Maharajapuram Santhanam

Carnatic Musicians
cacm
Posts: 2212
Joined: 08 Apr 2010, 00:07

Post by cacm »

Dear Rasikas,
I am disappointed tho' not surprised that persons who have heard only TERRIBLE recordings of MVI lack OBJECTIVITY & have heard the worst of him but have the guts to write about him; Suffice it for me at least to repeat what SSI told me about him: BOTH I & MMI used to travel 90 miles by muffasil bus to hear him-took whole day!- his music was unique and unequalled. His concerts towards the end voicenon-existent thegreat LGJ PLAYED & SHOWED what he was trying to convey; IT WAS DIVINE!.......I hope the current persons remove the "chip on their shoulders" & study .,restore the greatness from the past from which todays great artists derive their innovations. vkv

gn.sn42
Posts: 396
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 23:56

Post by gn.sn42 »

vijay wrote: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...
vkv43034 wrote:I am disappointed tho' not surprised that persons who have heard only TERRIBLE recordings of MVI lack OBJECTIVITY & have heard the worst of him but have the guts to write about him;

...I hope the current persons remove the "chip on their shoulders" & study .,restore the greatness from the past from which todays great artists derive their innovations. vkv
If vkv43034's post was in response to vijay's, I think it's quite uncalled for. vijay's post is extremely gracious and sincere.

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

Post by arasi »

Neither is Vijay panning MVI nor is VKV defending him or needs to :)

VKV,
Vijay, as gn.sn42 points out, is an extremely gracious and fine-tuned rasikA. He does not for a moment doubt the greatness of MVI. He is the kind of rasikA who makes us feel that after our time, CM will still have plenty of rasikAs and special ones like Vijay and many others that we have on the Rasikas who are half our age in most cases...
Last edited by arasi on 06 Jun 2008, 04:41, edited 1 time in total.

ram
Posts: 705
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:48

Post by ram »

rajeshnat wrote: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.
Rajesh,

Not sure what you mean by breaking a mrudangam artist's hand. Rangu Iyengar was one of the all time greats.

The Music Academy web site http://www.musicacademymadras.in/2007-w ... r1958.html lists Madurai Krishna Iyengar as the mrudangam artist for the concert you are citing.

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Post by rajeshnat »

ram
MVI was so fast in rendition ,that any mridangist will find it difficult to play continously. That was what I meant by breaking mridangist hand. I got the name wrong , he is not rangu but madurai krishna iyengAr.

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

Post by rajeshnat »

maharAjapuram rAmachandran:
------------------------------------
Few perspectives that I observed over years with maharAjapuram ramachandran.

1. Usually in all concerts we have a sub main and a main. But rAmachandran generally gives atleast first 4 numbers as one submain and the rest three very very close to say 80% of submain. That is his Style . So when you hear just before the start of main , you will atleast have a relative feel that this concert is brimming with music.

Having said that he loses steam for main and very likely the quality slightly(as the last kalyani in shringeri temple concert) or very noticably suffers(like last 2008 seasonof kharaharapriya in academy). After main it is always steady stream of tukkadas they are all aesthetic and exceptionally well done.

2. rAmachandran like his thAthA does not believe in giving violin returns almost every swara or neraval he cuts off quickly the violin before they complete the return. For me initially few years back it was irritating , but nowadays I just like it most of the time as breath continuity and sustained gamakam by vocalist adds a lot of aesthetics and brings more depth. To that extent hats off to him and his thAthA MVI , both are very very gutsy.

3. lalitha choodAmani:
------------------
AN interesting anecdote about 6 years back atleast I attended a concert of maharAjapuram rAmachandran. That was in sastri hall for ariyakudi foundation where mayavaram b rajam iyer presided. BTW that review must be there in titanic site sangeetham.com.

In the first row mAyavaram B Rajam Iyer was seated ,I was seated in the 4th row along with Dr V V Srivatsa (musicologist who is an authority in muttuswami dikshitar). We both coincidentally sat next to each other .

