Prince Rama Varma

kvchellappa · Post by **kvchellappa** » 05 Dec 2015, 16:15

sweet song, Harimau. Thanks.
Hope you are well as also your family and team in the wake of the floods.

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 14 Dec 2015, 16:21

I am fine thank you Chellappa Ji. But some of my friends suffered a lot.

Here are the details of three concerts and a lecture by Varma ji between

December 18th and 22nd.

December 18th - 6:00pm

Brahma Gana Sabha
Sivagami Pettachi Hall,
179, MCTM School Campus,
Luz Church Road, Mylapore.

December 19th - 4:30 pm
Indian Fine Arts
Ethiraj Kalyana Mandapam
T.T.K. Road, Alwarpet

December 21 - 8:30 AM
Vaggeyakara Vaibhavam : Lecture on
Dr. Balamuralikrishna's Compositions
Sri Parthasarathy Sabha
VIDYA BHARATHI,
55, Bheemasena Garden Road,
Mylapore, Chennai - 4.
Phone : 2499 7269 / 2499 1248.

December 22 - 4:00pm
Sri Parthasarathy Sabha
VIDYA BHARATHI,
55, Bheemasena Garden Road,
Mylapore, Chennai - 4.
Phone : 2499 7269 / 2499 1248.

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 15 Dec 2015, 13:52

Latest videos of Parasala Ponnammal,from Musiquebox's channel.

Many thanks to Varmaji for these. It is wonderful how she sings

this way at age 91!

https://www.youtube.com/user/musiquebox/videos

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 21 Dec 2015, 12:40

Rare Neelakanta Sivan song by Varmaji at Brahmagana Sabha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVctHfc9etk

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 27 Dec 2015, 15:41

Kharaharapriya Pada Varnam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMdWrCIxjYA

Garudadhwani Thillana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oTYteXti1w

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 29 Dec 2015, 14:58

Lecture on Dr.M.Balamuralikrishna's compositions

http://www.kalakendra.com/carnatic-voca ... -4490.html

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 02 Jan 2016, 20:31

Varmaji felicitates Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sri Sanjay Subrahmanyan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucJ9xUMJbbo

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 04 Jan 2016, 09:35

Varmaji honours a host of people.....Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam,
Sanjay Subrahmanyan, Arjun Ganesh, Seetha Rajan, Ghatam Karthick,
Parasala Ponnammal, Sivaramakrishnan, Guruvayur Dorai, accepts
a few awards and has an enlightening chat with Prof.T.V.Gopalakrishnan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGD571n ... ANo_v3ZStj

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 09 Jan 2016, 00:44

Three songs from Swathi Sangeethotsavam

Kanakamayam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W03rgC9d4F0

Jaya Jaya Raghuramam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PXZzlhvAQA

Paramapurusham
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiH_u3IKmnw

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 14 Jan 2016, 12:07

Joyful scenes at the Music Academy on January 1, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPquE88D4N4

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 19 Jan 2016, 15:46

Latest from Musiquebox's channel.

A brilliant percussion trio from Varmaji's festival this year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2dllZ5wlIc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo9nkpCKFjU

thanjavooran · Post by **thanjavooran** » 19 Jan 2016, 17:51

Sweetsong,
Thanx for sharing the links one behind the other. In my leisure enjoy listening .
With wishes,
Thanjavooran
19 01 2016

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 27 Jan 2016, 08:01

You are welcome Sir.
Here are two more.

Anandabhairavi Thillana - Sanjay Subrahmanyan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Z02E3L8duQ

Tribute to Alalthur Brothers - Varmaji
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OjOGYz4ahw

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 30 Jan 2016, 17:30

Dear All
Aasaraa Charitable Society wants to just remind about the Three Day Music Workshop that is being conducted by Prince Rama Varma garu
Venue - Daspalla Banquet Hall
Dates - 5th February to 7th February
Timings from 4pm to 8pm
Vizagites are waiting for the Workshop eagerly for past one year and very excited that the time is drawing near.
We would like to share the happiness with one and all who would like to participate in the same.
Aasaraa Charitable Society is also conducting a Music Concert by
Prince Rama Varma garu and his accompanists Harikumar, Karthik and Vinu on 13th February
Venue - Vysakhi Jalaudyana Vanam
Timings - From 6pm
We invite one and all for the Concert.
Sunitha Cherukuri
President
Aasaraa Charitable Society
Visakhapatnam

Please contact Smt.Sunitha Cherkuri to register
cherukurisunitha@yahoo.com

A few videos from Varmaji's earlier sessions at Vizag.

