Vidushi Smt.Vidyashankar Passes Away

[mridhangam]

Members
I got the news that Vidushi Vidya Shankar passed away this morning.
Condolences to the family.

J.Balaji

[thanjavooran]

Heart felt condolences to the bereaved family

Thanjavooran 29 06 2010

[Sathej]

Sad to know. Condolences to the family..

Sathej

[cienu]

Extremely sad news. Condolences .

[rbharath]

indeed a great loss to the music fraternity.
deepest condolence to the family

[ram]

Real sad news. Heartfelt condolences.

I have personally learnt a lot just by attending her lec dems. A pity I couldn't listen to her in her hey days. I have many a times been left awestruck at her way of looking at and explaining things.

[rajeshnat]

Condolences to her family.IIRC,She learnt from the grandson of syamA sastri.

[vainika]

Sincere condolences to her family and students.

She has been a storehouse of Vidya, with her scholarship evident in the substantial body of writings* she has produced over the decades.

As recently as December 2009 she launched a book, and wrote in the Hindu (http://beta.thehindu.com/arts/music/article101181.ece)

“S. Rajam was a genius in the arts of painting and music. I consider it an honour that he sent to me a picture of Sri Tyagaraja for the frontispiece of the publication of my latest book, on the saint’s Divyanama kirtanas. The picture depicts Sri Tyagaraj as a zestful bhakta singing joyfully his compositions.It was unfortunate that Rajam was unable to attend the book launch function held at the Sanskrit College on December 28, 2009, which was my 90{+t}{+h} birthday. He sent the picture to me within three days after my request.

“I quote from his reply to my letter of thanks:

‘Days move fast; years move faster. Your description of Unchavriti of Tyagaraja made me bring a beautiful painting and something urged me for your using this as frontispiece which rasikas may also relish.’ "

-----------------
* Partial bibliography [Please add]
- 1947 Kritis of Syâmâ Sâstri and Subbarâya Sâstri, Part I, pub, C.S.Iyer, Madras
- 1947 Kritis of Syâmâ Sâstri and Subbarâya Sâstri, Part II, pub, C.S.Iyer, Madras
- 1947 Kritis of Syâmâ Sâstri and Subbarâya Sâstri, Part I, pub, C.S.Iyer, Madras
- 1970 Shyama Sastry New Delhi, National Book Trust, India
- 1983. The art and science of Carnatic music 1st ed. Madras : Music Academy Madras
- 1995 Subbaraya Sastry's and Annaswamy Sastry's compositions : text, translation, transliteration, and notation with gamaka-signs 1st ed. Parampara, Chennai
- 1997 Aesthetic and Scientific Values in Carnatic Music: Lecture-Demonstrations by Vidya Shankar at the Annual Conferences of The Music Academy Madras 1946-1996 (Parampara, Chennai)
- 2009 Saint Tyagaraja's Divya-Nama Keertanas: Text, Transliteration, Translation and Notation with Gamaka-signs Parampara, Chennai

.

[rasaali]

Heartfelt condolences to her family. This is the end of an era in scholarship.

We are blessed that her contributions as a performer, teacher and scholar continue to enrich our musical lives.

[satyabalu]

We have lost one more authority on Shyama shastri.

[gienbee]

Members
I got the news that Vidushi Vidya Shankar passed away this morning.
Condolences to the family.

J.Balaji

Really a very sad news. Heartfelt condolences to her family members and her students. .
Gienbee

[Lakshman]

I am saddened by her passing. I had the opportunity to meet with her many years ago and spent a couple of hours discussing about Shyama Shastri's compositions. What an articulate and learned vidushi she was! Her brother, violin expert C.Subramania Iyer, and my mother were classmates in school.

[arasi]

Another gifted woman of age, grace and scholarship is no more. Many in her family, in one way or the other left their marks in this world of ours (Dr. Chandrashekar Subramaian, her brother, for example). Others are still serving it (Dr. Shantha at the Cancer Institute of Chennai).

[bilahari]

Condolences.

[hanquill]

A great loss to CM ,especially in the domain of Shyama Sastri Kritis.I have seen her in MA several times,clearly expressing her thoughts on the subtle nuances of Syam. Kritis.A venerable musicologist of high order is no longer with us.Women may come and women may go .but Her fame persists-hanquill ;( .

[ksrimech]

Sad day for CM. May her soul rest in peace. Heartfelt condolences to Her family.

[rshankar]

Heartfelt condolences! Very sad...

[harimau]

I am saddened by her passing. .... Her brother, violin expert C.Subramania Iyer, and my mother were classmates in school.

Didn't you mean her father, C. S. Aiyar?