I think after shree mahAgaNapathE in AbhOgi, when I was about to jot down the krithi and rAga ,I was not sure with the composer as to whether it was NS ramachandran or mayuram vishwanAtha Sastri. I asked DR VVS if it is vish sAstri, he said this is by NS rAmachandran. Then I said what a great composition by NS ramachandran.

Then there was some number , then maharAjapuram rAmachandran started singing an out of the world lalitA. Then Dr Srivastava just during violin return just whispered into my years , intha rAmachandran pAru eppadi evalavu azhagA lalitA krithi pAdapOrAr (look look see how this maharajapuram rAmachandran is going to sing lalitA) and then hiranmayeem lakshmeem popped out , big round of applause was there. Then in that concert the main was sounderarAjam in br sArangA .Then Dr V V Srivatsa remarked ivalavu nalla dikshitar krithiya pAdarthukku antha rAjam Iyer thAn kAranam and pointed out B.rAjam Iyer(Only because of B.rajam iyer tutoring did ramachandran sing this br saranga so beautifully).

This I thought is a great appreciation by DR VV Srivatsa who being a dikshitar authority feeling like praising ramachandran to an unknown stranger who is me and considering that DR VVS is generally not known to show any favoritism that indeed shows the accomplishment that maha ramachandran has achieved. This kind of little praises which are as impressive as a typical award

Flash forward some time later three or four years before , rAmachandran sang the same lalitA in KGS with neraval"geeta vAdhya" and swaras , voice sAreeram at its best.

At the end of sringeri temple concert I just went and shaked his hands "Sir neenga sangeetha choodAmani mattum illa , neenga lalita choodAmani". Incidentally I had a sound reason to say that he is lalitha choodAmani.

Lalita is one rAga that has not been very explored by early 19th century vidwans like ariyakudi, mmi , semmangudi . Possibly they were in that era where the battle of lalita vs vasantA :) was not closed, so possibly all musicians of that era were not committed to lalitA

I am assuming only DKJ-DKP brought lalitA to maximum limelight . Usually most of us generally think that DKJ's hiranmayeem is the gold standard. Fortunately when you hear rAmachandran you will automatically promote this musician as a gold standard lalitA singer and DKJ only comes second .There is also Smt MS amma singing hiranmayeem in an academy concert which is very good.

But the finest singer of lalitA is indeed maharAjapuram ramachandran, voice reaching that beautiful sareeram is matchless. I had a chance to talk to shri ramachandran after the last sringeri temple concert, he said he picked up br sAranga krithi from mayavaram B rajam iyer , where as lalita it was more an inspiration from DKJ/DKP school.

Note:
-----
There was one time where he did not get lalita perfectly, so I cant guarantee ramachandran to get lalita always perfectly. But nevertheless just hear him sing that you will get a feel of what I have penned before and more importantly connect B.rajamIyer-Dr VVS anecdote. BTW apart from lalita I have noticed he excelling in Arabi and brindavana sAranga , but there are many musicians who excel as much as rAmachandran.

But lalitA he is truly the #1, past and present, shri rAmachandran is "lalithA gold winner".
Last edited by rajeshnat on 15 Dec 2009, 22:06, edited 1 time in total.

cpblog
Posts: 233
Joined: 07 Jul 2009, 22:01

Post by cpblog »

Inviting you all to an audio stream from a 1978 concert at "Parvathi", Mysore with Maharajpuram Santhanam-Lalgudi - Ramabhadran - MAK Murthy http://chowdaiahandparvati.blogspot.com/

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

Post by unnikrishnan_n »

The Thulaseevanam Kruthis rendered by Maharajapuram Santhanam are available after a long gap. They have been taken over from AVM and are produced by KOSMIC. The CD is in MP3 format with a big Lord Ayyappa Picture. Please grab before the copies are sold out.

