Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Carnatic Musicians
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rajeshnat
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Post by rajeshnat »

The highly respected vaggeyakkara ThanjAvur Shankara Iyer(TSI) , who was also a concert artiste and a much loved teacher,was felicitated in MFAC on Sept 15th,2006 .There were 3 speakers who paid tributes to TSI.I am just documenting only the salient points that each of the 3 speakers V V Sundaram (cleveland),Dr Srivastava and TK Govinda Rao talked .

VV Sundaram said
# TSI was born on pongal day and his father was a tamil pandit and his mother was a musician, and he composed not only in tamil,but also in telugu and sanskrit
# learned from tiger varadachariar for 8 years in annamalai university
# VV Sundaram recollected that his friend shri Lalgudi jayaraman loved each of the krithis that TSI had composed , and LGJ used to explain to V V sundaram how TSI aptly connected the sahithya and rAga that he tuned , and how TSI emphasised the vallinam and mellinam in every composition .
# he recollected how TSI explained tOdi for about 45 minutes with respect to then and today of how tOdi was sung.

Dr Srivastava said
# He was one of the prolific composers who gave bOTH old and new perspectives at the same time and said he brought a lot of understanding to common man .

# Incidentally he told an interesting real anecdote of how TSI composed the master piece "mahadeva shiva sambo" in revati rAgam . Lord shiva is believed to play veena in 3 occasions , one significant occassion was he plays veena to destroy. TSI when he was in madras many years before a cyclone threatened to destroy. TSI with his emotions outpoured, prayed to Lord Shiva and composed this revati masterpiece praying Lord shiva not to have any destruction.

# The popular number manasAramathi was composed drawing inspiration from a krithi by thyagaraja in the rAgam vivardhini.

Sangeetha Kalanidhi TK Govinda Rao said
# TSI compositions had both lakshanam and lakshyam and he recollected he used to sing for long number of years TSI's rAma namame in desh without even knowing that TSI was the composer.

# TSI was both lakshana and lakshya vidwan , and his musical compositions fall in the league of thyagarAjar and pApanAsam Sivan. TK Govinda Rao recollected his association with TSI in annamalai university.

The best followed was TSI's concert.
Last edited by rajeshnat on 16 Sep 2006, 22:49, edited 1 time in total.

rajeshnat
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Post by rajeshnat »

ThanjAvur Shankara Iyer Felicitation@MFAC on Sept 15th,2006

accompanied BY nAgai Sriram - violin , bhakthavatsalam -mridangam and vAsan-ghatam. Shri TSI sang for 95 minutes.

1. ninnu kori (varnam)- mOhanam -Poochi Shrinivasa Iyengar
2. shree varalakshmee namastubhyam vasupradE (RS,S) -shree - MD
3. edhukku thaan ...ayyA(RS) - shuruTTi -Marimutha pillai
4. sarasa sAma dhAna - kApinarayAni - T
5. tani - just for 3 minutes.
6. telisi rAma (R,S) - poornachandrika - T
7. appa rAma bhakthi(R) - pantuvarAli - T
8. shree subrahmanyaya (R,N,S)-"bhusuradi samasta janapujitA" - neraval -kAmbOdhi - MD
9. ini Oru kanam (R) - shriranjani - pApanasam sivan
10. evarini nee - devamruthavarshini - T
remark by tirvarur bhakthavatsalam - "engalukku evalavu bhakhyam"
11. muthukumarAne(R)- shankarabharanam - ramaswamy sivan
12. endhan undan nAmame (R) - behAg -TSI ??
13. manasAramathi - saramati - TSI
14. manadhirkku ugandhadu (R) - sindhu bhairavi - TSI
excellent tit for tat alankaram at the end (violin)
15. sree rAmachandra srithapathi(slokham) - madhyamavathi - ???
16. shree ramachandrannuku jaya mangalam - madhyamavathi - ArunachAla kavi

Having only heard TSI as a composer, this is the first occasion where TSI was a live vocalist to me.Being 83 years old and also with he suffering from a stroke (left forearm was evident)did not push TSI to give a mediocre performance .

Every krithi that he sang had tremendous energy and vigour. Started with a brisk mOhanam varnam . A very distinct shree rAga alapanai followed with clean diction of shree varalakshmee .Swara patterns were more half avartana type, but were just down in quick succession and looked the entire team was challenged and jolted by TSI .Incidentally Shree followed by a rare shuruTTi(edhukku thAn) must be a rare combination in early part of concert .

