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10. THE TARĀNĀ MODE OF SINGING : ITS ORIGIN
1. The mode or style of singing known as Tarānā in the tradition of the North Indian Classical music is generally supposed to be of late origin. This view is based on such accounts as we find in the Āini-Akabari, which gives credit to Amir Khusarau for introducing the Tarānā type of deši songs. It seems, however, that the students of the history of Indian Classical music have paid little attention to this problem. There is more than enough evidence to show that the Tarānā is quite indigenous, and its roots, like those of many other aspects and elements of our current Classical music, go probably as far back as the early centuries of the Christian era.
2. We begin with a cursory account of what is said in the old texts about Tenaka, Tenna or Tennā. A number of musicological texts in Sanskrit refer several times to a Giti or Prabandhānga variously called Tenna, Tennā, Tenā, Tenaka etc. Thus (i) Matanga's Bịhaddesi refers to tenna (VI 407) and tenaka (VI
417, 506). In VI 406, 43, 507, 509 and probably in VI 414 also we have to emend tentaka or tenata of the text as
tennaka.1 (ii) There are numerous references to Tennaka (Tenna, Tena) in
Someśvara's Mānasollāsa, written in 113 A. D. See for example,
IV, XVii 339, 369, 390, 395, 398, 400, 402, 404, 556. (iii) Sangitaratnākara has defined Tena or Tenaka at IV 12-13,
17-18 as one of the six structural constituents or limbs (anga) of a musical Prabandha. Tena is also referred to at IV 182, 246, 266, 272, 277, 278 and 285 as an anga occuring in the recital of particur Prabandhas.
1. The Trivandrum text of the BȚhaddesi is corrupt at numerous
places. It requires to be carefully reedited.
