R Vedavalli, Nada Inbam

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 15 Apr 2009, 15:04

R Vedavalli, V Sumitra - Pakala Ramdas - K Arun Prakash

SVK Birthday Series, Nada Inbam, Raga Sudha Hall.
14 April 09. 6 pm

sankari samkuru - sAvEri - tisra Adi - SS ?NS)
ennALu UragE - shubapantuvarALi - misra cApu - T
ambA nIlAyatAkshI - nIlAmbari - Adi - MD (R)
brOva samayamidE - gauri manOhari - Adi - GPV
srI raghuvara - kAmbhOji - Adi - T (RS)

I reached late, and i had to leave after the kambhoji kriti.

The sAvEri kriti and the neraval svarams were all elaborate and done in a very elite manner. The AlApanai of nIlAmbari was out of the world. The phrases woven into one another, made it a really touching AlApanai. The kriti was rendered beautifully. The main kAmbhOji AlApanai was differently structured and was very classical and very heavy. The kriti rendition was stunning. The shubapantuvarALi and gauri manOhari pieces were both rendered very well also. I was totally satisfied with the concert till kAmbhOji.

Smt. Sumitra sang some parts of the nIlAmbari and kAmbhOji AlApanais and also shared the neraval, svaram parts. The accompanists were very good. The violinist played well and gave good responses. The mrudangist played very appropriately and gave wonderful support.

bharath

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 15 Apr 2009, 15:13

could somebody give the full list?

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 15 Apr 2009, 15:19

I too would like to have the full list.

Smt. Vedavalli's nIlAmbari is really a class apart. Far from being a 'lullaby', this is a heavy weight rAgA in her hands. One particular rendition of siddhIshvarAya namastE, especially, left me deeply moved for days after hearing it.

raviraj · Post by **raviraj** » 15 Apr 2009, 20:29

Here is the complete list:

E Maguva Bodhincera - Dhanyasi - Varnam - Adi- Chinniah
Mahaganapatim - Nattai - MD- Eka -NS @ Mahaganapathim
Sankari samkuru - sAvEri - tisra Adi - Syama Sastri NS @ Syamakrishna sodhari
EnnALu UragE - shubapantuvarALi - misra cApu - Tyagaraja
AmbA nIlAyatAkshI - nIlAmbari - Adi - MD - R
BrOva samayamidE - gauri manOhari - Adi - Gharbapurivasar
srI raghuvara - kAmbhOji - Adi - Tyagaraja - RNST
Mogadochi - Sahana - Misra Capu - padam - Sarangapani
Modijesavelara - Khamas - Javali - Pattabhiramayya
Mangalam Saurashtara - Tyagaraja

Needless to say ( in Prashanth's lingo) it was pixie dust all over the place

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 16 Apr 2009, 00:32

"Pixie Dust"

What a lovely way of putting it!

I was at Ragha Sudha Hall to see RV sing on Christmas Day, and now again on the New Year.

For me she is just... The Queen! The Number One! The ultimate female carnatic vocalist.

Err, sorry about this... I like her a lot, OK? <Blush>

The contributions that I have seen V Sumitra make to RV's concerts are growing in strength and stature. I sometimes feel about "vocal support" the way a few of our members feel about violin. Perhaps it is as much RV's absolute grip on the stage as VS's obvious ability, but her contributions never felt like distractions and always added to the whole. earlier in the concert was like a master class in neraval, witnessing the great teacher and the great student. Later, RV set some ragam examples for VS to follow, another master class --- and it did not feel like a distraction at all although RV commented (I'm told) that she had better stop lest people mistake that she was giving a class instead of a concert.

I am hoping to get my first experience of V Sumitra solo this coming Saturday, and really looking forward to it.

However I feel at the start of a RV concert, by the end I am sparkling. When I arrived home, my wife said, "I don't have to ask if it was a good concert; I can see it in your face!"

saveri · Post by **saveri** » 16 Apr 2009, 21:55

A small correction .

E maguva bodhinchera is a rare Dhanyasi Pada Varnam composed by Mysore Sadasiva Rao. There have been some debates on the authorship between T.Chinniah and Sadasiva Rao. But then from known facts it is Mysore Sadasiva Rao. Also the words, Chamaraja Bhoopla occurs in the varnam further corroborating the Mysore factor.

This is a rare piece, by far heard only from Smt.RV in the concert circuit , in recent times.

arasi · Post by **arasi** » 16 Apr 2009, 22:42

Nick,
If yougo to concerts at this rate, by the time the season arrives, you are going to be a seasoned rasikA in vocal music too (it is well known that you are a layA man). Hope 'S' does not mind your becoming an avid concert-goer. She does attend a few concerts with you, I know.

I liked the pixie dust too. Not surprised that it came from our eloquent Prashanth...

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 16 Apr 2009, 23:14

Arasi... I am A-lay-man, rather than a layA man!

(actually, the alapana has always been my favourite part)

I'm sparkling again tonight, after a T N Krishnan solo, which S also enjoyed with me --- but I'm sure that will be featured on another thread.

Anyway, it goes in phases: four concerts this week, maybe four weeks before the next one.

raviraj · Post by **raviraj** » 17 Apr 2009, 06:15

saveri wrote:A small correction .

E maguva bodhinchera is a rare Dhanyasi Pada Varnam composed by Mysore Sadasiva Rao. There have been some debates on the authorship between T.Chinniah and Sadasiva Rao. But then from known facts it is Mysore Sadasiva Rao. Also the words, Chamaraja Bhoopla occurs in the varnam further corroborating the Mysore factor.

This is a rare piece, by far heard only from Smt.RV in the concert circuit , in recent times.