Gandhamu Puyyaruga
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzWwdPDYSWc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVn-m5DN1Ow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT2PyhtSjPA

Thamburi Meetidava
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBMaRJC6iSk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY8EOKnLqzA

Hamir kalyani
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a22vjMhm34

Janani Ninuvina from a Vizag Concert
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa80jJe-eg8

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 16 Feb 2016, 12:30

A drive through Andhra Pradesh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxlekCAseTU

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 18 Feb 2016, 23:33

On February 27th the Rasikapriya Award would be given to Sri Sreenivasa Murthy
for his valuable concert uploads at Sangeethapriya.org, at 6:00pm at Arkay Convention Centre,
Mylapore, Luz, Chennai.
This will be followed by a lecture concert of Telugu songs by various composers by
Prince Rama Varma, accompanied by Sri S.R.Vinu, Sri B.Harikumar and Dr.S.Karthick.

Here is a selection of videos of Varmaji, getting children to sing perfectly, in languages
other than their own.

Kannada children sing a Thamizh song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt02r9Sm1fM

Malayali children sing a Telugu song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76rF7dDIxGw

Telugu children sing a Thamizh song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WZlleqwDis

Thamizh children sing a Telugu song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmWYaLZVC20

Malayali children sing a Sanskrit song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_pSdP6rbIg

Singapore children sing a Telugu song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCzqCzWygak

Telugu children sing a Bengali song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-ap3z1rZMU

Kannada children sing a Malayalam song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFYRny6gk_o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nNBhIrZv7w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7nFBGlnb20

Telugu children sing a Kannada song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBMaRJC6iSk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY8EOKnLqzA

Malayali children sing the language of music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8lfP8VLghw

Rasikapriya2013 · Post by **Rasikapriya2013** » 19 Feb 2016, 19:07

Thank you Sweetsong. Incredible service, he is doing for music!

Prince has one more concert in Chennai before this.

At the Chrompet Sangeetha Sabha,

Vasantha Mandapam,

(Behind Ramasubramanya temple)

Radha Nagar,

Chrompet,

at 6:00pm on Sunday, February 21st, with

Vidwans S.Varadarajan and Vijay Natesan accompanying him.

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 20 Feb 2016, 07:19

Review from Vizag
http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday ... 253006.ece

A few videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzmmQEI ... 0gcw-4NfZh

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 28 Feb 2016, 14:51

Rasikapriya Award function, followed by a recital of

Telugu songs, at Arkay Convention Centre, Madras, on Feb 27th.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tpIuYn6Bmmk

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 01 Mar 2016, 23:45

New link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjU-uat ... fXKj83FTE0

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 09 Mar 2016, 17:56

Ranjani Fine Arts (ranjanifinearts.org) celebrates it's fourth anniversary with a concert by

Prince Rama Varma

Sri S.R.Vinu

Sri B.Harikumar

Dr.S.Karthick

at Sobha Lake View Club,
Bellandur,
Bangalore,

at 5:00pm on Saturday, March 12th, 2016.

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 10 Mar 2016, 21:21

Beautiful story from the Prince Rama Varma facebook page!

One of the very first musical instruments that I ever touched, was an upright piano.....

a Bechstein.....that stood in a room in my house called the "Chinese Room" because

of the Chinese artifacts that were there at the time. It was moderately out of tune since

nobody was playing it any more.....and there are few things more sad than an unplayed

musical instrument......particularly one that is hard to find and hard to maintain.

But I loved going *pling* *plong* on it and Adored the warmth, the depth and the

resonance of the notes in the lower octave.....a love of low notes that has been my

constant companion all my life...even when I was young and had an embarrassingly

high and squeaky voice myself. I would call the black keys the "sad" keys, as they

produced a melancholic effect, when combined with the notes of the C scale.

My "Piano Days" ended by the time I was seven or eight years old (mid 1970s, that is)

and that was that, for several years.

I started to learn South Indian Classical music formally from Vechoor Hariharasubramania

Iyer Sir in 1982. But all through my Carnatic singing + listening, I never stopped listening

obsessively and passionately to many other forms of music like Hindustani Classical,

Western Classical, songs from Greece, Iran, Turkey, France, Germany and so on, not to

mention Hindi film songs. My heart was in Violin, as far as Carnatic music was

concerned......and Piano, as far as Western Classical music was concerned.

Since I couldn't find a Carnatic violinist in Trivandrum whom I could look up to

as a guru at the time, I went and did a short stint of Western Classical violin

with a teacher in Trivandrum around 1990. Sadly, it didn't last very long.

Then I searched for a good piano teacher and heard that The Best piano teacher

in town was.......surprise, surprise.....married to a guy who wouldn't allow her to

teach anybody! So, that was that.

In 1994, my beloved guru Vechoor Hariharasubramania Iyer Sir passed away and I

started on my nomadic lifestyle which continues to this day.

One day in 1996 when I was in Madras, I got an emergency call from an official,

asking me whether there was a piano at my house in Trivandrum that they could use

for a concert. I was delighted and I immediately came to Trivandrum

to have a meeting with the amazing Mr.Johnson Lobo who has since, passed on.