Balummi
Posts: 174
Joined: 24 May 2009, 16:46

Post by Balummi »

Hasty message submitted cancelled. I was under the impression that " Maharajapuram" refers only to Santhanam in these columns . After going through all the letters I understand that it refers to the entire family of father , son and grandsons . My impression is that the father stands aloft verymuch above the son or grandson . Sri Madurai Mani Iyer used to say with great admiration that Sri Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer was undoubtedly the greatest Vidwan that he had ever listened to! Please forget about the available recordings of him which do not do justice to his greatness
Last edited by Balummi on 12 Dec 2009, 18:16, edited 1 time in total.

ganeshkant
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Joined: 05 Feb 2010, 11:59

Post by ganeshkant »

Santhanam's way of singing varnams were quite unique.I haven't seen that kalapramanam with any other artist past or present.Even his sons are unable to effect this.

He was offered an evening slot only in 1967 in KGS when he was 39!

As Subbudu had written

" Santhnam was singing heavy classical music till '80 and no one took notice of him but when he slightly changed his style and started singing exciting tail enders the entire world started speaking about him".

Indeed a true statement.

During 90s he used to ask the rasikas what they want for main and invariably the answer was mohanam and this used to irritate rasikas like me.Neverthless we sat through!

CRama
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Joined: 18 Nov 2009, 16:58

Post by CRama »

What ganeshkant has written is true. In seventees Santhanam's music was on his father's style which he changed for more popularity in th eightees. I have got 2-3 concerts before eighty and his soga suga, saramegani etc are mind boggling. He had sung Nalinakanthimathi (ragamalika) with alapanas and swarams in all the ragas..Another concert in the beginning of eighties in Ram Seva Mandali with Lalgudi and Praveen is also mesmerising.Main song- Unnai allal-Kalyani.

CRama
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Joined: 18 Nov 2009, 16:58

Post by CRama »

In mail no 61, I have mentioned Nalinakanthimathi- ragamalika. It may please be corrected as Sarangan marugane- Ragamalika.

In the mail no 56, rajeshnat has mentioned as Mayavaram Rajam Iyer. Is it Mayavaram S. Rajam or B.Rajam Iyer. Both are different persons. Any how this mail give me an opportunity to understand Maharajapuram Ramachandran in a bnetter manner. Otherwise I was not listening to his music. Thanks.

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Post by rajeshnat »

CRama wrote:In mail no 61, I have mentioned Nalinakanthimathi- ragamalika. It may please be corrected as Sarangan marugane- Ragamalika.

In the mail no 56, rajeshnat has mentioned as Mayavaram Rajam Iyer. Is it Mayavaram S. Rajam or B.Rajam Iyer. Both are different persons. Any how this mail give me an opportunity to understand Maharajapuram Ramachandran in a bnetter manner. Otherwise I was not listening to his music. Thanks.
CRama
Do you have ragamaliga with swarams for sArangan maruganE , i have not had a chance to hear any swaras at all for sarangan marugane . Are u sure on that?

In post #56 I have mentioned as mayavaram B rajam Iyer only, though at one place I have just referred him as just mayavaram rajam Iyer . Ramachandran has learnt from mayavaram B rajam Iyer , the disciple of ariyakudi few dikshitar krithis.
Last edited by rajeshnat on 15 Dec 2009, 15:00, edited 1 time in total.

CRama
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Joined: 18 Nov 2009, 16:58

Post by CRama »

Rajeshnat, Iam sure I have got Sarangan marugane with swaras atleast in two concerts. If your are in Chennai you contact me 9445070656. I can share with you.

narayan
Posts: 383
Joined: 05 Oct 2008, 07:43

Post by narayan »

rajeshnat wrote: In the first row mAyavaram Rajam Iyer was seated ,I was seated in the 4th row along with Dr Srivastava (musicologist who is an authority in muttuswami dikshitar).
rajeshnat,
I'm pretty sure this would be V.V.Srivatsa the authority on MD and various other matters. Srivastavas are mostly people from eastern U.P. and other far off places.

