Ugabhoga

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The term ugabhoga^[1] refers to a type of vocal piece in Carnatic music, in which the artist elaborates the treatment of raga characteristics through freestyle verses with or without tala.

[edit] History

The ugabhoga is an item of kriti that Sri Purandara Daasa introduced in the 15th century (see Ref 1) when he laid out the format for Carnatic music. In compositions with Ugabhoga, a combination of couplets to suit the mood of the main composition is rendered at the beginning. Later it led to freestyle rendering of raga without lyrics known as allapane (alapana). Ugabhogas are common in popular concerts[1] attended both by connoisseurs and non- connoisseurs of music. Most ugabhogas were written and composed by Purandara Daasa and Kanaka Dasa in the Kannada language during the 15th century. In the 19th century, similar concepts were also introduced in the Tamil language by Sri Papanasam Sivan.[2]

[edit] Current status

Ugabhogas are attractive for those who may not understand the nuances of raga as they pay attention to meaningful lyrics. The lyrics of ugaabogas are typically either devotional or philosophical in nature. They are rendered sometimes with rhythm (tala) similar to alap with tala in Hindustani music. In the modern era (around the 1950s), its popularity was revived in Carnatic music concerts by prominent performers such as M. L. Vasanthakumari of Tamil Nadu. Current artists such as Sudha Ragunathan^[2], Vidhyabhusana ^[3] and M. S.Sheela^[4] are continuing this important tradition of Carnatic music.

[edit] Reference