Vellore Shri Ramabhadran

appu · Post by **appu** » 01 Mar 2009, 01:06

Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer referred to him as Nadabhadran for his nadam. I was listening to a Maharajapuram Santhanam concert with Shri Ramabhadran accompaniment. The sarva lagu and nadam were out of this world. This is his 80th birth year. I just thought of starting this link. Hope all rasikas join and share their views.

Radhakrishnan · Post by **Radhakrishnan** » 01 Mar 2009, 12:00

appu wrote:Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer referred to him as Nadabhadran for his nadam. The sarva lagu and nadam were out of this world.

http://rapidshare.com/files/203882355/k ... n.mp3.html

appu · Post by **appu** » 24 Sep 2009, 09:06

Radhakrishnan,

Could you please put up this link once more. Thanks.

semmu86 · Post by **semmu86** » 24 Sep 2009, 09:23

appu wrote:Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer referred to him as Nadabhadran for his nadam. .

Hi appu.. isnt it ariyakudi iyengArvAl who said this ? Am not sure though , just read somewhere.. Semmangudi mama referred to him as dharmapathni , as he followed the main artiste like a shadow just as a devout wife would follow her husband.

Arvind..

appu · Post by **appu** » 24 Sep 2009, 19:20

Semmu86

I have heard a number of speeches by yesteryear greats where they have quoted SSI as saying this. I have not formally heard SSI say this. I have however heard Semmangudi say this of Umayalapuram K Sivaraman after a very concise tani avartanam.

"Avan BA/ BL akam. Satapadiya dan vasipan" (He is a BA/BL. He will play to the point only. BL standing for Bachelor at Law)

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 24 Sep 2009, 21:14

V.R'S ability to keep the "Kannus" & sruti perfect is legendary! It has to do with "Thole & Sadhai" patthu- tough to translate into English as well as the physics part which has to do with a very slight "time delay" in tapping the mridangam etc. It has been described as a DIVINE GIFT by none other than his "Manaseega Guru" Kaliyuga Nandhi himself. As a matter of fact a very famous Mridangist- who shall remain nameless here but you can guess- asked in wonder how V.R. manages to tour North America with just ONE mridangam thru' ALL seasons in North America while many in Madras itself require 3 to 4 mridangams in one concert!
In short V.R. AT EIGHTY IS A WALKING, WORKING wonder having played more concerts than any one else, accompanying more artists than anyone else, a truly extraordinary artist & more than that a very great individual joining S.Rajam at ninety DEFYING the ageing process!.....VKV

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 24 Sep 2009, 22:16

I cannot believe he is 80! Defying ageing indeed.

Music must really do so much for the mind and body!

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 25 Sep 2009, 00:58

Dear Nick,
Iam involved in an invited function to celebrate his eightieth+ his career; I find you are into LAYAM aspects of carnatic music a lot. As one of the organisers on behalf of Cleveland Aradhana Committee I am happy to invite you& your wife to attend the function. If you let me know your address etc I will see the invitation is sent to your address. Unfortunately the hall we could get is VERY SMALL & hence we are forced to restrict the numbers to invited guests. The date is DEC 26 EVENING. My email is vkv43034@yahoo.com
There are two other functions in the evening with the concert by the same two artists. Solo Violin by Aishu Venkataraman of California accompanied by Vellore Ramabhadran on DEC 13th at Sastry Hall; MMI Remembrance day function at Raga sudha hall on jan 8th. I invite every one to both these occasions.
Independent of this I am also involved with Saraswathi Vaggeyakara Trust in organising a function remembering late Prof Sangitha Kalanidhi S.Ramanathan in which we hope to honour his daughter Geetha Bennett; She will play a Veena concert. This is at R.K.Swamy auditorium at R.K. Mutt rd. Thi will be on DEC 1OTH evening. I invite every one to this function also. VKV

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 25 Sep 2009, 01:48

semmu86 wrote:
appu wrote:Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer referred to him as Nadabhadran for his nadam. .
Hi appu.. isnt it ariyakudi iyengArvAl who said this ? Am not sure though , just read somewhere.. Semmangudi mama referred to him as dharmapathni , as he followed the main artiste like a shadow just as a devout wife would follow her husband.

Arvind..

