Odisha CHSE +2 Vocational Odissi Vocal flashcards

37 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Akara and Pakaad

Akara is open-vowel voice practice on a note; pakaad adds consonant articulation to the same note. Akara builds pitch stability, pakaad builds clear diction for Odissi lyrics.

Mandra, Madhya, Taar

The three vocal registers of Odissi practice: mandra is the low octave, madhya the middle, taar the high. Beginners secure madhya saptaka before extending upward or downward.

Kharaj practice

Sustained drone practice on Sa with a tanpura or sruti box, usually ten to fifteen minutes daily. It fixes the singer's pitch centre and trains steady breath support.

Gamaka in Odissi

A controlled oscillation applied around a note to ornament a phrase. It is used selectively in ragas and is not the same as continuous vibrato on every note.

Palta exercise

A sequential note pattern such as Sa Re Ga Ma, Re Ga Ma Pa, and back, sung to akara or a syllable. Paltas build flexibility and accuracy across the octave.

Raga aroha and avaroha

Aroha is the ascending order of notes and avaroha the descending order. Both must be stated, since some ragas differ in each direction.

Vadi and samvadi

Vadi is the principal note of a raga and samvadi the secondary note. Phrases dwell on vadi, and misplacing it changes the raga's character.

Audava, shadava, sampurna

Jati classification by note count: audava uses five notes, shadava six, sampurna all seven. A raga may differ in jati between aroha and avaroha.

Raga samaya chakra

The time theory assigning ragas to praharas of the day. Morning and evening ragas differ, and concert order follows the assigned time.

Komal and tivra notes

Komal Re, Ga, Dha, Ni are flattened and tivra Ma is raised relative to shuddha notes. Exact intonation of these notes preserves raga identity.

Matra, vibhaga, sam

Matra is a beat, vibhaga a section of beats, and sam the first matra where phrases resolve. Tali (clap) and khali (wave) mark the sections.

Ektali

A twelve-matra Odissi tala with a fixed tali-khali scheme. It is counted in vibhagas and used for several traditional song and dance items.

Khemta tala

A six-matra tala common in Odissi song and dance. Its short cycle suits lighter compositions and requires crisp counting to land on sam.

Mardala

The Odissi pakhawaj, the principal rhythmic accompaniment. The player follows the vocalist's laya and marks sam with a characteristic stroke.

Layakari

Cross-rhythmic phrasing such as three against two or four against three. The pattern must resolve exactly on sam without disturbing the tala cycle.

Tala-malika

A composition that changes tala within one item. Each section must be counted precisely, and the switch is announced or cued to the percussionist.

Chhanda

A metrical Odissi song form set to raga and tala. The lyric follows a fixed metre, and the sthayi is repeated after each antara.

Chautisa

An acrostic song form whose stanzas begin with successive letters of the Odia alphabet. The letter order is fixed and must be preserved in performance.

Champu

A large Odissi form alternating prose and verse, with raga and tala specified per stanza. Kishori Champu by Baladeba Ratha is a well-known example.

Ashtapadi

A song of Jayadeva's Gita Govinda, each with a colophon naming its raga and tala. Singers follow that specification rather than choosing freely.

Bhanita

The signature line in an Odia lyric naming the poet, such as Jayadeva, Balarama, or Jagannatha. It is used to attribute the composition.

Sthayi and antara

Sthayi is the opening refrain and antara the following stanza. The sthayi returns after each antara, giving the composition its cyclic shape.

Sangita Narayana

A seventeenth-century Odia treatise on raga, tala, and prabandha attributed to Gajapati Narayana Deva. It is a key source for Odissi music theory.

Sangita Ratnakara

Sarangadeva's medieval Sanskrit treatise on music, covering raga, tala, and prabandha. It is a standard reference underlying Odissi theoretical terminology.

Prabandha structure

A medieval composition type with sections named udgraha, melapaka, dhruva, antara, and abhoga. Odissi theory retains these terms for structured song.

Jagannatha temple tradition

The Puri temple preserves Odissi song through its singers and the Gita Govinda repertoire. Temple and Gotipua lineages shaped the concert form.

Komal notation mark

In swaralipi, a komal note is shown with a lower stroke or underline, and tivra Ma with a raised mark. Octave dots sit below or above the syllable.

Octave dots

A dot below a swara marks mandra saptaka and a dot above marks taar saptaka. Unmarked notes belong to madhya saptaka.

Swaralipi tala markers

Symbols X and 0 mark tali and khali, vertical bars divide vibhagas, and matra numbers sit below the notes. The note on matra one is sam.

Notating meend

Meend and gamaka are written with curved lines or slurs between notes. Without these marks a plain swaralipi does not convey the raga's character.

Salabega

A seventeenth-century devotee-poet of Jagannatha whose Odia bhajans are staples of the Odissi devotional repertoire. His lyrics express intense longing and surrender.

Baladeba Ratha

Known as Kabisurya, an eighteenth-century Odia poet who composed Kishori Champu and other champu works. He is a major contributor to Odissi song forms.

Banamali Dasa

An eighteenth-century Odia poet of Radha-Krishna padavali, signing his lyrics Banamali. His songs are widely sung in Odissi raga and tala settings.

Programme order

A typical Odissi vocal programme moves from invocation to raga composition, chhanda or champu, pallavi, bhajan, and mangalam. Each item is announced with raga and tala.

Entry on sam

The composition begins on sam after a counted avartan. Vocalist and percussionist agree on the starting matra before the item begins.

Microphone discipline

Keep a steady hand-span distance, avoid breath blasts on plosives, and never tap the stand or instrument near the microphone. Consistent distance preserves tonal balance.

Recovering a forgotten line

If a lyric line is lost, return to the sthayi on the next sam rather than stopping. The accompanist follows the vocalist's cue and the tala continues.