He was the only Double Bass player in the whole of South India for a long time, but

it was his skill as a repairer and restorer of musical instruments that was truly Epic

and Legendary! Several Stradivaris, Amatis and Guarneries that had received his

healing touch, ended up sounding even Better than they originally did!

Though his skills were legendary, he was also notoriously slow and there were several

stories going around, where his customers who had entrusted their violins with him, had

actually Died, before he got them repaired....and in this case, time was of the essence.

So I brought him home and showed him the moribund Bechstein. He was thankfully

Delighted at the thought of restoring and tuning a piano and making it concert worthy

in a matter of few days. He truly worked a miracle and all was well.....as well as could be

with a piano in such a state of disrepair, that is.

I went back to Madras and discovered that the trio that needed the piano in Trivandrum,

were playing at Madras the previous day! So I went for their concert.

The Cellist was just extraordinary and strangely, I could think of only one cellist during

the entire evening......not Casals, not Rostropovitch, not Jacqueline Du Pre, not Steven

Isserlis, but Maurice Gendron, whose few recordings I had, I really loved.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eve-57S6Gw0

The pianist was amazing too and had a warm, sunny demeanor. Though I liked the

violinist too, I forgot his name.

After the concert, I went to the green room to meet them, to warn them about the

less than perfect condition of the piano that they would get the next day at Trivandrum.

I first spoke to the cellist and told him that I kept thinking of this person called

Maurice Gendron all through the evening. His jaw dropped and his eyes popped

and he exclaimed "He was my teacher!!!!" It was one of the most unforgettable

moments in my life....and hopefully his too....and he kindly gifted me a CD of his,

then and there!

This is him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmdkxWER1aE

http://www.cellist.nl/database/showcellist.asp?id=167

This little interaction had gained me the attention of the pianist and the violinist too.

I explained the piano situation to the pianist....that while there were many

homes in Trivandrum which had pianos, none of the owners were prepared

to lend their instruments and that I had tried to restore an ancient and unused

piano to concert pitch with the help of Johnson Lobo Sir and so on.

The trio and I found ourselves in the same flight the next day, from Madras

to Trivandrum. The pianist was so warm and friendly that I invited them for

dinner after the concert and they accepted.

After the advent of the internet and youtube, I have remembered literally

Thousands of things where I wish I had had a video camera with me.

See this video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrSOauqGDCQ

Well.....we used to have something in Kerala called a Kai Vandi, which is like the

Second bullock cart in the video, but which is drawn by Men and not bulls.

Imagine my shock when I saw, crawling along with the Trivandrum traffic, two men

pushing the restored piano on a Kai Vandi to the venue.....in the hot sun,

which reminded me of this Noel Coward classic instantly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMlyT_Sb7sg

Later, I felt thankful that it was the Sun rather than the Rain that the men

and the piano had to cope with.

Mr.Johnson Lobo gave the finishing touches at the venue before the concert

started.

While the Madras concert was better in every way, including the quality of the

piano as well as the acoustics at the venue, the Trivandrum concert turned

out to be a great adventure and all of us felt a nice warm bond of friendship.

I met the three artists for dinner and we had a lovely meal and conversation,

with a lot of laughter and personal anecdotes.

The pianist was the friendliest of the lot and he told me how he proposed to

his girlfriend. He had bought a swanky car without telling her and just gave

her the key to the car....and proposed marriage then and there!

We parted like old friends, though we didn't exchange our contact details.

I remembered the very complicated name of the cellist Mr.Harro Ruijsenaars

because of the CD he had kindly gifted me.

The years passed and I started to teach and perform in Europe from time to

time. Once, a friend of mine organized a concert of mine in a Reeeeally

remote, but Reeeeeally beautiful village in Holland. Once the programme was

published, my friend got an excited call from the organizer. He was the

great pianist, Maestro Rian de Waal, who had played my home piano in

Trivandrum more than ten years ago and the concert would be held in his

beautiful home, which he had converted into a theater! (With Much better

acoustics than both the Trivandrum and Madras venues.)

Imagine His surprise and My surprise too!

I went there and we embraced like old friends. I met his lovely wife too,

who was an accomplished singer. But the surprises hadn't finished!

The kind maestro took me to his studio where, hanging across the

wall was the banner announcing his Trivandrum concert in 1996,

which he said, had found such a special place in his heart for so

many reasons.

We didn't keep in touch much, but had promised to meet up again.

My European activities wound down and I started spending most

of my time in India and one day, my Amsterdam friend sent me a

mail saying that Mr.Rian de Waal had passed away!

I simply couldn't believe it, as he was so young and full of energy!

Though we met just three times.....in Madras, in Trivandrum and

in Holland after more than a decade, each of the meetings remain

so warm, special and beautiful in my memory.

