The nadaswaram, also spelt nadhaswaram, and also called nagaswaram (Tamil

Tamil language

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...

: நாதஸ்வரம்), is one of the most popular classical

Carnatic music

Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...

 musical instruments in the South Indian culture

South Indian culture

South Indian culture refers to the culture of the South Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. South Indian culture though with its visible differences forms an important part of the Indian culture. The South Indian Culture is essentially the celebration of the eternal...

 and the world's loudest non-brass acoustic instrument. It is a wind instrument

Wind instrument

A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator , in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into a mouthpiece set at the end of the resonator. The pitch of the vibration is determined by the length of the tube and by manual modifications of...

 similar to the North India

North India

North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...

n shehnai

Shehnai

The shehnai, shahnai, shenai or mangal vadya, is an aerophonic instrument, a double reed conical oboe, common in North India, West India and Pakistan, made out of wood, with a metal flare bell at the end...

but larger, with a hardwood

Hardwood

Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...

 body and a large flaring bell made of wood or metal.

In South Indian Hindu culture, the nadaswaram is considered to be very auspicious, and it is a key musical instrument played in almost all Hindu

Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

 wedding

Wedding

A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...

s and temples of the South Indian tradition. It is part of the family of instruments known as a Mangala Vadya (lit. mangala : auspicious, vadya:instrument). The instrument is usually played in pairs, and accompanied by a pair of drums called thavil

Thavil

The thavil or tavil is a barrel shaped drum from South India. It is used in temple, folk and Carnatic music, often accompanying the nadaswaram. The thavil and the nadaswaram are essential ingredients of traditional festivals and ceremonies in South India.The thavil consists of a cylindrical shell...

.

Construction

The nadaswaram contains three parts namely, kuzhal, thimiru, and anasu. Traditionally the body of the nadaswaram is made out of a tree called aacha although nowadays bamboo, sandalwood,copper brass and ivory are also used. It is considered that the older the wood that is used for making, the better the sound and longevity of the Nadaswaram. In fact, wood from the beams of old houses that were being torn down were used a lot to make the instrument.

It is a double reed instrument with a conical bore which gradually enlarges toward the lower end. It is usually made of a type of ebony

Ebony

Ebony is a dense black wood, most commonly yielded by several species in the genus Diospyros, but ebony may also refer to other heavy, black woods from unrelated species. Ebony is dense enough to sink in water. Its fine texture, and very smooth finish when polished, make it valuable as an...

. The top portion has a metal staple (called Mel Anaichu) into which is inserted a small metallic cylinder (called Kendai) which carries the mouthpiece made of reed. Besides spare reeds, a small ivory or horn needle is attached to the Nadaswaram. This needle is used to clear the reed of saliva and other debris and allows free passage of air. A metallic bell (called Keezh anaichu) forms the bottom end of the instrument.

The Nadaswaram has seven finger-holes. There are five additional holes drilled at the bottom which are used as controllers. The Nadaswaram has a range of two and a half octaves like the flute. The system of fingering is similar to that of the Indian flute

Bansuri

The bansuri is a transverse alto flute of Bangladesh, India and Nepal made from a single hollow shaft of bamboo with six or seven finger holes. An ancient musical instrument associated with cowherds and the pastoral tradition, it is intimately linked to the love story of Krishna and Radha, and is...

. But unlike the flute where semi and quarter tones are produced by the partial opening and closing of the finger holes, in the Nadaswaram they are produced by adjusting the pressure and strength of the air-flow into the pipe. Hence it is a very exacting instrument. Also, due to its intense volume and strength it is basically an outdoor instrument and much more suited for open spaces than for closed indoor concert situations.

Artists

Some of the greatest early nadaswaramists include Thiruvavadudurai Rajaratnam Pillai , Dr.Thiruvengadu Subramania Pillai , Sangita Kalanidi Thiruvizhimizhalai Subrahmanya Pillai , Thiruveezhimizhalai brothers , Keeranur brothers , Semponnarkoil brothers , Thiruvidaimaruthur P.S. Veerusami Pillai. In more recent times Dharumapuram A. Govindarajan, Namagiripettai Krishnan, Karukurichi Arunachalam, Sheik Chinna Moulana

Sheik Chinna Moulana

Dr.Sheik Chinna Moulana popularly known as Sheik was a legendary Nadhaswaram Player in the Carnatic tradition. He achieved high position through his outstanding control over the instrument, rendering the Krities in the Gayaki style and for his extraordinary style of Raga Alapana.-Tradition:Sheik...

, Madurai brothers, Thiruvarur S Latchappa Pillai, Sheik Mahaboob Subhani

Sheik Mahaboob Subhani

Sheik Mahaboob Subhani is an Indian classical music nagaswaram artist. He performs with his wife Kaleeshabi Mahaboob, also a nagaswaram artist.-Early life:Sheik Mahaboob Subhani was born in Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh...

 and the Sembanarkovil Brothers (S R G Sambandam and S R G Rajanna) are well known.

U.S. composers such as Lewis Spratlan

Lewis Spratlan

M. Lewis Spratlan Jr. is an American music academic and composer of contemporary classical music.Born in Miami, Florida, Spratlan played the oboe as a youth. He attended Yale University and was a student of Mel Powell and Gunther Schuller...

 and Carl Stone

Carl Stone

Carl Stone is an American composer, primarily working in the field of live electronic music. His works have been performed in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and the Near East.Stone studied composition at the California Institute of the Arts with Morton...

 have expressed admiration for the nadaswaram, and a few jazz musicians have taken up the instrument: Charlie Mariano

Charlie Mariano

Carmine Ugo Mariano was an American jazz alto saxophonist. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and died in Cologne, Germany.-Biography:Mariano was the son of Italian immigrants....

 (b. 1923) is one of the few non-Indians able to play the instrument, having studied it while living in India; and Rajesh Mehta, Vinny Golia

Vinny Golia

Vinny Golia is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist specializing in woodwind instruments. He performs in the genres of contemporary music, jazz, free jazz, and free improvisation....

, J. D. Parran

J. D. Parran

J. D. Parran is an American multi-woodwind player, educator, and composer specializing in jazz and free improvised music. He plays the soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, and bass saxophone, as well as the E-flat clarinet, clarinet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet, contra-alto clarinet, flute, piccolo,...

, and William Parker

William Parker (musician)

William Parker is an American free jazz double bassist, poet and composer.-Biography:Parker was not formally trained as a classical player, though he did study with Jimmy Garrison, Richard Davis, and Wilbur Ware and learned the tradition. Parker is one of few jazz bassists who regularly plays arco...

 have performed and recorded with the instrument. Tim Price, a student of Charlie Mariano

Charlie Mariano

Carmine Ugo Mariano was an American jazz alto saxophonist. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and died in Cologne, Germany.-Biography:Mariano was the son of Italian immigrants....

 at Berklee, also plays the nadaswaram. The German saxophonist Roland Schaeffer also plays it, having studied from 1981 to 1985 with Karupaia Pillai.

External links

• http://chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/nadaswaram.html
• http://www.kutcheribuzz.com/ebrochures/LatchappaPillai/
• http://sembanarkovilbrothers.com