A close encounter with the Parur quartet ...
Sudha Jagannathan
CHENNAI, September 05: Why do artistes sing only one varnam in their concerts? This is an innocent query from an inquisitive student. A veteran of many concerts, violinist Parur M.S.Anantharaman has the simplest of answers. How is a South Indian tali (meal) served? Rice comes first. It is followed by other delicious items such as sambar, aviyal, kootu, jangiri and what not. Finally, ice-cream and beeda come. They give you a variety in tali, he explains. They don't serve only curd rice. A concert is also like tali. It should have a variety of items such as varnam, ragam and tanam, kirthanai, swaram and tillana. Anantharaman cites Ariyakudi style of concert-singing, which is adopted as a tradition (Sampradaya) by all musicians. Such a concert sequence, which has been followed as a sampradaya for over a long time, need not be changed, he goes on to say. A simplified answer, it pleases the students. It also reveals the outstanding teacher in Anantharaman.
The famous four of the Parur violin style serves a feast of a treat to the young ones at Music Academy with a crisp and lively concert on the penultimate day of the maiden Svanubhava music festival. That the audience largely comprises students does not allow them to make it a relaxed affair. There lies the first lesson – dedication to the work, irrespective of the composition of the audience. And, the menu comprises a variety of items - a varnam in Narayanagaula, a couple of Dikshitar's compositions (Seshachalanayakam in Varali and Soundararajam Ashraye in Brindavana Saranga) and a composition in Sindhubhairavi tuned by his father late Parur Sundram Iyer.
As he plays on the violin, Anantharaman goes into singing mode intermittently with his majestic voice. He converts the concert into a sort of lec-dem on the vocalization of violin! There comes the lesson two – the need for instrumentalists to learn vocal singing.
Somebody in the audience wants to know his `manobhavam' at this point in his life as he looks back on his achievements. He is quick to cite the example of the little squirrel in Ramayan. Learning will never be complete even if he spends a life time, he tells the young audience. His father Parur Sundaram Iyer, according to him, always insisted that he should listen to great stalwarts of his time such as GNB, Tiger Varadachariar, Madurai Mani Iyer, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar and Nadhaswara Vidwan Rajarathinam Pillai. As he explains the importance of listening, he goes on to pay `Koti Vandanam' to his father, an inspirational guru who taught him so much. There contains the third message – the virtues of listening and listening to great masters.
A query from a student on how to play tanam on violin is enough to induce Anantharaman to pick up the bow and play a few strokes to demonstrate tanam-playing. Age has not dimmed his passion for teaching. Musicians such as Chowdiah and Dwaram Venkataswami Naidu were an authority in tanam-playing. Anantharaman wants the students to listen to the music of such stalwarts and learn more. There is a lesson here too. The lesson is: knowledge has to be shared.
Learning music - what is the difference between the students of the modern day and those of yester-year? Anantharaman understands the pressures of modern age. Time was when sangeetham was taken as the main subject. In these changing times, there are very many constraints. Nevertheless, he agrees that a regular income is a must for the sustainability of sangeetham. Hence, students are unable to devote their full time for music. Success will follow if you concentrate fully on music. He goes on to explain how his father had earned Rs.100 at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya even in those days. To drive home this point further, he cites the example of the questioner Shri. Pakkiriswamy Bharathy, Principal of the Government Music College, who is adept in playing flute. Lalgudi G. Jayaraman, M.S. Gopalakrishnan and many youngsters such as Bombay Jayashri and T.M. Krishna. They are very successful in the music field. The message is crystal clear: Hard word and dedication pays. The session with the Parur people is a huge learning not just for the students but also for others who have made it to the Music Academy on this day.
Vocal learning a must for instrumentalists
He has a deceptive frame. When occasion comes, he is at his best. Svanubhava is an occasion. And, mridangist Srimushnam Rajarao answers his way to win a big applause.
How does a percussion artiste play for a vocalist and an instrumentalist?
An aggressive Rajarao is simply superb in his articulation. He is convinced that vocal knowledge is very important even for a percussionist. They have to play it most appropriately. Explaining it with rhythmic syllables, he goes on to argue that the percussion support has to jell well with the sangeetham. There is also a difference in playing for women and men artistes. Volume modulation is very critical, he explains. Only after a hard work and with more listening experience, can one play well and adjust to the main artiste's requirements, he elaborates.