Here is a small writeup about the wonderful Maestro whom I really

and truly miss.

https://www.rnw.org/archive/dutch-piani ... asses-away

And today, while I was browsing youtube, I came across this small

tribute to him where you can catch a glimpse of his warm, sunny

personality, the beautiful venue where he organized concerts

and......hanging permanently behind his piano.....the banner from

Trivandrum, announcing their Trio Performance in December 1996!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raZ-U9-3iW8

Rama Varma

March, 2016

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 14 Mar 2016, 01:13

Varmaji at Ranjani Fine Arts on March 12th, 2016

https://rkrishnan.org/files/varmaji-ran ... -03-12.mp3

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 20 Mar 2016, 00:12

Audio
https://rkrishnan.org/files/varmaji-ran ... -03-12.mp3

A few videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_e-Qif ... GNGR0iPijm

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 01 Apr 2016, 10:25

Writeup from Ranjani Fine Arts Site

http://www.ranjanifinearts.org/#!blank-1/f4wv4

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 05 Apr 2016, 01:39

A song by Ogirala Veera Raghava Sharma, taught at Mumbai.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZVyxZFO97k

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 12 Apr 2016, 08:24

Shankarabharanam from the Navarathri Mandapam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1ADaLKdHX4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3or19bwufXU

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 16 Apr 2016, 17:28

An article on Maharaja Swathi Thirunal whose 203rd birth anniversary it is today.

http://ramavarma.yolasite.com/maharaja- ... rticle.php

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 19 Apr 2016, 09:25

Varmaji presenting Swathi Thirunal Maharaja at the Kuthiramalika Palace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KR4x86_cD4

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 27 Apr 2016, 00:37

32 years since Sri M.D.Ramanathan left us.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYwDtW6 ... BMQh4Vw-Ld

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 02 May 2016, 00:10

A lecture on Dr.Balamuralikrishna's compositions

http://www.sangeethamshare.org/login.ph ... sitions%2F

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 09 May 2016, 19:18

An article in Mathrubhoomi Newspaper
http://www.mathrubhumi.com/print-editio ... -1.1045451

English translation from Varmaji's fan page in Facebook

Music, Divine

“Smarathinu maam sadayam”… the strains of Behag come lilting in as one enters Kuthiramalika. The Puthenmalika of Ananthapuri is in deep slumber till it awakens for the music-soaked evenings of January. Then, one wonders if the place is pervaded by the soul of Swati Tirunal himself – the royal musician who embraced the scepter and Tanpura with equal ease and scaled new heights in Indian classical music, opening up its glory to the world.

“Today is his birthday”, says musician Ashwathi Tirunal Rama Varma - the worthy descendant of the Maharaja, and the able organizer of the Swathi Sangeethotsavam. Rama Varma, the son of Pooyam Tiruanl Gowri Parvathi Bai and Chemprol Raja Raja Varma of the Travancore royal family, is renowned in the field of Carnatic music in India and abroad.

It was this royal musician who broke the shackles of conservatism and created a revolution of sorts by getting the eminent musician Vidushi Parassala Ponnammal to sing in the Navarathri Mandapam – a venue forbidden for women until then. He also took the Swathi Music festival to unprecedented dimensions, attracting music aficionados from all over the world who flock in to get an authentic taste of “Indian music”. The soft-spoken Raghu, as he is fondly called by his near and dear ones, waxes eloquent when the subject is related to music, generously opening up his treasure trove of knowledge on musicians ranging from Saigal, Mohammad Rafi and Kishore Kumar to M.D. Ramanathan, K.S. Narayanaswami, R. Venkatraman and Dr. M. Balakuralikrishna. He challenged the royal reservations against a member of their family preforming in public, and went to Amsterdam to teach Indian classical music. The years he spent in Amsterdam, Paris and London infused in him a deep sensitivity to Eastern and Western music. Even now, visitors come from across the seas in search of their Guru and friend; their beloved Prince.

Rama Varma has conducted music workshops in places ranging from the remote village of Perla in Northern Kerala and cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam and new Delhi to global locations like Singapore and France. He is a rare exception among musicians who see music merely as a source of income. In fact, those who benefited from his much-loved Perla workshops included auto-rickshaw drivers as well as exponents of classical music! A characteristic of Rama Varma’s concerts is the way he lucidly explains the meaning and background of the kritis he presents. Varma believes that this will help even a layperson to appreciate and love classical music without being intimidated by it. His fluency in several languages helps him to reach out to international audiences. Indeed, the fact that his videos on Youtube have attracted over 50 lakh views stands testimony to the universal appeal of his music.

The world awaits further musical treats from Prince Rama Varma, who has not only delved into the world of Carnatic music but also traversed the entire realm of music across continents, and generously, relentlessly shares his knowledge and experience with the world.

