Among the distinguished nagaswaram artists, Vedaranyam Vedamurthy holds a significant place. Born on 10 September 1924 to Gopalaswami, a nagaswaram player, and Kamu Ammal (daughter of tavil vidwan Ammachatharam Kannuswami Pillai), Vedamurthy carved out a unique identity through the captivating tone and the modifications he made to his instrument. His grandfather, Ammachatharam Kannuswami Pillai, was a master of the tavil, under whom even the great T.N. Rajaratnam Pillai honed his skills. Vedamurthy was trained in both vocal music and nagaswaram by his maternal uncle A.K. Ganesa Pillai. In his early years, Vedamurthy also acted and sang in films, including Thayumanavar, which featured M.M. Dandapani Desikar.

Though he began training under his uncle, Vedamurthy later received advanced lessons from Keeranur Chinnathambi Pillai, and started performing professionally. Known for his command over rhythm, his pallavis and swaras would elevate the atmosphere, and was among the early nagaswaram players to include film songs in his repertoire. His first wife, Ramathilagam, was the daughter of nagaswaram doyen Chidambaram Govindaswamy Pillai, while his second wife, Shanthakumari, was Ramathilagam’s sister.

Vedamurthy’s reputation for tonal sweetness among nagaswaram artists is well acknowledged. However, in the early days, his style was more focused on complex rhythmic patterns. He made significant changes to his nagaswaram—he inserted a metallic extension between the ulavu (the pipe with the holes) and the anasu (the conical section at the end). While this change certainly had an impact on the tone of the instrument, to attribute the captivating ringing tone of his instrument to this modification alone is gross injustice to the efforts that the maestro has put in.

In 1952, Vedamurthy showcased this modified nagaswaram at the Arunagirinathar Music festival in Tiruchirappalli (Trichy), where listeners were astounded by its unique sound. While he continued performing pallavis, they took on a more melodic form. His rhythmic patterns, known for their complexity, became more subtle and aesthetically pleasing. The Padam Sivadeekshaa Parulu, recorded by Vedamurthy as a 78 RPM record, has continued to remain an example of how his nagaswaram music could resonate like the veena.

Though he successfully modified his nagaswaram, the desired tone was not achieved in a straightforward manner. The modified nagaswaram, still preserved by his brother and senior tavil maestro Vedaranyam Balasubramaniam, offered insights into Vedamurthy’s efforts. The original nagaswaram, a gift from nagaswaram legend Thiruvengadu Subramania Pillai, had a natural pitch of three kattai. Although the metallic extension lowered the pitch, the natural pitch of the modified nagaswaram was still higher than what is heard in the recordings (around 1.5 kattai). The pitch produced by the double reeds (seevali) attached to the nagaswaram for blowing did not match either the natural pitch of the instrument, nor the pitch Vedamurthy used during his concerts. It was evident that the modifications Vedamurthy made were not straightforward; he had adjusted his blowing technique to account for this mismatch. Understanding this aspect revealed the level of effort involved in achievement of the tone he desired.

Vedamurthy’s choice to introduce modifications that makes the instrument more difficult to play raises questions. While first-hand accounts are unavailable, a few recordings of his performances suggest that his unique aesthetic choices when exploring ragas may have driven him to pursue these changes, despite the challenges.

His Music

Vedamurthy emerged in a musical era dominated by T.N. Rajaratnam Pillai’s powerful and elaborate style. In contrast, Vedamurthy adopted a more restrained approach. His raga renderings were characterised by precision and subtlety, tempered with meaningful pauses between phrases. He favoured the middle register and touched higher notes only occasionally. His choice of ragas such as Surati, Natakurinji, Sahana, and Dhanyasi were well aligned with his style of playing.