MSS and her violin accompanists

[Meenalochani]

Dear Members,

Can someone provide me with the names of artists who had accompanied MSS on the violin during her singing career?
I am specially interested in Sri. R.K.Venkatarama Sastri who I have heard was her violinist for 35 years. I still have not come across so far of any concerts of the two great artists. It would be great to listen to one.

Thanks.

[rshankar]

I'm sure that Cienu will provide a complete list, but in last phase of her career, Sri Venkataramana Sastri's grandson, Sri RK Shriram Kumar considered it his honor, privilege, and blessing to accompany her.

[hnbhagavan]

Kandadevi Alagiriswamy accompanied Smt MSS for a number of concerts in India and abroad.

[Meenalochani]

I also think that V.V. Subramaniam also had accompanied MSS in some of her concerts.

Mr.Venkatakailasam Sir,

Could you please upload a concert of MSS with RKV as the violinist in "listen to one concert a day......" If you have one of them. Thank you.

[mahavishnu]

I am specially interested in Sri. R.K.Venkatarama Sastri who I have heard was her violinist for 35 years.

In approximate chronological order
1930s-early 40s - Mayavaram Govindaraja Pillai or SD Sankara Iyer
mid 40s - early 50s: T Chowdiah, Tiruvilangadu N Sundaresa Iyer
mid 50s -early/mid 60s: RK Venkatarama Sastry (While he played in later years also, he was not the only accompanist in that period).
early/mid 60s - VV Subramaniam
late 60s/early 70s - Kandadevi Alagiriswamy & Dwaram Mangathayaru
80s/end of stage career - RK Sriram kumar

I would think VVS or Kandadevi have accompanied her more than most others, although you are probably right that RKVS might have had a longer span of stage interaction. Cienu can probably verify.

If you are interested in a reasonably good recording of MSS with RKVS, I would recommend this commercial release by Charsur circa 1956 (http://www.charsur.com/index.php/paddha ... 20422.html) from 1956. It has V Nagarajan playing mridangam, he switched to left-handed khanjira shortly after this and there are not many other known mridangam recordings of his.

[cacm]

T.N.Rajam (TNK'S SISTER) has played a few times on & off too. There are others like that.....VKV

[Meenalochani]

Thanks everybody for the information provided.

Mahavishnu Sir,
Thanks a lot for your detailed information covering from 1930's to end of career. Very interesting to read.

[Rsachi]

It just happens AIR Blr broadcast a Brinda Mukta concert yesterday with Sri RK Venkatarama Shastry.
I found the same recording on YT: http://youtu.be/PHV8RAfW_us
This concert is-also a very good intro to Brinda's music....

[cienu]

Mahavishnu has captured the sequence in a lovely snapshot.
A few more points from my end.
Sri VVS accompanied MS from mid 60's to mid 70's. Alagariswamy Mama accompanied her from mid 60's till late 80's (Moscow concert in 1987)
And to add a few more vidwans and vidushis who accompanied her.
The late MSG had accompanied MS Amma for quite some time in the early 1950's.
The late R S Gopalakrishnan had accompanied her during the Edinburgh festival in 1963 and subsequent concert in Egypt.
Smt T Rukmini had accompanied during the late 70's and early 80's for some kutcheris.
Sri V V Ravi has accompanied her from 60's to late 80's though not on a regular basis.
Sri Seshagiri Rao and Sri C N Chandrashekar (discple of MSG) have accompanied her for some time in the early 80's during the Balaji Pancharatna Mala period.

In short to sum up we could say that the regular (most frequent) violin accompaniment on a period sorted by decades could be as follows (with a bit of over lap)
mid 1940's to mid 1950's : Tiruvalangadu Sundaresa Iyer
Mid 50's to mid 60's : R.K.Venkatarama Shastry
Mid 60's to mid 70's : VVS
Mid 70's to late 80's : Kandadevi Alagiriswamy (though he started accompanying before VVS)
Mid 80's till the end of her performing career: R K Shriramkumar.

[mahavishnu]

Cienu, thanks for that!

