Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 14 Oct 2010, 23:58

Thanks venkatakailasam .

While listening to SSI's Darbar, the question I often wondered about SSI came back to me. May be MKR has some insights in to this.

- The SSI's kalpanaswaras always had a special aesthetic appeal to me, whether it is Darbar, Dhenuka or other mainstream ragas. Did he work on it as an objective/goal, or is that how it had always been for him possibly derived from his musical lineage? What I am getting at here is, it feels like something that he had given special attention to it to make it sound attractive and I wonder if there is some personal anecdotes regarding that. ( this is not in comparison to other artists, other artists also have it in their own bANi )

- On the same topic of kalpanaswaras, but a different dimension, his particular style of singing kalpanaswaras, specifially the torrent of swaras starting from the third or fourth round, as we hear often.. Same question as above.

Ramasubramanian M.K · Post by **Ramasubramanian M.K** » 15 Oct 2010, 02:00

Re; VK's point: Darbar: I do not have any personal insight derived from my discussions with him. One explanation I have is what you have referred to namely--the Umayalpuram tradition--handed down from Maharajapuram V--as everyone knows(I have personally heard MV sing this raga)MV was great with this raga--Munduvenuka,Yochana(ofcourse MV took his own liberties with "mixing" up Anupallavi and Charanams of two different krithis thanks to his repertoire of Thygaraja's krithis!!!).
SSI's forte was always the choice of swara korvais(all within one avarthanam neatly arranged)-he will not stress the usual crowd-pleasing Ga Ri Sa Ri Nee Da Pa Da,Ga,Ri,Sa,Ri,Nee,Da,Pa,Da(in 2 octaves). Although the ascent is common to Devamanohari and the Nayaki hanging like a damocles sword,he would deftly handle Darbar.He can handle Nayaki brilliantly(MD's Ranganayakam --example),without bringing in shadows of Darbar.
He was very much like the great writers who could be terse and yet profound.His technique of handling Sampoorna Ragas like Shankarabharanam (Sankaracharyam or brihadamba)--he will use in his swara korvais,Sa Da Pa--omitting the Nee--without a trace of Mohanam OR Sa Pa--a steep descent omitting Nee and Da. He was not a slave to the order of swaras .Likewise in Thodi Gajavadhana,in the chittaswaram there are several Gandharams --within the Sadarana Gandhara--all brought out with great feeling--like wise in Sree Krishnam baje,in the Neraval in Sanku Chakra Gadha,(the Gadha one time he will accent the Ma and another time the Ga Da--the swarakshara mode. These subtleties were the reason his music in the early years was not appealing to many rasikas against the distinctive MMI/GNB styles.

In my opinion SSI can bring out the nuances of any raga omitting the nonessentials--that sense of discrimination--be it in his eating habits,conversations or social interactions was the one thing that impressed me most in my associations with the Maestro.

The main thread to be continued-sorry for the hiatus!!

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 15 Oct 2010, 14:00

Venkatakailsam,

You appear to post commercial music. Please note that this is strictly prohibited. You might get yourself into problems if you do not cease and desist from this. In any case, go slow on the sharing, we dont want the thread to just be a bunch of links.

VISHNURAMPRASAD · Post by **VISHNURAMPRASAD** » 15 Oct 2010, 16:08

Dear MKR sir,

His swara varjya prayogams (deliberately avoiding some swaras yet maintaining the purity of the raga) are just out of the world. Your post just reminded me of his awesome use of the phrase " Ni paa ma... Saa Ni paa ma.....Gaa ri saa...Ri Gaa maa paa dha..." while singing swaras for Nee paada pankajamu, Nera nammina vaadu kaadhaa. Birana brova idhe was always wonderful and grand from semmangudi iyervaal.

In the same way, his Naatai alaapana without using rishabham. IMHO, he could sing any raga (be it Ghana raga, apoorva raga or rakthi raga), with ease and grandeur. It was sad that he did not venture much into vivadhi raagas.

Please keep going with such interesting and subtle anectodes.

Namasthe

thenpaanan · Post by **thenpaanan** » 15 Oct 2010, 18:53

Ramasubramanian M.K wrote: SSI's forte was always the choice of swara korvais(all within one avarthanam neatly arranged)-he will not stress the usual crowd-pleasing Ga Ri Sa Ri Nee Da Pa Da,Ga,Ri,Sa,Ri,Nee,Da,Pa,Da(in 2 octaves). Although the ascent is common to Devamanohari and the Nayaki hanging like a damocles sword,he would deftly handle Darbar.He can handle Nayaki brilliantly(MD's Ranganayakam --example),without bringing in shadows of Darbar.

