Villupāṭṭu (Villu Pattu) is an ancient form of musical storytelling in India. Villupāṭṭu (bow song) ensemble Sivalingam (Shivalingam) Nadar ("Lord Shiva's Power Nadar") of the Nadar community, from Sedupati, perform the story of Kālāsāmi.The seven musicians are: Pichai Thangam (lead female singer and striker of the bowstring “vil” with the beaters “visukkol”); Meenakshi (second female singer, wooden clappers); Lingaswami (male singer, strikes side of clay pot with finger ring and opening of clay pot with flat areca nut sheath), Selappan Kumaraswami (guru of the group); Kaimani (cymbal); Tangam Nadar (uḍukku); Ayappan Chettiar (strikes steady pulse on wooden blocks “kaṭṭai”). The performance concludes with a trance (arasanam) ritual called manjal nirattam. Performed at the Ayyappan (Shasta) Temple.
Views of the Kota village of Ticgār (Trichagadi) and the surrounding hills with terraced areas (00:00-01:54). <br/><br/>1. Pulāng demonstration. A Kota musician plays a pulāng idioglot clarinet (pulla, pilla), a free-reed pipe and comments that it is "used as training instrument for circular breathing." He shakes his head because instrument is not responding properly. Dr. P. Vardharajan translates. (07:03-07:42) View of the entrance to an ancient underground Kota temple. Wooden posts frame the low temple opening. Chiseled stones form a circular boundary around the temple entrance. Tall stone posts demark the inner limits of the temple ground. <br/><br/>2. "Buffalo-catching tune." Session to play back songs recorded by A. A. Bake in 1938, and re-record them. Playback of the Bake 48.7 "Buffalo-catching tune" (9:50-12:25). The musicians play a ked kol (funeral tune) in ten beat cycles (13:00-15:33), and said it was "the same" as Bake's recording, but Bake's was not in ten beat cycles. The natural context for the melody would be in a dry funeral in December, for all people who had died that year. The tradition is still being followed. Instruments: three kob curved brass trumpets, two kinpar cylindrical drum, one tabaṭk frame drum, two kombu or kol (shawms, double-reed aerophones), one pair jālra cymbals. <br/><br/>3. Kota dance music. Bake 48.8 "Dance tune" is played to the group (15:38-16:00). The Kota musicians playback the tune (16:08-18:50). <br/><br/>4. Kota wet funeral. Bake 48.9 "Funeral music for Todas" is played to the group (18:57-19:28). The Kota musicians play the tune back (19:33-20:58). There is no sound (21:06-22:12). It looks like no music is played during this silence. <br/><br/>5. Kota mourning song. Bake 48.11 "Toda women's wail" is played to the group (22:15-23:55). Richard Wolf has identified this as a Kota mourning song, sung by Sulli. A woman listens. When the song ends there is discussion. A man and woman sing the song back (26:01-29:02). <br/><br/>6. Kota song. A man and woman sing another song.<br/><br/>7. Kota women's devotional song. A song is sung by four women who clap as they sing and are accompanied by kinpar drum and cymbals. <br/><br/>8. Kota women's devotional song to Kambattyara and Ayannur/Rammu. A song is sung by four women who clap as they sing and are accompanied by kinpar drum and cymbals. <br/><br/>9. Playback of Bake 49.2 "Jew's harp." Nobody knew the song. <br/><br/>10. Playback of a Bake recording; the song is recognized as from Kollimalai village, Bake 49.3 "Man's song," a devotional song. <br/><br/>11. Bhugri demonstration of a trumpet about two feet long with six holes in the front. They say it is not played any more. <br/><br/>12. Kota music ensemble. Five instrumental items are played, the last one including voices. (47:54) The second tune, duple meter, (49:16) the third tune, triple meter/hemiola. (50:35) There is a cut followed by a new tune, slow triple meter. (51:33) There is a cut, followed by a similar tune, rhythm. There are off-camera comments at the end, followed by (53:42) a similar tune, rhythm, with non-unison long tones sung by many male voices. 