I knew TSI was a big fan of mmi. His sarasa sAma dhana was sung with gusto and a short 4 minute tani followed . The next was a neat and short alapanai indicating to my imperfect ear that it could be telisirAma was rendered well and had nice swarams in poornachandrika.

I did register the alApanai of pantuvarAli as poorvikalyAni , but TSI sang quite well the appa rAma bhakthi. What a surprise he took a daring kAmbOdhi as #8 ,that too one of the toughest shree subrahmanyaya , excellent neraval and a very polished swara pattern in kAmbOdhi was a great treat.

The surprise continued with an excellent shriranjani ,the popular mmi krithi ini Oru kanam was sung with gusto, his tamil diction was perfect. Well I thought it is tukkada time but he continued with another evarani nee. At the end of devamruthavarshini , shri bhakthavatsalam picked up the mike and said "engalukku evalavu bhagyam , eppadi padrar parungO"

In one concert picking a KambOdhi and shankarabharanam is some thing that I have not heard , that was what shir TSI choosed.When I heard a rAga alApanai of shankharabharanam ,I assumed lot of songs in that and may be a RTP. He again surprised and elaborated with muthukumarAne , which is a slow and rhythmic song.. He did not completely sing every sahithyam of shankarabharAnam but brought all the charm of the melakartha 29.

One lady got up and asked TSI to sing his own compositions. With his humility he said there is not much there and then he consented to sing one or two . He sang a very good and new behAg endhan undhan nAmame which I am assuming it is his composition . Excellent alankaram in the line pazhani pazhani enrAle of behAg krithi.

With Dr Srivastava's explanation of mahadeva siva sambho, I got up and asked mahadeva shiva sambo, for which TSI said that is a long song and he said he cannot make it now . Then I said manasAramathi , for which TSI said "manasAra padren manasAramathi".:).Here his few sishyas took over I only heard the last charanam sung by TSI.

The popular sindhu bhairavi was sung very well with a nice tit for tat exchange between TSI and nAgai sriram (brilliant today) in the sindhu bhairavi alankAram at the end. Incidentally there was a very good and slow exposition of sindhu bhairavi in the lines "eNNum eNNamellaam niraivErum" which usually is rushed by most of musicians.

The slokham sri ramachandra srithapathi jataha was sung very well in madhyamavathi and a nice and rarer finish of arunachala kavi krithi "shree ramachandrannuku jaya mangalam" gave a complete awesome experience to me.

The prayer song was a TSI composition mahAganapathi vAr manamaghizhndu by one of the sishyas and vidushi Geetha rAjasekar thanked TSI before the concert began.
Last edited by rajeshnat on 20 Sep 2006, 11:38, edited 1 time in total.

Lakshman
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Post by Lakshman »

# 12 should be enrum undan nAmamE tuNaiyena which is his own composition.

rajeshnat
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Post by rajeshnat »

Lakshman Sir,
Can we get the exhaustive list of TSI's compositions with rAga names.

Lakshman
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Post by Lakshman »

Compositions of Tanjavur Shankara Iyer.