Saveri,

Beg to differ

. Its been conclusively shown with authority ( Dr B M Sundaram - Vide his lec dems & his Sarasvathi Mahal publication -"Varna Svarajathi"(2002)) that this case is a mis-attribution. It is indeed a composition of Chinniah, one of the Tanjore Quartet who had migrated to Mysore after the brothers fell out of favor with Serfoji II.

May I know the textual authorities if any which offer irrefutable evidence as to Sadasiva Rao having composed this piece ?

Arasi,

I paraphrased 'pixie-dust' from out of Prashanth's review of Dec 2007 concert of Smt RV, lest he starts wondering when he said so

Raj

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 17 Apr 2009, 13:00

Can anyone please help me by letting me know the venue for Sumitra's concert tomorrow: she told me Chetpet, but I do not have an address, and it is not included in Ram's wonderful listings.

Maybe it will be in The Hindu tomorrow, but I don't want to take the chance of missing it, if it is not.

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 17 Apr 2009, 14:26

Nick - if it does not show up in the Hindu tomorrow, please e-mail me through the forum. I will get you the information.

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 17 Apr 2009, 15:58

Perambur Sangeetha Sabha is organising some concert series at Sankaralayam, Spur Tank Road, Chetpet.
Probably Sumitra is singing there.

The easiest way to reach there is to take Nungambakkam High Road from Gemini Flyover (anna flyover) and keep going down the road past sterling road signal, to reach the harrington road signal. at this signal, take right and thats spur tank road. Sankaralayam is about 4-5 buildings down the road on the left side. There are no buildings on the right side of this road.

However, the hall is acoustically challenged. I wouldnt recommend that hall for concerts...

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 17 Apr 2009, 16:20

...I'm sorry to hear that; I have been spoiled recently, attending mostly Raga Sudha Hall, and forgetting how terrible some of the venues can be.

Thank you both for your help

rbharath · Post by **rbharath** » 18 Apr 2009, 11:44

nick its where i said...
to add to the problems is...

there is a meeting at 6
and gurucharan's concert at 7 and sumitra's at 8...

i m heading to raga sudha.. to hear prasanna...

prashant · Post by **prashant** » 18 Apr 2009, 16:54

The composer for the varnam e maguva is Mysore Sadasiva Rao. The following details, verified by my Guru Sangita Kalanidhi Smt. R. Vedavalli support this fact:

1. Printed in page 54 and 55 of "Prathama siksha Prakaranam" by Sri C. S. Krishnaswamy, disciple of Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer, published in 1913. The composer of 'E maguva' is clearly mentioned as Sadasiva Rao. Patnam Subramanya Iyer lived in the mid-nineteenth century and was a contemporary of Mysore Sadasiva Rao. Patnam Subrahmanya Iyer is said to have visited Mysore and sung kannaDagaula before the royal patron.

2. According to an article writen by Sri N. Chennakeshaviah, Mysore Sadasiva Rao composed and sang for about 50 years from 1835 -1885. He trained for sometime under Walajapet Venkatarama Bhagavatar and later was introduced to the court of Mysore by Kopparam brothers Pedda Muniswami and Chinna Muniswami. Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III was impressed by his musical scholarship and made him Asthana Vidwan in his court. The varnam has the line ''CAmarAja bhUpala tanaya sarasa shri krishNarAjendra" in praise of his patron Krishna Raja Wodeyar III

3. The Sangita Kalabhivardhini Sabha of Mysore has published a volume on the works of Mysore Sadasiva Rao and they include the dhanyAsi varnam 'e maguva'

4. The article on the Tanjavur Quartette by T. Sankaran has a section on 'Chinniah, A Great dancer' where he clearly mentions two varnams composed by him, one tana varnam in Kamala manohari and a pada varnam in Anandabhairavi, both in praise of Krishna Rajendra of Mysore. Chinniah was older than Sadasiva Rao and born in 1802. He does not mention the dhanyAsi varNam..Though E maguva is called a pada varnam , it is unlikely that it was used for dance because of the mixed kalapramanam that may come in the way of expression. Chinniah's pada varnams have a totally different gait and are used for dance.

5. The books 'Tanjai naalvar manimalai' and 'tanjai peruvudayan perisai' by vidvan K. Ponayya Pillai of Tanjore edited by K. P. Sivanandam ( First edition 1940) list the tana varnams and pada varnams of the tanjore quartette but 'e maguva' does not feature in these books.

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 18 Apr 2009, 18:00

rbharath wrote:nick its where i said...
to add to the problems is...

there is a meeting at 6
and gurucharan's concert at 7 and sumitra's at 8...

i m heading to raga sudha.. to hear prasanna...

Thanks for the confirmation.

I'm still planning to head there

Nick H · Post by **Nick H** » 18 Apr 2009, 22:23

rbharath wrote:However, the hall is acoustically challenged. I wouldnt recommend that hall for concerts...

It was a long way to drive to listen to the echo of Sumitra's voice, but, thanks to your warning I was mentally prepared to make the best of it that I could, and not to be be disappointed.

That she sang only for one hour might have been a good thing, given the acoustics. The alapana suffered the least, as the echoes gave up trying to keep up with the longer notes. Similarly the violin and the ghatam suffered less than the mridangam.

She tells me that she has been learning from Smt RV for twenty years. I do hope that we get more opportunities to listen to her concerts soon. I shall certainly go to them.

raviraj · Post by **raviraj** » 20 Apr 2009, 11:46

Nearly missed Prashanth's post , as the thread got buried

Prashanth,

Thanks for routing the lucid set of points & we are indebted indeed to Smt Vedavalli for providing such clarity.