Have you ever sat in a darkened theater and watched an opera unfold? Have you noticed how the music builds its sense of grand scale?
In a work like The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart, the architecture of grandeur is predominantly planar. The scale expands outward through orchestral density: layer by layer, instrument by instrument. The Western operatic tradition achieves its monumental breadth by adding voices across a horizontal canvas, creating a multi-textured wall of sound that moves forward through time.
When we turn to Carnatic music, and specifically to music crafted for the dance stage, the aesthetic understanding of “scale” shifts entirely. It is not about the arrangement or layering of multiple instruments along a horizontal axis. Instead, the Indic aesthetic framework explores “scale” along the vertical axis of form. A single raga line, rendered by a solitary voice or violin, does not need an orchestra behind it to convey vastness. Elements like scale and proportion are hidden within, achieved by cultivating interior depth and resonance. The composer plunges downward into the microtonal nuances (gamakas) of a single note or reaches upward into the emotional heights of the scale, making static space dynamic using converging and diverging sonic resonances. Grandeur is not measured by how many instruments play at once, but by how deeply a single melodic line penetrates to touch the sacred space of the listener.
To fully grasp this vertical mastery, we turn to Vidwan Lalgudi G Jayaraman’s magnum opus production, Jaya Jaya Devi. Here, he constructs an overwhelming sense of grandeur entirely through the depth of melodic tradition, bypassing the need for wide, sweeping orchestral arrangements. This exploration arrives at a poignant moment as Natyarangam’s recent dance festival reaffirmed the vital necessity to nurture the next generation of sensitive vaggeyakaras in order to further parallel traditions. Although the Lalgudi Trust’s revival of Jaya Jaya Devi is serendipitous at play, it offers a compelling reason to differentiate between the traditional (inherited form) and the classical (shastriya rigour) within the context of contemporary. In an era where AI-generated scores and synthetic creativity threaten to flatten artistic depth, revisiting Jayaraman’s musical serves as a masterclass on how shastriya musical form can move the audience without the need for gimmickry.
The Lalgudi bani: Virtuosity as inward exploration
To truly appreciate the nuances of Jaya Jaya Devi, we view it through the eyes of two living witnesses: Lalgudi GJR Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi, who stand as tall as rooted trees, yet with their heads bowed in deep humility. When asked to help us penetrate the internal headscape of the vaggeyakara, they trace everything back to a philosophy passed down to them. “We were taught art as a way of living. Art was not taught merely for performance; our everyday practice meant relentlessly prioritising dignity over showmanship,” shared Vijayalakshmi.
“My father’s brilliance as a composer lay in his rare capacity for surrender through listening. Though a formidable vidwan in his own right, his process was not a solitary monologue. To build a dance drama of this magnitude, he had to actively listen, absorb, and accommodate the painfully researched literary and thematic script provided by the resource person, Smt. Sujatha Vijayaraghavan, while seamlessly integrating the dynamic theatrical vision of choreographer, Smt. Rhadha Nonambhudiri,” added Krishnan.
The score was born from Jayaraman’s deep interiority, grammatical purity, and collaborative absorption. The siblings pointed out how the dramatisation never resorted to loud, sweeping orchestral flourishes. When Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi demonstrated certain passages, they revealed how every svara, microtonal gamaka, and rhythmic cadence in Jaya Jaya Devi carries the unshakeable signature of the Lalgudi bani: a tradition where sound is not an artificial construct, but a musical amplification of what is inherent in nature.
Since the production explores the multi-faceted hues of Devi — the primordial feminine — each manifestation was treated with a distinct musical arrangement. Everything demonstrated felt organical without anything being forced, yet breaking predictable dance-drama clichés.
For instance, conventional tropes often rely on a brisk tanam or aggressive percussion to signal a culmination of sakti during the arrival of Durga. However, it was shared that Lalgudi Jayaraman subverted this entirely by exploring Durga through a deeply sattvic, contemplative lens. Setting Her presence in Sindhu Bhairavi, he employed graha bhedam (tonic shift) to seamlessly transition into Behag and Mohana Kalyani, capturing a supreme, serene strength rather than violent power. Conversely, the tanam, traditionally reserved for martial or climax sequences, was deployed during the penance of Uma as Aparna. Here, he ushered in the gentle advent of spring, seeding an unadulterated feeling of ananda (bliss) in the hearts of the immersed rasikas. The score’s brilliance shines equally in its micro-narratives, such as the episode of Sage Bhringi transforming into a bumblebee. The siblings demonstrated how musical ornamentation was used to differentiate the movements of the bee — distinguishing the frantic fluttering of wings from the rhythmic sipping of nectar, leading into the heavy, intoxicating sway of the bee’s bliss.
The lost art of listening
Sadly, what we acutely lack today across any cultural ecosystem is precisely this capacity for the art of deep, active listening. In an age increasingly driven by algorithmic urgency, hyper-speed, and superficial spectacle, the secret ingredient for cultivating true originality remains untouched when we abandon the classical triad of sravanam (receptive, non-judgmental listening), mananam (internal rumination and processing), and nididhyasanam (profound, assimilative contemplation).
Lalgudi Jayaraman’s compositional legacy in Jaya Jaya Devi stands as an enduring monument that can sharpen our listening apparatus. Revisiting such works beautifully reinforces that classical forms are a deeper study that can be internalised to shape the direction of thoughts.
Lalgudi Trust presents ‘Jaya Jaya Devi’, an iconic Isai Natya Natakam composed by Lalgudi G Jayaraman and choreographed by Rhadha, being grandly revived by the Lalgudi Trust.
Witness the six divine manifestations of Devi unfold beautifully through vibrant music and dance.
Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026
Time: 6 pm
Venue: Narada Gana Sabha, Chennai
All are welcome, Registration is mandatory. To register: https://kynhood.com/event/6a6dc85d5b63cc1001732b62