SRUTI NOTES

SRUTI The Music & Dance Society A Publication of SRUTI Volume 3, Issue 1 Spring 2000

Board of Directors President P. Narayanan From The Editors 610-526-0615 Dear friends Vice President With spring almost here and the first Sruti event for the year 2000 approaching, Sruti is prepar- S. Rajagopal 610-649-7623 ing for a busy music and dance season. While the Board of Directors is working hard on presenting quality programs of music and dance, the Library Committee (LB) will be busy bringing you news Treasurer and reviews of events, both at Sruti and elsewhere in the music world. With participation from our C. Nataraj readers, we also look forward to making Sruti Notes an active forum for exchange of views and 610-519-4994 discussions on music and dance related issues. Besides introducing the new Sruti Committees, this first issue of Sruti Notes for the year brings Recording Secretary you news about the upcoming programs and reviews of recent Sruti concerts. Sankaran, a frequent Sivakumar Gopalnarayanan contributor to Sruti Notes, presents reviews of the mini concerts by the two young musicians at the 610-644-3659 General Body Meeting last December and also his opinion on Thyagaraja Vaibhavam, an opera Corresponding Secretary presented at Sruti by Dhananjayan and his troupe in November of last year. Kishore Pochiraju The world of Hindusthani music lost a renowned and revered artiste in the death of Ustad Al- 609-520-0977 larakha Khan, who passed away recently at Mumbai. An obituary appears in this issue. We invite our readers to send in their opinions, articles, etc. in the field of music and dance for Members at Large publication. In the past, we have had very good contributions by a few young members of the Sruti Rama Gundurao Community to Sruti Notes and Sruti Ranjani, the annual publication. We would very much like to 215-591-0380 continue the trend by encouraging more youngsters to participate (parents, please encourage!). We would also like to hear about major milestones and achievements in your families (graduations, H. Ramakrishna 610-240-0392 awards, weddings, arangetrams, etc) that you would like to share with the Sruti Community.

Resource Committee Ramana Kanumalla Viji Swaminathan (Chairperson) Chairperson 610-277-8955 For the Library Committee Dinakar Subramanian 610-630-1878 Pattisam (610)837-1026

Library Committee UPCOMING SRUTI PROGRAMS Viji Swaminathan (Chairperson) 215-643-2145 Srinidhi Narayan Thyagaraja Aradhana 610-989-3744 April 1, 2000 (See attached flyer for details) Hema Ramamurthy 215-295-1980 Jeya Sankaran Madurai T.N. Seshagopalan—Vocal 610-239-7894 (Saturday - April 29) M.M. Subramaniam 610-240-0268 Alarmel Valli – Bharatha Natyam (Saturday - May 13)

Email [email protected] Sheikh Subani and Khalisabi Mahaboob – Nadaswaram Please visit our Web Site (Sunday - June 18) www.sruti.org

