Brilliant with vital ingredients

A NATURAL fluent voice ensures half the success of a performance. The other half, the most important, is how a musician puts it to use. The quality differs from artiste to artiste. Alattur Srinivasa Iyer's thin voice was different from that of Ariyakudi's. The tonal characteristic of M. S. Subbulakshmi and D.K. Pattammal is not the same. But they had cautiously guarded its conservation by strengthening it by constant practice of Carnatic music on right lines. Age notwithstanding, their music is still outstanding.

Luckily to-day many young musicians are endowed with a good voice. But not many of them have the ingredient of ``azhuththam'' needed for Carnatic music and the voice floats as they sing. Two factors are in operation: the mike and the habit of having the book open in a recital. The old veterans had to use the voice to maximum power in the absence of mike and though they had an enormous repertoire, their memory did not play truant at any time to look into a book. For every song would have been practised hundreds of times which served the twin purpose of strengthening the voice and polishing the aesthetic subtleties of the kirtanas. Even today if any youngster renders ``Seshaachala Naayakam'' or ``Ksheenamai'' or ``Akhilandeswari'', the rasikas' mind switches back to Ariyakudi, Semmangudi and M.S. Subbulakshmi.

The younger generation straddles two horses - Carnatic music and the right variety of TV serial title songs or film playback - two extreme demands that they make on the voice. Preference by way of monetary rewards and popularity through the film and TV, is for the light music genre, though the early years of learning were directed to Carnatic classicism. It is by this switchover to the film and TV media that their natural fluent voice is shaped to crooning, which when applied to a Carnatic music performance shows its hollowness.

The question whether the old singers had not sung in films may be asked. Film music then was Carnatic music in ragas and content and none of the old veterans who sang in the films resorted to crooning as it is to- day. If you bring the solidity of a classically trained voice, no film music director will entertain you. So the objective is get money and popularity through them and make do with such a voice for a classical concert. The assumption is that Carnatic music listeners are tolerant enough to sit and hear anyone from the dais unmindful of its quality. If two or three young musicians, particularly female artistes, have gained enormous reputation through the false manipulation of their voice, the others knocking at preferment's door emulate the falsetto role models. Thus this category of artistes is widening with opportunities for the asking provided by Sabhas.

What contributes to voice culture for Carnatic music? One is ``azhuththam'' (the opposite of false voice) and the other is more of gamakam in exposition, not the fluffy fleeting rapidity. These two aspects that have been the sheet anchor of the old veterans have to be respected by the youngsters if they wish to be in the field for many years. Already in the past few years some, whose popularity ran high, have now fallen by the wayside. Their vidwat has not deserted them; it is their voice that has let them down. Those in the field still may take a leaf out of their book.

In his performance after receiving the Kalki Memorial Trust Award T. M. Krishna's voice imparted perceptively pervasive brilliance to every item he handled. By his compelling musical statements he scaled high peaks to claim a higher rank than what he holds now, which is itself marked by sampradaya distinction. There was interpretative passion, animated attraction, deep devotion and exuding confidence to proclaim him as a vidwan with faith, reverential commitment and lyrical sensitivity to the graces and grandeur of Carnatic music. Stupendous in appeal, a rasika could discern how over the years maturity is slowly conferring on his music melodic experience.

From the start his voice stimulated manodharma which in return led to expressive versatility. He was quite at ease with both the tempo- prone kirtanas like ``Kanindu-arul-purindal'' (Kalyani, Papanasam Sivan) ``Vandadum-solaitanil'' (Harikambhoji, a Kalki composition) and ``Bogindra- saayinam'' (Kuntalavarali) and slow tempo ``Enneramum-undan-sannidiyil'' (Devagandhari, a Kriti of Gopalakrishna Bharati). In the last mentioned kirtana, which formed the Kohinoor of the concert, Krishna displayed a rare understanding of vintage vilambakala revealing the serenity of Devagandhari and the bhava-soaked sahitya, the composer expressing his deep desire to stay put at the sanctum sanctorum. A masterpiece of Gopalakrishna Bharati was rendered with mastery of vocal control by T.M. Krishna. His Todi alapana wafted all over and if at times it looked as excessive vocalism, it was pardonable as his voice was in luxurious felicity and he himself seemed to be overwhelmed by the occasion, being the recipient of the award.

Rough edges

Varadarajan (violin), Arun Prakash (mridangam) and Purushottaman (Kanjira) provided an ideal concert ensemble and played with such understanding as if they knew the inside-out of T.M. Krishna. Varadarajan's solo versions were smooth as satin, Arun Prakash's beats refined and Purushottaman's impressive.

For Nadopasana K.R. Saranathan gave a concert different from the hurly-burly of the performing pattern to-day. His raga versions of Mayamalavagowla, Bilahari and Kalyani had many rough edges which were well smoothened by the violinist Akkarai Subbulakshmi.

His kirtana singing pattern looked like disjointed discourses - ``Tulasidala'' (Mayamalavagowla), ``Paridaanamichchite'' (Bilahari) and ``Brova-bhaarama'' (Bahudari). Ganapati Raman, mridangist did his best to fill the gaps in the exposition.

The performance of Meenakshi Seshadri, with a long list of songs for the Bahulapanchami day of Sri Tyagaraja Seva Samiti was far from satisfactory.

Among the songs were ``Gurulekha'' (Gowrimanohari) ``Maapala- velasi'' (Asaveri) ``Vidulaku'' (Mayamalavagowla) ``Adiki- sukhamu'' (Madhyamavati) ``Manasu-vishaya'' (Nattakurinji), rendered as learnt.

The raga alapana of Madhyamavati and Kalyani were elementary. Shertalai Shivakumar (violin) and Ramakrishnan (mridangam) were the accompanists.

- SVK

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Entertainment
Previous : Drama and TV awards
Next     : Classical flavour highlighted