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Post by rajeshnat »

narayan wrote:
rajeshnat wrote: In the first row mAyavaram Rajam Iyer was seated ,I was seated in the 4th row along with Dr Srivastava (musicologist who is an authority in muttuswami dikshitar).
rajeshnat,
I'm pretty sure this would be V.V.Srivatsa the authority on MD and various other matters. Srivastavas are mostly people from eastern U.P. and other far off places.
Corrected the post he is only Dr V V Srivatsa

arasi
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Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Re: Maharajapuram

Post by arasi »

From Sanjay Subrahmanyan's blog, I came to know that he gave a Maharajapuram Santhanam memorial concert at KGS a few days ago. Were there other concerts too? Would be nice to see the song list (s) to know if some of MS's favorites were sung.
Sanjay's recollections about Maharajapuram and his music in his formative years made an interesting read. We do appreciate personal glimpses from contemporary musicians into CM's history and about vidvAns of yesteryears. From posterity's point of view, it is all the more valuable.

cpblog
Posts: 233
Joined: 07 Jul 2009, 22:01

1979 Santhanam Concert from "Parvati" Mysore

Post by cpblog »

Dear Rasikas,

We welcome you to a Vidwan Maharajpuram Santhanam concert of April 5, 1979 at Parvathi, Mysore during Ramanavami. Accompanying him are Vidwans Lalgudi Jayaraman, Vellore Ramabhadran and M.A.Krishnamurthy.
http://chowdaiahandparvati.blogspot.com/

Regards,

CPBlog team

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

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by varsha »

I have heard legendary stories of Santhanam making it to the first show of movies on friday at krishnaveni theatre . They must have been true , since he was the first to hypnotise a larger audience . He must have got the inspiration to reach out to larger numbers there .
Some proof of this is here , in his rendering of a hindi bhajan . He must have admired Khurshid . Her rendering of the classic - aiy channd chup na janna ..... ( hey moon , dont you hide behind the clouds ) forms the second part of this mixed track . The inspiration from the Kolkattan Music of the 30s and 40s is unmistakeably present.
http://www.mediafire.com/?18bcmwvyf4v5533
enjoy !!

Krazy4music
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Joined: 18 Aug 2010, 19:04

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by Krazy4music »

Incredible!!Thanks so much Varsha....

sreebeecane
Posts: 145
Joined: 03 Nov 2011, 22:10

Re:

Post by sreebeecane »

I heard his concert in Chicago a couple of years ago. Was extremely impressive reminiscent of his father. He was accompanied by Sandeep Bharadwaj on the violin who accompanied Shri Ramachandran superbly. And, the way he encouraged the young vidwan was extremely impressive.

Any opinions on Ganesh Vishwanathan - grandson of Shri Santhanam? I heard him on Jaya TV last and I haven't seen very many reviews either in The Hindu or on this forum.

--------
rajeshnat wrote: Then there was some number , then maharAjapuram rAmachandran started singing an out of the world lalitA. Then Dr Srivastava just during violin return just whispered into my years , intha rAmachandran pAru eppadi evalavu azhagA lalitA krithi pAdapOrAr (look look see how this
Saar saar, Dr. Srivatsa-va poyi Dr. Srivastava pannitele. :)

venkatakailasam
Posts: 4170
Joined: 07 Feb 2010, 19:16

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by venkatakailasam »

pahi pahi sharade-Kalyani...

Composer...Andavan pitchai...Would like to hear as many times as possible...

REndered by Maharajapuram Shri. Santhanam... 49mts concert..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bwmmxs2uV_4

MaamiAtHeart
Posts: 66
Joined: 28 Dec 2011, 23:03

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by MaamiAtHeart »

I was looking to read about the great Vidwan Maharajapuram Santhanam and this thread left me thirsting for more. If i could bother the moderators, would it be possible to rename this thread as the Maharajapuram legacy or something like that? Because this thread focuses a lot on MVI and his grandson. A great maestro like Santhanam deserves a full blown thread IMHO. Also, it is possible that some rasikas in this forum would have interacted personally with him and it would be wonderful if they could share their experiences. Even if critics dismissed him as a "mass hero", his fans absolutely loved his incredibly beautiful bhakthi soaked renditions. I have listened to absolutely pristine Vasantha, Amrithavarshini, Maya malava gowla etc from him. There is a group rendition of the pancharathna krithis with him leading the chorus. Absolutely wonderful. And need i even mention the famous tukkadas and thillanas? His tragic demise was an immense blow for Carnatic music. I remember that day; it was like losing a member of our own family. He inspired that much love in the hearts of his listeners. During his last december season, my parents attended his concert at NGS. He sang Meenakshi memudham and my mother talks about his neraval at Madhurapuri nilaye till this day. I remember how incredibly happy my parents were when they returned home that evening. If anyone has that song, could you please share it?

