Spotlight

Who Was 'Oho' In Carnatic Violin

The violin is such an integral part of Carnatic classical music " today that it is difficult to imagine that it entered the scene only a couple of hundred years ago and that it replaced the veena as an accompanying instrument even more recently. Tradition has it that the two pioneers in adapting the violin to enrich Carnatic music were Baluswamy Dikshitar (1786-1858), brother of the revered Muthuswamy Dikshitar, and Vadivelu Nattuvanar (1810-1847), the youngest of the Tanjavur Quartet. All four were disciples of Muthuswamy Dikshitar. Baluswamy Dikshitar was the first to learn to play the violin. He had splendid opportunities to listen to European band music at Fort St. George in Madras, thanks to Manali Chinnaswamy Mudaliar who was a great patron of music with entree to the Fort. Mudaliar engaged a European violinist to teach Baluswamy how to play the instrument. Having learnt to do so, the latter adapted the playing to suit the genius of Carnatic music. Muthuswamy Dikshitar was apparently 'taken in' by this 'foreign instrument' and wanted to help his brother in his endeavour to adapt it to our music.

He composed a number of 'nottuswara-s' in Sankarabharanam with simple melodies, many based on popular English songs, which Baluswamy could practise with. Vadivelu Nattuvanar, for his part, took advantage of a European in Tanjavur to master the violin and impress the likes of Veena Kuppier and Swati Tirunal. Prof. R. Sathyanarayana of Mysore has argued that the violin was introduced into Carnatic music in the Mysore area earlier than in Baluswamy Dikshitar's time. (See his article beginning on p. 18). But there doesn't seem to be available any information on who the Indian musicians were who learnt it from the British band players in that area, nor any records/material to suggest a link between the early entree in Mysore to the wider use of the instrument in Carnatic music in later years. In Tamilnadu, however, since the time Baluswamy Dikshitar camaticised the music flowing out of the violin and he and Vadivelu Nattuvanar became adept at it, there have been a number of other prominent musicians who gave lustre to the art of playing our music on the violin and helped to bring about the situation where we can hardly think of Carnatic music without the violin being a part of it. Other early names associated with the spread of the violin are Varahappa Iyer, Tanjavur Subba Iyer and Tiruvenkadu Sivaramakrishna Iyer. How did this instrument come to be adapted so readily into Carnatic music?

Prof. Sathyanarayana has summarised its advantages and its acceptance aptly thus: "It [the violin] offers steady, rich, continuous tone, the length of which, can be manipulated within a wide range. The volume and accent of the tone may also be similarly manipulated. Its keyboard is very small, yet offers as wide a tonal range as other chordophones. Because of this, gamaka can be readily and easily employed. The transition from one register to another is continuous and quick. Techniques of alternative fingering may readily be employed. The accordatura [the notes to which the violin is tuned] also may be very readily altered to different pitch ranges and different melodic situations. The nature of the instrument admits vast potential in bowing and fingering. It is wonderfully adapted to both accompaniment and solo performances. No wonder, then, that both musicians and music lovers [have taken] the violin to their heart and accorded to it the honour and prestige of nativity. Great exponents have elevated the instrument to a status of indispensability and, of prime importance, established several powerful lines of transmission in style, technique and content." What follows are brief sketches of the violinists of the past who achieved renoun or at least a . measure of success as professionals.

Tirukkodikaval Krishna Iyer (1857-1913)

Maternal uncle of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, he was among the early giants. He was persuaded to take up the violin because he did not have a good singing voice. He studied the violin under Sattanur Panchanada Iyer and later under Fiddle Subbarayar. In his concert career, he was a loyal accompanist and served to stimulate the creativity of the main performer. He accompanied the 'greats' of the day, but many avoided him because they felt overawed by him. He was the first violinist to play solo. Even today, elderly musicians who have heard him perform speak with respect and awe of his prowess as a musician and violinist. His disciples included his son Rama Iyer, nephew Semmangudi Narayanaswamy Iyer and Kumbakonam Rajamanickam Pillai's guru Ramaswamy Iyer.

Karur Chinna Devudu or Krishnayya (1861-1901)

Chinna Devudu was the second of the three sons of Fiddle Narasayya, who was a descendant of Matrubhutayya, the composer of the well-known Anandabhairavi kriti Nee modi challaga. His elder brother Pedda Devudu became a vainika but the younger brother Karur Chinnaswamy Iyer was also a violinist. Among Chinna Devudu's disciples were Karur Srikantiah (father of Papa Venkataramiah), Venkatramana Bhagavatar and his own brother Chinnaswamy — who in turn trained Musiri Subramania Iyer, Papa and Varahur Muthuswamy Iyer in later years.

Malaikottai Govindaswamy Pillai (1879-1931)

He was a junior contemporary of Tirukkodikaval Krishna Iyer and had the good fortune to be blessed by him directly. He was one of the earliest to demonstrate the potentialities of the violin for Carnatic music. He started his musical career in his twelfth year under Umayalpuram Panchapakesa Iyer and later learnt a large number of kriti-s from Ettayapuram Ramachandra Bhagavatar. Apart from being a violinist — he was an accompanist as well as a soloist — he was a flutist. According to Professor P. Sambamoorthy, Govindaswamy Pillai's "alapana-s were characterised by sheer brilliance" while his kalpana swara-s "showed rare originality". It is said that while playing Tyagaraja's Devagandhari kriti Ksheerasagara sayana, he used to 'touch' the atitara stayi shadja while rendering the phrase 'tarakanama" in the charana. He played an important part in organising the Tyagaraja festival at Tiruvaiyaru from 1910 onwards.