I remember reading somewhere that C. S. Aiyar would be seated at the table along with the likes of Tiger Varadachariar and colleagues at the Music Academy Experts Committee meetings in discussions about the finer points of ragas when future legends like Ariyakkudi and Semmangudi would dare not sit but stand respectfully leaning against the wall. Those were the days when rasikas were as knowledgeable as practicing musicians. Even S. Rajam had mentioned about an ardent rasika who struck terror in the heart of musicians with his vast knowledge of Carnatic music.

[harimau]

Another gifted woman of age, grace and scholarship is no more. Many in her family, in one way or the other left their marks in this world of ours (Dr. Chandrashekar Subramaian, her brother, for example). Others are still serving it (Dr. Shantha at the Cancer Institute of Chennai).

Don't forget her uncle, Sir C. V. Raman.

It is remarkable how she was brought up to become a musician and highly analytical musicologist by her father. She equally credited her mother who, because of the restrictions of those days, was not allowed to even finish high school but who ensured that her daughters were not restricted the way she was.

The state of society today is a sad but telling commentary on the decline of education in the last 50 years.

[arasi]

Harimau,
That special mother, in the time period that she lived in, even translated Ibsen's Doll's House into tamizh! What a lady! And such a husband too. Though she did not live long enough to see her illustrious children achieve all that they did, she did do a grand job in bringing them up. Let's not forget the father who made sure his children got the best in education and in the arts. Even the not so well known siblings are (were) very talented. I have met just one of them over dinner (she is no more) and what a lady she was!

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

Great loss to the CM world!! Condolences to the family.The Sampradaya institution that she nurtured offered a veritable platform for every worthwhile muiscal endeavour that the Big Institutions in Chenai had overloked.

I recall her father's lec-dems in the Fifties when she accompanied her father in the demos--he was a disciple of T.Sabhesa Iyer(Sangita kalanidhi--contemporrary of Tiger et al) who was also the guru of Musiri.
If I remember right he played the Violin and she palyed the Veena.



Yes,he was an intractable contentious man but solid in his analysis and opinions--The Musicians of yesteryears were genuinely afraid of him and had great respect for him-he held one of the highest ranks in the Admin Services of the Colonial days.

Smt VidyaShankar wa the apple of his eye much more than the Nobel laureate son and other children. One of her sisters was married to an architect who was the brother of the famous Cine Actor Ranjan(the Errol Flynn of India). More than anything else the body of her work in the CM field is something that posterity should be eternally grateful for.

[tkb]

sincere condolences to the family.

[srkris]

My condolences.

[MaheshS]

The Hindu tribute. Fascinating read.

[mahakavi]

The family genealogy of this clan is incredibly superb. I once wrote about a genius gene (judged by Nobel prizes ) and a music gene running in families. This is one family comprising C. S. Ayyar (a violinist who was praised by Queen Elizabeth), his younger brother C V Raman (Nobelist), his son Chandrasekhar (Nobelist), his daughter Vidya Shankar, and a whole host of other luminaries in the extended family, which seems to hold both of the genes together in the family tree. C V Raman was a physicist who did extensive research in string instruments (as a hobby, mind you!).

[Suji Ram]

Condolences.

One of the fascinating biographies I have ever read is "Chandra" by Kameshwar Wali where in a lot is written about his family. Also the book "The man behind the Legend" by the same author is a good read....covers some details about his family. Great women in his family in that era!

[veenajj]

May her noble soul rest in peace. People of such erudition and class are truly rare.

Jeyaraaj and Jaysri

[Gamakam]

My Tribute: http://carnaticmusicreview.wordpress.co ... kar-books/

[ragam-talam]

You can find a nice write-up on the vidushi here: http://homepage.mac.com/ludwigpesch/sam ... 02_VS.html

One point that I found quite interesting:
- credited with a special notation system for ornamentation (gamaka), one of the most difficult aspects of Carnatic music for which she is widely regarded as a specialist among fellow musicians

Can fellow forumites elaborate on this aspect of her work please.

[venkatakailasam]

The Hindu tribute. Fascinating read.

You can hear her at this link: Veenarpana by Smt. Vidya Shankar Smt. Kalpagam Swaminathan & Smt. S. R. Padmavathy

http://www.ignca.nic.in/veena_12092009_03.htm

and also at: Veenarpana by Kum. Veena Venkatramani and Smt. Vidya Shankar

http://www.ignca.nic.in/veena_21092008_03.htm

venkatakailasam

[Sam Swaminathan]

Heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. A huge loss to the carnatic world, artists, musicologists and rasikas. May her soul rest in peace.