Usha Ramamurthy (Gottuvadyam) @ IITM Music Club, 6 Apr 2010

[srikant1987]

Usha Ramamurthy - Gottuvadhyam
Padma Shankar - Violin
Mannarkoil J Balaji - Mrudangam
Madipakkam A Murali - Ghatam

Music Club IIT Madras. CLT
6 Apr 10. 7 pm

cAlamEla - khamAs - Adi - ST [varNam] (short sketch)
gajavadanA karuNA sadanA - shrI ranjani - Adi - PS (short sketch)
paramAtmuDu - vAgadIshvari - Adi - T (R)
gangAdIsvara - pUri kalyANi - rUpakam - Mysore Sadasiva Rao (RNS)
smara janaka - bEhAg - misra cApu - ST (sketch)
sarOja daLa nEtri - shankarAbaraNam - Adi - SS (RNS)
tani
venkaTAcala nilayam - sindhubhairavi - Adi - PD (short sketch)
tillAnA - senjuruTTi - Adi - Veenai Seshanna
vEga nIvu - suruTTi - Adi
nI nama rUpamulaku - saurAshTram - Adi - T
madhyamAvati short sketch

The varNam was a first for me, and it was a good one. shrI ranjani sketch was very good. vAgadIshvari AlApanai by Smt Usha was good, and Smt Padma's reply AlApanai was even more impressive. Smt Usha's pUrvIkalyANi AlApanai was very good too. Smt Usha's neravals were good, and swarams were very good and nice, and Smt Padma's replies matched perfectly. The shankarAbharaNam AlApanai on gottuvadyam was very, very good, especially coming just after a behAg. The dATu phrase ddnnrrggm was employed very nicely towards the end of the AlApanai full of traditional phrases. The violin reply was very good too. Neraval was done well. The slow swarams were good, but the employment of the dATu phrase was not as impressive here. The mElkAla swarams were very good, and violin replies again rallied superbly with them like an echo.

The tanI was enjoyable and very neatly done.

The instrument was handled very nicely in a gAyaki style by Smt Usha Ramamurthy. However, perhaps the instrument's own strengths could be offerred some more space - without being gimmicky of course!

[keerthi]

gangAdIsvara - pUri kalyANi - rUpakam - Mysore Sadasiva Rao

gangAdhara tripurahara..

[rbharath]

It was a good concert. Her Gottuvadhyam did not have resonating strings on the fret board, which i am told is the distinct stamp of the Budalur school of gottuvadyam, and hence, it was a little prone to sruti lapses. I am told Sri D Kittappa, who served AIR, Madras for many years until his retirement was a well known exponent of this style.

Smt Usha's concert was gripping with a neat presentation of kritis and adequate justice done to the manodarmam parts. The accompanists provided excellent support to the main artist.

From an artist who is probably not very popular in the madras music circuits, to be listening to a concert of good quality music and with a lot of vyavahAram and saukyam was indeed great. Notwithstanding an occasional lapse here and there, it was indeed one of the really satisfying concerts we have had at IIT Music Club in recent times.

[srikant1987]

From an artist who is probably not very popular in the madras music circuits, to be listening to a concert of good quality music and with a lot of vyavahAram and saukyam was indeed great.

Agree totally! Hope to get to listen to her more!

[uday_shankar]

Her Gottuvadhyam did not have resonating strings on the fret board, which i am told is the distinct stamp of the Budalur school of gottuvadyam, and hence, it was a little prone to sruti lapses.

Bharath, you should bring your scientific rigor to Carnatic music discussions also, not just journal papers . For example:

1) Gotuvadyam does not have a "fretboard" (factual error!)
2) Having the resonating strings neither aids nor deters in the adherence to shruti (logical error!)

That said, indeed the Budalur style is excellent and is known for its vina-like tightness to its sangatis. I have had the privilege of seeing (but not listening ;( ) to shri Shastrigal in Kalakshetra.

[anonymityatlast]

I have had the privilege of seeing (but not listening ;( ) to shri Shastrigal in Kalakshetra.

I suppose you meant "seeing" and "listening to" Shri Shastrigal, which means, logically, that the "to" should come within the parenthesis, between "listening" and ;(. "Seeing to" Shri Shastrigal sounds like you were intending to do something hurtful to him!

[arasi]

All that Uday is saying l think is that he had seen him (met him) but did not get a chance to hear him play.
Aren't we being a bit fussy here?

[anonymityatlast]

Aren't we being a bit fussy here?

Yes!

[rbharath]

1) Gotuvadyam does not have a "fretboard" (factual error!)
2) Having the resonating strings neither aids nor deters in the adherence to shruti (logical error!)

1. Yes. i do know that the Gottuvadhyam does not have frets. What i meant to say is the lack of frets and resonating strings. I guess i dint put it the correct way. However, there is indeed the board above which the strings run, like the veenai's dhaNDi.

2. For some ppl, it is prolly better to have some of these resonating strings to keep themselves tagged to the correct svarasthanams, which might otherwise go a little on and off. It may not particularly help, but certainly for ppl who are not sure of svarasthanams (like yours truly) it is better to have them strings for the sake of reassurance..