The key role of a percussion artiste is laid much store by R.Vedavalli also in her session. According to her, the toughest part of the manodharma sangeetham is niraval singing. It is bound by the tala cycle or rhythm. Hence, she advises them to make it simple with a small phrase. They have to keep this in their minds, especially in early days. Percussion artistes are crucial here, she says and asks mridangist Arun Prakash and violinist Shriram Kumar to deliberately play out of tune with her vocal music. As the experienced percussionists play differently, the music becomes jarring.
In contrast to this, when the accompanying artists play in sync with the vocalist, the music falls pleasantly into the ears.
In her session on `Pallavi in rare ragas', Suguna Purushotthaman explains how pallavi-singing too revolves critically around laya. It ultimately turns out to be a `Discovery Session' for the students, as she demonstrates many aspects of the not-so-used tala features such as guru, sarpini, plutam, kakapadam etc. These are very rarely used in modern concert formats. On request from a student, she demonstrates the complicated Simhananda tala, which consists of 108 aksharas (beats). In her view, pallavis chosen in ragas such as Kedaragaula, Sama, Sankarabharanam and Kambhoji could appeal to the audience. If pallavis are chosen in less prominent ragas, they may not have the desired appeal.
On the concluding day of 'Svanubhava', Music Academy sports a carnival look. Colour greets the visitors with girl students dressed in beautiful half-sarees and sarees, boys in kurthas and dhotis. Students from three major music institutions – Kalakshetra, YACM (Youth Association for Classical Music) and Governmet Music College – gather at the Mecca of Music to experience and immerse into music one final time in this first edition of Svanubhava. An overwhelmed senior vocalist T.V. Sankaranarayanan, stands folded hands to accept the standing ovation from the audience that lasts several minutes. An emotion-charged Sankaranarayanan tries hard to fight the tears welling in his eyes. This is an indication of the involvement and dedication of artistes to Svanubhava experience. And, he obliges T.M. Krishna to sing a note, and signs off his session in style. An obscure student appears from nowhere to recite a Tamil poem on the six-day event, as the curtain is drawn on the first edition of Svanubhava, a music festival organized by the student community with the help of Matrka, an organization founded by vocalists Bombay Jayashri and T.M. Krishna. This gives a clue or two to the success of this initiative. It is indeed a good beginning in the end. It needs to be sustained. An institutional framework, perhaps, can carry it forward in the years to come.
The famous four of the Parur violin style serves a feast of a treat to the young ones at Music Academy with a crisp and lively concert on the penultimate day of the maiden Svanubhava music festival. That the audience largely comprises students does not allow them to make it a relaxed affair. There lies the first lesson – dedication to the work, irrespective of the composition of the audience. And, the menu comprises a variety of items - a varnam in Narayanagaula, a couple of Dikshitar's compositions (Seshachalanayakam in Varali and Soundararajam Ashraye in Brindavana Saranga) and a composition in Sindhubhairavi tuned by his father late Parur Sundram Iyer.
As he plays on the violin, Anantharaman goes into singing mode intermittently with his majestic voice. He converts the concert into a sort of lec-dem on the vocalization of violin! There comes the lesson two – the need for instrumentalists to learn vocal singing.
Somebody in the audience wants to know his `manobhavam' at this point in his life as he looks back on his achievements. He is quick to cite the example of the little squirrel in Ramayan. Learning will never be complete even if he spends a life time, he tells the young audience. His father Parur Sundaram Iyer, according to him, always insisted that he should listen to great stalwarts of his time such as GNB, Tiger Varadachariar, Madurai Mani Iyer, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar and Nadhaswara Vidwan Rajarathinam Pillai. As he explains the importance of listening, he goes on to pay `Koti Vandanam' to his father, an inspirational guru who taught him so much. There contains the third message – the virtues of listening and listening to great masters.
