Maharajapuram Santhanam

Carnatic Musicians
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siddarthcs
Posts: 13
Joined: 13 Jan 2006, 16:46

Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by siddarthcs »

I am surprised that an authority such as Maharajapuram Santhanam didnt get included....

Radhakrishnan
Posts: 287
Joined: 16 Jan 2006, 10:09

Post by Radhakrishnan »

Not only Santhanam,but the whole set of artists,past and present,are not included.
Semmangudi,Alathur brothers,GNB,Musiri,Ramnad Krishnan,DKJ,MLV,DKP,Nedunuri,Voleti,Hyd brothers,Bom sisters,TVS,Seshagopalan,Sanjay Subramaniam,Sudha Raghunathan,Bom Jayasree,Soumya,Nityasree,Mandolin Sreenivas,T.N.Krishnan,MSG,T.R.Mahalingam,N.Ramani,GJR/Viji?.so goes the list?.
Though some of the above artists,with audio files, are included at some other forums,but not at this exclusive one?.most of these artists are popular and their cds are available in the market???one feels the stress should be given to post less popular,but very good artists,as performers or teachers,like Pudukode Krishnamoorthy,whose cds or tapes are not easily available,only private collections,which should be posted here.
Even about Dr.S.Ramanthan,only very sketchy postings,for his vidwat,with no audio files.He was an exceptional character.Very good platform singer,very simple style,no gimmicks of any kind,expert of Kaavadi chintu(one assumes he got Phd in that)good teacher,indeed he was Soumyas guru,in fact when one listens to her,especially songs like Varalanduku,Vande sada Padmanabham,one remembers Sri.Ramanathan.He used to be very pleasant throught the concert.Above all, a wonderful human being,utterly simple,never after money or fame.

coolkarni

Post by coolkarni »

siddharthcs
get cracking with your views on santhanam.
as radhakrishnan has rightly guessed, we have been slow to warm up to artistes where lots of commercial recordings are available.But we can discuss Santhanam also in detail...

siddarthcs
Posts: 13
Joined: 13 Jan 2006, 16:46

Post by siddarthcs »

Maharajapuram Santhanam, was born in 1928 at Sirunagar village, in Thanjavur Dist, to Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, (one of the greatest exponents of carnatic music) and Visalakshi.

Santahanam had his initial training under Melattur Sama Dikshithar and under his father.

Maharajapuram Santhanam, a beneficiary of the Umayalpuram tradition, kept aloft the enduring values which carnatic music stands for.

{--from musicalnirvana.com--}

His music had a unique pattern and an unparalleled mix of Lakshana and Lakshyagnana. His mellow presentation, the pieces and rendition of ragas, neravals and swaras had a pleasant style of classicism satisfying common and the elite listeners.

Santhanam had an unique style of building up a raga. Vallinam, mellinam of the voice, Karvais and brikhas,meandering and spiriting sangathis were purveyed in such a mix that the hearers felt enthralled.

Santhanam contributed a lot to the music world by composing many songs and thillanas in different ragas like Charukesi, Sivaranjani, Basant Bahar, Revathi, Hindolam, Hamsanandhi, Kanada.


new_cmfan
Posts: 77
Joined: 22 Jan 2006, 00:11

Post by new_cmfan »

Thanks for that vrbadri. Do you know who is singing along? Shri Santhanam sounds very young - do you know circa what year was this concert? Did he always sing with someone else singing along with him?
I have heard the dinamani vamsa sung by him and i think Srinivasan (Music Academy concert?) that has the exact same swara patterns - sung exclusively by Srinivasan - thought that was very interesting. I would post that version here - but unfortunately it is a copyrighted version (maybe if i can just -snip- the swaram part - i will try to post it over the weekend just for kicks).

new_cmfan
Posts: 77
Joined: 22 Jan 2006, 00:11

Post by new_cmfan »

I guess since this thread is called "Maharajapuram" - i can post this here.

Listen to the Santhanam slokam (#11) posted above by vrbadri first (with particular attention to the 13:00th minute) and then listen to the piece below (btw can anyone tell me whose composition this is?)

http://rapidshare.de/files/13513027/05_Track_05.mp3

Ecstacy
Posts: 10
Joined: 24 Nov 2005, 23:06

Post by Ecstacy »

Endowed with an enchantingly sweet voice and dedicated to the practice of classical music in his individualistic style, Maharajapuram Santhanam has earned the admiration of a massive majority of music lovers. He was the second son of his illustrious father, Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer. Fondly called "chinna kothandu" by his family, Santhanam sang with his father in concerts over a number of years from an early age.

Santaanam had his initial training under Melattur Sama Dikshithar and under his father. While joining his father in concerts, he simultaneously completed his schooling from the Town High School, Kumbakonam in 1945.

