COVER STORY

VEENA SHAMANNA (1828-1908) Exemplar of the Mysore bani V.S. Sampathkumaracharya and K.R. Mohan

Veena Shamanna and his disciples

major centre of music, Mysore has given its are hardly available. Among the few exceptions is Veena name to one of the four important veena styles in Shamanna, whose successors have preserved the family A south India. Similar to the gharanas of Hindustani heirlooms, artefacts and information in good condition, music, these four styles – Tanjavur, Mysore, Kerala though Veena Shamanna did not receive the publicity he (Tiruvananthapuram) and Andhra (Bobbili-Vizianagaram) richly deserved. – evolved in the four major centres where vainikas converged under royal patronage. Birth and music training Though Mysore has had many illustrious artists for several Shamanna’s earliest known ancestor was a certain centuries, authentic and historical documents about them Bhagavatar (circa 1745 AD) who had two sons – Rama

15 l SRUTI July 2013 proficiency in music. Once a prominent visiting musician threw a challenge to the local musicians to beat him in playing a shatkala pallavi on the jalatarangam. Shamanna took up the challenge and played the pallavi Annitiki neeve adhikariyai in the raga Natakurinji. He also sang the pallavi in trikalam set to one gati, while maintaining the tala in another gati. When the visiting musician was asked to play the fourth kalam, he quietly left the place, accepting defeat. (C.K. Venkataramaiah – Aalida Mahaswamiyavaru). The Maharaja honoured him with a cash award of 1500 varahas. In another instance, during a performance at the palace, a French musician tuned a raga in Western music and challenged the audience to replay it on any instrument in Lord Kandaswamy of Kalipatti Carnatic music. Shamanna played the tune with ease and Bhagavatar (a Tanjavur Asthana Vidwan) and Lakshmana elegance. Bhagavatar. Around 1846, when Tanjavur and surrounding Shamanna’s residence was a centre of cultural activities. districts suffered a severe drought, Rama Bhagavatar Many great musicians like Parameswara Bhagavatar, sold his lands, and along with his brother, migrated to Patnam Subramania Iyer, Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer, Pallavi Gobichettipalayam of Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu, Sesha Iyer, Tirukodikaval Krishna Iyer and Poochi and then on to Chikkade village of Pandavapura Taluk in Srinivasa Iyengar visited his house. Shamanna was the Mandya district, Karnataka. Rama Bhagavatar came to first music teacher of Maharaja Chamaraja Wodeyar Mysore seeking royal patronage. Enthralled by his music, (1863-1894), Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar (1884-1940), Maharaja Mummadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar (1794-1868) and his sisters. Not far away from the palace, on Veena offered him a respectable position in the palace. His job Shamanna Street, are seven houses the Maharaja donated was to render musical service at the Kote Varahaswamy to him. and Trinayaneswara temples in the palace premises on important occasions. Rama Bhagavatar was blessed with A silver medal inset with diamonds and engraved with the birth of Shamanna in 1828, reportedly after he prayed an image of a peacock was awarded to him in the music to Lord Kandaswamy of Kalipatti village in Salem district. category at the Madras Fair in 1880. As the child’s complexion was dark, he came to be called Compositions Shamanna, syamala meaning dark, though his name was Venkata Subramanya Iyer. Shamanna composed two jatiswarams and one varnam in Bilahari, which are found in the Sangeeta Samaya Sara, With basic training in veena playing from his father and a book on Carnatic music authored by his son Veena rigorous practice, Shamanna blossomed into a first class Subramanya Iyer. vainika and court musician who held the veena vertically in the oordhva posture. His music was remarkable for Distinguished disciples its crispness, his tanam playing a feast that thrilled the audience. A champion in rhythm, he was called Tala Shamanna had a large number of disciples. Apart from his Brahma and Abhinava Bhoja. He was also proficient in sons, Veena Ramanna (1832-1901) and Veena Subramanya the violin, ghatam and swarabat. It is said the tension and Iyer and his grandson Veena Venkatasubbaiah, he trained tempo he imparted to his music captivated the audience. his nephew Subbarayaru (the first guru of Mysore Vasudevacharya) as well as Veena Padmanabhaiah, Veena Other veena luminaries of the Mysore royal court at Sundara Shastri, Karigiri Rao, Lakshminarayanappa, the time were Padmanabhaiah (1842-1900), Seshanna Veena Sivaramaiah, Karoor Krishna Rao, Morching (1852-1926), Subbanna (1861-1939) and Chikka Ramanna, Titte Narayana Iyengar, Kollegal Dakshinamurty Lakshminarayana. All through the reign of the Wodeyar Sastri and Konanur Srikanta Sastri, to mention a few. dynasty, classical music, the veena in particular, enjoyed royal patronage. Kannada Poet Laureate B.M. Sri hailed Charities Mysore as “Veeneya bedagidu Mysooru” (veena’s grace, this Mysore). Shamanna donated his lands at Mallasamudram and Mevandi villages in Salem district to the temple housing Many interesting anecdotes are told of Shamanna’s his family deity Kalipatti Kandaswamy. He also donated

