Jaijaivanti (Violet Path)
Michael Robinson
About this work:
Violet Path is my interpretation of raga Jaijaivanti. This is an exceptionally tender evening raga, which traditionally depicts the sadness of a woman who pines for her lover. It was actually a recording of Jaijaivanti by Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha, which illuminated for me the concept of rasa for the first time. Rasa, which means nectar, juice or essence, is the single most important aspect of Indian Art Music. Each raga has its own unique personality and mood which is filtered through the expressive prism of the renderer's personal vision. Strangely enough, it was the rasa of Shankar's Jaijaivanti which inspired Water Stones on my Hamoa CD. This is proof that rasa transcends everything else because the swaras used in Water Stones have nothing to do with Jaijaivanti. The expressive feeling I get from the recording by Shankar and Rakha reflects the serene and refreshing qualities of nature, and a feeling of wonderment (adbhuta rasa) for these natural beauties. I look forward to writing future compositions based on Jaijaivanti because it is a very difficult and challanging raga which one may spend a lifetime exploring, and I consider this realization to be a humble beginning.
- Michael Robinson, July 1999, Beverly Hills
© 1999 by Michael Robinson All rights reserved
Year composed: 1996
Duration: 00:22:22
Ensemble type: Electronic Instruments and Sound Sources:Live Electronic Sound Sources
Instrumentation: ,1 Computer/Laptop soloist(s), ,1 Sampler (Keyboard/Other) soloist(s)
Instrumentation notes: A computer and sound module are programmed to perform the fully notated composition in real time. Violet Path (Jaijaivanti) is voiced with samples of the following acoustical timbres using Indian tunings: clarinet, Indian, Chinese, Japanese & Near Eastern percussion and tanpura