Though Santhanam's initiation into carnatic music began in 1948, at a marriage, to be quickly followed by a formal debut at the South Indian Club in Calcutta, he emerged as a 'complete musician' only in the 1970s, music critics say.

Santhanam gave a recital at the Thyagaraja Aradhana festival at Thiruvaiyaru in 1952 and made his appearance at the Music Academy in Madras, the Mecca of Carnatic musicians in 1958-59.

During 1960-65, Santhanam served as the HOD of the Ponnambalam Ramanathan College of Music in Jaffna in Sri Lanka.

Endowed with a 'genuine classicism', Santhanam was on the expert committe of the Music Academy for a number of years.

He won several titles and honours, including the
'Padmashri' in 1990,
'Sangeeta Kalanidhi' from the Music Academy in 1989,
Sangeeta Natak Academy award in 1984,
TN Govt's 'KalaiMamani' award.
"Sangeetha Sudhakara" by the Yoga vedanta University at Rishikesh.

A former "Asthana Vidwan" of the thirumala tirupathi devasthanam and the Kanchi Kamakoti Mutt. Sri Santhanam was also bestowed with the "Gana Kalanidhi" by Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati of Sringeri, and "Sangitha Sagaramritha Varshi" by Sri Jayendra Saraswati of the Kanchi mutt.

The forte of Santhanam's singing technique was the art of communicating profound musical expressions with an easy to absorb simplicity. Towards this end he modulated his voice effectively to stress the nuances of a raga sanchara or to bring out the elegance of the sahitya in a song. In his kutcheris one could not discern the distinction between a weighty song and a thukkada, for he treated each song with consummate embellishment that long after he stopped singing the piece, it lingered in the ears of the listener.

Santhanam?s favorite ragam was "Sivaranjani".


It used to be said of Vidwans of yesteryears that their kutcheri pattern was marked by proportion - raga alapana, songs, and swaras. Santhanam was out-and-out a follower of this great tradition. In another aspect too he belonged to the galaxy of Viswanatha Iyer and his contemporaries. He had immense faith in the grandeur of familiar ragas, uplifting the quality of performancc- say Kalyani, Sankarabharana, or Khamboji.

Like his father, Santhanam took classical carnatic music to people in his melodious style and was marching with vigor and determination winning the hearts of overflowing audiences. Without deviating from the classical style of good quality, he made his recitals highly entertaining. He had a rich repertoire of songs. His mellow presentation, the pieces and rendition of ragas, neravals and swaras had a pleasant style of classicism satisfying common AND elite listeners. His many commercial cassettes are treasured in the homes of his admirers as a valuable possession.

Maharajapuram had respect for fellow musicians. The Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer trust founded by him in the name of his father in 1985 has been honouring senior musicians every year with awards and financial assistance and arranging concerts of eminent and young artists.

Santhanam's encouragement and sincere appreciation of the accompanists was as generous as his music was great. He was one who could create the satisfaction of a 4 hour concert in 2 hours. Programming was such that while neraval and swaraprasthanams moved with grace, the alapana threw open the magic casement of the aesthetic charm, the song bridged both.

Maharajapuram passed away on 24 June, 1992, in a car accident near Tindivanam.

Sivaraman
Posts: 151
Joined: 17 Jan 2006, 19:10

Post by Sivaraman »

Santhanam was another great maestro, whose music has moved me immensely to the depths of my soul, particularly his renditions of the OOthukadu Venkatakavi krithis like,"Alai payudhe","Kuzhaloodhi manamellam","Aadathu asangathu vaa kanna" etc.I think nobody else could have done justice to the greatness of Oothukadu compositions like Maestro Santhanam, whose evocative,bhava filled renditions have enthralled rasikas of the past, present and,I am sure, of the future also.
In his own way, Santhanam was a Musical genius, unparalleled in his soulful music, which will live forever.
The first time I heard was in New Delhi, way back in 1969, when I heard him sing an elaborate Brindavana Saranga, the like of which I have not heard from any other musician till date.
In my opinion, without any disrespect to his eminent father,the Late Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer,whose Mohanam was supposed to be great, I think that his son Santhanam achieved much more in the CM world through his melodious and gambheera saareeram, his virtuosity, the devotion and bhava and creative imagination in the sangathis and swaraprastharams, as well as clear diction of the krithis, unlike many stalwarts who garble the words and completely distort the aesthetic beauty of the krithis and the listener is unable to make what they are singing
Sivaraman.

sangom
Posts: 7
Joined: 13 Dec 2005, 00:10

Post by sangom »

The sloka "Kasthuri Thilakam" is from "Krishna Karnamrutham" by Leelasuka. It is the 108th. sloka of the second Canto and is usually recited by elders as an equivalent to Dhyana sloka.

BTW can you pl. reupload the Track_05 so that I can hear.