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 15 May 2016, 14:25

Excerpts from a teaching session at Bangalore on May 9th

Rama Rama
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhMV5rImWHI

Old video with students singing along
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slWPNqWOg_Y

Thillana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-SD3aoV-F4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7AqIDqv7UI

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 28 May 2016, 11:07

A few Tamil songs

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... hmBLBrtiRB

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 01 Jun 2016, 14:24

Here is a small tribute to Sri Tyagaraja on his 250th Birth Anniversary by Varmaji
that came out in the Bangalore based magazine SAAMAGAANA.The First Melody.
Those who might be interested in subscribing to the magazine are welcome to
check out www.thefirstmelody.in or write to them at publicity@thefirstmelody.com

Most of us are born; we eat, drink, use up resources, add to the population and die.

without leaving behind anything that would be of any use to anyone in the future.

A few chosen ones are fortunate enough to leave behind something that is precious

and beautiful, that would continue to bring joy to others, long after they are dead

and gone.

Among These blessed few, there is a Smaller group of select individuals whose

legacy is So immense that it would take several lifetimes just to try and Evaluate what they have

left behind for posterity! One of the names that would feature right on top of this list

would be a man who was born in Thiruvaiyaru in South India on the 4th of May, 1767

and changed the course of South Indian Classical Music for ever :-

Kakarla Sri Thyagabrahmam.....popularly known as Sri Thyagaraja.

There are two kinds of history......contemporary history like Obama becoming the first

black U.S.President, tennis records being rewritten by Roger Federer and so on;

and there is ancient history, like the construction of the Pyramids of Egypt, the

Vijayanagaram Empire and so on. Being born 250 years ago, one would expect

Thyagaraja to be a part of ancient history. But he is in fact more dynamic and

vibrant a presence in the daily lives of so many music lovers all over the world, than

millions of people who are still alive now. Presidents and sports stars may come and go,

but Sri Thyagaraja and others of his ilk remain.

People like Sri Thyagaraja from this part of the world and J.S.Bach from the West,

viewed music as a way to express their devotion to the Divine. But it is their Musical

genius that ensures them a permanent place, as far as posterity is concerned.

There is a book called Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell where he studies the lives of

several people who have made their mark in the history of mankind..Steve Jobs

who founded Apple, for example. Though many of them seem to be "self made"

individuals, it is revealed during closer study, that most of these people became

what they became, due to a combination of a whole set of factors, apart from

their obvious brilliance. This seems to be the case with the immense popularity that

Sri Thyagaraja enjoys even now, 250 years after his birth.

To list a few....

He had a long and healthy life.

He was one of the richest among all the great composers, when it came to Shishya

Sampath or "wealth of disciples"....disciples who went around teaching his

compositions to Their disciples and so on, with the result that almost Any student,

teacher or practitioner of Carnatic music anywhere in the world, would most likely

have "eaten the salt" of Sri Thyagaraja, one way or the other.

Being obsessed with his beloved Rama and with music, he had relatively few distractions

and could focus completely on music.

Though he was hugely influenced by other great souls who came before him, like

Bhadrachala Ramadasa for example (whose name he mentions in several of his

compositions) he came up with his own distinct style.

He was an innovator par excellence who Invented the Anupallavi in the "Pallavi,

Anupallavi, Charanam" format of songs that is widely followed even now.

He created more than 60 new ragas.

Though he lived in Tamil Nadu, he composed in the two languages that he was

comfortable with; Telugu and Sanskrit.

His compositions (many of which are composed in the simple Adi Thaalam with 8 beats)

seem to be tailor made more for easy accessibility by the listeners than as pieces to

show off his own abilities.

He could compose many songs in the same raga (like Thodi or Shankarabharanam

for example) and highlight a different facet of the raga in each song.

He has made quite a few compositions where he talks about music itself, like

Swara Raga Sudharasayutha, Shobhillu Saptha Swara, Sogasuga Mridanga Thaalamu

and so on.

He more or less invented or at least took to great heights, the concept of "sangathis"

(musical phrases or ornamentation) in the same line of a song, which progressively

build up a beautiful edifice of the raga in the song itself, even without resorting to

improvisation.

Though rooted in the so called Carnatic idiom, he was, like most of the great souls

before and after him, totally open to the charms of both Hindustani as well as Western

music. (We find the beautiful influence of Hindustani music in songs like Mokshamu

Galada and Maanamu Leda and of Western music in songs like Raminsuvarevarura,

Shara Shara Samaraika Dheera, Vara Leela Gaana Lola and so on.)

Things would get rather dry if I were to go on listing points like this. So let me write

a little bit more now, before winding up.

The biggest crisis faced not just by Sri Thyagaraja but by classical music itself as a whole,

would be the almost Total lack of respect paid to the lyrics of the masterpieces given to us

by the great masters, In any system of music, there is the expression "Music and Lyrics"

or "Sangeetham api Saahithyam." But in South Indian Classical music, the lyrics don't

seem to matter one bit to singers, their accompanists, the concert organizers, the listeners

or the critics. Being by far the most represented composer in concerts, Sri Thyagaraja's

songs also end up being the most mercilessly butchered too, sadly.

