Classical singing is of two types. Carnatic Classical Music and Hindustani classical music are the two divisions of Indian music. You might be familiar with the very popular Khayal, Tumri, Tappa and the other Hindustani gharanas. But do you know what specialty do Carnatic Music has?

It has - Bani.

1. Bani in Carnatic Music

The guru - shishya (teacher and student) parampara and the gurukulam way of learning is the central attraction of the evolution of Carnatic music. All musicians have their own uniqueness in their singing. Some will be very great at doing the improvisations which can be done by singing mandodharma, ragalapana and nirval. Each artist brings up their own singing style in singing through adding expressions, thoughts and colors. In Carnatic music we call it Bani.

Bani is basically developing the signature in our own chosen art form. This depends on our creativity. Usually we all try to sing, but making our own style in singing hits makes a beautiful meaning in a musician’s life.

Lets see some of the examples of banis followed by different musicians.

a. Maharajapuram Santhanam & Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer

Sri Maharajapuram Santhanam and Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer were the shishyas (disciples) of Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer. Once they completed their musical journey after understanding the complete essence of Carnatic music, they built their styles of singing. Even after understanding the limitations and restrictions that Semmangudi had with his voice, he developed his own style in his comfortable range with intense swara saadhakam. And Santhanam developed his own style. The two musicians are the best examples of different Banis.

b. G N Balasubramaniam

G N B, the legendary musician had an amazing voice in which the gamakas flowed effortlessly. Hence, he made use of the brighas in his renditions.

c. Madurai Mani Iyer

He was the disciple of Harikesanallur Venkataraman. Mani Iyer uses simple sarva laghu patterns while rendering the compositions which are very unique. And that brought popularity in his singing. 

d. Nithyasree

The granddaughter of D K Pattammal, learned music under Pattammal’s guidance. Hence, copied the style of Pattammal which is not a unique one.

One needs the complete knowledge of music, how to develop thoughts, expressions, colors, the limitations, the scope and all other aspects of music to develop their own singing style.

2. Why are Bani’s important?

We would like to listen to the songs at their maximum, right?

If it is a film song, we expect the beauty of a song, the emotion should match the lyrics, and our expectations go like this. Moreover, life should be there in our singing. Banis bring life to your singing which makes a singer different from others. 

There are different Banis for instruments and vocals. Some of the banis are Tanjore Bani, Karaikudi Bani, Kerala Bani, Mysore Bani, Andra Bani and Balachander Bani.

Banis are not really an inborn talent. One can develop their Bani or creativity through intense practice in an effective way. 

In the present day, many people are trying to learn music through different options such as CDs, Cassettes, and other internet facilities. This learning is okay to an extent. But if you are really looking to learn more, one should definitely approach their gurus directly to imbibe the complete essence of Carnatic music. Spardha is here to help you out.

Book your free trials and start your musical journey with us. 

Written by
Anagha Murali
Carnatic Vocals, SME