vasanthakokilam
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by vasanthakokilam »

>A great maestro like Santhanam deserves a full blown thread IMHO

Definitely. And this is the thread for that. There are some detours to related ( and sometimes unrelated ) topics. That is par for the course. So any further discussion on Maharajapuram Santhanam can take place in this thread.

MaamiAtHeart
Posts: 66
Joined: 28 Dec 2011, 23:03

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by MaamiAtHeart »

Ok! I really hope this thread is revived. BTW, what is the acronym for Maharajapuram Santhanam?

venkatakailasam
Posts: 4170
Joined: 07 Feb 2010, 19:16

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by venkatakailasam »

Image

Concert 222-Maharajapuram Shri V Santhanam
His remembrance day 24-06-2014
Listen at:

http://myblogkumara.blogspot.in/2014/06 ... y-vii.html

Artists:
1.shri.mahArAjapuram_santhAnam-vocal
2.shri.nAgai_muraLiDharan-violin
3.shri.vellore_rAmbhaDhran-mrudhanga..
Concert Details:
01-sAmaja_vara_gamana-hindhOLa-Adhi-thyAgarAja
02-nI_bhajana_gAna-nAyaki-Adhi-thyAgarAja
03-AlApane-kalyANi
04-04-nija_dhAsa_varadha_akhila-kalyANi-Adhi-patNam_subrahmaNya_iyer
05-thani_Avarthane-mrudhanga
06-guruvAyUr_appane_appan-rIthigouLa-Adhi-ambujama_krishNa
07-RTP_AlApane_thAna-sAvEri
08-RTP_pallavi_bhAvayAmi_raghurAmam-sAvEri_rAgamAlike
09-nIraja_dhaLa_nayana-mAnd-Adhi-mannArgudi_sAmbhashiva_iyer
10-raghuvamsha_suDhAmbuDhi-kadhanakuthUhala-Adhi-patNam_subrahmaNya_iyer
11-kshIrAbdhi_kannike-rAgaMAlike-Adhi-puranDhara_dhAsa
12-shen_thamizh_nAdennum-mOhanakalyANi-Adhi-subrahmaNya_bhArathi
13-nada_mAdum_dhaivamE-sAramathi-MV_santhAnam
14-AdAdhu_azhangAdhu_vA-madhyamAvathi-Adhi-UththkAdu_venkatasubbier
15-viruththam-rAgamAlike-brundhAvanasAranga_shivaranjani
16-thillAna-shivarAnjani-MV_santhAnam
17-nI_nAma_rUpamulaku-sourAshtra-Adhi-thyAgarAja.
courtesy Dr. Manjunath..

venkatakailasam
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Joined: 07 Feb 2010, 19:16

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by venkatakailasam »

A lullaby to Guruvayurappan..

tAlATTu pADum. rAgA: nIlAmbari. cApu tALA. Composer: Krishnadasan.

P: tAlATTu pADum endan madhura gAnam kETTu nIla vaNNA kriSNA nIyum kaN vaLarAi guruvAyUrappA
A: mElAna undan sannidhi vand-aDaindEn nAn kOlAhalamAna un darishanam kaNDu kaLittEn kaliyuga varadA
C: pArkkaDalil AdisESanil paLLi koLLum shrIman nArAyaNA padmanAbhanAi tOnrum parandAmanum nI anrO
shrngAramAna undan mOhana punnakai kaNDu en sankatangaL ellAm tIrndu santOSam aDaindEn uNNikrSNA

Talattu padum enthan madura ghanam kettu..rendered by M Santhanam here..