Semmu86 You are right. VKV

Sam Swaminathan · Post by **Sam Swaminathan** » 25 Sep 2009, 02:16

The great MMI-VR-Sarva lagu.....you can say all these things in the same sentence. Both the names of MMI and VR are synonymous with Sarva Lagu.

bilahari · Post by **bilahari** » 25 Sep 2009, 02:28

Sam, I agree 100%. VR provided brilliant accompaniment to MMI.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 25 Sep 2009, 02:52

I would like to add that he was personal favourite of MDR , SANTHANAM & MALI ALSO!I do not know a musician who ever even mildly objected to V.R. as accompanist...... Sam's brother Sri. Mannargudi Easwaran was also liked a lot by Mali. VKV

Sam Swaminathan · Post by **Sam Swaminathan** » 25 Sep 2009, 07:47

VKV Sir....how true you are....I do not know how many of our rasikas know this, but the last concert of Sri Mali had the accompaniment of Easwaran. Returned home from the concert, probably around 10.00 only to be woken up to be told of Sri Mali's demise. An uncontrollable Easwaran cried for the rest of the night before leaving home to attend to work relating to the funeral. Some unforgettable night !

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 25 Sep 2009, 09:27

Sam,
Very touching. How much more difficult it would have been for him--soon after the concert too.

VKV,
I will try to be there for VR's 80th. He is one among a few vidvAns of yore who hasn't forgotten me from my childhood years--and, what a vidvAn!

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 26 Sep 2009, 01:30

Sam: I have vcd of that concert- which i converted from Matscience colleague Prof. Ranganathan'S VCR TAPE& would be happy to give your brother when i come to ChennaiIF HE DOESN'T HAVE IT.. Also can give details if you already do not know it. Not here.

Arasi, Can I CONTACT Jayalaksmi Santhanam to get you the invitation? I attend many concerts every year with her. Incidentally she inagurated our S.Rajam room in our house specially built for his paintings with a concert- my wife, son, & Cleveland Sundarams were the audience!- the first Carnatic music concert in Los Alamos.... VKV

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 26 Sep 2009, 02:11

Thank you, VKV!
A roomful of SR's paintings? My! A concert to mark the opening too?
Yes, let me know through JS or, I will get in touch with you when I come to India.

Sam Swaminathan · Post by **Sam Swaminathan** » 26 Sep 2009, 06:19

Thank you VKV sir....Anna was telling me that he has been invited to attend the Cleveland this year. However if you happen to be in Chennai before that for the season, I will write to him and inform him about your visit. Meanwhile, I have sent you an email giving Sri Easwaran's contact details.

Regards

Ramasubramanian M.K · Post by **Ramasubramanian M.K** » 19 Nov 2009, 03:32

VKV: Can I 'crash" the VR function? I promise you some "fun" things with myself and VR--the abhinaya part--he is a good abhinaya imitator--have spent many wonderful days at my house--have known him for the last 60 years. Apart from his well-acclaimed and well-deserved unobtrusive sensitive playing,he is an artist impeccable in his personal conduct and dignity--friend of all musicians,never a negative comment about others' although he has been subjected to veiled "taunts' about his sarva laghu playing.From Chembai,Ariyakudi to the present generation of young musicians --what an impressive and long Innings and May it continue further!!
Semmu 86(post #4) is right. It was ARIYAKUDI who named him Nada Badhran.
His ability to manage with one Mridangam is no fluke--apart from the natural "Mruduthwam" in his hands and fingers, his subdued playing prevents the "sadam' from peeling off and he works hard at it resisting the temptation to play loud trying to play to the gallery!

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 19 Nov 2009, 04:05

OF COURSE! I am AUTOMATICALLY assuming YOUR PRESNCE IN THAT FUNCTION. We need at least a FEW KNOWLEDGEABLE persons of your Calibre! Apart from organisers like me.....
I am counting on you to keep dec 10, 13, 26,jan 8 evenings free & ready to SPEAK depending on the CIRCUMSATANCES. I will be happy to donate 50 percent of time allocated to me on the last two functions. VKV

annamalai · Post by **annamalai** » 19 Nov 2009, 11:29

Ramasubramanian M.K wrote:although he has been subjected to veiled "taunts' about his sarva laghu playing.

While VR has played a lot concerts for MMI, I have not heard a recording VR playing for GNB.

In addition to nadham, anticipation in playing mridangam is the one that separates the greats from the ordinary. VR'a anticipation one of the best.

VR accompaniment of MDR is always superb; esp. for MDR's Kalpana swaras and the vilambaka kala passages.