Pudukottai Narayanaswami Iyer

He was a contemporary of Govindaswami Pillai. Persons of an earlier generation would remember the ragam-tanam-pallavi, Parimala rangapate, in Kambhoji raga recorded by this great violinist on the HMV label. Some sort of skin disease appears to have denied him the recognition and popularity he deserved.

Iluppoor Ponnuswami Pillai

Uncle of Tavil Panjami, he was a close associate of khanjeera maestro Pudukottai Manpoondia Pillai. His playing was more laya-oriented than melody-oriented. It was said of him that, while other musicians played notes such as ri ga ma and ga ma pa da. he recognised only ta-ki-ta and ta-ka-dhi-mi As a laya wizard, he was held in great esteem by many contemporaries. He played accompaniment to Kanchipuram Naina Pillai as his last kutcheri. He has composed quite a few tillana-s and varna-s.

Muthialpet Ponnuswamy Pillai

He was the composer of Taruni, the great Kambhoji varnam. He was also the guru of Appakkannu, the maternal uncle of Veena Dhanammal. He was a close associate of the celebrated composer Tiruvotiyur Tyagier, Veena Dhanammal and Nellaiyappa Nattuvanar. It is said that his disciple Appakkannu too became so proficient, so much so, it became difficult to determine who was actually playing — he or his master.

Seerkazhi Narayana Swami Pillai

A contemporary of Veena Dhanammal who rated him as one of the best exponents of the violin, he was more keen to play 'solo'. Dhanammal used to recall with nostalgia the beautiful Nayaki rendered by him as a preface to the Tyagaraja kriti Nee bhajana gana. He helped Kirtanacharya C.R. Srinivasa lyengar to set to notation the songs of Vadalur Ramalingaswamigal's Arutpa. Pandanallur . Meenakshisundaram Pillai, the famed Bharatanatyam nattuvanar, learnt violin from him for some time. It was rumoured that, among some of his contemporaries, the refrain was: "How fortunate it is that this giant does not accept accompanying engagements! It would be our ruin professionally if he ever changed his mind!"

Marungapuri Gopalakrishna Iyer (d. 1968)

He was for long the only accompanist to Kanchipuram Naina Pillai. Govindaswami Pillai used to have Gopalakrishna Iyer as his accompaniment during his solo recitals. He acquired a phono-violin — a violin with a megaphone type of attachment — and popularised it in the days when sound amplification was otherwise unknown. He settled down in Srirangam and there conducted annual Tyagaraja festivals which were well attended by musicians and the public. The zamindar of Marungapuri made him his asthana vidwan.

Seithur Sundaresa Bhattar

He was a contemporary and friend of Subbarama Dikshitar (author of Sangita Sampradaya Pradarsini) and Manpoondiya Pillai and this contributed to his quite large repertoire of songs and his control over laya. He had his tutelage under Karur Venkatramana Bhagavatar, where his co-student was Shanmugavadivu, mother of M.S. Subbulakshmi. He played accompaniment to Kanchipuram Naina Pillai. Both of them were equally obsessed with laya. In his turn, Bhattar trained Madurai Somasundaram, M.M. Dandapani Desigar, M.S. Subbulakshmi and others. He taught selected songs to the dancers Balasaraswati and Kamala. Reportedly he had an intemperate tongue which landed him in a few sad predicaments.

Semmangudi Narayanaswami Iyer (1889-1944)

The older brother and a guru of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, he provided violin accompaniment to many stalwarts including Ariyakudi Ramanuia lyengar. He was very well liked. During a concert in Madras, which was held under a thatched roof, a black scorpion happened to fall on the back of Narayanaswami Iyer who was intently playing on the violin. Seeing this, one of the rasikas quickly got up and, landed a resounding slap on Narayanaswami's back, almost killing the scorpion. But Narayaswami Iyer, remarking that his back hurt from the heavy blow, ruefully wondered why the scorpion chose him as the target. Ariyakudi quietly remarked: "Love and love alone! Everyone likes you! The scorpion also did so!"

Tacchur Singaracharlu Brothers

They were respected as violinists though they achieved fame more for the large number of music books they published. They were trained by their cousin Fiddle (Chandragiri) Rangacharlu who was a disciple of Syama Sastri's son Subbaraya Sastri.

Trivandrum Narayana Bhagavatar (1888-1941)

Born in a family which had favoured the veena and had links to the great veena maestro Kalyanakrishna Bhagavatar, he was Kerala's lone fiddler of repute. He accompanied the leading vocalists of his times, like Chembai and Ariyakudi and won great admiration. With his two brothers — one of whom was a vocalist and another a mridangam player, he constituted the trio called the Trivandrum Brothers. One of his disciples who later became famous was Parur Sundaram Iyer, father of M.S.G. and his brother Anantharaman.

T. SANKARAN with K.R. RAJAGOPALAN

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