In my opinion SSI's unparalleled expertise in singing short and sweet kalpanaswaras was best illustrated by his numerous presentations of Sriranjani in T's "brOchevArevvare?" As a child I remember being mesmerized by that smooth, cascading, but mellifluous sequence like flowers bouncing out of an upturned flower basket.

-Thenpaanan

kunthalavarali · Post by **kunthalavarali** » 18 Oct 2010, 07:31

The Sankarabharanam piece in the famous "Kiravani RTP" concert has one interesting point. MSG uses the rare prayoga sa, ni, ga (descent) while essaying the raga. SSI repeats (in a low tone) the notes twice to enjoy the rarity, I suppose. Sambamurthy has mentioned about these notes and the expertise required in singing/ playing them. (It gives a Kalyani ragam flavour because of the typical gamaka, is it not?)

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 18 Oct 2010, 12:22

srkris wrote:Venkatakailsam,

You appear to post commercial music. Please note that this is strictly prohibited. You might get yourself into problems if you do not cease and desist from this. In any case, go slow on the sharing, we dont want the thread to just be a bunch of links.

There some explanation is needed. The clips for which I have given links are considered safe and are also available in Sites which take precautions and give importance to avoid copyrighted material to the up loads. Details I have submitted to site administrator for his information.
The link to this site has been posted on many occasions in other threads.

I am submitting this as an explanation only as I want to get rid of the impression that I have posted copyrighted material and not to be taken as posting arguments.
I for one equally understand the importance of avoiding copyrighted clips.

My postings were made based only to cater the requests.

venkatakailasam

kunthalavarali · Post by **kunthalavarali** » 19 Oct 2010, 07:01

Venkatakailsam,
I suppose posting some very short clippings from the original recording for bringing out the beauty of the concert, only enhances the commercial value of the CD itself! Don't we read in book reviews some relevant extracts from the copyrighted book to emphasize some points?
Extremely sorry for the digression.

mankuthimma · Post by **mankuthimma** » 19 Oct 2010, 07:37

Before I die ,
I dont want to know whether God exists or not .
I only want to know what is uploadright and what is not

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 19 Oct 2010, 20:19

Venkatakailasam,

1. There is a difference between streams and download links, stream-only links are generally allowed. Soliciting upload of particular songs and responding to such solicitations are generally disallowed.

2. If you downloaded a song and reuploaded it to a personal upload site (mediafire/rapidshare etc), you cannot share it here. You should rather link to the original source and not to a personal upload link. Else you must be in a position to prove you did not violate copyrights or distribution-rights by re-uploading the song.

3. I have removed the links upon receiving complaints that some of the songs you uploaded are from commercial albums, and I have no foolproof way of differentiating every-time which of them are commercial and which are not. This type of removal is normal, and it is a moderator's job to remove upload links based on their best discretion. If the links removed are proved by the uploader to be non-commercial or non-copyrighted, they may be added back (again at the moderator's discretion).

4. Any uploads are expected to satisfy a largely educational purpose i.e when discussing a particular raga, it might be ok to show how a particular artist has sung it innovatively. Asking for an upload of "Hariharaputram by Semmangudi" when we are discussing about that singer, to the contrary, does not serve an educational purpose. It is just a regular upload solicitation.

5. That somebody asked for a particular song is not a good enough reason to upload it.

6. Links expire in course of time, and people keep asking for re-uploads. This forum's purpose is not to cater to these requests. We dont want the forum to be reduced to a bunch of upload requests, we have a lot of experience with forums that catered to such demands in the past, and we dont want to go down the same path.

7. The moderators by removing links are trying to protect you from having problems with the law, so it is best you co-operate with us by not uploading copyrighted recordings. We do not encourage any music sharing whether copyrighted or not, the forum's primary purpose is not that. Please remember that your uploads are entirely at your own risk, but we will still remove links that we think are not fit for sharing here.

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 21 Oct 2010, 12:40

Reg: 385;

I have absolutely no qualms about the removal of links.
Kindly be assured that I am not the one to question the rights of administrators or moderators which I consider as absolute knowing the intricacies of administering a forum.
I have not touched upon the removal of links. I have only provided reasons as to why they were not considered copyrighted by me.
As regards â€œ it is best for you to cooperateâ€, I submit that I will continue to cooperate in this matter without any reservations whatsoever.
BTW, kindle see how many Media fire links are there in this thread alone out of which one link was indicated as copyrighted.
I think we can have a clear cut policy as regards posting Mediafire ( or other) links. The use of the words â€˜Generallyâ€™ can be avoided as it gives room for different interpretations.
Then, Members like me may not feel â€œI only want to know what is uploadright and what is notâ€.

