The Sanskrit drama : $b in its origin, development, theory and practiceKeith, Arthur Berriedale
History
The Sanskrit drama : $b in its origin, development, theory and practice
Keith, Arthur Berriedale
Sanskrit drama -- History and criticism
Of the part played by the song, dance, and music in the drama the
theorists curiously enough tell us comparatively little of interest,
though it is certain that both were most important elements in the
production of sentiment. The types of dance recognized in the
Nāṭyaçāstra are two, the violent dance of men, invented by Çiva
himself, the Tāṇḍava, and the tender and voluptuous dance of Pārvatī,
the Lāsya. The latter alone, by reason of its special importance, is
carefully analysed into ten parts by the Çāstra, [717] which shows the
essential union of song and dance. The first is the song proper, which
is sung by one seated, to the accompaniment of a lute, without dancing;
the recitation standing (sthitapāṭhya) is a declamation in Prākrit by a
woman pacing rapidly under the influence of love, or it may also mean,
according to Abhinavagupta, a declamation by a woman in anger. The
recitation sitting (āsīna) is performed by a woman lying down, under
the stress of sorrow, without musical accompaniment. In the
Puṣpagaṇḍikā various metres are used; Sanskrit may be employed; men act
as women and vice versa, and there is a musical accompaniment. In the
Pracchedaka a woman sings to the lute her grief at her lover’s
infidelity. The Trigūḍha is the acting of a man in woman’s dress, as of
Makaranda in the Mālatīmādhava, Act VI. The Saindhava is a song to a
clear accompaniment of a lady whose love has failed to keep his tryst.
The Dvigūḍhaka is a harmonious song, full of sentiment, in dialogue
form. The Uttamottaka is a song filled with the bitterness of a
troubled love. The Uktapratyukta is a duet, in which one lover
addresses to the other feigned reproaches. These divisions, of course,
appear to ignore their nature as parts of a dance, but it must be
remembered that the motions of the performers are essential in the
performance.
The music of the drama is not described at length in the later
theorists; what is clear is that each sentiment has its special
appropriate music, and each action its special accompaniment. Thus the
Dvipadikās accompanied the performance of the rôles of persons
distressed, unwell, and unhappy; the Dhruvās were chosen so as to
intimate at once to the audience the quality of the new arrival on the
stage. [718]
8. THE PRELIMINARIES AND THE PROLOGUE
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