http://mfi.re/listen/n7debvbyz170x63/Sa ... ambari.mp3

venkatakailasam
Posts: 4170
Joined: 07 Feb 2010, 19:16

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by venkatakailasam »

Mahaperiva-001-nada_mAdum_dhaivamE-sAramathi-MV_santhAnam

Mahaperiva-001-nada_mAdum_dhaivamE-sAramathi-MV_santhAnam.mp3

HarishankarK
Posts: 2216
Joined: 27 Oct 2007, 11:55

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by HarishankarK »

i had an audio cassette of Santhanam ji in my house with a Todi Purandaradasa song Ninne Nodi Dhanyan and a Kharaharapriya song of Papanasam Sivan Dayavillaya Dayalo.
Both the renditions are very haunting, and i have always remembered him. I think the other side of that cassette had Kamalambaam Bhajare of Dikshitar but i did not hear that much.
He tuned and popularised the Devi krithi Sri Chakra Raja Simhasaneshwaree in ragamalika. But i think he sang it in too many of his concerts which became very boring later.
I think the Dikshitar krithi Nanda Gopala in Yaman Kalyan was also sung by him. Today i think Neela Ramgopal is the only one who sings this krithi.

Is MH Ramachandran the only student of MH Santhanam? What about Dr Ganesh? And are there no other students of Maharajapuram Santhanam?

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by rajeshnat »

shri maharajapuram santhanam students are
1. maharajapuram ramachandran
2. maharajapuram srinivasan
3. Dr Ganesh
4. Yazhpaanam karunAkaran - I have not heard him, he is based out of srilanka.

kvchellappa
Posts: 3597
Joined: 04 Aug 2011, 13:54

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by kvchellappa »

TMK also sings Namdagopala.

venkatakailasam
Posts: 4170
Joined: 07 Feb 2010, 19:16

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by venkatakailasam »

Request join Maharajapuram Santhanam group at FB..

https://www.facebook.com/groups/904848519533700/

sankark
Posts: 2321
Joined: 16 Dec 2008, 09:10

Re:

Post by sankark »

rajeshnat wrote: 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.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOJZo9EyXSk - a full fledged concert. Thodi RTP in kanda triputai, starting @ around 2:10 mark. But the nereval is a rAgamAlikai, not only thOdi.

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

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by rajeshnat »

varsha wrote:MS has sung yAro ivar yAro for close to half an hour , saree evvaramma for close to an hour , in concerts
Varsha
Can i get the upload of maharajapuram santhanam singing saree evaramma and yArO ivar yArO in bhairavi please.



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

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by rajeshnat »

Maharajapuram santhanam singing bhairavi swarajathi - not as superlative as his guru's another student semmangudi. But santhanam always gives emote with right voice power. You can play in the 2nd song of the playlist. I am not sure if he has ever sang in a live concert-this swarajati.
http://mio.to/album/Maharajapuram+Santh ... ri+Krithis

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

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by rajeshnat »

Thank you varsha the sari evaramma appears as a live recording - perhaps this is the only neraval bhairavi recording of santhanam.
Santhanam singing periya upachAramoolanu (R,S,T)- no neraval
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaT93J75SSc

CRama
Posts: 2939
Joined: 18 Nov 2009, 16:58

Re: Re:

Post by CRama »

[quote="sankark"][quote="rajeshnat"]
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.

Santhanam has rendered lot of good Thodis- May not be RTPs, but many kritis like Ninne nammi nanu, Sree Krishnam bhajamanasa, Dasarathe etc. Last Sunday, in the Isai pettagam there was a superb Thodi and Ninne namminanu. It may be available in sangeethapriya. I also want to download that concert.

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

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by varsha »

https://www.mediafire.com/folder/14g4di ... hanam_Todi
Santhanam has rendered lot of good Thodis-

vinodnn
Posts: 20
Joined: 18 Jan 2015, 14:08

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by vinodnn »

Thank you for the rare Bhairavi piece from the maestro. This appears to be from his pre-80s. I'm a big fan of shri Santhanam. Do you have the full concert available?