I joined this group recently.

coolkarni

Post by coolkarni »

a nice moment of collaboration between Semmangudi and Santhanam

http://rapidshare.de/files/25008310/SAN ... GUDI-1.MPG

bala747
Posts: 314
Joined: 20 Mar 2006, 12:56

Post by bala747 »

My folks were always big fans of Santhanam's music and when I first started discussing music online, I'd rather admit that I stole money from a blind beggar than admit to liking his music because it seemed that there was a huge section of "purists" on the internet who found his music lacking in depth and variety and were very quick to condemn anyone who said anything good about it.

I was left wondering if my musical tastes were indeed so warped but they couldn't have been because both my grandfather and granduncle (The non-eccentric one) who were big rasikas of GNB and SSI were admirers of Santhanam's singing as well.

Anyway, I suppose part of the criticism comes from the fact that most Santhanam concerts in circulation today seem to feature the same songs ad nauseam. It always seems to be the following:

Kanada varnam
Sri mahaganapathe - Nattai
Paripalaya - Panthuvarali
Dinamani Vamsa - Harikambhoji
Raga alapana in Suddha Dhanyasi followed by Narayana (Neraval at "Krishna krishna...")
Ganamurthey (or Pariyachakama)
Etavunara - Kalyani (or RTP in Kalyani)
Sri chakraraja
Nalinakanthimathim
Thillana of his
etc

I have a few concerts of Santhanam, an especially memorable one which featured elaborate renditions of Durbar (Naradaguruswamy), Thodi (Dasarathey, one of the best renditions of this song), Bhairavi (Swarajathi), Simhendramadyamam (Kamakshi), Mohanam (Evvarura) and Kharaharapriya (Ramanee samanamevvaru) in one concert which ran for almost 5 hours.

Another concert featured a beautiful hindolam (Manasuloni), Sankarabharanam (Sankaracharyam), Thodi (Bharati mamava) and an RTP in Lathangi.

My mother mentioned that in Bombay he once sang a concert featuring an RTP in Brindavana Saranga. (If anyone has this, please let me know.. My dad was too impatient to sit through the whole concert and dragged my mother back home halfway and she hasn't forgiven him since).

There were concerts of his that I found distinctly ordinary (take your pick, anything with Narayana and Dinamani Vamsa would indicate that he is going through the same hackneyed route) but many concerts of his have been rather fantastic.

knrh05
Posts: 162
Joined: 05 Feb 2010, 20:52

Post by knrh05 »

coolkarniji,
The SSI-Santhanam clip was fantastic! Can I request more from this concert? Do you know what the occasion was, was it a full concert etc?

knrh05

coolkarni

Post by coolkarni »

i can put up the audio clip if you wish.video is out of my reach.
( i am a poor man):oops:

they are from old performances for the viswanatha iyer trust -at bombay.

but i have a home in detroit where you can watch it in a few weeks time.
kalgada ... are u listening ??? ;) ;)

bala747
Posts: 314
Joined: 20 Mar 2006, 12:56

Post by bala747 »

Nice track though! I mean it was great watching the two sing with such gusto. I never seen Santhanam sing live (he died when I was 10, and although I liked music I was deemed too young and restless to sit through a four hour concert).

Mahesh
Posts: 62
Joined: 06 Jul 2005, 17:07

Post by Mahesh »

There was a Coimbatore concert which was uploaded a few months ago, it was in the 70's when Santhanam has a nasal twang to his music. The Panthuvarali [especially the neraval] and Keeravani [Kaligiyunte] was mesimerising. The later part of his life as Bala says was just repetitions to keep the crowd happy.

There is an AIR recording, where he sings his own composition in Hansadhwani on Lord Ganesha [Sadasivan maindane ..] and a short but sweet Shankarabaranam with yaaro endennamale an Arunachla Kavirayar composition. Any one has this recording? It also had an Atana inbetween.

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

Post by rajeshnat »

For me the entry point to CM is only because of Maharajapuram Santhanam. Though from 89 to 92 , he went with a fairly set pattern of songs (as Bala747 puts it), but certainly they were all sublime in pitch , melliflousness of his voice evident everywhere .Certainly I have never seen anybody yet who could use the microphone to such modulation, as much as what he has used. I could remember lot of his concerts from 1985 till 1992

Few unique observations that I have only seen from him .

