Uma Mohan’s Sanskrit chants

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:26:53 +0000

On my perpetual quest to find music that has been well done in the burgeoning “devotional” category of Indian music, I discovered Uma Mohan’s renditions of Sanskrit chants a few years ago.

Mohan has used western music, employing harmony better than some have in the category of devotional music and in Indian film music. She often comes up with a rather upbeat “pop” sound. It’s all quite new-agey, but I go through phases when I quite listening to the albums she’s conceptualised, before going back to something more classical.

One of the advantages of Mohan’s renditions is that the enunciation is clear, and one can sing along. I’ve found myself remembering the words to a lot of Sanskrit compositions because of Uma Mohan. Children, and those who don’t have an ear for Indian classical music, but who still want to listen to Sanskrit chants might like them too. What I don’t like is how synthetic the orchestration can sometimes sound, wish I could cancel that out.

Below are some albums that have some good music in the devotional genre.

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Undevotional Music

Wed, 01 Mar 2006 19:36:00 +0000

On the occasion of Shivratri last weekend I started looking for a musical rendition that I liked of that beautiful poem of Adi Shankara's, the Atmashatakam or the Nirvanashatakam. Even those who aren’t religiously inclined like the poem, and it’s a real pity that it hasn’t been set to some truly spectacular music yet.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of “devotional” music being churned out that is guaranteed to bring you out in a rash and takes you to new heights of irritability rather than the meditative calm that’s usually intended. Tinkly, tankly, sentimental and with too much sugary instrumentation. One could always, of course, listen to the devotional category sung classically and one only has to turn to the old favourites like MS for that, but really it would be nice to have something different in the lighter forms.

Another problem is that we just don’t seem to do choral music as well as they do in the West. Even really bad Christmas choirs sound better. So we should stick to single voices and restrained instrumentation until we learn how to sing in groups.

Oh, and what’s with those booming voice-overs and introductions by men with overly honeyed voices? Examples of these voice-overs are here and here and in countless other places.

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A Question of Variety; Carnatic or Hindustani Music? Yesterday, I read somewhere, not for the first time, that...

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Likhati » Devotional Music

Uma Mohan’s Sanskrit chants

Undevotional Music