VR's concert with Alathur Brothers MA is one of the best.

rkiran · Post by **rkiran** » 19 Nov 2009, 18:20

Annamalai nailed it. I've been listening to Carnatic music for almost 30 years and nobody anticipates and shadows the main artist throughout a 3 or 4 hour concert like VR does. There are many mridangam vidwans who excel at kanakku and racy patterns - some of them even provide periods of faithful accompaniment, but, none of them (PMI, PSP, TU, UKS, PRR, TS included) do the faithful shadowing - without ever missing a step - all through a concert.

One of the oldest MMI tapes that I can recollect listening to was the one with Sarasasamadana, Saarasamukhi, MaaJanaki and Eppo Varuvaro. I would listen to the tape - especially MaaJanaki - twice - once to focus on MMI's kalpanaswaras and the second time, to focus on VR's mridangam.

Another difference that I have observed during all the live concerts that I've attended - Mridangam artists usually devote about 60% of their attention to the main artist and the violinist; the rest of their attention is devoted to looking out at the audience. The only exception I have seen is VR. He focuses with an almost obsessive intensity on the main artist and violinist - and almost never ever looks away - especially when he is actively playing.

To a lay listener, listening to a VR accompanied concert gives the impression that the performance has been carefully orchestrated and rehearsed - such is his perfection and consistency.

Annamalai mentioned VR accompanying MMI, MDR and AB. Another inimitable and simply spellbinding performance that I have seen is VR accompanying MSG in MSG's solo concerts. VR even anticipates *every* one of MSG's Hindustani-inspired style of rendering carnatic krithis. Most of the other mridangam vidwans that I have observed accompanying MSG kinda grope around a few times and then catch up.

Growing up, I was so inspired by VR that I just had to learn to play the mridangam. Living in Bangalore, I ended up studying under TAS Mani for about 3 years. A far cry from VR's style of playing; nevertheless, it let me appreciate and understand different styles of playing and appreciate the kannakkus and brilliance of thanis played by PMI, PSP, PRR, UKS, TU etc.

The only downside to my total devotion to VR's style of carressing the mridangam is that I find it very hard to appreciate/tolerate the style of mridangam artists like Patri Satish (20 years back, it was Bangalore Praveen that I detested). I don't doubt their knowledge, talent and skill - it is just that they are way too loud and intrusive. I recently attended a concert of GJRKrishnan and VijiKrishnan with Patri Satish on the mridangam. He was so loud that I could barely hear the violin. Also, he kept whacking (sorry, but, that is exactly what he seemed to be doing) the mridangam so hard that it kept moving around! It sounded louder than a thavil. I wondered if an anger management class would help him.

While I have never ever walked up to musicians after a concert, I literally ran into VR once right before a concert in Bangalore and there was nobody else around. There was so much I could say to him, but, I just froze and got tongue-tied. Couldn't utter a meaningful sentence - other than a lame and embarrassing comment like "You are the best mridangam player".

One last bit regarding thaniavarthanams. I always sit through thanis in concerts and while they are always interesting, I've never heard one where once the mridangam and ghatam/khanjira artists start playing together, there is perfect synchronization - there is always dissonance between what the mridangam artist plays and what the ghatam/khanjira artist plays. Well, never - except for one concert of either Lalgudi Jayaraman or Ramani in Bangalore that had VR and HPRamachar on the khanjira. The thani was simply mesmerizing. Once VR and HPR started playing the thani together, there was not one khanjira stroke that was out of sync with VR's. It was an amazingly perfect thani.

I apologize for rambling. If I've offended any of you by stating that I find VR's accompanying superior to other vidwans, I apologize.

Extrapolating what annamalai said, MDR + LGJ/TNK + VR = euphoria.

Regards.

appu · Post by **appu** » 19 Nov 2009, 20:14

Rkiran, That was not rambling. It was very well said. I second your sentiments all the way through.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 19 Nov 2009, 22:10

Dear rkiran,
YOU have hit the proverbial nail on the head! Perfect analysis of V.R'S Genius! VKV

rajeshnat · Post by **rajeshnat** » 19 Nov 2009, 22:40

Just few more viewpoints about vellore Shri rAmabadhran
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1. If you look at all his fellow mridangists, those mrudhangam artists did not play for all fellow star vocalist and insrumentalists . YOu just run your mind thru few mrudangham stars in the last 50 years or so , there is atleast a minor rift or a major rift between mrudangam and main artists . But shri ramabhadran achieved a unique distinction of playing with all the artists of high callibre and the beauty is that each of them prefered him too (Ariyakudi,GNB, MMI ,SSI , santhAnam, LGJ,MDR,Flute mALi, KVN etc..to all the latest artists of today.)

