mohana raagam . appreciation

gobilalitha · Post by **gobilalitha** » 23 Apr 2008, 12:50

once , a rasika was discussing about a great vidwan whose speciality was mohanam. the rasika was very often repeating 'sir, neenga avar mohanam padi ketkanum ,innikku poora ketkalam sir(sir you must hear him sing mohanam. you can hear him through out the day), he was repeating neenga avar padi ketkanum sir, then I said eppadi sir mudiyum avar poi serndu romba naal aiduthe sir(how is it possible? it is long since he passed away. enakku ticket vangi tharela?( are you booking a ticket for me?. forumites would have recognised the great mohanam specialist Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer gobilalitha

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 23 Apr 2008, 18:33

Very funny.

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 23 Apr 2008, 18:50

This actually takes me to the "reputation" factor we talked about in this therad: http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?id=5406 and the "man on the streets review" discussion in another thread.

I have often heard about the reputation of MVI for his Mohanam. I sought out a few mohanam recordings of this great maestro. They were all enjoyable no doubt and top class, but I did not "get" any earth shattering aspects of Mohanam. Here is where both of the above aspects come to head. I would not know enough to distinguish between an earth shattering Mohanam and a great mohanam. That and the reputation of MVI as the greatest exponent of Mohanam makes me come up all sorts of reasons for not getting it: 'Me', 'may be a live concert is required', 'bad choice of recording' etc. Reputation of the artist and reputation of the art ( on the difficulty to judge without a lot of knowledge ), having been built over a long period of time, make us give them the benefit of the doubt. Well deserved, I suppose.

Back to the thread, what should I be looking for in MVI's Mohanam?

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 23 Apr 2008, 21:15

avr piLLayum mOhanam nannaa paaDuvar. avruM mElE poyiTTaar. onnu SeivOm. naaMba mElE pOnappuRaM avaa reNDu pErayuM Clevelandukku anuppuvOM. VVS kiTTa cholliDuNgO! ivaaL ellAruM naaL muzhukka kETTunDe iruppA...

(not worth trranslating

ramakriya · Post by **ramakriya** » 23 Apr 2008, 21:30

vasanthakokilam wrote:Back to the thread, what should I be looking for in MVI's Mohanam?

I think with all the artists of the earlier generation, the quality of recording takes away probably what they really offered, and what we get to listen is a mere shadow of what they were.

Forum members who have a long listening experience should be able to comment on this.

-Ramakriya

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 23 Apr 2008, 22:21

I can contribute at least what Madurai Mani Iyer said with respect to this when I asked him- I heard MVI only in later stages in his career- about MVI- Incidentally MVI used to call MMI Mohana Mani & there are definitely enough very good recordings of mmi mohanam esp the R.T.P. IN M.A. which launched Vellore Ramabhadran's career big time-: In my opinion MMI was a great student of EVERY GREAT MASTER esp Tiger V & MVI he appears to have incorporated their finer points into his own music in his style.
He said he & SSI used to take the "Mofussil" bus close to 90 miles to hear MVI because that "Ravai" Sareeram has to be heard to believe how great MVI'S music was. After some pointers about MVI's mohanam I was able to somewhat understand what was being attempted. As Ramakriya has said the recordings leave a lot to be desired. Incidentally I had the great fortune of MDR explain what Papanasam Sivan was trying to express when I attended a concert of Sivan & was totally befuddled by what I heard because of the superlatives Ranga Ramanuja Iyengar had written about Sivan's singing.
In short I am a believer in what has been said about MVI & other greats tho' I have not heard them either in their primes or at their best.....vkv

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 24 Apr 2008, 08:41

I was too young (feels nice to say that!) to really pay much attention to MVI when he sang his mOhanam. I knew he was very good (reputation? I don't know!). Anyway, he sounded very nice, even to a child, but I remember his presence and presentation more.

VKV,
To me too, mOhanam IS MMI, and when I hear a great mOhanam today, I cannot but think of him, and knowing about his generous heart, I also think that he would enjoy listening to a good mOhanam, from the younger generation.
CML,
Thy don't need any invitations. Sometimes, when I hear something extraordinary today, I do wonder if they are not around in spirit in a concert here, in a concert there, even in Cleveland!