Adaikkalattil. rAgA: sarasvati. Adi tALA.
annai akhilANDEshvari. rAgA: suraTi. Adi tALA
atishayam pala sheivAi. : husEni. Rupaka tALA.
yyyappan nAmam. rAgA: pUrvikalyANi. Adi tALA.
cintaiyil ninai manamE. rAgA: cakravAka. Adi tALA.
bAlasubramaNyan pAdamE. rAgA: viSNupriyA. Adi tALA.
dhyAna lakSmi taruNam. rAgA:suraTi. rUpaka tALA.
enda varam taruvAi. rAgA: kalyANi. Adi tALA.
enda vidamAi. rAgA: shuddhasAvEri. Adi tALA.
enna vandAlum. rAgA: kAmbhOji. cApu tALA.
enrum undan. rAgA behAg. rUpaka tALA.
ezhiluDai hamsanAdam rAgA: hamsanAda. Adi.
gaNapatiyE. rAgA:nATa. Adi tALA.
gaNapatiyE un kazhal paNindEn. rAgA: mOhana. Adi tALA.
gangai aNI shivan maindA. rAgA: tODi. k/cApu tALA.
gIta vAdya naTana. rAgA: nATakapriyA. Adi tALA.
IshanE. HindOLa. Adi tALA..
kANa muDiyumA. rAgA: sArangA. Adi tALA.
kAnaDA. rAgA: kAnaDA. Adi tALA.
kaNDavuDan. rAgA: hamsAnandi. Adi tALA.
karuNai purivAi tAyE. rAgA: gauLipantu. s/cApu tALA.
madhuram madhuram. rAgA: kharaharapriyA. Adi tALA.
mahA gaNapati vA vA. rAgA: nATa. sankIrNa cApu tALA.
mahAdEva shiva. rAgA: rEvati. Adi tALA.
mAl marugan (varNa). rAgA: hindOLa. Adi tALA.
mAl marugA SaNmukhA. rAgA: hindoLa. Adi tALA.
mAmalai ADinEn. rAgA:SaNmukhapriyA. k/cApu tALA.
manamalar (jAvaLi). rAgA: suraTi. Adi tALA.
mandirk-kughandadu. rAgA: sindhubhairavi. Adi tALA.
manasAramati. rAgA: sAramati. Adi tALA.
manOranjita rAgA. rAgA: manOranjita. Adi tALA.
murugA tirumAl. rAgA: harikAmbhOji. rUpaka tALA.
nambinavarkku aruL. rAgA: shankarAbharaNa. Adi tALA.
natajana pAlini. rAgA: nalinakAnti. Adi tALA.
nI illAmal vEru tuNai. rAgA: bhairavi. rUpaka tALA.
nIvE gati gaNapati. rAgA: kAmavardhani. Adi tALA.
pada sarOjamula. rAgA: asAvEri. Adi tALA.
pAmAlai shUDiyE. rAgA: SaNmukhapriyA. k/cApu tALA.
paripUrNa candra vadani. rAgA: pUrNacandrikA. Adi tALA.
pizhai koLLa vandAr. rAgA: kalyANi. Adi tALA.
pOghAdE manamE. rAgA: sArangA. Adi tALA.
poruttaruLvAyE. rAgA: shahAna. Adi tALA.
rAma nAmam. rAgA: valaji. Adi tALA.
rAma nAmamE tudi dinamE. rAgA: dEs. Adi tALA.
ranganAyakiyE. rAgA: nAyaki. cApu tALA.
ranjani mrdu. rAgamAlikA. Adi tALA.
sakala kalA vANi (varNa). rAgA: hindOLa. Adi tALA.
samayam idE. rAgA: hindOLa. Adi tALA.
santAna lakSmiyE. rAgA: SaNmukhapriyA. Adi tALA.
shakti gaNapatiyE. rAgA: gauLa. Adi tALA.
shAnti aLittiDum. rAgA: cenjuruTi. Adi tALA.
sharavaNabhava guha. rAgA: shahAna. Adi tALA.
shendil vElanE. rAgA: cakravAka. Adi tALA.
shrI rAjarAjEshvari. rAgA: pUrvikalyANi. Adi tALA.
tA dhirana (tillAnA). rAgA: Anandabhairavi. cApu tALA.
tAyE. rAgA: lalitA. rUpaka tALA.
vENDina varam. rAgA: rItigauLa. rUpaka tALA.
vENDina varam tarum. rAgA: kAmbhOji. Adi tALA.
vinavinar viNNulagattil. rAgA: tODi. Adi tALA.
yamunA vihAra. rAgA: bhImpalAs. Adi tALA.
yAr arivAr avar mahimaiyai. rAgA: kAmbhOji. cApu tALA.

Vocalist
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Post by Vocalist »

grrrr...so many of these compositions are neglected in concerts now and before. do you have notation for these Lakshman?

Lakshman
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Post by Lakshman »

I have for some.

kmrasika
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Post by kmrasika »

Vocalist: tanjAvUr Shankara aiyyar needs no introduction to the CM world as his songs are quite popular with musicians and rasikAs as well. I believe chitravINA ShrI ravikiraN has edited and released a book of aiyyar's compositions which has had a good reception. As an anecdote, I remember some rasikAs who would recall when asking the composer to render his own compositions, he would oblige but would also encourage rasikAs to hear renditions of his compositions by DKJ and MLV. I only know now why he had mentoned thus. Try hearing DKJ's rendition of mahAdEva Shiva ShambhO; w/ amazing svarakalpana dwelling on only the mandra sthAyi; MLV's handling of manasAramati and manadirkkugandadu is spectacular.