2. I am assuming when pazhani subramania pillai died , it was mainly vellore ramabadhran who took to playing for madurai mani. Also in 60's to 90's he has played for other big stars like semmangudi who traditionally have taken other big mrudangam stars

3. when ramabadran sir received his Sangeetha kalAnidhi if I recall it was 2005, he performed in egmore kalAkruthi sabha where arusuvai natarajan honoured him with a big mAlai (garland). He was asked to speak,he politely refused and just played for the concert.

4. This point I am repeating from madurai mani iyer thread On the same day I and him talked for about 15 minutes before the concert and I knew his favourite artist is madurai mani iyer, when I asked him the favourite artist , he said there is no one as favourite , I play for all artists. When we left at the end of the concert when I and him were getting inside our respective car, he called me and took a long time to organize his thoughts , enakku madurai mani iyer nA romba pidikkum, then I got zapped and we talked about his play for mmi , he said few references of mmi in khamas (sitApathE) and kApi(intha sowkhya).

5. Mrudangam is very much a shruthi vAdhyam as much as a laya vadhyam, one can hear the shruthi most when only rAmabadhran sir plays kind of just going with the flow of the song and adhering with the shruthi of singer , a testimony would be to hear him playing for a KVN or madurai mani iyer.

6. In one of our rasikas concert of aishu in the violin , he was talking with SRJ and Smt jayalakshmi santhAnam . Both SRJ and JS were talking about how today artists just hear the tapes and recordings and they gave their view point . Shri VR was just listening and then quipped 'gnamum and guru anugrahamum tape lendu varumA' (will wisdom and guru's blessing come thru recorded tapes). This point of VR need not be debated as he was not per se averse of recordings , but I am just sharing to illustrate that he has a knack of listening for a long time and then giving a punchy one line dialogue.

On a side note, few of my friends who have learnt mrudangam do not seem to like him for his tani in general , but nevertheless they all appreciate his subtle sarvalaghu pattern variations.

BTW has anyone heard his father vellore gopalachAriar . Any anecdotes about his fathers play would be nice. Who are performing sishyas of VR?

annamalai · Post by **annamalai** » 19 Nov 2009, 23:52

Tani does not make a concert.

We can cite many examples of VR's accompaniment - one comes to my mind immediately is

MDR singing Marace Vadana (Kedaram) with LGJ and VR. Amazing mridangam for Kalpanaswarams.
MDR playful singing of Neetu Moorthi (Naatakurunji) - and VR's accompaniment.

If Nadham is alone metric - I like Ramanathapuram CS Murugabhoopathy. At certain places, I am not able to distinguish between the sound of mridangam and morsing.

appu · Post by **appu** » 20 Nov 2009, 00:21

rajeshnat wrote: 6. In one of our rasikas concert of aishu in the violin , he was talking with SRJ and Smt jayalakshmi santhAnam . Both SRJ and JS were talking about how today artists just hear the tapes and recordings and they gave their view point . Shri VR was just listening and then quipped 'gnamum and guru anugrahamum tape lendu varumA' (will wisdom and guru's blessing come thru recorded tapes). This point of VR need not be debated as he was not per se averse of recordings , but I am just sharing to illustrate that he has a knack of listening for a long time and then giving a punchy one line dialogue.

Rajeshnat: Blessed must be our Aishu to be in the graces of such greats as Vellore Ramabhadran, SRJ, TNK and others. Do you think an artist of Vellore's stature compromises his playing when accompanying a young star as Aishu. Or would you say the youngster rises to the occasion to meet the requirements.

Just mind boggling how the young artist behaves in front of such a senior vidwan. Like "rkiran" said one could easily get tongue tied in this case fingering tied.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 20 Nov 2009, 01:01

Unfortunately MOST of the concerts persons have are on TAPES RECORDED IN THE LATER PARTS OF V.R.S CAREER. There are some in which he has played as he was trying to make an impression on the way up etc. The earlier part of his career before he settled down to his STYLE he used to play in the style of PMI, Palani etc for parts of the concerts. Actually I have played such concerts to FAMOUS EXPERT MUSICIANS WITHOUT saying who is the Mridangist is & they said it was PMI or Palani etc! Actually he made his mark in the M.A. Concert- with Chowdiah as violinist Mohanam R.T.P. SARASADALA NETRA PALLAVI- & he was last minute substitute for Palani who fell ill. If you listen to that Thani its hard to differentiate from