16 l SRUTI July 2013 a number of houses in Mysore to his disciples and well- Veena Venkatasubbaiah (1899-1961) wishers. Another distinguished descendant of this illustrious Last days vainika family was Venkatasubbaiah, son of Ramanna, the elder son of Shamanna. As Venkatasubbaiah lost Legend has it that when he was informed about the death his father when he was just a year old, his uncle Veena of his close friend Avadhani, Shamanna said: “Today is Subramanya Iyer adopted and nurtured him. At the tender Avadhani’s, tomorrow is Shamanna’s”. He passed away age of five, Venkatasubbaiah gave a veena performance the very next day. Highly respected by the royal family, in the palace which won him high appreciation and 150 he was the guru of three successive Maharajas. Maharaja varahas from the Maharaja. Later he became a court Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar came to pay his last respects musician and music tutor to Maharaja Jayachamaraja and tributes to Veena Shamanna. Wodeyar. When Venkatasubbaiah married in 1919, the His sons Maharaja sent a royal palanquin for the bridal procession. Veena Subramanya Iyer (1864-1919) Subramanya Iyer, the second son and chief disciple of Shamanna, was a court musician of Mysore. His notable contribution to Carnatic music is his book Sangeeta Samayasara – the first treatise on music written in Kannada (1915). The book is in two parts, theory and practice, with sarali, janta varisai, alankara, songs, varnas, lakshana jatiswara and other contents of value to students as well as performers. On the occasion of the marriage of Yuvaraja Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wodeyar (1888-1940), Subramanya Iyer composed a ragamalika and played it on the veena. This is available in Sangeeta Samayasara. Subramanya Iyer paid much attention to physical culture. He was also well-versed in astrology. The vainika trio of Shamanna, Subramanya Iyer and Subramanya Iyer served as a music teacher in the Mysore Venkatasubbaiah completed three generations of gurus palace zenana, a rare privilege for men. from the same family to three generations of Mysore Maharajas. Subramanya Iyer built the Ramotsava Hall for music concerts in his house and decorated it with colourful Keeping the legacy alive candle-bearing chandeliers, and glass domes imported Balasubramanyam celebrated the birth centenary of his from Germany. Musicians from other parts of the country father Veena Venkatasubbaiah in a befitting manner in had to perform here to qualify for performance at the 1999. He also organised a grand event on the 101st death Mysore Palace. anniversary of his great-grandfather on 7 November 2009 in Mysore. On this occasion, 225 achievers from different walks of life were honoured and an exhibition of the family’s musical heirloom was organised. The scion of the Tanjavur royal family, Prince Shivaji Rajah Bhosale and his wife Sumitra Raje Bhosale graced the occasion and visited Shamanna’s house. Balasubramanyam has been organising music recitals in memory of his great-grandfather Veena Shamanna and grandfather Veena Subramanya Iyer every year in December at Gana Bharathi, Mysore. He also conducts a similar recital in memory of his father Veena Venkatasubbaiah every year in January at the Percussive Arts Centre, Bangalore.

17 l SRUTI July 2013 The musical spirit and legacy of Veena Shamanna continue to live on in Ramya and Sowmya, the twin daughters of V. Balasubramanyam, who now give concerts on AIR and Doordarshan. (The authors are music historians)

Those who wish to see the heritage objects displayed at the Veena Shamanna house in Mysore can contact V. Balasubramanyam V. Balasubramanyam with members of the Tanjavur royal family on the (0) 94484 64148 or 0821-2440148. 101st death anniversary of Shamanna

Preservation of heirlooms

Most of the heritage objects belonging to Veena Shamanna and his descendants have been collected and preserved at the renovated house of Veena Shamanna in Mysore, by V. Balasubramanyam, great-grandson of Shamanna and son of Venkatasubbaiah.

Notable among these are:

v 300-year old Saraswati veena with 2 kg of ivory inlay work, used by the ancestors of Shamanna. This is in Swarabat perfect working order, with the old strings retained in fine condition. Silver medal v 250-year old rosewood veena weighing 10 kg, used by Subramanya Iyer.

v 300-year old swarabat played by Shamanna.

v Silver medal awarded at the Madras Fair in 1880.

v Manuscript of Sangeeta Samayasara.

v Letters relating to the correspondence of Shamanna’s family with the Mysore Palace and musicologists during 1901-1915.

Saraswati veena

Rosewood veena

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