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 24 Apr 2008, 09:00

Dear Arasi,
I am happy to know another MMI FAN! As you have expressed MMI=MOHANAM. Esp Bhavanutha & Mohana Rama renderings of both MMI & MVI clearly show the respect MMI had for MVI'S APPROACH to Mohanam but I can never forget the time when the ultimate composer Papanasam Sivan told MMI: I may be the composer of KAPALI but only WHEN YOU SING the beauty of the composition becomes apparent to EVERYONE. To me all three were so outstanding I consider myself very very lucky to have lived, listened to, & being in their presence. vkv

annamalai · Post by **annamalai** » 24 Apr 2008, 09:35

Madurai Somu used to make a great impersonation of MVI's Mohanam - a mohanam with long Karvais and brigas.

MD Ramanathan's Mohanam - esp. in Bhavayami Raghuraman - Vidadha Dhantakaranya ... is beautiful.

Dayarani Dayarani is a classic Thyagraja krithi

Jagadeeswari Kripai Puri - Tiruvarur Ramaswami Pillai is also a very good composition.

matterwaves · Post by **matterwaves** » 24 Apr 2008, 11:23

I dont know abt MVI but I have heard his son and protege's mohanam. Its spellbinding. I have a casette of him performing Ra Ra Rajevalochana. Such sweetness of bhava and soukhyam is seldom seen in my opinion. A couple of my friends were actually drawn into CM after listening Santanam's Ra Ra

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 24 Apr 2008, 19:15

I agree VKV
That kaapaali is just stunning. Even the abbreviated version that was available in the vinyls were outstanding. There never was time when MMI performed that the Rasikas failed to request him to sing Mohanam.
Of course Santhaanam's nannu paalimpa is classical as is his mohana rama which is a blue print of his dad's.
I also enjoy MLV's mohanam when her voice is right and she can reach the taara sancaaram effortlessly. GNB was never great with mohanam. I have yet to find any of the new generations who has touched my heart with mohanam not that they handle it frequently. Any recommendations?

annamalai · Post by **annamalai** » 24 Apr 2008, 21:10

GNB's Ramani Manohara Sree Rama - Pallavi Gopala Iyer krithi - outstanding rendition. I understand GNB also used to sing Rama Ninnu Nammina ....

One should hear GNB's rendition of Ninnukori to the accompaniment of Palani Subramania Pillai -out of the world.

I am not a big fan of Kapali Karunai Nilavu - which seems very discrete (non continuous),
as compared to classic mohanam krithis like Evarura Ninnuvina or Nannu Palimpa or Mohana Rama or Rama Ninnu Nammina.

But in terms of Mohanam - Maharajapuram family certainly had the touch.

matterwaves · Post by **matterwaves** » 24 Apr 2008, 21:26

Is MMI's Kapali available for download? I have heard it from an HMV casette but it is just a mini - severly edited version for running for abt 4 mins only!

@CML, I can suggest no vocalist but Ravikiran's mohana is also 'na bhooto na bhavishyati' (what a concert it was when he played mohanarama with Mysore Nagaraj and UKS)

@Anna, I have heard the GNB ninnukori you are talking of. Im confused as to who the violinist in that is? Is it Papa?

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 24 Apr 2008, 22:20

Is MMI's Kapali available for download?

Go to http://sangeethamshare.org and type in kapali in the search strip and you will see a bunch by MMI, TVS and others.

arvindt · Post by **arvindt** » 24 Apr 2008, 22:31

Back to the thread, what should I be looking for in MVI's Mohanam?

Have you heard MVI's rendition of Bhavanuta? This is a classic and is IMHO the final
word on manodharma in Mohanam -- cascades of brigas and ideas just come pouring
out like torrents. He is old and his voice does not quite catch up to his ideas, but you
can see the stunning manodharma on display, as well as a glimpse of the great
voice that was MVIs. His voice is full of life and has a quite unique sharp ravai, or timbre, it
sounds like it's cracking in the mandra stayi and that adds to rather than subtracts
from the rendition at least for me.