1. There were few PantuvarAli's that I have not heard yet from any one else other than Maharajapuram Santhanam .(Sundara Tara Deham and Ramuni Maravakave with superb neravals and swara prastham )

2. One great Mohanam alapanai's once in Mylapore Fine Arts or NGS in mid 80's where it touched me and I was amazed.

3. Any Brindavana Saranga be it a viruttam or a sublime Swaminathena of Dikshitar.

4. One viruttam "Kanda Guha Shanmugha" ending with a basanth bahar tillana.

5. When I was a gallery boy, his Bho Sambho in revati or the tillana or the aparadhi naa nalla of Purandaradasar .

6. His ragamaliga's Shirabdhi Kanyaku or Sarangan marugane or Nalinakanthi mahim.

7. OVK's Shanmughapriya Varamonru thantharulvay , a lovely rendition with excellent diction.Still not heard anyone sing that

8. Few Ganapathi krithis especially Uchiste Ganapathe in Bowli(not heard yet).

9. Few tukkada krithi's of YazhpAnam Veeramani especially "Chinna Kani Kanna" which is usually followed by a viruttam in Br Saranga + Subha PantuvarAli.

10. An outstanding raga alapana followed by Jayadeva Ashthapathi "Anilatharala kuvalaya" in a raga that I was told as Vishwapriya which took me 5 full years to discover.

11. One kalyAna Vasantham --"Sri Venkatesa" A dikshitar krithi .

12. Lastly his own compositions sivaranjani tillana or his chandrasekara saraswathi in hindolam .

On the flip side , few ragas that I found not that appealing

1. Bhairavi -- Heard a swarajathi Kamakshi , looked very uninspiring.

2. Not heard a good todi from him. One RTP in Todi(1987 Academy) , in an objectionable pallavi line "Entharo Mahanubhavulu" was quite boring too.

On a personal note ,it took me atleast 10 years to start appreciating other musicians, and I had a wrong fixation that he only was the greatest...

bala747
Posts: 314
Joined: 20 Mar 2006, 12:56

Post by bala747 »

Talking about the ragamalika Ksheerabdi kannige.. up until 1989 my grandfather's favourite ragamalika was GNB's Dikkuteriyaada..

But once he heard Santhanam's Ksheerabdi Kannige, he would virtually run towards the speakers to hear it again.

But he would insist on only hearin SAnthanam's 1989 rendition. He would say that it was so great that even if he sang it again it wouldn't be as good.

It had to be that one 1989 rendition.

knrh05
Posts: 162
Joined: 05 Feb 2010, 20:52

Post by knrh05 »

It's time to get to know kalgada, I suppose! Is it possible to upload the audio track if it is not too much of a bother?

Thanks!
knrh05

i can put up the audio clip if you wish.video is out of my reach.
( i am a poor man):oops:

they are from old performances for the viswanatha iyer trust -at bombay.

but i have a home in detroit where you can watch it in a few weeks time.
kalgada ... are u listening ??? ;) ;)

coolkarni

Post by coolkarni »

audio track.. yes i will do it

knrh05
Posts: 162
Joined: 05 Feb 2010, 20:52

Post by knrh05 »

Thanks!

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

Post by rajeshnat »

Interesting Incident that I heard thru grapevine about the jAmbhavAn MaharAjapuram Vishwanatha Iyer (MVI) in the context of swati tirunal navarathri mantapam concert.

A long time before when MVI was somewhere in Tanjore district,at that time his sishya SSI being a principal of the swati tirunal music college wanted to get more sanmAnam (fame and money) to MVI . So MVI was invited much before the concert date in Trivandrum by SSI and he was given a semi-royal treatment . It was and is customary to sing only Swati Tirunal krithi's and SSI knowing that MVI does not know Swati Tirunal krithis , arranged his prime disciple TM ThyagarAjan (TMT) to teach krithi sahityam of Swati Tirunal to MVI.

TMT,as per SSI's instruction used to visit on the first day to MVI's guest house and wanted to help MVI to learn few sahityam of Swati Tirunal . MVI excused saying "today my throat is not good ". The next day TMT again went for which MVI said "In kerala it is raining and is not conducive for my throat , I would prefer the sunshine of Tanjore". TMT the junior sishya was caught in between SSI's instruction and MVI's reluctance. The days rolled by and MVI just gave excuse after excuse.Not sure if he learned even one.

The D Day rolled. The crowd thronged to hear MVI , known for his manOdharmam . SSI and travancore royal family were present . MVI started with a hamsadhwani . He sang a detailed pantuvarAli alApanai . Most were expecting Swati Tirunal's sArasAksha or saraseeruha . But MVI sang one of his favourite siva siva yenarAdha , a thyagarAja's composition .

Then a detailed arAbi alApanai was sung. The audience expected Swati Tirunal's narasimha, but MVI sang a detailed ThyagarAja's joota murAre. He went on and on without singing even one krithi of Swati Tirunal . I am told that the travancore royal family got up and left some time during the concert (pantuvarAli???).

Incidentally at the end of the concert SSI went to MVI and said "You could have sang sArasAksha in pantuvarAli" for which MVI replied sArasAksha and siva siva yenerAda are just one and the same.The bottomline , one can see MVI's love of ThyagarAja krithi in one side of the spectrum or one can spot him as he was very adamant in not even singing one Swati Tirunal composition and breaking the tradition . Certainly to me MVI had his own individuality and ways to protest .

