THE MUSIC FOR
BHARATA NATYAM

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After Bharata many indeed were the authors and commentators on music and dance.Matanga Muni, who wrote the 'Brihaddeshi' gave the first clear exposition of raga.This is further devoloped in Narada's'sangeeta Makaranda' and Somanatha's 'Ragavibodha',which also mention the Nayikas and Nayakas,the heroines and heroes of dance and drama. Tanjore was for many years the most important musical and dance centre of India.It was here that Tyagaraja the great singer and poet composed and sang his immortal songs.His beautiful melodies are still sung all over the South. there was a religious revival associated with the Bhakti movement and connected with theistic and popular sects of Vishnu and Shiva in the 7th and 8th Centuries.This revival led by the Alvars and Nayanars resulted in a great devolopment of musical activity among the people generally and in the spread of musical Education.The old melodies to which these songs were sung are now lost,though even to this day some have been preserved in the music of Kerala.

For musical compositions in Bharata Natya,both the sahitya and rhythamic variation were essential , for a dancer to interpret them fully. Some of the great composers were Kshetrajna,Muvvalur Sabhapati Iyer,. Merattur Venkataram Shastri,Ghanam krishna Iyer,Kavi Kunjara Bharati,Mysore Sadasiva Rao,Dharmapuri Subbayar and others.

Though musically speaking 'tana varnas' were composed earlier than 'pada varnas',they have only recently being utilised for the dance.The svarajati in 'Huseni Raga',was also converted into a dance item because of its lovely passage of jethis.The 'Javali 'though a less classical composition like the 'thumra' of the north is also used for the dance.Let the dance be a reassertion of the harmony of man with god and an act of faith in his incincible creative spirit.