Tillānā

Tillānā is another genre derived from the bharata-nātyam repertoire. In both musical and dance performances, a tillānā is often one of the last pieces on the program (ideally, the penultimate). This genre derives from a North Indian vocal genre, tarānā [Persian, "song"] and characteristically includes non-lexical rhythmic syllables, note names, and even dance syllables.

Selected Performance

"Ni ri ni ri ga ma . . . ," a tillānā composed by Tirukkokarnam Subbarama Bhagavatar (early 20th century) in rāga Pūrvī and Caturasra Rūpakatāla. [3:16]
K. V. Narayanaswamy with Palghat Raghu (mrdangam), V. V. Subramanium (violin), and Sarota Balasubramanium (tambūra).
Dhyanam/Meditation: South Indian Vocal Music (Nonesuch H 72018; B2).
The bulk of the sung material is derived from svara names and mnemonic drum syllables. Often, text is interwoven into the performance as well. In the following recording, the singer also incorporates a section known as svarākṣara in which the full note names ("niṣāda," "gandhāra," etc.) are sung.
 
Rāga Pūrvī
 
Caturaśra Rūpakatāla, O |4

 
Javali Outline Bharata Natyam
 
21 February, 2018