Regards,
Vinod

varsha
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Joined: 24 Aug 2011, 15:06

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by varsha »

regret

sweetsong
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Joined: 29 Nov 2009, 16:48

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by sweetsong »


rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by rajeshnat »

Sweetsong
What a treat sweetsong - only today you have become truly the sweetest. See the musical intelligence and caution .- TO preserve the voice he is giving his son the chance to give the opening remark . Also the caution is he wants to give ramachandran the chance to speak in english which I am assuming shri santhanam is not as familiar. No one understands stagecraft better than santhanam.

Santhanam in 1985 was 57 years old . I am assuming there is more North Indians than south indians, could the person who introduced be Karan Singh the diplomat who is from J&K and also was US ambassador- he walks in black blazer just before start and after introduction. Besh besh santhanam i wish you were called to UN in those years 1985 to 1992 to represent the next vidwan/vidushi in UN after MS amma.

Off to work with only the pantuvarali breakfast .

Crama
see the context of what I wrote in ramachandran sir review. see how with power vidwan santhanam is singing say the line paripAlaya sarasIruha lOcana bhava bhaya kAnana and then ramachandran takes the last phrase bhanjana. This is what i was saying - may be the term .. Adichufying is bit crude yes(in hindsight I stand corrected) , but this vocal resource sharing is the key.

vinodnn
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Joined: 18 Jan 2015, 14:08

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by vinodnn »

In spite of being a great maestro, I personally feel that shri santhanam is one of the ever neglected vocalists in the carnatic world.

I don't believe that he delivered less number of concerts in his life time. But the number of recordings of the maestro that is available in the web are less/limited. Till the beginning of 80s, he had been working in the Veeramani music college in Jaffna. May be due to this, he might not have delivered much concerts in India during that period. At least I haven't got a chance to listen to much concerts in his pre-80s.

When I hear people talking about legendary musicians (in TV or other media or in public talks), I hardly heard reference about shri Santhanam. I feel pain while seeing this. There are several vidwans/vidushis at his times including D K Jayaraman, Tanjavur S Kalyanaraman, Balamuralikrishna, M L Vasanthakumari, etc. who are remembered by rasikas. But I wonder why a maestro like Santhanam is not in the picture.

I feel that he got his Sangeetha Kalanidhi too late (similar to the fate of other vidwans like KVN, Nedunuri etc.).

Had he given any lecture demonstrations? I haven't got a chance to hear one.

Purist
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Joined: 13 May 2008, 16:55

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by Purist »

quote #95 vinodnn "In spite of being a great maestro, I personally feel that shri santhanam is one of the ever neglected vocalists in the carnatic world"

It may not be appropriate to say MVS is one of the ever neglected, infact he was and is remembered for his
janaranjakam approach to CM. One of reasons for the less/limited number of concerts available on web is that
MVS wouldn't permit recording his concerts perhaps due to contractual obligation with recording companies.
It is well known he has to his credit a record number of cassettes/CD's next perhaps to MS & BMK,
As for other musicians of his time like DKJ/TSK/BMK/MLV you have mentioned, being referred to, each one is
for their own reason. DKJ for Sivan/Dhikishtar kritis,spl bhani, disciples trained etc. TSK for radical approach,vivadi ragas etc. BMK is a legend who doesn't need any signature reference.
In the case of MVS it is difficult to single out musical factors. Music appeal to the masses was his distinct achievement,
a great crowd puller in a so called 'lull' period of CM -1980's to 1990's, MVS trained very few disciples (apart from his sons) and nothing much to carry as a 'bhani'. All this could be reasons for lesser recalls amongst rasikas. I remember him for
his perfect concert planning,sense of proportion in what he offered, his acute sense of guaging audience pulse and
a great voice.