A query from a student on how to play tanam on violin is enough to induce Anantharaman to pick up the bow and play a few strokes to demonstrate tanam-playing. Age has not dimmed his passion for teaching. Musicians such as Chowdiah and Dwaram Venkataswami Naidu were an authority in tanam-playing. Anantharaman wants the students to listen to the music of such stalwarts and learn more. There is a lesson here too. The lesson is: knowledge has to be shared.
Learning music - what is the difference between the students of the modern day and those of yester-year? Anantharaman understands the pressures of modern age. Time was when sangeetham was taken as the main subject. In these changing times, there are very many constraints. Nevertheless, he agrees that a regular income is a must for the sustainability of sangeetham. Hence, students are unable to devote their full time for music. Success will follow if you concentrate fully on music. He goes on to explain how his father had earned Rs.100 at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya even in those days. To drive home this point further, he cites the example of the questioner Shri. Pakkiriswamy Bharathy, Principal of the Government Music College, who is adept in playing flute. Lalgudi G. Jayaraman, M.S. Gopalakrishnan and many youngsters such as Bombay Jayashri and T.M. Krishna. They are very successful in the music field. The message is crystal clear: Hard word and dedication pays. The session with the Parur people is a huge learning not just for the students but also for others who have made it to the Music Academy on this day.
Vocal learning a must for instrumentalists
He has a deceptive frame. When occasion comes, he is at his best. Svanubhava is an occasion. And, mridangist Srimushnam Rajarao answers his way to win a big applause.
How does a percussion artiste play for a vocalist and an instrumentalist?
An aggressive Rajarao is simply superb in his articulation. He is convinced that vocal knowledge is very important even for a percussionist. They have to play it most appropriately. Explaining it with rhythmic syllables, he goes on to argue that the percussion support has to jell well with the sangeetham. There is also a difference in playing for women and men artistes. Volume modulation is very critical, he explains. Only after a hard work and with more listening experience, can one play well and adjust to the main artiste's requirements, he elaborates.
The key role of a percussion artiste is laid much store by R.Vedavalli also in her session. According to her, the toughest part of the manodharma sangeetham is niraval singing. It is bound by the tala cycle or rhythm. Hence, she advises them to make it simple with a small phrase. They have to keep this in their minds, especially in early days. Percussion artistes are crucial here, she says and asks mridangist Arun Prakash and violinist Shriram Kumar to deliberately play out of tune with her vocal music. As the experienced percussionists play differently, the music becomes jarring.
In contrast to this, when the accompanying artists play in sync with the vocalist, the music falls pleasantly into the ears.
In her session on `Pallavi in rare ragas', Suguna Purushotthaman explains how pallavi-singing too revolves critically around laya. It ultimately turns out to be a `Discovery Session' for the students, as she demonstrates many aspects of the not-so-used tala features such as guru, sarpini, plutam, kakapadam etc. These are very rarely used in modern concert formats. On request from a student, she demonstrates the complicated Simhananda tala, which consists of 108 aksharas (beats). In her view, pallavis chosen in ragas such as Kedaragaula, Sama, Sankarabharanam and Kambhoji could appeal to the audience. If pallavis are chosen in less prominent ragas, they may not have the desired appeal.
On the concluding day of 'Svanubhava', Music Academy sports a carnival look. Colour greets the visitors with girl students dressed in beautiful half-sarees and sarees, boys in kurthas and dhotis. Students from three major music institutions – Kalakshetra, YACM (Youth Association for Classical Music) and Governmet Music College – gather at the Mecca of Music to experience and immerse into music one final time in this first edition of Svanubhava. An overwhelmed senior vocalist T.V. Sankaranarayanan, stands folded hands to accept the standing ovation from the audience that lasts several minutes. An emotion-charged Sankaranarayanan tries hard to fight the tears welling in his eyes. This is an indication of the involvement and dedication of artistes to Svanubhava experience. And, he obliges T.M. Krishna to sing a note, and signs off his session in style. An obscure student appears from nowhere to recite a Tamil poem on the six-day event, as the curtain is drawn on the first edition of Svanubhava, a music festival organized by the student community with the help of Matrka, an organization founded by vocalists Bombay Jayashri and T.M. Krishna. This gives a clue or two to the success of this initiative. It is indeed a good beginning in the end. It needs to be sustained. An institutional framework, perhaps, can carry it forward in the years to come.