55:38 A musician speaks. (55:43) There is a fadeup before the men's dance. <br/><br/>13. Kota men's dances. A series of dances, with instruments: tirukanat / tiruganāṭ (turning dance), Kuchat, and Koinat. <br/><br/>14. Kota performer's names. Dr. P. Varadharajan announces the name of each performer. Dr. Varadharajan is an MBBS, Medical Officer, Hindustan Photo Films Mfg. Co., Ootacamund 5, Nilgiri Dt., South India. Musicians: Velakkara Kambattan (kol), Kambattan, (kol), Batta Kambattan (tapatk), Tapasa Kambattan (kinpar), Radhakrishnan (kinpar), Arava Kambattan (kob), Subramaniam (kob) "That's bugle," Krishnabani (kob) "Bugle." Dancers: K. Ranjan, R. Subramaniam, Somasundara, Subramanya, U. Balan, Shanmugam, Malali (Magali?), another Malali (Magali?), "over." Cut (1:08:09) Women: Rajamma (singer), Deviki (singer, dancer), Devi Maji (dancer), Niji Maji (dancer), Mamali (dancer), S. Maji, Kamala Maji, Muttulakshmi Maji (singer, dancer). Cut (1:09:23). Magali (Malali?) (singer). <br/><br/>15. Kota women's dances. Three women's and girls' dances for the Kambattaraya festival with instruments: Kalkujattam: instruments begin in triple meter. Tirukanat /tiruganāṭ (turning dance), in duple meter. Bibarmarat, in triple meter (6/8). <br/><br/>16. Name of last performer and dances. After the dances end, there is a close-up of a Kota performer in a red, black and white shawl smiling at the camera. The Kota guide speaks to Nazir Jairazbhoy who is off camera "Sir, you want to now what is this dance?" Jairazbhoy replies "Yes." "Lakshman will tell later. For every dance, there are names, and steps also." Speaking to the Kota performer "Start now." Name of the last singer is provided: "Mr. Raman," singer. He had sung earlier, but his name had not been given onscreen (1:18:05). Dr. Varadharajan speaks on camera: "First male dance is Tirukanat." (37:02). "First is known as kalkuchat in our language, Kota language. Second dance is tirukanat. Turning-wise we are playing. Third dance is Bibarmarat. (discussion) First male dance is tirukanat. The next dance is called Kuchat. The third is Koinat. Three dances.
Eight men in red tunics and orange trousers, sashes and handkerchiefs, and wearing ghunghru ankle bells, perform dance songs, in Tamil, accompanied by a tavil musician. Dances performed include the Oyilāṭṭām "graceful dance" with handkerchiefs (Item 3), the Kummi hand clapping dance, and the Kolāttam “stick dance.” A whistle is heard at the end of each dance. For Item 3, the Data Sheet references the 1938 A. A. Bake recording, Bake 7.2 "Nilattam / Dance with handkerchiefs.
The musician, Tukpuvacca Kaalgalukku Tuttipuvam Calladaiyum (nicknamed Komāli which means clown), sings songs. <br/><br/>1. Kodāṅgi (exorcism) songs, accompanied by uḍukku. He used a fortune-teller's udukkai as he had not brought his own, which is a different type of uḍukkai. Performed in reference to the 1938 A. A. Bake recording 6.5 "Devotional song to Hindu gods." <br/><br/>2. Kodāṅgi (exorcism) songs, accompanied by uḍukku. References the 1938 A. A. Bake recording, Bake 6.5 "Devotional song to Hindu Gods." <br/><br/>3. Oppāri (funeral mourning song). Circle dance and song with clapping.
Kolāttam (stick dances) and lezim (Maharashtrian folk dance) performed in the village of Kottaram (Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu) by girls from the Tinnevelly district. <br/><br/>1. Kolāttam with a song about Kannan. Six young girls perform a Kolāttam (stick) dance while singing. Two men help them dance in circle formation. <br/><br/>2. Kolāttam with song about Kannan. A second group of six older girls perform a Kolāttam (stick) dance while singing. There is a playback of 1938 A. A. Bake recordings. The girls then sit on the floor and listen as ethnomusicologist Amy Catlin-Jairazbhoy plays Bake 20.1 "Tankankal vasangini," and Bake 20.2 "Divijadarashanam." The girls said they were from Tinnevelly District, so perhaps their songs were different. They tapped their sticks along with the songs, but did not recognize them. In the Field Diary entry for this day, ethnomusicologist Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy wrote "An interesting point, the Bake recordings seem to have tunes which are more Western than the ones we recorded here." <br/><br/> 3. Lezim (Lezium), a dance of Mahrashtra using the concussion rattles called lezim, performed by six older girls, singing and tapping their lezim sticks. After music stops, the organizer says off-camera to children "You'll get some money." <br/><br/>4. Group portrait. In the Field Diary Jairazbhoy wrote "To please the members of the crowd (mostly children) I asked them to assemble outside and did a pan shot of them all. Now they all probably feel like film stars...We left Kottara, shaking everyone's hands - like politicians."