I am sorry for the digression which has taken place.
Members can continue the main subject on â€œSSI's unparalleled expertise in singing short and sweet kalpanaswaras â€œ

venkatakailasam

srkris · Post by **srkris** » 22 Oct 2010, 00:50

Venkatakailasam,

There are members who may upload their own music (or other non-copyrighted stuff, or stuff which they have the right to upload since they obtained the artist's permission and so on) to mediafire or other personal upload websites, but these are usually exceptions.

If you hold the copyrights or distribution rights, you can very well share them with whomever you want. That is why I used the words "generally disallowed".

Thanks for your understanding and co-operation. Sorry for the digression, let the discussion progress.

nrswamy · Post by **nrswamy** » 25 Oct 2010, 10:53

Sirs,

Can anyone help me to get mama's 1968 MA concert . Whether it's commercial or non where can I get?........ Plz.

Thanks.

nrswamy · Post by **nrswamy** » 04 Nov 2010, 18:33

It seems nobody is interested to share...........
Thanks

mankuthimma · Post by **mankuthimma** » 05 Nov 2010, 04:11

nrswamy wrote:It seems nobody is interested to share...........Thanks

Hmm . It is just that the beat policeman's footsteps have turned around the corner , but have hardly died out Post 387
|(
Please have some patience until someone figures out if it is commercial.

vs_manjunath · Post by **vs_manjunath** » 06 Nov 2010, 06:25

SSI's kirvani RTP has become my Suprabhatam as well as my lullaby for almost more than a month or so; It has captivated me so much !

kunthalavarali · Post by **kunthalavarali** » 06 Nov 2010, 12:21

There seems to be a break now. May I use this period to request one of you to kindly identify the two todi pieces by the great master and post details.
Thanks in anticipation

http://www.mediafire.com/?ta6f7vbfg2fg2ks
http://www.mediafire.com/?5vap8aalp82eoa7

vs_manjunath · Post by **vs_manjunath** » 06 Nov 2010, 18:36

2 nd track uploaded: Swati Thirunal's composition: " dEva dEva mAm pAlaya" ; Thodi- Chapu . This composition is available in ST's compositions,Krithi no 62; ST's compositions publ in 1969

mankuthimma · Post by **mankuthimma** » 06 Nov 2010, 20:11

The other one is
Gati niye enru kadaridum enranai kadaikkaniyada--Todi--Adi--Ambujam Krishna

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 16 Nov 2010, 09:30

I am having a collection of around 70 songs of Purandaradasa. Unfortunately, there was only one song rendered by SSI - Manava Janma Doddadhu and one more by Chembai - Naa madida karma
Are there any other renderings by these two ?
can they be shared ?

Was there any reluctance on their part even though Smt. MLV had rendered a plenty as also MSS and DKP
venkatakailasam

mankuthimma · Post by **mankuthimma** » 16 Nov 2010, 14:38

Ariyakudi sang Nambi Kettavarillavo .... as well . As an exclusive album with only Dasara Padas.
Closer to our times , there are still only a few names that immediately come to mind.
TRS , RK Srikantan, are the only two who could sing a wider choice in an expansive fashion . And what a brilliant contribution it has been , from these two !!!

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 22 Nov 2010, 14:24

Three songs of Semmangudi ( Video) recently recorded fro Podhigai Tv are uploaded to you tube at my channal.they are :

vallabhanAyagasya-bEgadA-dikshitar
nanu brova-Abhohi-Thyagarajar
Ramajohi khamas Ramadasar

Those who are interested can view them.

venkatakailasam

vintageaudio · Post by **vintageaudio** » 30 Nov 2010, 00:57

srinivasrgvn wrote:Well fellow rasikas,
I hunted, hunted and hunted to finally find out that SSI has never even hummed Simhendramadhyamam. That is quite sad. =(
I don't know why certain artistes just completely skip a raga! Simhendramadhyamam is a mela raga, although not that popular. I don't know why SSI never sang this raga! Is TMK singing it? Does anybody know?

There is a 78RPM recording by SSI exists (Natajana paripala-Simhendramadhyamam) includes a short raga alapana too.