Note: I may have not got the krithis absolutely right and not sure about when MVI said to SSI about both pantuvarAli(T and ST) are same ,but this incident is true.If some one can add color and bring more authenticity claims , please do that.

kumaran.nadesan
Posts: 64
Joined: 07 Sep 2006, 18:56

Post by kumaran.nadesan »

Repetitive as it may be but Santhanam is still amongst the greatest of vidwans. Inspite of my ignorance, I've increasingly tried to grasp the magnificence of artistes such as CBV, AKI, GNB, KVN, MMI, RKS, etc., but I still have a soft spot for Santhanam. His renditions of Oothukkadu Venakatasubaiyyer's compositions, as someone else previously mentioned, and Tamil keerthanaigaL in general are superb and was one of the main reasons that drew me to carnatic music in the first place. He is spectacular. I had the opportunity to hear Maharajapuram Ramachandran in Toronto last year but it wasn't the same :(
Last edited by kumaran.nadesan on 05 Oct 2006, 17:45, edited 1 time in total.

kumaran.nadesan
Posts: 64
Joined: 07 Sep 2006, 18:56

Post by kumaran.nadesan »

Speaking of whom, some nice clips posted by coolcrave on YouTube:

Raraama inti / Asaveri / Adi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh--sekhQA8

Charangatham endru nambi vandhen / Gowlai / Adi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jMy73fxlwk

Eru mayil / Hamsanadam / Khanda Chapu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_79UBfBL0s

jayaram
Posts: 1317
Joined: 30 Jun 2006, 03:08

Post by jayaram »

kumaran.nadesan wrote:Speaking of whom, some nice clips posted by coolcrave on YouTube:
Eru mayil / Hamsanadam / Khanda Chapu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_79UBfBL0s
Eru mayil is in Hamsaanandi, not Hamsanaadam.

kumaran.nadesan
Posts: 64
Joined: 07 Sep 2006, 18:56

Post by kumaran.nadesan »

Thanks for the correction Jayaram :)

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Post by rajeshnat »

kumaran.nadesan wrote:I had the opportunity to hear Maharajapuram Ramachandran in Toronto last year but it wasn't the same :(
Shri Santhanam is one of the all time greatest musician, 90% of the time the cub rAmachandran does not match the tiger santhAnam . But rAmachandran in my opinion sometimes equals or excels little more than his dad too. Some live experiences to support that are

1. Hear his hiranmayeem lakshmeem in lalita and soundararAjam in Brindavana sArangA .IIRC, I have not heard santhanam singing this krithi . Ramachandran is absolute bliss in both.

2. One krithi rAmachandran is very very slightly better than his dad . That krithi is shree vAthapi in sahanA.

3. Few rAga alapanai he equals his dad are kalyAna vasantham . Sometimes he is very interesting in rAga alApanai . I remember one pudi in amrithavarshini , a very different pudi and wonderful it was. That amrithavarshini pudi , I have not heard by santhanam.

4. In Jan this year , he sang a rare krithi in nAttai?/gambeera nAttai ? . The krithi he said was popularized by his grand dad MVI and shree MVI printed a book titled rare krithis of sadguru thyagarAja .That krithi in gambheera nAttai?/nAttai? was rakshatu mAm ?. I have not heard this krithi being rendered by santhanam.

Overall a rich base voice a big plus. I think shri rAmachanran can even sing without mike :) .Incidentally I have heard most of the time him singing dinamani vamsa in harikAmbOdhi and vinAyaka vinAyaka in pancharatna rAgas too often...:(
Last edited by rajeshnat on 09 Oct 2006, 10:20, edited 1 time in total.

arasi
Posts: 16774
Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

Good points about the cub. You make me want to listen to him (only heard him accompany his dad).
By the way, the tamizh word is piDi not pudi. Imagine the gesture when a piDi is sung. Shaking the fist is an approximation
of the emphasis on the piDi (grab, hold)...:)

Vocalist
Posts: 1030
Joined: 19 Feb 2006, 18:53

Post by Vocalist »

dinamani vamsha was a favourite of the school, from what i've heard. On the other hand, I don't think either of them are up to scratch in their rendition of Papanasam Sivan's sahAnA piece.

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

Post by rajeshnat »

vocalist,
dinamani vamsa was mainly sung as a submain by SSI or santhanam , but incidentally in the last few years (7 or 8 concerts)that I heard shri rAmachandran , 4 times it was dinamani vamsa and once it was undedi rAmudu in harikAmbOdhi . Incidentally all this was sung as a main krithi.