1 Concert Reviews From the President’s Desk S. Sankaran

Dear friends, Saxophone Recital Vocal Recital SRUTI’s General Body Meeting on by Srinivas Pisharath December 4, 1999 elected a new Board by Sumanth Swaminathan to serve for the 2000-01 term. I Sumanth Swaminathan’s Saxophone On Dec 4, 1999, Srinivas Pisharath welcome the new board members and on concert on Dec. 4, 1999 was a pleasant gave a brief concert of 51 minutes, but their behalf, thank the outgoing Board surprise. I had heard him in April 1999. he sang seven different compositions by members for their distinguished service But during the 7 months in between, he seven composers in different languages, to SRUTI. The Board has met with the had advanced enormously in his know- which probably is an indication of his Transition Committee to complete the ledge & technique, by working intensely extensive repertoire. He began the con- orderly transfer of the SRUTI’s business with his master Kadari Gopalnath in the cert with a Sahana varnam by Tiruvotti- affairs to the current board. As indicated hot Madras summer and by following it yur Thagayyar. He took a few minutes in this issue, staffing for both the Library with training from T.N. Bala and his own to warm up. After the Varnam he ren- and the Resources Committees is in practice. He carefully selected a set of 5 dered an Arabhi krithi Narasimha place. We are deeply appreciative of the impressive compositions for the hour, and Mamava of Swathi Thirunal with Ala- continuing and energetic support of the played them meticulously. pana, Chittaswaram and Kalpana past leadership and the present SRUTI swaram, which was impressive. Most volunteers. It is this commitment that He began the concert with the unique of the works presented were somewhat has made SRUTI what it is today. Navaraga varnam of Patnam Subramania rare, except for the third, which was Iyer and followed it by a Hamsadwani Thyagaraja’s Adamodigala in Cha- We are fortunate in having Sudarsan krithi on Lord Ganesh much like his rugesi. Even though he sang it without Padmanabhan, a disciple of Madurai T. master did in his last Sruti concert a Alapana or Swaras, the sangathis were N. Seshagopalan, Sandhya Srinath, a couple of years ago. The Kalpana rendered fully and faithfully. disciple of the Lalgudi G. Jayaraman, T. swaram in Hamsadwani was impressive. N. Krishnan, and the late V. This was followed by the major piece of The major piece of the evening was Janakiraman, and Sampath the evening Endharomahanubhaavulu of Karunajalarase, a krithi in Kharahara- Venkatvardhan, a disciple of Thyagaraja. This pancharathna kriti priya. The detailed Alapana, and the Kumbakonam Rajappa Iyer, to perform which normally requires a ton of practice Violinist’s rendering of it were very in the Thyagaraja Aradhana this year. was handled calmly and dextrously by good. The krithi and the Kalpana Sumanth. The Mukhari krithi which swaras in the charanam were rendered We are delighted to inform you that followed was played well with Bhava. with assurance. For some reason, Srini- Sruti’s 2000 music season is off to a He ended the concert with a delightful vas did not do Niraval in this krithi or great start with some of the most well rendering of Venkatachala Nilayam in the one he sang in Arabhi. This was known and sought-after artists of today: SindhuBhairavi. followed by three devotional songs by Madurai T.N. Seshagopalan – Vocal In the last 10 or 20 years, we have Purandara Dasa, Narayana Thirtha and (Saturday - April 29), Alarmel Valli – witnessed a new phenomenon of young Mayuram Viswanatha Sastri. The last Bharatha Natyam (Saturday - May 13), artists, who in their twenties have one was in the Tamil Folk tradition and Sheikh Subani and Khalisabi displayed a level of musical knowledge & Kavadichindu. In all three songs he Mahaboob – Nadaswaram (Sunday - imagination normally attained around the sang multiple Charanams – for those June 18). You will see further details on age of 40 by earlier generations of who like it that way. these programs in this issue. musicians. An interesting subset of such musicians have been born & raised in U. Please make a note of these events, S.A. This small group of youngsters take tell your friends about them, and attend training for a few months each year in them in large numbers. As you all India and yet attained a concert standard. know, not only do these concerts offer One such example is violinist Srikanth the best that exists in Indian classical Venkataraman of Chicago, who Sruti Concert Recordings music and dance, they also give you the accompanies top grade artists. I m opportunity to meet old friends and confident that Sumanth Swaminathan is The Library Committee main- make new ones. Let us make SRUTI an on his way to become the first tains and distributes tapes of Sruti even greater presence in our community Saxophonist in U.S.A. to give full length concert recordings to Sruti mem- in 2000. concerts at different places or participate bers and other music lovers. For a

in ensembles in the not too distant future. list of available tapes and to order, On behalf of the SRUTI Board of please contact Viji Swaminathan Directors, Triveni, the Kannada Association, cele- at (215) 643-2145 or e-mail your P. Narayanan brates Purandara Jayanthi at The Hindu request to President Temple, Berlin, NJ, on Feb 26. For info [email protected] please, call Rajalakshmi S. Ram at 856- 751-3795.