Just on your comment:
so many of these compositions are neglected in concerts now and before
So are compositions of many others, can't be listed long enough. I've also noticed nowadays as the number of new compositions get bigger in number, they override importance over a lot of older compositions, thence the latter becomes rare(so are the books containing them). Luckily, specialization has become common among musicians so compositions don't become extinct.

ksrimech
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Post by ksrimech »

rajeshnat Sir- Please change ravichandrikA to pUrNachandrikA in item #6 of the song list. Thank you.
Last edited by ksrimech on 20 Sep 2006, 09:59, edited 1 time in total.

coolkarni

Post by coolkarni »

I have fond memories of spendng a great deal of time with Thanjavur Sankara Iyer in the 80s.

Those days I was a paying guest at Sangeetha Colony in KK Nagar Chennai.The landlady was a distant relative of TSI and her daughter a senior disciple of his.TSI used to stay in that flat too but it was only after 6-8 months of observing me and my listening habits that he decided to get close.
Those were early days for me in CM appreciation.I had a great thirst for CM but was finding it difficult to lay my hands on hight quality recordings.Most tapes available in the market were of 45mt durations and the practce of publishing live concerts was not yet in vogue.

Over a period of time I got very very close to him.Mainly because of our love for the music of Usad Amir Khan.He had some personal contact with the Ustad (probably in Bombay ,during his stint with School at Shanmukhananda Sabha) and we spent so many hours listening to those gems-and he was hearing many of them after a long long time.

It was during this period that Neyveli Santhangopalan used to visit him (on a moped .. seems like yesterday) and he was advised to listen to as much as possible of Amir Khan at my room.

My mother who had insisted on visiting me to see -first hand -if I was being fed properly had a reason to cheer too.Hailing from a joint family where she had to cook for a minimun strength of 10-15 members , she was getting all the proportions wrong while cooking for two.
With TSI and Neyvelis love for Chappathis etc , she was happy she could now cook for three on most days and four on occasional days.

Those were wonderful days - though I was ignorant of the importance of the happenings.

I sincerely hope that some of these anecdotes throw more light on this wonderful Composer.

The first thing that struck me was his simplicity .His smile can light a thousand lamps.It is so pure.And then as I spent more and more time , I started getting a clear idea of what it is to be a practitioner of CM.
Call them by any name - a composer , an artist ,or a practitioner or an exponent ...the sincereity is unmistakable.
I cannot believe today that on atleast three different occasions in that period , he narrated a dream of his over a morning cup of coffee , and he sang a new composition for me which he had composed in his half-asleep-half-awake state.
These experience really put me on a path of obsession with CM.

And this is something he was quick to locate in aspiring students - this magnificent obsession - without which he felt , nothing substantial could be achieved.
"Ha ! look at all my students who demand a break to watch sapthahiki on doordarshan (then a popular weekly capsule) - I have no big hopes for them -"he would confide to me.

I was also very useful to him whenever he tried to build on issues of aesthetics , for his students.
On occasions he would ask me to nod in approval or disapproval) as he sang various passages.
And whenever I came across something that I did not relish he would stop and say
"Look this chap.He has no past experience of CM but his areas of discomfort are so telling .And he has been listening to HM all his life.This is that unmeasurable aspect of our music which one can only acquire through constant listening to high quality stuff.Never for a moment lower your tastes if you want to reach greater heights " he would teach his students.

As I write these . more memories flood in.
His waking me up one night for Kumbakonam Betel Leaf (his stock had run dry) and treating me to some glorious Veena at 2 am or so.
His insistence on my accompanying him to a private concert of his (where he wanted to introduce me as his friend) .It was a wonderful house in Mylapore (cant locate it now though)
with a small a small theatre that could hold 100 people.And at the sight of the small audience , I started getting the shivers -all the big names of the day in CM were there.
I was so nervous that I did not stay for the after concert pleasantries(including dinner) only to get a reprimand the next morning.

I must say that I was fortunate to see the Practice of Carnatic Music in a totally different light.What happens on a concert platform is just a passing mirage.Here at ground zero , I had a chance to observe how artists would just drop in casually , how conversations would develop ,the wide range of subjects that CM encompasses (philiosphy , artistry, tradition, theory-) how the visiting artists would settle down to a practice session of what was being taught etc
On many a hot afternoon I decided to stay back and listen to a Dwaram Mangathayru or a Veena Sunder play and discuss.