I didnot understand your statement .
Vocalist wrote:I don't think either of them are up to scratch in their rendition of Papanasam Sivan's sahAnA piece.

Vocalist
Posts: 1030
Joined: 19 Feb 2006, 18:53

Post by Vocalist »

I've listened to renditions of the sahAnA item by both musicians on more than one occasion - wasn't very impressive at all.

On a separate note, I do like a lot of Santhanam's renditions, but there were times where his 'nasal' style got to the stage of extremely annoying.

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

Post by rajeshnat »

Incidentally shri santhanam did get his best timbre from the year 1986-1987 onwards . There are few recordings that I have heard before those years , the timbre was not as best as what it was from year 1986 onwards. In the year 1986, shri santhanam was 58 years old , that means he had a late peak. That also means lot of musicians take such a long time to reach the peak .I am awaiting to hear the peak of shri rAmachandran.
Last edited by rajeshnat on 10 Oct 2006, 21:59, edited 1 time in total.

chalanata
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Joined: 06 Feb 2010, 15:55

Post by chalanata »

one fellow member was directed here to discuss about viswanatha iyer. now what is the comparison of the I generation II generation and III generation singers of the maharajapuram clan?

Vocalist
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Joined: 19 Feb 2006, 18:53

Post by Vocalist »

There is no comparison, simple!

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

Post by rajeshnat »

Similiarity or differences , the choice is yours to interpret

In terms of manOdharmam, MVI is the best . I will rate santhanam and ramachandran as little distant second and a very distant third respectively. Proof Of MVI manodharmam is his few recordings that I had a chance to hear were few casettes in sampradAya and there is one recording that I heard IIRC 1958 Music Academy where MVI has taken successively 4 or 5 krithis where he appeared as though he sang in one go for 90 minutes (abhogi varnam + nAttai pancharatna + pantuvarali RNS raghuvara nannu). That kind of uninterrupted succession you notice when SOmu sings tukkadas.

In terms of overall mass + class appeal, certainly santhanam is clear one . I had no chance to hear MVI , but since MVI's voice was bordering on recurrring bronchitis(to whatever I have heard) and also his prime disciples SSI and MMI being big jAmbhavan's ,he must have been eclipsed in rasikas mind. Here i would like to bring to your attention that Shri ramachandran is also good , but certainly lot of people under rate him as copy cat of santhanam and sometimes donot make to shri ramachandran concert.

My maternal grandfather who died about 15 years before used to say , it is very difficult for mridangist to play for MVI . He will break anybody's hand , if you hear 1958 MVI Academy concert , rangu Iyengar the mridangist may have broken his hand . Such speed and uninterrupted music.

There is specialization of thyagarAja krithis and there are few krithis of ThyagarAja that only MVI must have sung. Incidentally history says , shri MVI was the first to sing pancharatna krithis in thiruvayaru annual festival which is now a recurrent tradition .

While santhanam's distinction is composing few of his numbers and bringing in yazhpAnam veeramani viruttams was unique . I am assuming few Ragas like kalyAnavasantham, brindavana sAranga ?? were popularized by santhanam ,you can't find any rAga popularity that has been bought either by MVI or ramachandran. mOhanam is one rAga that their school is always famous of.

I have read few anecdotes of MVI in sruthi magazine, wherein he sings for half an hour an alApana in one concert and sings just for 2 minutes in the next concert both appearing excellent, that kind of pendulum swinging manOdharmam is found only with MVI , not in the next generations.

Overall clearly I like santhanam , but I adore and respect MVI because he was instrumental in producing three of my all time favourite musicians MMI (hear seethapathe in khamas by MVI , mmi has the same touch),SSI(hear marubAlka in shriranjani of MVI, where SSI has given the same touch) and santhanam (hear ilalO pranatharthi in atAna,where santhanam has the same touch.)
Last edited by rajeshnat on 25 Oct 2006, 21:23, edited 1 time in total.

chalanata
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Joined: 06 Feb 2010, 15:55

Post by chalanata »

VI had a thin voice and tremendous imagination. his immediacy and impatience for the rendtion was unique; these brought about the height of self expression. i've never heard him allowing a complete course by the voilin. he was a real bupathi who did not only have control over the concert but also over his fellow artisits. his pantuvarali is par excellence!
S had the unique way of entering in to your heart silently without your knowledge. he could permeate the whole lot of both all knows and the know nots. his music when reaches a stage keeps the singer the listeners and the song in unison. there was absolately no difference of the singer, to whom singed and the song. such was the melody of his music. his thillanas like the one in basanth bahar in praise of the Paramacharya remain to be surpassed even today in melody devotion and expression.
in a way i feel the unfulfilled work left by VI was completed by S.
it is to be seen how far ramachandran brings about nuances to further the cause of the maharajapurams and CM.

rshankar
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Post by rshankar »

Rajesh,
When you say MSS, I assume you mean Maharajapuram V. Santhanam (MVS)...MS/MSS is usually used for Smt. M. S. Subbulakshmi.