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 20 Nov 2009, 01:07

Unfortunately MOST of the concerts persons have are on TAPES RECORDED IN THE LATER PARTS OF V.R.'s CAREER. There are some in which he has played as he was trying to make an impression on the way up etc. The earlier part of his career before he settled down to his STYLE he used to play in the style of PMI, Palani etc for parts of the concerts. Actually I have played such concerts to FAMOUS EXPERT MUSICIANS WITHOUT saying who is the Mridangist is & they said it was PMI or Palani etc! Actually he made his mark in the M.A. Concert- with Chowdiah as violinist Mohanam R.T.P. SARASADALA NETRA PALLAVI- & he was last minute substitute for Palani who fell ill. If you listen to that Thani its hard to differentiate from parts of the Thani from pmi& palani. May be it was HIS tribute to those two giants.
Actually MMI himself before he setlled on the Mazhavarayal style of Pallavi singing has rendered nalu kalai chavukkam etc with gusto. Tiruvengadu Jayaraman describe to me an incredible concert- to me Each MMI CONCERT IS INCREDIBLE!- in Hyderabad & K.S.Kalidas played as part of his speech last year on MMI Remembrance day celebrations illustrated by playing how MMI sang the swaras for Thullu madha Vetkai & had rendered the complicated Kanakkus....The point is one has to consider the EVOLUTION of an artist. It is not whether one knows or plays complicated things. The genius of a MALI in rendering subtelities is not in the Gymnastics which he has done plenty but in entering the VEEDU in terms of swaras for particular ragas- S.Ramanathan has illustrated how Malaikottai had so mastered Sankarabharanam that after he played it NO ONE would play the raga in that town for a month!
Similarly V.R is such a GENIUS that ALL ARTISTS PREFERRED HIM because he will not indulge in what is called "idaynjal" but enhance the concert experience & make the main artist do better!....Unfortunately at 75 I have concluded the best I can do is to collect the creative explosions of these geniuses for posterity. I am still looking for this generation persons who are FAR BETTER THAN MINE to come up with schemes to explain, espouse & presrve for posterity....
REG Aishu & V.R. playing for her etc I am LEAST SURPRISED! V.R. does not need themoney - I suspect like me he has come to the conclusion that the FUTURE is where the FUNDAMENATALS ARE right & it is in not in GIMMICKS, kANAKKU ETC but PURITY & PERFECTION in the Fundamentals of music. She certainly is the one artist I have heard who has the ability not to be only great but appears to UNDERSTAND this aspect irrespective of obvious abilities to indulge in Gimmicks & Flashiness.....VKV

rkiran · Post by **rkiran** » 20 Nov 2009, 01:11

appu wrote: Rajeshnat: Blessed must be our Aishu to be in the graces of such greats as Vellore Ramabhadran, SRJ, TNK and others. Do you think an artist of Vellore's stature compromises his playing when accompanying a young star as Aishu. Or would you say the youngster rises to the occasion to meet the requirements.

Just mind boggling how the young artist behaves in front of such a senior vidwan. Like "rkiran" said one could easily get tongue tied in this case fingering tied.

About a couple of months after Santhanam passed away, I attended a concert of Maharajapuram Ramachandran (with LGJ and VR). Although Ramachandran had been accompanying Santham for many years and probably had given a few solo concerts too, he did seem a little shaken and unsure of himself. VR kept reassuring and encouraging him right from the first varnam in Charukesi all through the concert. Ramachandran got his confidence back after about three songs in and it ended up being a very enjoyable concert.

VR's humility and always defering to the main artist helps immensely with keeping the artist's confidence - even if they are junior. I have watched him accompany really young and relatively unknown artists and he always has the same intensity and concentration. I've never ever seen him slack off even the tiniest bit during any concert. As a contrast, my guru, Shri TAS Mani would almost stop playing and pose for the camera with a big smile; bring a video camera in and he would start his thani right away.

I attended a vocal concert of VR's daughter, Padma in the early 90s in Bangalore. VR did not accompany, but, was sitting in the audience - he watched her through the whole concert without speaking a word to anybody around him. During the vote of thanks, the presenter drew attention to VR in the audience, but, VR very humbly brushed it off.