The same goes for MVIs renditions of Arabhi, Durbar, Madhyamavati, Kamas, and many
other ragas... he was quite unmatchable in manodharma coupled with sheer emotion
and bhava he brought out with his renditions -- only GNB and MMI I can think of among
other recorded artists who would come close in sheer range of ideas in manodharma. If you listen
to his Seetapathe in Kamas, you get the same feeling of awe for his conception of Kamas
and the sheer volume of turns and twists that descend on you in the pace of rendition,
all inspite of poor recording quality.

vainika · Post by **vainika** » 24 Apr 2008, 22:41

DKJ, SRJ and Nedunuri: three other musicians who've handled mOhanam beautifully.

venkatpv · Post by **venkatpv** » 24 Apr 2008, 22:50

oh yes, Nedunuri's Bhavanutha with LGJ at KGS is very special!

balusatya · Post by **balusatya** » 24 Apr 2008, 23:02

Kadambaripriyayai- one must hear DKJ.

balusatya · Post by **balusatya** » 24 Apr 2008, 23:17

Bidanina padava bingavineko, kodumana dishtava kovavideko-devarnama-is yet another good no(taught) in Mohanam.ably taught by Late Vidwan .Sunderrajan,Disciple of Sri .Sankarasivam.

balusatya · Post by **balusatya** » 24 Apr 2008, 23:25

Could anybody help me to recollect the words of Charanam- last two lines precisely?

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 25 Apr 2008, 01:08

Dear cmlover,
I grew up at a time when BOTH GNB&MMI were the rage LITERALLY. I was very fortunate in having interacted with both tho' the nature of the personalities were quite different. Of course Ariyakudi was SUPREME in both their minds. So what I am going to attempt will be coloured by my own personal reactions- I was in intermediate to physics hounours & demonstrator, lecturer etc at that period of my life-:
MMI was so GRACIOUS & OPEN even an ignoramous like me could easily ask him anyhing on any subject & he would take the trouble to explain ANYTHING you asked him. GNB was SUCH A PERFECTIONIST in his approach & UNIQUE he did not tread on any one else's territory in a certain sense. As way of explaining what I mean by this with an example, Vellore Ramabhadran had played for MMI ON A N.iNDIAN TOUR(WITH MMI& LGJ) and visited gnb as he was going to accompany him in a concert. Gnb asked about mmi's trip & what he sang etc. V.R. mentioned Vasudevayani at Jamshedpur by MMI which I CONSIDER THE ultimate rendering of Vasudevayani EVER(at least till now); Gnb just said "MANI PAADIDDATNA" & very rarely rendered it afterwards tho' he was the Gold Standard for it! This was also true of Vathapi & Sarasa samadhana tho' he renderded ALL of these many times at MMI'S request! To me IT IS STUNNING to hear BOTH their versions & incidentally they were open& avid fans of each other! My level of ignorance+diffidence prevented me from discussing these things WITH GNB at the level at which I could with MMI. Of course there was nothing Ariyakudi did not know & I was truly tongue tied in his presence! May be the fact that MMI pretty much had exhausted practically any krithi in Mohanam -may be as his tribute to MVI-made GNB sing Ninnukori(Though the ONE&ONLY MALI has shown what can be done with it!) & a few others like Nannu Palimpa & the others mentioned here BUT his IMPACT on anything he touched was ETERNAL! To finish THE MMI recollection still in front of my eyes is the thunderous applause of EVERYONE in the auditorium when MMI rendered "Raamanai Kannaadara Kandanae" at Tamil Isai Sangam.....
In terms of today's artists Mandolin U.Srinivas & Ravikiran (the two geniuses in our midst right now) i have heard render memorable Mohanams artistically & technically but my own limitation that our music is written VOCALLY & takes one to the COMPLETE DIMENSION of our music forces me to say that today there are no Equivalents. I am not comparing any body with any one. To make it in Madras- like making it in NYC- ONE HAS TO BE TRULY OUTASTANDING. vkv

cmlover · Post by **cmlover** » 25 Apr 2008, 02:35

Thanks VKV for those recollections of the golden era! My contacts were more with SSI and I revered ARI froma distance as also the redoubtable Chembai. His vaataapi is unforgettable for me though there are no proper recordings available. My other favourites were Manakkal in his prime as also VV Satagopan whose voice was magic. And of course the unforgettable Mali (when he was in the turIya avastha

Lakshman · Post by **Lakshman** » 25 Apr 2008, 03:37

Whose composition is biDa nanna pAdava ...?

ramakriya · Post by **ramakriya** » 25 Apr 2008, 04:56

There is one biDe ninna pAdava binkavidEkO of Purandara dAsa (IIRC). I have heard it sung in mOhana.

I am not sure if you are referring to the same composition.

-Ramakriya