If I start quoting even the random examples that come to mind instantly, this little article

would exceed it's word limit by far.

So let me just list a couple of examples here.

Niga nigamanusuuuu + sangathi 1 + sangathi 2 + sangathi 3

Niga nigamanusuka pola

Yugamuchemera

Yoo Mo Moo

This is what is made of an exquisitely beautiful and evocative line like

Niganigamanuchu Kapola Yugamuche, Merayu Momu, which means

"radiant cheeks and shining face".....which joins the Pallavi of

Nee sogasu jooda tharama ? which means "Can anyone else have this kind of

beauty as you?"

In the magnificent song in Kamboji "O Ranga Shaayee" he offers his beloved God

examples of Other Gods having come, when called by Their devotees...and pleads

"O Ranga Shaayee, when I call out O, to you, can't you respond and come?"

One of the examples of other devotees and other Gods mentioned here, is the

instance when Lord Shiva (described as Kailasaadhipa here) came to the rescue of

one of His devotees. But when most people sing this song, Kailasaadhipudu gets

split into two and simply the word "Kailasa" is sung again and again at the end of the

first line, where it has absolutely no meaning at all.

When I started music lessons during the early 1980s, there was simply no way for a

school boy living in Kerala, to search out the meanings of songs in Any language,

leave alone just Telugu.

These days, the advent of the internet has been the best thing possible for serious

students, practitioners and listeners of music, because apart from a profusion of audio

recordings of the great masters, there is also a profusion of websites that give the lyrics

and meanings of so many songs in so many languages.

Here are a few.

http://thyagaraja-vaibhavam.blogspot.in/

http://lyrical-thyagaraja.blogspot.in/

http://www.karnatik.com/

http://sahityam.net/wiki/Main_Page

One can only pray to the spirit of Sri Thyagaraja Himself that a time would come, sooner

than later, when musicians, music students, music gurus and music lovers would choose

to educate themselves as far as the lyrics go, and make the entire experience of our

wonderful music, infinitely more wholesome and fulfilling for all concerned.

It would undoubtedly bring us closer to the extraordinary hearts, minds and spirits

of the great souls or Mahanubhaavaas in music where Sri Thyagaraja remains

one of the All time Greats.

Rama Varma

April 2016

ramavarma.yolasite.com

Some Tyagaraja songs
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 0XvzDSZnlp

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... JCs_-9ALcI

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 10 Jun 2016, 02:17

Informal concert. January 2016.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... 1PnftlIM3J

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 22 Jun 2016, 03:18

Ekata Cultural Society to organize a

Class at Sharjah by Varma ji on June 24th morning and

concert on June 25th evening.

For details, please contact the organizers at

0509498825 or 0507860023.

Email - navarathrimandapam@gmail.com

vilomachapu · Post by **vilomachapu** » 22 Jun 2016, 18:21

One of the names that would feature right on top of this list would be a man who was born in Thiruvaiyaru in South India on the 4th of May, 1767

Some people like these have been spreading this myth that Thyagaraja was born in Tiruvaiyyaru and not in Tiruvarur. Mainly these people belong to the Balamurali school. B.M.Sundaram it was who started spreading this myth based on the spurious manirangu song attributed to Thyagaraja which was being sung by Balamurali. This canard must not be believed by genuine lovers of Carnatic music.

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 22 Jun 2016, 23:41

Song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azuLGOemdw4

Lyrics and meaning
taaLam: caapu
Composer: Vyaasaraaya
Language: KannaDa

pallavi

krishna nee bEganE baarO

anupallavi

bEganE baarO mukhavannu tOrO
(krishna nee bEganE baarO)

caraNam 1

kaalaalandhugE gejje nIlada baavuli
nIlavarNane naaTya vaaduta baarO
(krishna nee bEganE baarO)

caraNam 2

Udiyalli udigejje beraLalli ungura
koraLalli haakida vaijayantiya maalE
(krishna nee bEganE baarO)

caraNam 3

kaashi peethambara kaiyalli koLalu
pUsida shreegandha mayyOLagamma!
(krishna nee bEganE baarO)

caraNam 4

taayige baayalli jagavannu torida
jagadhOddhaaraka namma uDupi shree krishna
(krishna nee bEganE baarO)

Meaning:
pallavi: krishna nee bEganE baarO - Krishna ! Come hither soon !

anupallavi: bEganE baarO mukavannu tOrO - Come hither soon! Show (me) your face!

caraNam 1: kaalaalandhigE gejje niladhabaavuli - Beautiful anklets adorn your feet! Sapphire bracelets (on your arms)!
nilavarNane naaTya maaduta baarO - "(Oh!)Blue coloured one.. (Please) come hither dancing !