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

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by varsha »

Purist
very succintly and correctly responded.Almost my thoughts

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

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by varsha »

MVS wouldn't permit recording his concerts
and such glorious exceptions ....
D K Jayaraman, Tanjavur S Kalyanaraman, Balamuralikrishna, M L Vasanthakumari, etc. who are remembered by rasikas
Lalgudi once told me - after I played the tracks of one of his dizzyimg play with Nukala-especially the closing
https://archive.org/details/NIvEraKulad ... aTyAgarAja
: (in tamil )
" I used to think of of the likes of you as thieves . In hindsight i agree you guys have done a service by preserving .Little did I realise the value of this aspect of the activity.Thanks.Bring me more without hesitation "
Weeks later I went to him to pay my respects when he was moving out , at german hall - program organised to felicitate bmk ( once the Organising function was over ).

What ! have you got more stuff for me , he smiled .

"Appa" groaned gjr .To the effect that I did not ply my trade so unabashedly out in the open :lol:

How times change . Each impression on the magnetic tape - done by the unknown recorder - over thousands of hours.
Is such a vital link to a glorious chapter .And I dont know whom to thank
Which music marketeer could have captured moments of ecstasy like these as .
A huge message for current artists who frown upon , today :roll:

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

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by Ramasubramanian M.K »

Varsha: Right on with your comment about LGJ's initial dislike for recordings and his subsequent change of heart re; recordings.

SSI always used to say we can joy live music--listening to recorded music--he used to say in Tamil--it is like bathing in the kuttalam falls--right under the walls it is enjoyable but taking a dip into the same WATERS A FEW FEET AWAY DOES NOT GIVE THE SAME EFFECT. cLEVER ANALOGY MAY BE BUT IT IGNORES THE PERSERVE-FOR POSTERITY ADAGE.
If today we enjoy the likes of SSI,GNB,ARI,MMI,Alathur--who were all leading luminaries almost 50/60 years back--it is because there have been recordings public and private that give us an insight into their styles and repertoire.

The one thing that always bothered me was that those artists are not being compensated thro royalties despite the fact that all of us have heard umpteen concerts of theirs and even if there was only a small royalty everytime we played(a kind of honor sytem) would be equitable--ofcourse the logistics of collecting and channelling would be formidable!!!

Re; the present day musicians know how to safeguard their interests by demanding upfront(especially the CD recordings without waiting for royalty checks to come in the future) and also the proliferation of Sabhas all over the World have made it sufficiently rewarding.This is something the previous generation(the ARI,SSI clan) missed although their financial circumstances were less favorable(Now forumites Don't ask me How do I know this whether I have seen their Tax returns!!!!) Trust me!! Even providing for inflation their remunerations were paltry compared to what goes on today--especially the overseas tours!!

Sorry for the digression on MVS. MVS had to overcome his own Father's indifference towards his music and did very little to back him.That he made CM appealing to vast segment of the population-- whom the elites had effectively throttled before --cannot be denied.

vinodnn
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Joined: 18 Jan 2015, 14:08

Re: Maharajapuram Santhanam

Post by vinodnn »

Hi Varsha, Purist, Ramasubramanian,

Thanks for sharing these information, unknown to me. I didn't have a chance to hear a live concert of Santhanam, whereas I wished to have.

As 'Purist' said, there is no such 'Santhanam' bAni like we have for Semmangudi/Ariyakkudi/GNB.

>> When I hear people talking about legendary musicians (in TV or other media or in public talks), I hardly heard reference about shri Santhanam
This is what I've seen till today. His krithi repetition mode gained criticism, which I also agree to a certain extent. It seems he always used to think about the pulse of audience and how to keep them happy. That should be a goal of a good musician. But his limited selection of krithis doesn't look appreciable. For example, if we take rAga sankarAbharanam, the krithis that I've heard the most is 'Enduku peddala'. There are a lot of krithis in the same rAga, but he used to stick on to a very limited set of krithis. I think he hadn't explored much in his concerts. I really wished to hear a number of rAgAs and krithis in his voice.

I can tell you a lot of rAgAs which I haven't heard from him, but really wished to hear from him.

chArukEsi
suruti
kEdAragaula
natabhairavi
mAyAmAlavagaula

are some of them.

I must say that I'm not a knowledgable person in carnatic music like you, who have decades of experience in listening to different concerts by vidwans/vidushis of different times.

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