All praise for the Carnatic music system
Excerpts from the interview.
How did you get attracted to Carnatic music?
My first interaction with Carnatic music was when I was thirteen. We all went to Madras to the home of Veenai Dhanam. I remember the steps leading up to her house. And she played Pantuvarali. She didn’t say Kamavardhani then. It had been decided that morning in the sadas.
Within a few minutes I had tears in my eyes. Jayammal and Bala were of course there. Bala was going to join my brother Uday Shankar. She was eighteen then. She came to Calcutta and danced there. Rabindranath Tagore was sitting on the right side in the audience. What a performance that was. I will never forget that. Both the items… read more
Tanjavur roundup: the greater season
If the Chennai season is criticised for its commercial overtures, let us go away from it to look into where the real music season exists in Tamil Nadu. And this year I was rather lucky to be around places where offerings of dedicated art festivals take place in and around Tanjavur – noted for its hoary tradition in music, dance and literature.
The Tyagaraja Aradhana at Tiruvaiyaru occupies the pride of place among art festivals in Tanjavur and this year too it saw the usual fanfare and crowd of devotees… read more
The mridanga vidwan is a picture of dignity and controlled rage. He brings his tani avartanam – at the conclusion of Sanjay Subrahmanyan’s expansive main kriti – to an abrupt halt, and sits ramrod straight, expressionless, but quiet like a volcano about to erupt, as an eminently visible portion of the audience at the Music Academy begins an exodus.
The silence, deadly as it is, does not deter the army of deserters striding purposefully towards the exotic delights awaiting them outside. The percussionist waits till the last of the offenders stops polluting the air inside the auditorium, and then gives his instrument a magnificently resounding slap. The thunderous ovation that greets the symbolic gesture of disapproval rooted in the moral high ground prefaces a brilliant tani by Trichy Sankaran and his fellow percussionist. The applause restores your faith in the listeners – at least those that stayed back. … read more
Actor, philanthropist and patron of arts
A prominent patron of arts in 20th century south India, F.G. Natesa Iyer of Tiruchirapalli earned the gratitude of the Tamil population for his discovery and training of great artists like M.K. Thyagaraja Bhagavatar, K.B. Sundarambal and the T.K.S. Brothers. He projected M.S. Subbulakshmi as a child prodigy when she was 11 and arranged concerts for her with T. Chowdiah and Dakshinamoorthy as her accompanists. Who knows how many more such gems benefited from his training and guidance? His invaluable contribution in elevating terukoothu to sophisticated stage productions was the foundation on which the future of south Indian drama and cinema was solidly built.
The 1800s and 1900s saw many great achievers endowed with determination, patriotism, and belief in service before self, justice and fair play. They had humility and they shunned publicity, but they also had the burning desire to elevate the public to higher levels. F.G. Natesa Iyer had all these qualities … read more
The basic tonal quality of a voice or musical instrument is of paramount importance. Today’s Carnatic musicians must become aware of it and devote time and energy in developing this crucial component. Hindustani classical singers attach great value to just the production of tone.
Whenever we mention a Hindustani ustad’s tonal excellence, the invariable rejoinder is that Caranatic music cannot use similar techniques. True – apples are different from oranges – each is unique in its flavour and appeal. But surely tonal development specific to Carnatic gamaka-s and rhythms can be a worthwhile focus of practice … read more
GIRIDHAR UDUPA
It was the summer of 2004. Far away in Reunion Island, off the Mauritius coast was one of the biggest music festivals in the world. Artists from all over flocked to showcase their talent. The violin maestro Dr. L. Subramaniam was also invited with his entourage of artists. Giridhar Udupa who took a flight from Bangalore to the venue via Mumbai was excited to be a part of this international summit. As he checked out of the airport with his baggage and into the plush venue, he got the biggest shock an artist could get. He opened his baggage to find his instrument shattered to pieces, because of the rough handling of baggage in transit at airports. He sought help from every possible artist he could. But far away, in that part of the world, there was almost no hope of finding his instrument, or even a remote replica of it. read more…
