnams and thillanas are set in it. Chapu talas have a lilting, uneven feel that gives certain pieces their character.

Sollukattu: the language of rhythm

Sollukattu are spoken rhythmic syllables such as "tai ya tai hi" or "ta ka dhi mi". Each adavu is learned with its own sollu, and longer passages called jathis string these syllables into complex patterns that end in a tirmanam or korvai landing exactly on the beat. The nattuvanar recites jathis on stage while the dancer's feet sound them out. Read more in Adavus: The Building Blocks of Bharatanatyam.

The musicians on stage

• Nattuvanar. The conductor of the performance. Plays the small cymbals (nattuvangam or talam) to mark the dancer's footwork and recites the jathis. Often the dancer's own guru. See Nattuvangam: The Conductor of a Bharatanatyam Performance.
• Vocalist. Sings the lyrics, which the dancer interprets. In abhinaya passages the singer may repeat a line many times as the dancer explores it in different ways.
• Mridangam. The double-headed barrel drum of Carnatic music. The mridangist follows the dancer's footwork closely, accenting jathis and supporting the mood of abhinaya.
• Violin, flute or veena. Melodic instruments that support the vocalist and fill musical interludes. Many ensembles use violin and flute together.

Some performances add instruments such as the morsing or the tanpura drone. The whole ensemble follows the dancer, and the dancer follows the tala.

How Bharatanatyam students learn to keep tala

Rhythm is taught from the first class. At Mayura Natyalaya, as in most traditional classes, students learn to:

1. Count on the hand. For Adi tala: clap on beat 1, then touch the little finger, ring finger and middle finger to the thumb for beats 2, 3 and 4; clap on 5, turn the palm over (a wave) on 6; clap on 7, wave on 8.
2. Recite while counting. Saying the sollukattu while keeping tala with the hand trains the ear and the body together.
3. Dance to the teacher's beat. The teacher marks time with a wooden stick and block or with cymbals, so students learn to stay with an external pulse.
4. Change speed without losing the beat. Moving from first to second to third kalam while the tala stays steady.
5. Listen to the songs. Before learning an item, students listen to its recording until they can hum the melody and count the cycle.

These skills grow more demanding through the margam, from the steady rhythms of the alarippu to the intricate jathis of the varnam and thillana.

Listening suggestions

Good dancers are good listeners. A few ways to build your ear:

• Listen repeatedly to recordings of the items you are learning, and try to keep tala on your hand throughout.
• Listen to Carnatic vocal concerts, especially varnams and kritis, to get used to the sound of different ragas.
• Attend live dance recitals and watch the musicians as much as the dancer. Notice how the mridangam answers the footwork.
• During the December–January Margazhi season, Chennai's sabhas, such as the Music Academy, Narada Gana Sabha and Krishna Gana Sabha, host many music and dance programmes.
• Try a few lessons in vocal music or percussion. Even a little knowledge changes how you hear the songs.

If you live in or near Porur, our Bharatanatyam classes in Porur run on Saturdays and Sundays at Elite Nest Play School, Gandhi Nagar, and rhythm is taught from the very first lesson.