caraNam 2: Odiyalli odigejje beraLalli ongura - Waistbands with bells adorn your waist! Ring(s) on your finger(s) !
koraLalli haakita vajayantimaalE - "The (divine)Vaijayanthi necklace garlands your neck !

caraNam 3: kaasi peeTambara kaiyalli koLalu - (Sacred)Saffron cloth from Kashi (covers you) ! (a) flute in your hand(s)!
pushita shreegandha mayallOLagamma! - Oh dear! Your body is anointed with sandal paste !

caraNam 4: taayige baayalli jagavannu torita - The one who showed his mother the universe in his mouth
jagadhOdhaaraka namma uDupi shree krishna - (that)Benefactor of the world (Is) our Udupi Shri Krishna !
Contributed by Jayaram Suryanarayana.

Other information: "Bhava darpana" by S. Jayaram Uparna.

Saint Vyasaraya reaches his devotional pinnacle in this song. There is hardly anyone who is not moved when he hears this song being rendered correctly. Here the Saint calls out to Krishna and implores him to come to him . He launches into a devotional trance where he sees Krishna at a distance. Krishna's immaculate dressing and exquisite beauty makes the Saint detail them in this evergreen song. The amalgamation of genuine Bhakti with touchingly simple composition, sets one thinking whether is Krishna who is decorated with the ornaments, or the other way around.

There is a more profound philosophical meaning to this song. The anklets are worn in India with a belief that the bells attached to them would create a sound which beckon good fortune and drive away demons. When the Saint describes Krishna, he allocates a first place to this ornament, thus requesting Krishna to ward off all the demons of ignorance in our heart and bestow all his divine mercy on us.

The next in line is the armlet. The armlet (popularly called as Baajuband in the northern parts of India), is an ornament in the upper portion of the arm. The Armlet is an ornament that restricts the free movement of the hand, it has a tight grasp and is a constant reminder of its presence. Ideologically, this ornament is considered to be a symbol of restraint and control, of what is called as 'SaMyama'. Hence, the Saint calls out to the Lord to grant the benign qualities of restraint and control, to his devotees. Not only does the Saint ask Krishna to come, but He also implores the Lord to come dancing ..... a symbol of pure, unadulterated joy.

WaistBands are worn mostly by the affluent, aristocratic families in India, and the mention of these here has profound significance. The Waistbands worn on children, apart from their other mundane practical purposes, is supposed to disenchant and protect the young one. Since Krishna's beauty is above all, it is as if the Saint is imploring the Lord to not forget to wear the waistband, so that the evil eye cast by his devotees on him (when they see His lotus like face), does not affect him...!

Rings have always been associated with the show of dedication all over the world ( be it the royal insignia, the Seal or even the wedding ring). The Saint implores Krishna to bless him with dedicated unflinching devotion, so that he may never stray from the path of Love towards the Supreme.

The Vyjayanthi Mala, a divine necklace born during the churning of the KsheeraSagara (Milk Ocean), is a sacred and potent ornament. It is said to bestow unrestricted victory to anyone who wears it (hence the name Vaijayanti -- Vijayee Kurvanti iti Vaijayanti ). The Saint describes the Lord wearing this ornament, so that the Love for the Lord (Bhakti) in the devotees heart always emerges victorious over the other emotions that ravage the human heart.

Kaashi is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, and for the Hindus, it is the sacred city of death. Every devout Hindu aspires to breath his last in this city for it is believed that one who does so attains salvation without doubt. Kashi, also called as Benares, is very famous for the rich golden silk cloth that is made there. The Saint remembers the City through its famous silk, imploring the Lord to bestow him with the ultimate goal of any living entity .. the remembrance of Krishna while passing away.

The Flute is a unique musical instrument. Utterly mellifluous and demystifyingly simplistic and practical, the flute is Krishna's favorite instrument. The flute not only soothes the humans listening to it, but even the beasts have been known to slow down, calm and be subdued at the sound of the Flute. Metaphorically speaking, Krishna's flute is remembered here to defeat the beasts in us and to congregate the saintly ( the cow has always been associated with a saintly nature, and Krishna's flute always calls the cows together).

After all the ornaments and instruments, the Saint directs his attention to the most revered of all beautifying agents - Sandal Paste. The Sandal tree is a unique tree. It gives itself up, and though it undergoes pain and torture when it is rubbed together vigorously, it endures it all and perfumes even the hand that caused it the suffering. The Sandal has always been a symbol of sacrifice and total submission. Devotees of the highest grade have been compared to the Sandalwood. Hence, by mentioning the aromatic Sandal paste here, the Saint cautions one towards the ideal of complete submission to and absolute dependency on, Krishna.