To cut a long story short, It was a period where I realised what it meant to be a Upasaka .
There are so many images which move in and out .It is so difficult to describe the full picture.

What remains with me is
an enduring image of a man from whom compostions would silently exlpode as though they could not stay inside him anymore.
So ,The term composer or a vaggeyakara has never been the same to me again.

And the sound of an accomplished performer ,performing to himself with only the strains of a Thambura to accompany him , lost in thought-

BTW on the subject of his favourite singer , He once asked me that same question.I must have have mentioned a few names , but at the end he remarked ..
I know that these can only be personal choices , but let me tell you one thing.
I can see that you are on a path of discovery and that you are finding it quite exciting.The music of many artists will prop you up on your way and you may discard some and add some favourites along the way.
I may not be near you when you have progressed a lot but remember one thing.
if you do conclude- like I have - that GNB was a very singular and attractive influence on CM affecting it like no other musician has done , then you can conclude that your education has come full circle.
I mention this not as a subject to be debated , but only as something I find quite appropriate while discussing Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

srkris
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Post by srkris »

Thanks a lot for reminiscing about him.

prashant
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Post by prashant »

Such beautiful memories - thanks for sharing them with us...

Vocalist
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Post by Vocalist »

kmrasika, I've heard a lot of TSI's work - but I haven't heard a lot either. MLV and DKJ have popularised a few of them, and so have others (including disciples from their respective schools).

The main block of nice items that seem to be popular include:

gaNapatiyE. rAgA:nATa. Adi tALA.
gIta vAdya naTana. rAgA: nATakapriyA. Adi tALA.
karuNai purivAi tAyE. rAgA: gauLipantu. s/cApu tALA.
mahAdEva shiva. rAgA: rEvati. Adi tALA.
mAl marugan (varNa). rAgA: hindOLa. Adi tALA.
mAl marugA SaNmukhA. rAgA: hindoLa. Adi tALA.
mandirk-kughandadu. rAgA: sindhubhairavi. Adi tALA.
manasAramati. rAgA: sAramati. Adi tALA.
murugA tirumAl. rAgA: harikAmbhOji. rUpaka tALA.
nambinavarkku aruL. rAgA: shankarAbharaNa. Adi tALA.
natajana pAlini. rAgA: nalinakAnti. Adi tALA.
rAma nAmam. rAgA: valaji. Adi tALA.
rAma nAmamE tudi dinamE. rAgA: dEs. Adi tALA.
ranjani mrdu. rAgamAlikA. Adi tALA.
sakala kalA vANi (varNa). rAgA: hindOLa. Adi tALA.
tA dhirana (tillAnA). rAgA: Anandabhairavi. cApu tALA.

meena
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Post by meena »

-
Last edited by meena on 06 May 2008, 03:51, edited 1 time in total.

arasi
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Post by arasi »

Rajeshnat,
I thank you for your posts on Thanjavur Sankara Iyer. Your coverage on the event and his concert gave a vivid picture of this venerable vaggeyakara and teacher. At his age, he truly seems to have given a solid performance. Wish I were there. Keep sending in those reviews.
Last edited by arasi on 21 Sep 2006, 07:55, edited 1 time in total.

arasi
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Post by arasi »

Coolji,
What can I say? You added another dimension to this musician-composer-teacher and brought him closer to us by recounting your thoughts and interaction with him. Thanks for sharing the incidents with us in your inimitable way.
elli sangIta kathA prasangavO
alli jaya gAna sirOmanigaLembuvudE sari sujanarigE
(wherever there are worthy stories of music, to say jaya jaya to the great gems of music is agreeable to the rasika crowd)

Raja Chandra
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Post by Raja Chandra »

Cool,

You are beyond compare ! I admire your felicity with words .
Last edited by Raja Chandra on 21 Sep 2006, 23:20, edited 1 time in total.

rajeshnat
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Post by rajeshnat »

The sishya's who sang in MFAC are all there in the photo that meena has attached . The opening invocation song mahAganapathi vAr manamaghizhndu(nAttai) was sung by the sishya who is wearing the white shirt (center)in the photo.