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 30 Nov 2010, 17:20

I came across this outstanding bhairavi RTP by the maestro (TNK on violin; don't know the mrudangist) in Kasturi Mambalam's folder on Sangeethamshare and am uploading it here for the convenience of rasikas. An RTP that ranks right up there with his Shanmugapriya (with LGJ-TS), Kedaragowla (LGJ-UKS), and Shankarabharanam (VVS-UKS).

Ragam: http://www.mediafire.com/?482pipp9cqomo3l
Thanam: http://www.mediafire.com/?udadz84bh86tu01
Pallavi: http://www.mediafire.com/?v1vrm7595p68300

Exceptional manOdharma and bhAvam. Alas, it appears the audience at this particular concert were completely impervious, given how frequently SSI calls for silence. I particularly like the electrifying pallavi with so many variations and even third speed swaras!

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 07 Dec 2010, 13:03

Ambhujam krishna's : Gati niye enru kadaridum in Raga Thodi rendered by SSI in four parts

are at : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pb6YTj_e0c Part I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI_nGc_-t5A Part II

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzgeQjndAak Part III

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwA_n1r-fTk Part IV

44 mts rendition by SSI with Lalgudi and U.Sivaraman supporting. A mixing done. Song recording from AIR.

venkatakailasam

fduddy · Post by **fduddy** » 09 Dec 2010, 18:33

venkatakailasam wrote:Ambhujam krishna's : Gati niye enru kadaridum in Raga Thodi rendered by SSI in four parts

are at : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Pb6YTj_e0c Part I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vI_nGc_-t5A Part II

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzgeQjndAak Part III

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwA_n1r-fTk Part IV

44 mts rendition by SSI with Lalgudi and U.Sivaraman supporting. A mixing done. Song recording from AIR.

venkatakailasam

Amazing and majestic !

vs_manjunath · Post by **vs_manjunath** » 14 Dec 2010, 07:59

venkatakailasam- Xcelent mixing.Thanks for this lovely clippings.Kudos to U!!!

ksrimech · Post by **ksrimech** » 15 Dec 2010, 01:40

Which rAga is the pitAmahA talking about in the first clip? He is talking of niSAdAntya bhASANga rAga janyam under 8th mELam (hanumatODi). Employs all the svarAs: S, R1, R2, G2, M, P, D1, N2. Sounds like sindhubhairavi, (if we can fix) arOhaNa: S R2 G2 M1 G2 P D1 N2 S and avarOhaNa: N2 D1 P M1 G2 R1 S N2 S. but I thought it is a rAga born out of the 10th mELam (again bhASAngam). Also, what he sings is closer to karnATaka tODi than hindustAni bhairavi. Can some one clarify?

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 17 Dec 2010, 22:39

He is talking about Raga Thodi- his opening is about this one.

Dr. Manjunath Sir, Thank you so much for the kind words.

venkatakailasam

vs_manjunath · Post by **vs_manjunath** » 18 Dec 2010, 02:48

venkatakailasam wrote: Dr. Manjunath Sir, Thank you so much for the kind words.venkatakailasam

I'm sure like me 100s and more rasikas would have enjoyed u'r clippings done with such a lot of effort. It's a pity no one wants to acknowledje u openly. I don't know why this culture has set in. There is a Sanskrit saying........ i don't remember the first half; second half ends as ...................vachanEka daridratha?? Implying " Poverty should not be there in speaking good words " Pl.continue u'r good work, I know u r the last person expecting any compliments from respected members!

ksrimech · Post by **ksrimech** » 18 Dec 2010, 02:53

Thodi?? I never knew thodi employs two rishabhas and is a bhashanga janya of the 8th mELam.

arunsri · Post by **arunsri** » 18 Dec 2010, 12:27

I think SSI is talking about punnAgavarALi

ksrimech · Post by **ksrimech** » 19 Dec 2010, 22:22

Thanks ArunSri. That make a lit bit more sense.

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 03 Jan 2011, 12:06

ksrimech
You can listen to the opening sentence of what he is talking about in part one of the You tube link above, if you have not done it
earlier.

venkatakailasam

ksrimech · Post by **ksrimech** » 08 Jan 2011, 03:47

Kailasamji,
The opening sentence he says "namadu.... nama carnatic musiccula tODI rAgattula janyam". He is not mentioning the rAga name at all. He is mentioning it is a janya under tODI rAga. Its quite unlikely he is talking about tODi or hanumatODi. As arunsri pointed out, He is talking only about punnAgavarALi. The raga sanchAra shows that clearly. It is not about tODi. Thanks for the wonderful links though.