Slightly off topic, but, a question. What is the deal with the current crop of Mridangam artists (Patri Satish and others) using 2 mics? Is this just for concerts in the US, or, is it the current norm in India too? I did attend a concert with Trichy Sankaran hare last year and he just had the one mic. To bring this back on topic, VR is the only mridangamist I have seen push the mic farther from his mridangam than where the organizer placed it; I have seen him do it in three different concerts.

MMI + TNK/LGJ + VR = Ecstacy.
Add Glenlivet to the above (or to MDR + TNK/LGJ + VR) to achieve Divine Utopian Bliss!

Regards.

rkiran · Post by **rkiran** » 20 Nov 2009, 01:21

rajeshnat wrote:Just few more viewpoints about vellore Shri rAmabadhran
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Mrudangam is very much a shruthi vAdhyam as much as a laya vadhyam, one can hear the shruthi most when only rAmabadhran sir plays kind of just going with the flow of the song and adhering with the shruthi of singer , a testimony would be to hear him playing for a KVN or madurai mani iyer.

Well said!

rajeshnat wrote:Just few more viewpoints about vellore Shri rAmabadhran
------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a side note, few of my friends who have learnt mrudangam do not seem to like him for his tani in general , but nevertheless they all appreciate his subtle sarvalaghu pattern variations.

His tanis are always short and sweet. Between VR's tanis and a few super-long tanis that are very repetitious, I'll pick VR's any day. Reminds me of a concert of NRavikiran with TKM as the sole percussionist; TKM played an hour and fifteen minutes long thani all by himself. It was an exhausting listening experience. I've heard older concerts with TKM and they have been much better.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 20 Nov 2009, 02:01

rkiran,
agree with you on MMI OR MDR + VR IS BLISS! Would like to add Santhanam to the list also ESP. BEC he has been accused of diluting talents by evolving a simpler style etc while I AM CONVINCED they are both GENIUSES who found what I call the INNER TRUTH! VKV

rkiran · Post by **rkiran** » 20 Nov 2009, 02:44

vkv43034 wrote:rkiran,
agree with you on MMI OR MDR + VR IS BLISS! Would like to add Santhanam to the list also ESP. BEC he has been accused of diluting talents by evolving a simpler style etc while I AM CONVINCED they are both GENIUSES who found what I call the INNER TRUTH! VKV

You are preaching to the choir! Back in the late 70s, my initiation into the world of Carnatic music was with 3 tapes - BMK's BhadrachalaRamdas Krithis (the very first one with Paluke Bangaramma), MMI (Sarasa SaamaDaana, Saarasamukhi, Maa Janaki) and Santhanam (Sri Mahaganapathe, Paripalaya, Ranganathude, Shri Chakraraja, Thunga Theera Virajam). These were the only 3 tapes I had and listened to for about 4 years. To this day, the artist that I've attended the most concerts of is Santhanam (mostly with LGJ, VR).

When I was 14 or so, I went to a Santhanam-LGJ-VR concert at Venugopalaswamy Temple in Malleswaram, Bangalore. I took a boombox to one of his concerts along with a huge extension cord asked if I could plug it in and record the concert - those were the days when people would get walkmans and record discreetly; I though I'd be cool and do it the right way with a stereo boombox. The temple secretary - who I asked first - said, No and if Santhanam said it was OK, I could record it. So, I went over to where Santhanam and LGJ were sitting in a room and asked them. Both of them said I could record if I gave a donation to the temple of at least Rs. 200 - which was an astronomical amount for me at that time. It took me a while to learn that recording was OK as long as it was done discreetly and stayed below the radar.

Regards.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 20 Nov 2009, 03:05

RK,
Fascinating! Small world?! VKV

appu · Post by **appu** » 20 Nov 2009, 12:20

VKV Sir,

Any update or details of the 80th birthday celebration for Vellore Ramabhadran. I would give anything to be a fly on the wall.

Ramasubramanian M.K · Post by **Ramasubramanian M.K** » 20 Nov 2009, 19:47

Rajeshnat: Re: your query about VR's father Vellore Gopalachar;

heard one from Ariyakudi--I believe VG had accompanied Ariyakudi a couple of times before--once when the accompaniment for one of Ariyakudi's concerts cancelled the Sabha Secretary approached Ariyakudi for suggestions for substitutes(younger forumites should know that while PMI's playing for Ariyakudi pleased the Old man in no uncertain terms,if PMI is not available Ariyakudi was not averse to having even a novice accompanying him--a la Chembai ) Ariyakudi it seems quipped in characteristic fashion "O Appadiya,namba Nada Bhadranai Pottudalame--the Secy quizzes WHO? Namma Gopalachar paiyan-- My father had some anecdotes on VG which I cannot recall now--- with Dhakshinamurthy Pillai dominating the Kanjira scene and later on Palani Subramania Pillai, VG had fewer opportunities.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 21 Nov 2009, 00:37

rajeshnat wrote:6. In one of our rasikas concert of aishu in the violin ...