Coolji
Looks like in your journey of appreciating CM ,TSI has been a big influence.Tx for sharing those...

coolkarni

Post by coolkarni »

Rajesh
TSI used to jokingly call me his manasika shishya - a shishya who never bothered to learn but only listen.
Can u believe that he has travelled with me on the pillion of my scooter - a proud Blue Bajaj Chethak !!
When other visitors would join the chorus to ask why i was afraif of learning music , I would meekly say that I was afraid that Knowledge would hinder my enjoyment.Those days ,of all the people with whom I had contact , the ones with any amount of musical knowledge were not the kind of rasika I wanted to develop into.I am not generalising , But persons with the most minimal of learning would make sweeping remarks about other schools/styles .. and I was wary of falling into that trap.
I did give this as reason to TSI (apart from the respectful stance that one should approach him only for higher learning !) and even queried him about this.WOULD I BE ABLE TO ENJOY MUSIC THE SAME WAY AFTER I START LEARNING IT.

He did ponder over it for a long time and said-My child , you are like a kid in a candy store.And this candy store is good enough to last you for several lifetimes.I think it is wise to leave you as it is.

cmlover
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Post by cmlover »

I have paid homage to this great vidvaan on behalf of our Rasika community at
http://rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?pid=22255#p22255

Now I hope more of his friends (including coolkarni) will share anecdotes/experiences/ appreciations /..regarding him...

Vocalist
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Post by Vocalist »

Thanjavur Shankara Iyer & D.K.Jayaraman

Image

source: unknown

shadjam
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Post by shadjam »

Can someone share the mp3 file of Sri Shankara Iyer's composition in SankIrna ChApu? Thank you.

gb
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Post by gb »

Hey i have it in cassette which he sang in my house... but donno how to upload.. may be i need to look for Coolji's help.. BTW i was the one who sang that song.. mentioned above

shadjam
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Post by shadjam »

gb sir,

It will be great if you can convert those cassette to mp3. Thanks in advance.

vs_manjunath
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Post by vs_manjunath »

To-day early morning I heard TSI singing ( Sruti, World Space Radio) a Tamil song in Subha Pantuvarali.

He was accompanied by M Chandrasekaran on the violin.

Can we request Coolji/ Rasikas to provide some links to his Audio Recordings( Any of his concerts ?)

coolkarni
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Post by coolkarni »

..
Last edited by coolkarni on 27 Nov 2009, 06:59, edited 1 time in total.

vs_manjunath
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Post by vs_manjunath »

Coolji- Looking fwd to Mediafire link. Thanks for accepting the request.

vidya
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Post by vidya »

vs_manjunath wrote:To-day early morning I heard TSI singing ( Sruti, World Space Radio) a Tamil song in Subha Pantuvarali.

Can we request Coolji/ Rasikas to provide some links to his Audio Recordings( Any of his concerts ?)
In all probability this would be Sonnadellam maRandharo. Shri.TSI has sung this in a set of (erstwhile Sangeetha label which was commercially available) 2 volume tapes titled Morning Ragas which has among others DhyAnamE, gRaha phalamEmi, dartiApulE etc/

vs_manjunath
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Post by vs_manjunath »

vidya- It was early morning 4 AM when I was listening to this song,lying down. I was in no mood to write down the song details.

coolkarni
Posts: 1729
Joined: 22 Nov 2007, 06:42

Post by coolkarni »

..
Last edited by coolkarni on 24 Nov 2009, 10:00, edited 1 time in total.

vs_manjunath
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Joined: 29 Sep 2006, 19:37

Post by vs_manjunath »

Coolji- Thanks for TRI's track of 46 mts.

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by rajeshnat »

A great vaggeyakkarA - small function in his presence
http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday ... 195974.ece

Ramasubramanian M.K
Posts: 1226
Joined: 05 May 2009, 08:33

Re: Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by Ramasubramanian M.K »

Richly deserved for a Great Musician/Composer who treated the vocation of Music as Nadopasana. Forumites (check my notes on Aruna Sairam under Vidwans and Vidushis) for references as to how Aruna's Father the late Mr.Sethuraman of Bombay gave shelter to TSI in the early fifties when he was struggling in Chennai unnoticed(he is a very humble self-effacing man which did not give him much traction in Chennai).The late Mrs. Sethuraman-mother of Aruna----a great Music Patron and supporter of lost music causes and musicians like her husband----learnt many songs from TSI as my sister.Despite the best of efforts on my father's and mR.Sethuraman TSI could not get a foothold in Bombay either. It is fortunate that TSI survived all those trials and tribulations and for the last 20 or 25 years he has been well recognized.

Better late than ever.

Kudos to the musicians for their gesture of singing all his compositions.