Ravi

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Post by rajeshnat »

ravi
Tx, in my previous post I have replaced MSS ,MSR with santhanam and ramachandran respectively.

arasi
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Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

Rajesh and chalanata,
An impressive summing up of three generations of the Maharajapuram family by the two of you. I was too young to remember much of MVI's conerts. All I remember is that I liked his singing. He had a stage presence which I remember very well. Semmangudi in those days was very nasal and looked dull in comparison to his master. Rajesh, I am speaking of good old days and that too from a child's perspective, so don't take offense :)
MVS was no doubt an audience pleaser in that he appealed to the different tastes of his listeners. His powerful voice was an asset and his sense for the lyrics was an added charm. I also remember that in his younger days he wasn't that impressive. After his years in Sri Lanka, he blossomed into the singer we are talking about. He could have gone on, but for his tragic end. His concerts were lively and you didn't mind too much his occasionally switching to bits of shallow rendering of some phrases as though he sang in a false voice! All the MD's kritis that I have heard him sing were in rare ragas and they were enjoyable.
I am looking forward to listening to the youngest in the clan. Haven't been to a concert of his yet.
Last edited by arasi on 26 Oct 2006, 08:30, edited 1 time in total.

srkris
Site Admin
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Post by srkris »

An article on Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer in today's Indian Express newspaper:

Maharajapuram in Tamil cinema
Friday January 12 2007 11:33 IST

Not many are aware that some legendary figures and giants of classical Carnatic music had links with Tamil cinema.

They had no serious intention or aim of becoming movie stars and yet they did appear in movies. But soon they abandoned ship and, to mix metaphors, took off to greener pastures of their home turf! Some had the desire to appear on screen, but their wishes remained mere dreams.

The glittering list of gems includes many legends of music and contains many surprises.

Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, Musiri Subramania Iyer, Thiruvavaduthurai N Rajaratnam Pillai, Mysore T Chowdaiah, S Rajam, S Balachandar, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, Palakkad TS Mani Iyer, KV Narayanaswami, Chittoor Subramania Pillai, Kalakkad Ramanarayana Iyer, Thiruvengadu Subramania Pillai, Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna, TN Seshagopalan, and yes, Semmangudi R Srinivasa Iyer. Quite a list that! And a male list at that.

The folk myth tale of the low-born farm hand, Nandan, and his unfathomable devotion and bhakti for Lord Nataraja has been a familiar tale among Tamilians. It was written as a musical titled Nandan Charitram by Gopalakrishna Bharathiar ‘circa’, late 18th century.

Bharathiar’s work was a great success and proved immensely popular as Harikatha Kalakshepam. Later, it was made as a hit play and as a silent film in 1923 and 1930.

When cinema began to talk and sing Tamil in 1931, the folktale was made thrice in 1933, 1935 and 1942. In 1935, a version of Nandanar made history at many levels with the famed stage and screen star, musician, and cult figure, KB Sundarambal playing the male role of Nandan.

The 1942 film was produced by the Indian movie mogul, SS Vasan for his Gemini Studios and the well-known classical Carnatic musician, champion of the Thamizh Isai movement and sometime movie star, MM Dhandapani Desikar played Nandan.

The Gemini version was the most successful version of them all.

One of the immortals of Carnatic music, Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer made his only appearance in film as the rich Brahmin landowner, Vedhiyar, under whom Nandan worked as his lowly ill-treated farm hand.

A legend in his lifetime, the mercurial maestro of music was a Bohemian and agreed to play the role although the lead role was to be played by a woman, KB Sundarambal.

Indeed, KBS had reservations for she was a lowborn woman while Maharajapuram was a highborn Brahmin! Such class, caste, communal distinctions and prejudices prevailed in top gear in those days. But the great musician did not care for that and he was above such narrow views and tunnel vision attitudes.

He received a fee of Rs 3,000, while KBS got an unheard of salary of Rs 100,000. A mega buck fortune indeed in 1935! The two acting in a film became news per se! Public expectation ran high and moviegoers eagerly awaited the release of the film.

The film was produced by Hassandas Classical Talkies and directed by the noted Hollywood-trained filmmaker Manik Lal Tandon. He made many Tamil films during 1930-1940 and Nandanar was one of them.

A man of much charm, wit and humour, Viswanatha Iyer faced the wrath of his orthodox, rigid, tradition-bound Brahmin community, especially in his hometown of temples, Kumbakonam. But he was one who never batted an eyelid in breaking rules and taboos and kicking at sacred cows and bulls!