On a similar vein, if we were to list the mridangam vidwans accompanying MS through her glorious career...

late 1930s -early 1950s - Kalpathi Ramanathan
early 1950s - 1980s - TK Murthy (probably shared the stage with MSS most, second only to Cienu's mother)
Others in the early part of this period Malavikkara Krishnan Kutty, Palghat Kunjumani, V Nagarajan, ?
late 1960s-1980s - Guruvayoor Dorai
early 1970s - Karaikudi Mani
late 1980s - KV Prasad

I think there have been fewer mridangam vidwans overall compared to violinists in this list.

Of the upapakkavadyams, I would say Kothandarama Iyer in the early phase and then TH Vinayakram from the mid 1960s to the end.

[venkatakailasam]

This recording is an excerpt from a concert performed by Smt M.S.Subbulakshmi at Jaffna, Ceylon, in 1958. She was accompanied by Sri R.K.Venkatarama Shastri on the violin, Sri V.Nagarajan on the mridangam and Umayalpuram Sri N.Kodhandarama Iyer on the ghatam

removed as it is being released as commercial...

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

Mahavishnu: I think among the violinists you mentioned it is Mr.T.D.Sankara Iyer(and not S.D.)--the nitpicker I am!!

Also amongst the upapakkavadyams Venu Naicker on the Kanjira accompanied her during the 40's--also Aalangudi Ramachandran and even Vilwadri Iyer.on the Ghatams.

Lastly if I may be permitted to blow my own horn my brother M.S.Sekhar has accompanied MS Amma in a few Kalyana Kutcheris.( TS Mama used to call him the Asthana Vidwan"!!!!

[mahavishnu]

MKR: Thanks. I stand corrected.
It is this person in the attached picture (with MSS and Kalpathi Ramanathan) that I refer to. (Pic courtesy Cienu).

[annamalai]

For the other female vocalists,

DKP / Tiruparkadal Veeraraghavan / Palghat Kunjumani (later Mani Iyer) as a regular team. Apparently, Tiruparkadal Veeraraghavan's father was a disciple of Kanchipuram Naina Pillai.
MLV / Tiruvallore Subramanyan (and later A. Kanyakumari / Karaikudi Krishnamurthy (disciple of CSM) , Mannargudi Easwaran, Bakthavatsalam, / G. Harishankar
Brinda & Muktha / Abhiramasundari, .... / T. Ranganathan, Coimbatore Ramaswamy Pillai
Radha & Jayalakshmi, / ... / Kuttlam Viswanatha Iyer

[rshankar]

Ramesh - who is the young man sitting behind your grandfather? (Perhaps Cienu can help?)

[mahavishnu]

Not sure, Ravi. Cienu or MKR might know...

[arasi]

Ramesh (and Ramesh!),
Resembles a young Ramabhadran, if it makes any connection.
Another question, on seeing the decor in the picture:
Is it a wedding concert? Detailed backdrop, the stage spread not a regular striped jamakkALam. A little gate in the background? My guess is, it was a kalYANa cachEri at a residence with ample grounds for setting up a stage with room for the audience to sit down and listen.

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

Yes! It looks like a Kalayana kutcheri--I need more clues from Mahavishnu(the person behind MSAmma is not a disciple of Kalpathy Ramanathan--Mahavishnu correct me if I am wrong!!)--that leads me to believe the person(it is certainly not Ramabhadran)is more somebody who was part of the MSAmma household at that time.(Cienu: Your Mom may be able to identify the person--by any chance could it be a young "pattu"(Kothandarama Iyer's son?)

Mahavishnu-When was your grandfather born?(I have a vague recollection he was of the same age as MSAmma)--from the pics of both MSAmma and your Grandfather,I would place the time period as 1944 or 1945(we have some family pics of MSAmma very similar to this pic!)-from the combination of TDS and Kalpathy Ramanathan(I first heard this combination in Mumbai in 1945(@ the Indian Gymkhana Grounds in Matunga--I was "bowled" over by Kalpathy Ramanathan's sharp feautres(handsome far beyond his contemporary mridangists!!
I admit the "mystery" is yet unresolved!!!