Om Periyaswamy Nāiyāndī Mēḷam ensemble rehearsal at the Hotel TamilNadu. The jeep of the Archives and Research Center for Ethnomusicology is visible behind the group. <br/><br/>1. The video begins with views of the preparation of the horse costume props for the Poikkaal Kuthirai Aattam dance, follow by views of other props, and then the washing of the sattakolai.<br/><br/> 2. Folk tunes with sattakolai: Rehearsal. From left: Om Periyaswamy (in white kurta and lunghi); two men stand behind him, a drummer in light blue shirt and white shawl (small single-headed membranophone with two sticks); Conai (urumbi / urummi / uṟumi double-headed variable tension membranophone with curving stick), Mukkasāmi, the leader, a Paraiyan (non-hereditary musician) from Karamattur (sattakolai multiple-reed aerophone with 10 holes); Kalidasa, seen from the back (pambai double-headed membranophone pair with two slightly curving sticks); Venkatesan (tavil double-headed membranophone); and Cuppiramaniyan, in a dark blue shirt (tāḷam cymbals). <br/><br/>3. Folk tunes with nāgasvaram. From left: Om Periyaswami watches, Kalidasa (pambai drum pair), Arunachalam Pillai, a hereditary musician (nāgasvaram quadruple-reed aerophone), Sankarayya Pillai (ottu drone nāgasvaram artist), Cuppiramaniyan in a dark blue shirt and lunghi (tāḷam cymbals), Venkatesan (pambai double-headed membranophone pair with two slightly curving sticks), Mukkasāmi (sattakolai multiple-reed aerophone).
A Nāiyāndī Mēḷam ensemble plays two preludes before the dance and song performances begin. <br/><br/>1. Folk Tune prelude. (00:00) There are bird sounds, visuals of horse costumes, a man assembles the dancers' headgear and props. (04:00) Nazit Jairazbhoy, off camera, asks "Shattakolai?, shattakolai?" A player nods. <br/><br/>2. Music prelude with karam pot dance tune. The musicians are, from left, Conai (urumbi, urummi, uṟumi) double-headed variable tension membranophone with curving stick), Mukkasāmi, the leader, a Paraiyan (non-hereditary musician) from Karamattur (sattakolai multiple-reed aerophone with 10 holes), a drummer in light blue shirt and white shawl (small single-headed membranophone with two sticks), Kalidasa, tall drummer, (pambai double-headed membranophone pair with two slightly curving sticks), Venkatesan (tavil double-headed membranophone); and Cuppiramaniyan, in a dark blue shirt, (taḷām cymbals). <br/><br/>3. Poikkaal Kuthirai Aattam dance is performed by Madurai Om Periyaswamy, son of Om Periyaswamy, and another dancer, each wearing a “false leg horse” or "dummy-horse” costume. They do battle with dancers in red costumes, who are "slain" and carried away. Om Periaswami talks to musicians, followed by a series of Karakāṭṭam pot dances. <br/><br/>4. - 9. Karakāṭṭam, an acrobatic dance performed with pots balanced on the head, in praise of the rain goddess Mariamman. Dancers include daughters of Om Periyaswamy, Madurai Om Periyaswamy, and 1 other man. <br/><br/>7. Karakāṭṭam dance, hoops. <br/><br/>8. Karakāṭṭam dance ladders. 9. Karakāṭṭam dance ladders and karana poses. A woman perched on the ladders holds karana poses. <br/><br/>10. Karakāṭṭam dance, sari. Madurai Om Periyaswamy, wearing a Karakam on his head that is topped by a parrot, unwraps a sari on the ground, then rolls on the sari until he rises fully clothed in the sari, and wears it as he performs with the other dancers, Cārangapāni and Ayyamāl, also balancing pots and parrots on their heads, to the kāvadi cintu hemiola meter. He then unwraps the sari, folds it, and dances with the two other dancers to the continuing kāvadi cintu hemiola meter, until they all bow. <br/><br/>11. Kāvadi. Dance performed by Cenatipati (son of Om Periyaswamy). <br/><br/>12. Nāiyāndī Mēḷam postlude. Musicians Arunachalam Pillai (nāgasvaram) and Sankarayya Pillai (ottu drone nāgasvaram) perform. <br/><br/>13. Sattakolai Demonstration. At the end a sattakolai (cattak kuḻāy) demonstration is performed by Mukkasāmi.
Hoisting a huge pole, Tamil Kallars from Jallivatti village, Madurai District, respond as leader, A. S. Mani, chants phrases. The community is Thevar, or possibly Kallar.