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by rajeshnat »

Yesterday (Jan 25,2014), I heard in podigai a lovely program on TSI. Sathya's dad TKB and Anuradha compiled it and I think it is the same program that they are airing - few weeks back i saw a program of ambujam krishna . One interesting anecdote was TSI composed his ranjani ragamaliga and the cittaswaras (say the second half of the krithi) while he was in tea shop. He also sang few songs from his first song rama namA in desh , murugA tirumal maruga in harikAMbodhi. Few visuals were shown where school kids from sankar nagar (I am assuming that place is close to tirunelveli) also sang few numbers.

TKB
YOU are doing a great job with crisp narrative. There is some lovely anecdotes that i have shared in the first post of this thread. YOu can consider trying to include few of that in TSI program. May i know when this program is telecast and is there any repeats available , by any chance if anyone is uploading in youtube do let us know.

Sundara Rajan
Posts: 1081
Joined: 08 Apr 2007, 08:19

Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by Sundara Rajan »

Any news about this great composer ? I am shocked to read about "memorial" concerts in his honor and references in the past tense ! Please confirm I am wrong.

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Re: Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by rshankar »

I think there is an explanatory post that clarifies that the memorial concert was for another Sankara Iyer, and not the composer, Tanjavur Sri Sankara Iyer.

Pratyaksham Bala
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Joined: 21 May 2010, 16:57

Re: Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by Pratyaksham Bala »

Yes, please check this:
http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic ... er#p304319

And, incidentally, there is a separate thread on Sri Thanjavur Sankara Iyer:
http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic ... ara#p21781

varsha
Posts: 1978
Joined: 24 Aug 2011, 15:06

Re: Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by varsha »

There was a day when I visited the Lalgudi home with the intention of roping in GJR as accompanist for a concert by Thanjavur Sankara Iyer. As part of rasikas tributes to Masters of the past. We had one hurdle to pass .GJR had cut down on accompanying and wanted me to get his Dads approval.
Oh Yes , beamed the Maestro. I have accompanied him too . So go and play Krishna. It was a rainy day .But a jampacked thatched place . I remember like yesterday . was a fine concert .Look up the diary please "

GJR brough the book and scanned it over and over again . He could not find it. But the maestro would not leave it at that .
"My methods cant be wrong . It MUST BE there . Now give me the book "
And Lo ! he found the entry
Date..... Thanjai Shankara

He was still a young lad you see . Yet to get into the more formal Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

And Boy !!! What an evening it was . Memories ..Memories...

Sundara Rajan
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Joined: 08 Apr 2007, 08:19

Re: Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by Sundara Rajan »

I am glad I was wrong.

semmu86
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 09:39

Re: Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by semmu86 »

varsha wrote:"My methods cant be wrong . It MUST BE there . Now give me the book "
And Lo ! he found the entry
Date..... Thanjai Shankara

Yet to get into the more formal Thanjavur Sankara Iyer
Brilliant!!!

Varsha Ji------ Any available tracks on the TSI-LGJ combo?

varsha
Posts: 1978
Joined: 24 Aug 2011, 15:06

Re: Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by varsha »


rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by rajeshnat »

rajeshnat wrote the post in 2006 after attending TSI function wrote: # Incidentally Dr Srivatsava told an interesting real anecdote of how TSI composed the master piece "mahadeva shiva sambo" in revati rAgam . Lord shiva is believed to play veena in 3 occasions , one significant occasion was he plays veena to destroy. TSI when he was in madras many years before a cyclone threatened to destroy. TSI with his emotions outpoured, prayed to Lord Shiva and composed this revati masterpiece praying Lord shiva not to have any destruction.
Certainly we can still use the same krithi even today. The show must go on in Chennai . After nearly a day of power gone , whatsapp and internet limps back to normalancy as the nattai and hamsadhwani .

What a composition when a vagayekkara like tanjore shankara iyer prays for the safety of people in a cyclone and when a vidwan like DKJ sings this song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsMq7vHRtOw.

devan_l
Posts: 51
Joined: 14 Mar 2008, 14:16

Re: Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by devan_l »

Hi All,

I am looking for the sahithyam and notation of a composition of Shri TSI, Amba Sri Parameswari in Hamsa Kalyani.

Also, if there is a vocal recording available of this krithi.

Thanks in advance!

