RAMNAD KRISHNAN Music Was His Life Savita Narasimhan
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COVER STORY RAMNAD KRISHNAN Music was his life Savita Narasimhan n an age when the nagaswara-inspired, robust, prefixed Ramnad to their names. Krishnan began his masculine, forceful music of G.N. Balasubramaniam, first vocal lessons in Carnatic music under the tutelage Alathur Brothers and Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer held of his elder brother Lakshminarayana and his guru C.S. Isway, Ramnad Krishnan’s choice of the veena-like, delicately Sankarasivam (a disciple of Harikesanallur Muthiah modulated style of singing was a decisive deviation from Bhagavatar). Among the brothers, Lakshminarayana and the general trend. Regarded as synonymous with raga-s Venkatachalam learnt the violin, while Raghavan and like Sahana, Begada and Saveri, Ramnad Krishnan was Eswaran were trained to play the mridanga. By the age as passionate about what he believed to be aesthetic and of seven, Krishnan had mastered Arunachala Kavi’s entire pure music as he was steadfast in creating his own path opera – the Ramanataka kriti-s. His singing prowess in the midst of several performing greats of his times, no earned him opportunities in theatre while at school in mean achievement. Yet, none could match his sense of the Ramnad. Even at a young age, Krishnan had an inbuilt aesthetic and suggestive in music. Far ahead of his times, sense of rhythm. His guru Sankarasivam, who sang the Ramnad Krishnan was a musician with a revolutionary complex Tiruppugazh in difficult tala cycles, accompanied streak, who innovated and experimented with aesthetic by Pudukottai Dakshinamurthy Pillai, enjoyed making brilliance. Today, he is often described as an ideal musician Krishnan keep the beat with his impeccable sense of and role model for aspiring Carnatic vocalists. rhythm. In 1936, Krishnan moved from Ramnad to Madras, where Early life and training he started performing and gaining exposure to the music of Krishnan was born on 14 September 1918 in Alappuzha the veterans of the time. GNB was his favourite musician in Kerala, to Vaidyanatha Iyer and Brihannayaki, hailing and Krishnan was a regular at his concerts, seen almost from Kooniyur in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. always in the front row. He was quoted saying, “Just as When Krishnan was four months old, his father shifted Hanuman is present wherever there is nama sankeertanam, from Alappuzha to Ramanathapuram (anglicised to so also will I be seen wherever there is good music.” Ramnad) district in Tamil Nadu to join the service of the Maharaja of Ramnad. Krishnan was one of eight siblings. Influence of the Dhanammal school Since the family spent many years in Ramnad, all of them Krishnan was first introduced to Veena Dhanammal Ramnad Krishnan with his brother Ramnad Easwaran (mridanga) 13 l SRUTI May 2012 COVER STORY through his friend Mottu Krishnaswamy Iyengar, a direct caressing softness and sheen to be able to negotiate the disciple of Kanchipuram Naina Pillai. Krishnan’s son higher notes. He intertwined vilamba kala and madhyama Ramanathan says, “My father vividly recalled his initial kala phrases intuitively, to bring forth the inherent gait of experience of Dhanammal’s music: there was no effect of the raga. He was said to be very careful with the prayoga-s that music for the first two weeks, probably because he he used in any alapana, eschewing as he did, those that did could not understand what was happening. But around not feature in the composition to follow, however attractive. the third week, the melody and aesthetic of the style hit He included phrases from classical compositions to make him hard. It was a defining period in his life, when his the alapana more wholesome and interesting. perception of the aesthetics of Carnatic music underwent a sea change. Though he was strong in laya, the bhava His renditions of compositions stood out for their aspect henceforth started dominating his music.” almost filigree-like detailing and intricate sangati structure. For example, through his embellishments in the Krishnan began to expand his repertoire with the help of sangati-s for Sree manini or Lavanya Rama, he gave the T. Brinda, granddaughter of Dhanammal. The padam- raga Poornashadjam an added identity by the strength of s, javali-s and other compositions he learnt from her his rendition. He modulated sangati-s where required, to acquired his signature style and sheen while remaining highlight the beauty of the given raga. An instance in point true to the Dhanammal tradition in spirit. He gained was Tulasamma in Devagandhari, in which he rendered supreme control over accuracy and vocal precision in any the panchama almost caressingly after starting the first tempo – slow, medium or fast. phrase with complete weight and musical force. Brinda, who set and maintained very high standards in His kalpana swara-s were always gamaka-rich and full of music, was known to be an outspoken and thoughtful melody, even in the most intricate tala-s. Krishnan had a critic. It needed such a top category weighing scale to fine sense of proportion, his improvisations matching the measure the quality of Ramnad Krishnan’s music. composition he sang, in length as well as mood. Style Repertoire Krishnan’s voice was one of his greatest assets – a voice Over the years, Ramnad Krishnan evolved a style that that uniquely combined dexterity and delicateness and the ability to handle any speed without sacrificing clarity effectively synthesised GNB’s repertoire and Brinda’s or nuances. His brilliance lay in how he employed it to conceptualisation. suit his artistic temperament. Most musicians tend to Krishnan’s name was synonymous with raga-s like Sahana, avoid gamaka-s in madhyama kala – but he managed it Saveri, Begada, Keeravani, Bhairavi and Madhyamavati. beautifully, a rare feat. He was arguably one of the first He was known to handle even secondary or minor scales musicians to highlight tonal modulation despite belonging in a scholarly and interesting manner. Thus, Malavi, to the mikeless era. He had an unfailing sense for sruti and Poornachandrika, Bahudari, Phalamanjari, Janaranjani an almost reverential approach to shadja and panchama and other similar raga-s acquired sophistication when vocalisation. he rendered them. Compositions like Nee bhakti and Krishnan always spoke of the significance of contrast Yagnadulu ( Jayamanohari), Sree manini and Lavanya in Carnatic music. His own style was marked by this Rama (Poornashadjam), Bhuvinidasudani (Sreeranjani), aspect, especially in his manner of rendering alapana, slow Nijamarmamulanu (Umabharanam) and others came to gamaka-s juxtaposed with sudden brilliant flashes of be associated with him. briga, plain notes in the midst of a tapestry of gamaka- Krishnan was aptly called ‘Sahana’ Krishnan thanks to his s, a detailed phrase followed by a meaningful, musical approach to the raga – innovative, fresh and passionate, pause, a softly modulated phrase or karvai in the tara no matter how often he rendered it. In his alapana for sthayi contrasted with a full and deep throated expression this raga, he frequently combined madhyama kala with in the mandra sthayi and so on. He scrupulously avoided vilamba kala phrases, using tonal modulation wherever trite, stereotypical phrases. Never one to over-dramatise or required. The effect was mesmerising. He treated even over-emphasise, he was brief and precise in expression, a traditional raga-s like Varali, Surati, Sankarabharanam, possible effect of the Dhanammal style. He was in perfect Todi and Madhyamavati with the same individuality and control in the higher octave; his voice acquired a special freshness. 14 l SRUTI May 2012.