(This writer had the pleasure and privilege of knowing the great man well despite the vast difference in age between them and enjoyed his love and affection. He had an inexhaustible fund of ‘blue’ jokes, risqué anecdotes and tales about men and women of his times and chimes.

Sadly, most of them are unprintable even in this Permissive Age! Kalki described him as Maharagapuram (because he sang all ragas so brilliantly) and Sangeetha Bhoop-pathi.

One of Iyer’s titles was Sangeetha Bhoopathi and his penchant for mixing the Hindustani raga Bhoop with the Carnatic raga Mohanam inspired Kalki to give him the amended title!)

Source: http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.as ... ek&Topic=0

raghavendrank
Posts: 1
Joined: 09 Jul 2007, 19:06

Post by raghavendrank »

I want entire renderings of Maharajapuram Ramachandran/Srinivasan/Santhanam.....
can anyone send the link pl.
Last edited by raghavendrank on 09 Jul 2007, 19:13, edited 1 time in total.

sureshvv
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Joined: 05 Jul 2007, 18:17

Post by sureshvv »

Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer is also known for so many "colorful" anecdotes that are told about him. Some of the most hilarious stories I have heard.

MaheshS
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Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:36

Post by MaheshS »

I have a recording of Santhanam's concert in the 70's with Chalakudi and Guruvayoor Dorai. His nasal voice is very prominent and probably one of the very few concerts of his where Kiravani [Kaligiyunte] is the main.

Have not heard much of Srinivasan or Ramachandran. The one concert I heard [1999 IIRC] was near Srinivsa Satri Hall, Raga Sudha or something like that[?], near that park. It was Ramachandran on some anniversary series. I had to walk out half way thro cos it was a *bad* impression of Santhanam singing. Even the swarams were right out of the Santhanam book. And when he started killing my beloved Mohanam I had no choice but to walk out.

Again, I have not heard much of Viswanatha Iyer but for a couple of recordings. And if you want to know why he was the Bhoop-pathi in both the ways meant, Coolji posted a TWO minute [incomplete] raga alapana of Mohanam, his voice is perfect and the Mohanam itself is fot for gods!!! It's a pity though as the whole recording is not available, Coolji mentioned that he only had two mins and that too luckily as it was in a spool and he only had it by accident. Hear that one. If needs be I can upload it if any one is interested.

divakar
Posts: 197
Joined: 26 May 2005, 06:06

Post by divakar »

If needs be I can upload it if any one is interested.
can u upload the 2 min mohanam of maharajapuram viswanatha ayyar ? thanks.

sramaswamy
Posts: 366
Joined: 24 May 2006, 22:29

Post by sramaswamy »

A nice article written by TK Srinivasan on Maharajapuram Santhanam

http://www.karnatik.com/article021.shtml

vijay
Posts: 2522
Joined: 27 Feb 2006, 16:06

Post by vijay »

Of the Maharajapuram clan, Ramachandran is surprisingly my favourite!

I don't doubt that MVI was a formidable force in his prime but few of the available recordings seem to do justice to his reputation. The one exception is a brief Mohana Rama which is simply awesome and ample evidence of the supreme musician he was.

Could anyone direct me to some of his older recordings (whether available commercially or on the net?). Many of my neighbours in their 80s talk about his spellbinding performances in the area (around Valluvar Kottam). I believe he used to reside in Jambulingam street.

bhaktha
Posts: 323
Joined: 15 Jan 2007, 23:02

Post by bhaktha »

Vijay,
Listen to his saramathi on sangeethapriya...link is given below:
http://www.sangeethapriya.org/Downloads ... ima56.html
Such a pristine saramathi...am sure u'll love it!
In fact, the songs in this particular concert are indicative of all his traits that have been discussed so far. If u have the time, do listen to Raghuvara too....What speed and what control! Truly a Bhupathi!
-bhaktha
Last edited by bhaktha on 18 Jul 2007, 11:46, edited 1 time in total.

vijay
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Joined: 27 Feb 2006, 16:06

Post by vijay »

Thanks bhaktha - will certainly give it a listen

bala747
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Joined: 20 Mar 2006, 12:56

Post by bala747 »

Actually bhaktha I think Mukhari encapsulates the best and worst of MVI in this concert. Listen to the alapana and one will be amazed at the sangathi's that just flow briskly, almost but not crossing the strict boundaries into bhairavi (especially about a minute or two into the alapana) but the Mukhari krithi rendition was beyond terrible. Utterly butchered and he was just spitting the words out and it was left to Santhanam (?) as backup vocalist to carry the song. I preferred MVS's and SSI's version of this krithi to MVI's hatchet job.

unnikrishnan_n
Posts: 2
Joined: 05 Jun 2008, 11:34

Post by unnikrishnan_n »

Unfortunate see the discussions about an ever green hero of carnatic music coming to a grinding halt. (sorry for the late joining).

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