Aditto · Post by **Aditto** » 29 Jan 2011, 09:31

Hi,

I heard that SSI has sung elaborate swarams for nayaki in one of the academy concerts(i am not sure). Can some one throw light on this?

Regards,
Aditya.

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 05 Feb 2011, 18:54

An interesting article about him appeared in the FRONTLINE magazine of 06th Nov. 1998

Semmangudi looks back - at 90

The great Master of theory and practice relives Carnatic music in the twentieth century.

http://www.flonnet.com/fl1522/15220650.htm

venkatakailasam

Enna_Solven · Post by **Enna_Solven** » 17 Mar 2011, 03:13

SSI-LGJ-UKS Madras 27-6-1966. Fabulous Kedaragowla RTP with ghana rAga thAnam by the pitamaha with usual intra-music comments and besh-besh for LGJ. Million thanks to original recorder and uploader (to Sangeethapriya I think).

vs_manjunath · Post by **vs_manjunath** » 17 Mar 2011, 04:40

Pl provide the link which will help rasikas to d/l & enjoy !!!

Enna_Solven · Post by **Enna_Solven** » 17 Mar 2011, 09:31

Sangeethapriya is down; otherwise I would have given the original link to the concert.
Here is the RTP alone:
http://www.mediafire.com/?y21w9hvdiavekx2

Enna_Solven · Post by **Enna_Solven** » 06 May 2011, 09:05

Listen to the Grand Old Man's admonition at the start this bhairavi alapana (3 minute snippet from a 3-hour concert from Sangeethapriya)
http://www.mediafire.com/?05x50bjcnf7fxwa

sakthi.balan · Post by **sakthi.balan** » 08 May 2011, 13:39

Can you tell me which concert is this....Thanks!

Enna_Solven · Post by **Enna_Solven** » 09 May 2011, 01:23

http://sangeethamshare.org/kasturi/UPLO ... ivasaIyer/

thanjavooran · Post by **thanjavooran** » 09 May 2011, 03:34

Enna_solven Avl,
Thanx for the link.
Thanjavooran 09 05 2011

Enna_Solven · Post by **Enna_Solven** » 09 May 2011, 08:11

no avl for me

I think I saw you discussing concerts you attended in the seventies? I was a school boy then.

Aditto · Post by **Aditto** » 07 Jun 2011, 19:55

Hi,

I came to know that there is a recording of SSI accompanied by BMK on violin. There is one video recording posted in youtube as well.
Here goes the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QOmZ2BcMG8

Can some body tell me the details of this VCD and the where it can be purchased?

Regards,
Aditya.

bala94ms · Post by **bala94ms** » 07 Jun 2011, 20:19

Hello

Can some body tell me the details of this VCD and the where it can be purchased?

I have the DVD. I purchased it from Giri Trading Agency, Chennai.
It is produced and Marketed by "AMUTHAM MUSIC PVT. LTD."
The Price of the DVD is Rs.399/- and is titled "The Concert - Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer "
Venue: Sri Thyagaraja Sangeetha Vidhwath Sabha

Accompaniments:
Dr.BMK on the Viola ,
Dr.T.K.Moorthy on the Mrudangam and
Sri G.harishankar on the kanjeera

He is Vocally supported by Sri Palai CK Ramachandran , Sri Subramanyam and Kadayanallur Sri.Venkatraman
Also to be noted is the fact that one can find TMK Sanjay and other top Musicians of today in the Audience.

It has the following Compositions:

1. Nannu Kanna Thalli- Sindhu kAnadA
2. MarivErE gathi - Ananda Bhairavi (Beautiful Kalpana Swarams)
3. Needaya rAdhA - Vasantha Bhairavi
4. marubalka- Sri Ranjani
5. E TAvunnAra - Kalyani (Outsading for his Age)

To add : The recording is COMMERCIAL
Hope this helps.

Aditto · Post by **Aditto** » 09 Jun 2011, 20:30

Thanks for the info sir

I searched for the DVD in hyderabad and banglore but could not find it.

Will try in chennai

Thanks once again.

Aditya.

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 25 Jul 2012, 15:49

nododiyin pulambal...he was a regular contributor in olden days to kalki...

His views about Semangudi...
http://kovai.wordpress.com/2005/06/21/semmangudi/

venkatakailasam · Post by **venkatakailasam** » 29 Jul 2012, 20:11

Here is a super Muhari by SSI...

kishnamai....

http://jumbofiles.com/uzn4y0tzrq9w/p-SSI 020-Kshinamai Muhari.mp3.html