[mahavishnu]

Mahavishnu-When was your grandfather born?(I have a vague recollection he was of the same age as MSAmma)--from the pics of both MSAmma and your Grandfather,I would place the time period as 1944 or 1945(we have some family pics of MSAmma very similar to this pic!)-from the combination of TDS and Kalpathy Ramanathan(I first heard this combination in Mumbai in 1945(@ the Indian Gymkhana Grounds in Matunga--I was "bowled" over by Kalpathy Ramanathan's sharp feautres(handsome far beyond his contemporary mridangists!!
I admit the "mystery" is yet unresolved!!!

MKR sir - Yes you are right. My grandfather was also born in 1916, same age as MS Amma. My great misfortune is that I inherited neither his good looks nor his musical skills

The young person in the back is definitely not a shishyan or Sri Ramabadhran. Cienu or his mother might be able to identify him.

Here is another one from the vault of the same combination (also from the Kalpathi Ramanathan thread in the V&V section). I would be much obliged if one of you could help identify the khanjira artiste.

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

Mahavishnu: You underrate yourself in terms of your looks vis-a-vis your Grandfather!! The Kanjira Vidwan I believe is Venu Naicker. The Tambura player between Radha and MSAmma is Balaraman-one of the Kalki Staff members and TS's assistant--who could make you laugh with an anecdote without moving a muscle in his face!!! a wonderful raconteur of the goings-on @ the Kalki Gardens and about the wide spectrum of visitors ranging from princes to common men.

In fact Kalki Gardens would merit an "UPSTAIRS and DOWNSTAIRS(the BBC TV serial in the seventies/eighties) type of chronicle. If Cienu could "coax" his Mom to share some anecdotes I would be happy to join!!!
Sorry for the digression!!!
Everything associated with MSAmma and her family and the hordes of "helpers" and the Kalki Gardens merits chronicling if only to show how the High and Mighty and the meek visitors were treated with equal respect and dignity!!!

[mahavishnu]

Ah I see. I've heard of Venu Naicker but had not realized this was him.

If Cienu could "coax" his Mom to share some anecdotes I would be happy to join!!!

I, for one, would welcome that. Do you know around which year Smt Radha starting singing alongside MS Amma?

[uday_shankar]

The Kanjira Vidwan I believe is Venu Naicker.

MKR sir are you sure of this...This man seems to be quite old and with a lot of greying hair...

The venu naicker in the following picture from 1937 looks different and has a receding hariline...

http://columbuscarnatic.org/wp-content/ ... radaya.pdf

I was wondering if the young lad in the earlier picture, between Kalpathi Ramanathan and MSS, may be the late Khanjira vidvan C K Shyamsundar (1936-2006) ? But if it is 1945, that would put him around 9 years of age...too young. This lad looks at least 16. Shyamsundar's son C S Venkataraman is a current khanjira artist.

[rajeshnat]

May be the kanjira artist is HP Ramachar

[arasi]

Rajesh,
Not Ramachar. He would have been very young then! The vidvAn's face is not unfamiliar, but can't recognize him.

[Ramasubramanian M.K]

Udhay: I could be wrong!! Only Cienu's Mom can solve the riddle!!

[venkatakailasam]

"M S Subbulakshmi - Bhajare Gopalam - Hindolam - Sadashiva Brahmendra" MP3 or MP4 for free

Description: This is a very old recording of Smt M.S.Subbulakshmi, sourced from a live concert in New Delhi some time around 1957-'58. The accompanists are:R.K.Venkatarama Shastri - ViolinV.Nagarajan - MridangamUmayalpuram Kodhandarama Aiyar - Ghatam

From this link:

http://clip.dj/m-s-subbulakshmi-bhajare ... S2sMzLD9bM#

Mp 4 files can be played with VLC media player..

video is a mix only not live...

posting by Shri cienu at you tube :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS2sMzLD9bM

[Meenalochani]

The song is so beautifully rendered by MSS. The violin rendition by RKV Sastry sounds so heavenly. My hearty thanks to Vkailasam Sir and Cienu