Lest the devotee take Krishna's love in jest, the Saint reminds him of the famous episode from Krishna's childhood when he shows the entire universe in his lotus like mouth to his startled mother. By this Krishna shows to the devotee that he is the be all and end all of everything. He is the originator, benefactor and ultimate destroyer of everything. The Devotee is cautioned that he should never take Bhakti lightly, for that may sound the death knell of his existence...and the pure devotee is spirited away into remembrance of the splendid world of Krishna Leela. A befitting end to a glorious song. Shri KrishNArpaNam astu. Some corrections from Harish.

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 29 Jun 2016, 12:51

Varmaji to sing with Sri S.R.Vinu, Sri B.Harikumar and Dr.S.Karthick,

at Adambakkam Sapthaswaralaya Trust,

Sri Karpaga Vinayagar Sri Pandurangan Temple Auditorium,

9th Street,

Shanthi Nagar,

Adambakkam,

Chennai 600088

at 6:30pm on Sunday, July 3rd.

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 19 Jul 2016, 16:18

A few songs from this concert

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... K9JAeXNU1w

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 21 Jul 2016, 13:17

Akhilandeshwari from Aadi Maasam music festival,

inaugural concert at Udiyannur Devi Temple in

Trivandrum.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqEesXoQZFI

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 02 Aug 2016, 22:27

Karnataka Fine Arts Council, (KFAC) constituted by 10 leading music sabhas of Bangalore, including Nadasurabhi, is pleased to launch its first music course by a renowned guru, in its ongoing effort to spread and support Indian Classical Music and Dance.
Details are as follows:
Guru: Sri. Rama Varma
Venue and Course Management, Ananya, 91/2, 4th Main, Malleshwaram,
Bengaluru-3.
Course Content: A Selection from the Compositions of Maharaja Swathi Tirunal , M.D.Ramanathan, Dr.M.Balamuralikrishna, Annamacharya, Purandaradasa, Bhadrachala Ramadasa, Kaiwara Amara Nareyana and others as the course develops.
Dates and timing:
10th, 11th and 12th September 2016.
From 5 PM
Duration: 2.5 to 3 hours / day
Course fee per participant is Rs.2,000 payable in cash to Dr.Raghavendra, Ananya, Bengaluru or NEFT bank transfer in advance. Registration will be confirmed only on receipt of payment. There can be no refund of fees after registration.
For payment to KFAC by NEFT:
Account Name : Karnataka Fine Arts Council
Account type : Savings
Account no : 0403101205196
IFSC code : CNRB0000403
Bank : Canara Bank
Branch : Basavanagudi, Bangalore
Candidates , once fees is paid by cash or transferred by NEFT, may kindly send the following information by email to bengaluruananya@gmail.com or phone +91 9980991110
Name of Candidate, Age, Address, Phone no., Mobile no., Email address and how they came to know about the course.
No. of students: 25 only on first come first served basis.
Last date for registrations : 1st September 2016 or as soon as the seats are filled up, whichever is earlier.
Minimum Student Qualification: Must have learnt up to keerthanai level.
Venue of Course:
Ananya Sabhangana, 91/2, 4th Main, Malleshwaram, Bengaluru-3

Co-ordinator:
Dr. Raghavendra, Ananya, 91/2 , 4th Main, Malleswaram, Bengaluru.3.
In case of any clarification, please contact through email
bengaluruananya@gmail.com

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 06 Aug 2016, 15:49

Yadukulakamboji
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVx8tFV0DaA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrHYcae_zHA

and Asaveri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRNh8xVR9WQ

from a previous camp.

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 14 Aug 2016, 10:52

Birthday video for Varmaji - August 13th.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26i6eCd ... e=youtu.be

Rsachi · Post by **Rsachi** » 14 Aug 2016, 12:11

Happy Birthday to Sri Varma-ji and my sincere wishes to him for many years of giving and enjoying the best of music!

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 17 Aug 2016, 12:29

Concert by Prince Rama Varma,

Sri S.R.Vinu

Sri B.Harikumar

and

Sri S.Krishnaswamy

for Rasika Ranjana Sabha (R.R.Sabha) Trichy,

at 6:30 PM on Friday, August 19, at 6:30pm

at Hotel Sangam, Trichy.

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 22 Aug 2016, 16:39

Concert by Prince Rama Varma

Sri S.R.Vinu

Dr.G.Babu

and Sri P.L.Sudheer for Sri Krishna Jayanthi

at the Sri Parthasarathy Temple, Thuckalay

at 6:45 pm on Sunday, August 27th.

(Sree Parthasarathy Temple,

Main Road,

Thuckalay)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuckalay

The contact person there is

Shri Narayanan Potti +91 9786936911

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 23 Aug 2016, 11:16

SATURDAY, August 27th, not Sunday. Sorry.

sweetsong · Post by **sweetsong** » 24 Aug 2016, 15:11

On Sri Krishna Jayanthi,

a concert of Krishna songs
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... dZvOrPPwPK

and a playlist of beautiful Krishna Bhajans
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... dPQAR8zBT3