Even though he may be (if I remember rightly) an old family friend, and with all respect to Aishu, whose playing was excellent and mature, it is quite something that one such giant of the scene would play for a youngster.

After one concert in Chennai, he greeted me: he remembered me from a London audience some at least a year or two before. I had forgotten seeing him play there. I still feel ashamed of that!

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 21 Nov 2009, 03:17

appu wrote:VKV Sir,
Any update or details of the 80th birthday celebration for Vellore Ramabhadran. I would give anything to be a fly on the wall.

Dear Appu,
No need to be a fly on the wall in this case. I will be happy to update things; Only reasons for not writing are: A) suspicion of self-promotion of the event on my part may be by some. B) All the details are not FINALISED.
However using what is commonly known as the "thick skin"-also known in tamil as YERUMAI MADU- Principle let me describe the current status:
The function is sponsored by the Cleveland Aradhana Committee & admirers of Vellore Ramabhadran. It is going to be held on DEC 26TH 5:30-8:30 P.M. at Vivekananda Hall at P.S.High School Campus. There will be speeches for an hour. Sri. Murali, Cleveland V.V.Sundaram, M.K.Ramasubramanian, Dr.V.K.Viswanathan will briefly speak. Sri. Spenser Venugopal an eminent Composer & Rasika will be the expert main speaker.
It will be followed by a Violin Concert by Aishu Venkataraman accompanied by Vellore Ramabhadran(Mridhangam) & Dr.Vinod Venkataraman(Kanjira)......I will keep updating in this Forum. VKV

rkiran · Post by **rkiran** » 21 Nov 2009, 07:03

Until today, I hadn't listened to Aishu play - solely because I've historically been disappointed by overhyped recommendations.

I've spent the last hour listening to various bits of Aishu's violin performances and I am amazed! Her shruthi, tonal quality and bowing technique are oh so close to perfection! No gimmicks, no stunts, no squeaks, no have-to-play-faster-and-wilder-to-get-noticed attitude - looks like she really cares about achieving perfection. What a noble and rare trait! My only hope is that she doesn't give in to playing to the gallery as she gets older.

I watched a few video clips of hers - one of which was this youtube gem where she is accompanied by VR. Getting back to the topic of this thread, observe his unflinching, unwavering concentration - completely disregarding his seniority/experience vs. Aishu's - and utter focus on adding value to the Aishu's performance.

Also observe how the only part of his hand that moves when he is playing are his fingers and his wrist. Compare that to the likes of Patri Satish (sorry, but, he is my current embodiment of how-to-ruin-the-mridangam-experience) who strikes the mridangam furiously with violent movements of his whole upper body (a bit of an exaggeration, but, in contrast to VR, it appears so).

Did VR have any students? Any that are out to make their guru proud?

Regards.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 21 Nov 2009, 07:13

I AM AFRAID there is only one mss,mmi,gnb,pmi, psp & vr.........like there is only one Feynman.......VKV

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 21 Nov 2009, 07:21

nick H wrote:
rajeshnat wrote:6. In one of our rasikas concert of aishu in the violin ...
Even though he may be (if I remember rightly) an old family friend, and with all respect to Aishu, whose playing was excellent and mature, it is quite something that one such giant of the scene would play for a youngster.

After one concert in Chennai, he greeted me: he remembered me from a London audience some at least a year or two before. I had forgotten seeing him play there. I still feel ashamed of that!

