Sa ri gamaka. Notation et pratique de l’ornementation dans la tradition karnatique
Sa ri gamaka. Notation and Practice of Ornamentation in the Karnatic Tradition

Summary/Abstract: The sargam notation is a syllabic notation used in south Indian art-music (i.e. karnatic) to write down melodies – from the simplest didactic exercises to the most complex compositions. As a solmization system of melodic notation, it lacks (in its written form at least) of information relating to performative issues, especially to micro-melodic movements, that is, ornaments (gamaka). Hence, a pupil cannot sing or play correctly a piece from a score without the help of his teacher (guru); the result, due to the absence of ornamentation, would simply sound ‘flat’, ‘tasteless’, ‘without dynamism’. This article, with references to history, performance practice and schema theory, discusses the relation between notation and ornamentation in present-day apprenticeship.

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