2 Thyagaraja Vaibhavam Ustad Allarakha Khan by Dhananjayan & party An opinion (1919-2000) The opera Thyagaraja Vaibhavam by Dhana- Ustad Allarakha Khan, India’s renowned jayan and his troupe (Sruti, November 20, 1999) was tabla exponent died on Feb 3 at his resi- the most boring one presented by this troupe I have dence in South Mumbai, following a heart ever seen. The next day, I talked to about 5 or 6 in- attack. He was 81. He is survived by his terested persons who witnessed it. So this opinion is wife Bavi Begum, three sons - Zakir Hus- not entirely one man’s subjective impression. In fact sain, Fazal Quereshi and Taufiq Quereshi, a few of them were immediately reminded of much all leading tabla players - and a daughter better Operas such as ‘Sanghamitra’ etc., brought Kurshid Aulia (another daughter Razia under the auspices of Sruti. passed away just the day before his death). A few years ago Dhananjayan did a 45 minute The Ustad was born on April 29, 1919, mono-acting of the Tamil saint Nandanar’s life, in the Phagwal village in Jammu. A disci- which was excellent. The difference between Thya- ple of Mian Qader Bakshi, the great guru of garaja Vaibhavam and the other Operas such as the Punjab Gharana , Ustad Allarakha was Sanghamitra was that there were some incidents, the most celebrated exponent of this style. and some movement etc. in the latter. For example, In his younger days, Allarakha worked in Nandanar was not just sitting in front of an idol of Lahore Radio and later at the All India Radio in Delhi and Bombay. A Siva, praising the Lord. How long can you go on very versatile artiste, he was equally at home as an accompanist in vocal, witnessing someone just moving his fingers in front instrumental, kathak performances. In many memorable performances, of Rama’s idol? Thyagaraja’s wife performing the his hands a blur of speed above the tabla, he traded dazzling improvisa- role of a narrator made it even more awkward and tions with other giants in Hindusthani music such as Ravi Shankar, artificial. Vilayat Khan and Ali Akbar Khan. As a soloist, he was a master of im- The singer of the evening rendered a number of provisation, a prolific composer and a captivating showman. The Ustad Thyagaraja krithis with feeling in a slow tempo, but popularized the art of tabla playing all over the globe, elevating the status unfortunately we were not allowed to record it. If we and respect of his instrument. were, we would have had at least an hour of the As part of the ``Festival of India'' team, Allarakha gave several inter- saint’s music sung in a non-concert manner. national performances to promote and project Indian culture. Some of his I heard that in Cleveland, OH in April 2000, they memorable performances included `jugalbandis' with artists like Pandit intend to produce an operatic presentation of Anna- , , Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad . mayya’s life, with Balamurali in the leading His long association with Pandit Ravi Shankar is well-known for its ac- role. That might make sense, because (judging from complishment of bringing Hindusthani music to the West. He performed a movie I saw a few years ago) it seems that Anna- with the sitar maestro at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and at the mayya’s life had a lot of incidents – even fist-fights – first Woodstock festival in 1969. He also made a percussion album with not to mention two wives who were more interesting the jazz drummer Buddy Rich. than mere ‘narrators’. His talent as a composer brought him in touch with the Bombay film I shall end this note with a humble suggestion. If industry as a music director for Rangmahal Studios, and he provided mu- there is a choice between two subjects for an opera, sic for over 25 films in Hindi and Punjabi. and if there is enough time, I would request that the Ustad Allarakha was the receipent of many awards and titles includ- Managing Committee get the choice of the majority ing Padmashree, the Sangeet Natak Academy Award , the Indo American of the Life members of Sruti by sending one com- Achievement Award , The Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar, and recently, mon E-mail. This would give the Life members a the prestigious T. Chowdaiah award, instituted by the Karnataka Govern- sense of participation in Sruti’s choice of events and ment. make the organization sound more democratic in

function. In recent years he had devoted much of his time to teaching at his mu- S. Sankaran. sic school, the Institute of Music, in Bombay.

The opinions expressed by the contributors of

articles and reviews are published in a spirit of openness of communication and freedom of ex- Write a tribute to Ustad Allarakha! pression, but do not necessarily reflect the views Voice an opinion! Visit www.sruti.org/bboard/default.asp of Sruti's Board or its members.

3 SRUTI

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