N,
NOW he is family friend! Which is the way it happens with V.R. When it all started IT was his unbelievable professionalism considering he has played more concerts & for more artists! VKV

rkiran · Post by **rkiran** » 21 Nov 2009, 07:29

vkv43034 wrote:I AM AFRAID there is only one mss,mmi,gnb,pmi, psp & vr.........like there is only one Feynman.......VKV

TouchÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â©!

rkiran · Post by **rkiran** » 21 Nov 2009, 07:43

Two additional video clips of VR from youtube:
Sarvalaghu - Part 1
Sarvalaghu - Part 2

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 21 Nov 2009, 15:14

vkv43034 wrote:NOW he is family friend! Which is the way it happens with V.R. When it all started IT was his unbelievable professionalism considering he has played more concerts & for more artists! VKV

It would not be surprising for one of his generation not to play for women at all; that he accompanies a young girl, with the same pure-musician attitude as he would give to anybody on the stage, really says a lot about him as a musician and a human being. It is great!

appu · Post by **appu** » 18 Dec 2009, 04:58

vkv43034 wrote:
appu wrote:VKV Sir,
Any update or details of the 80th birthday celebration for Vellore Ramabhadran. I would give anything to be a fly on the wall.
Dear Appu,
No need to be a fly on the wall in this case. I will be happy to update things; Only reasons for not writing are: A) suspicion of self-promotion of the event on my part may be by some. B) All the details are not FINALISED.
VKV

VKV Sir,

Any updates on this event. is it still on. Please give some more details.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 18 Dec 2009, 08:43

Dear Appu,
IT WILL take place at 6:30 p.m. at Vivekananda Hall in P.S.High School on dec 26th& will appear in HINDU on two days. Will write about it after 20th....VKV

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 19 Dec 2009, 18:05

A function to celebrate & honour Sri. Vellore Ramabhadran still active in his EIGHTIES will be held at 6:30 P.M. at Vivekananda Hall in P.S.High School on Dec 26th.Sri.N.Ramani will talk about V.R. & present him with a plaque. Other speakers include Spenser Venugopal, Cleveland V.V.Sundaram, & VKV. THE ONE HOUR talk session will be followed by a Violin Concert by Aishu Venkataraman accompanied by V.R.(Mridangam) & Dr.Vinod Venkataraman(Kanjira). The event is sponsored by the Global Forum of Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana & his ADMIRERS WORLDWIDE. Dr.V.K.Viswanathan(President). Announcements will appear in Hindu also. ALL ARE WELCOME.

ugk · Post by **ugk** » 19 Apr 2010, 15:43

Interesting article. Vellore Ramabhadran easily the best accompanist mridangam player in the world. For such a senior player he never tries to assert himself over everyone else.
But his style is frowned upon by some other mridangam players aswell as listeners. I guess its all down to perspective.
He is such a contrast to other famous mridangists who hit the drum very hard and can be aggressive to say the least.
One interesting thing to note is that Vellore Ramabhadran used to be much more flamboyant in his playing many years ago.
Either way his focus is to bring out the musical essense of the mridangam rather than its percussive mathematical aspect.
Thats what makes mridangam interesting. Different ways to express ones self through it

krvramani · Post by **krvramani** » 17 Sep 2010, 16:58

Mr.Bilahari!,
I fully agree with you. Though Madurai Mani Iyer was in his best with any set of accompaniments, i.e. Lalgudi, Palghat Mani Iyer (or) Chowdia, Palani (or) Rajamanickam Pillai ,T.K.Murthy, etc, the most enjoyable combination aesthetically is MMI with T.N.Krishnan and Vellore Ramabhadran. Both these vidwans used to follow him very gently so that MMI's virtuosity goes to a full reach and the effect was most electric and satisfactory! What do you say? KRVRamani

bilahari wrote:Sam, I agree 100%. VR provided brilliant accompaniment to MMI.

cacm · Post by **cacm** » 17 Sep 2010, 20:48

I say that the genius of MMI was such that he tailored his concerts to not just the audience but also his accompanists. Acc. to Vembu Iyer with whom I had extensive discussions on this subject Tiruvalangadu Sundaresa Iyer was the BEST to accompany him on the Violin & I agree with that assessment. Similarly PMI,CSM, PALANI & V.R. were ALL EQUALLY the best to accompany him on the Mridangam apart from Madurai Krishna Iyengar. Of course they belong in the GIANT CATEGORY......This is after listening to close to three hundred concerts in person as well thru' recordings.....VKV

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 17 Sep 2010, 21:13

ugk wrote:Either way his focus is to bring out the musical essense of the mridangam rather than its percussive mathematical aspect.

If the musical essence is there, it doesn't matter how much, or how complex, the mathematics: it will sound wonderful to someone who cannot even count!

rasikas.org

Vellore Shri Ramabhadran

Re: Vellore Shri Ramabhadran

Re:

Re: Vellore Shri Ramabhadran

Re: Vellore Shri Ramabhadran