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by rajeshnat »

Lovely writeup of the great living vageyakkara/vidwan Tanjore Sankara Iyer that was published in THe Hindu dated July 31st,2020. The writer of this article is Jayakrishnan Unni who is a carnatic musician and also a great painter. Go for it Sankara Iyer mama ,3 more years makes you 100.You are now semmangudi , Mysore Vasudevacharya but to the best of our knowledge no single carnatic vidwan/vidushi/vageyakkara has touched 100

https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/ ... 231353.ece

I just retraced my memory . IN this topic go to the first post that i wrote on this respected vidwan and vageyakkara.That day is still evergreen particularly the anecdote that Dr Srivatsa shared On sanakara iyer about his mindboggling revati composition. We definitely need TSI if possible to play his veena his masterpiece Mahadeva siva sambhO considering the covid.
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=27872

devan_l
Posts: 51
Joined: 14 Mar 2008, 14:16

Re: Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by devan_l »

Hi All,

I am looking for the sahithyam and notation of a composition of Shri Thanjavur Sankara Iyer - Amba Sri Parameswari in Hamsa Kalyani.

My email is mridrum@gmail.com

Also, if there is a vocal recording available of this krithi.

Thanks in advance!


rajumds
Posts: 715
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 11:16

Re: Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by rajumds »

Another great personality who we have lost in the last 12 months.

rajeshnat
Posts: 9906
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by rajeshnat »

I was thinking some carnatic musician will reach 100 . He was just 2 short . SSI and RK Shrikantan touched 97. Tiger Varadachari and even Thanjavur Ponniah Pillai were his gurus , so much of rich past we have got from Sankara iyer . For my Vivid memories, go to the first post #1 and post #2 in this thread where when he was honoured by eminent vidwan like TKG followed by his concert . On that day VV Sundaram and Musicologist Srivatsa spoke so much about him. We once had him sing in our rasikas concert at Neyveli Santhanagopalan's home that was a super hit.

His creations are one of a kind . Be it mahadeva shiva sambO in revati(that is my favorite) or a ragam like vishnupriya (which i only knew through him) with his balasubramanyanE krithi it was brilliant . Sometimes it can be a standard manadirkku ugandadhu in sindhubhairavi to brilliant ranjani mala krithi his composition was very impactful for any concert. I can only recollect only one thillana of his, but krithis like natajanapalini nalinakanthi or maal maruga in harikambodhi finds a way as submain or between submain to main was very appealing . If my memory is right there was a talk say 15 years back that he knew most shyama sastri krithis among all vidwans and vidushis.

I vaguely recollect that when there was this gujarat earthquake he immediately created a krithi. Stickler of tradition with remarkable originality. He joining with musicians like TRS,DKJ(who had a special bond), Santhanam ,MLV and bit later may be TVS did bring in lot of krithis with some unique unheard perspective to CM. He had a special liking for madurai mani iyer .He was both lakshya and lakshana vaggeyakkara as per Dr Srivatsa. Most of his krithis being thamizh , i found it unique in choice of his words to give a near thayagaraja telugu effect for his thamizh krithis

Om Shanthi to 14 year old composer then ,when he started with RAma NAma Methudi manamE , desh besh vaggeyakkara kid. and after 84 years he moved on. He once told me manasAra paadren manasaramathi in saramathi- that remains my intense recollection when i asked him initially mahadeva shiva sambho(check #2).

p.s viewtopic.php?p=21781#p21781 (check post #1, #2 and also #10 by coolkarni who had personal experience few decades back with TSI)

Lakshman
Posts: 14019
Joined: 10 Feb 2010, 18:52

Re: Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by Lakshman »

I think TSI has composed many more krtis than those published in the booklet by Chitavina Ravikiran. I also feel that the list I posted in # 5 is also incomplete.
If any rasika has any additional song lyrics, please share. Thanks.

MaheshS
Posts: 1186
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36

Re: Thanjavur Sankara Iyer

Post by MaheshS »

Parivadini has just released his concert on YT, audio only.

Naada Inbam would like to offer this grand concert by Maha Vidwan Thanjavur Sankara Iyer from July 2006 as a homage to the Great Stalwart. He is accompanied on the Violin by young Amritha Murali and on the Mridangam by Sri.T.K.Ramakrishnan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zpJR9_DJ7E

So far, Intha Chalamu Begada Varnam, Makelara Vicharamu, Na Morala - Devaghandari, Janani Ninnu - Rithi Gowla

Wow, Rithi Gowla and Anandha Bhairavi one after another!!

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