Musiri Subramania Iyer
Encyclopedia
Musiri Subramania Iyer (August 9, 1899 - March 25, 1975) was a Carnatic
vocalist who's stage performing career spanned the 1920s to the 1940s. After retirement from the stage, he remained an iconic figure in Carnatic music as a dedicated teacher and leader in the Carnatic community. His bhava
-laden renditions of Carnatic songs have become the measuring stick for generations of Carnatic vocalists. Musiri Subramania Iyer is one of the giants of Carnatic music in this century.
. His father, Sankara Sastry was a Sanskrit
pandit. One of three siblings, he lost his mother, Seethalakshmi, as a boy and his sister Rajathi passed when she was but a child. His family was poor—in later life Musiri seldom spoke about those early years. He married Nagalakshmi when he was 14 years old.
Musuri learned to fluently speak, read and write in English when he was 17. Inspired by the singing of a popular acting star of those days, S. G. Kittappa
, he decided to become a musician. Like Kittappa, Musiri had a strong vocal range in the higher octaves, and could imitate the former's hit songs with ease.
Musiri's initial training in music was under S. Narayanaswamy Iyer for two years, before moving to Chennai for more serious studies with violinist Karur Chinnaswami Iyer. Due to a lack of time to devote to teaching, Chinnaswami sent him to become the disciple of renowned vocal teacher T.S. Sabhesa Iyer who lived in Purasawalkam
. Musiri trained with him for 9 years in the guru shishya parampara
, learning his guru's particular way of performing neraval that Musiri would later become famous for.
He made his debut in Chennai
in 1920. His name was announced as "Subramania Iyer of Musiri
" and the name stuck. (As per tradition in India, the town the artist hails from is sometimes added as a prefix to ones name, honoring the town while simultaneously giving a distinction of a specific geographical nature to the artist, such as Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar
, etc.) Given that Musiri was not born in Musiri, accounts differ as to why the name Musuri was added to his name. Musiri once stated that it was simply because Musiri was a more well known location than Musiri's home town of Bommalapalayam, and easier to say as a prefix. Whatever the case, Musiri was a prolific and expert performer, and within 10 years his reputation as a master musician across India was sealed.
In his career, the popularity of Musiri and his name reached every corner of India. His 78 rpm gramophone
records were successful to the point that the audience would sometimes demand he sung songs in the exact way as heard on the record. Beginning with the krithi Nagumomu, everything Musiri recorded were best sellers. Nagumomu was a song that, previous to Musiri, was only sung in the Abheri
raga, as India's Trinity
composer Tyagaraja
is thought to have composed it in Abheri. However, Musiri felt that the song sounded more emotional in the Karnataka Devagandhari
raga, (a similar but subtly different raga) and he sang and recorded Nagumomu with Karnataka Devagandhari. Carnatic music is an exacting music that places large importance on tradition. Therefore, Musiri's rendition of the song in a different raga than it was originally written caused outrage in many Carnatic musical purists. But Musiri stuck to his decision. Given that Musiri was a devotee of Tyagaraja, taking liberty with Tyagaraja's song was out of freedom of spontaneous expression and not out of irreverence. As a point of fact, Nogumomu sounded so suited to Karnataka Devagandhari raga that everyone began to perform it in the "Musuri way", artists such as Bangalore Nagarathnammal, M. S. Subbulakshmi
, and Bhanumathi Ramakrishna. Other songs that became popular and became recognizable through Musuri's signature touch were Enta vetukondu in Saraswathi Manohari raga
, Enthu daginado in todi
raga, Tiruvadi caranam in Kambhoji, Enraikki shiva kripai in Mukhari, and Vritta shenjadai ada, a raga mala.
Musiri acted in the role of Sant Tukaram in the eponymous film. Though the film is out of print, Musiri's songs in the film have stood the test of time. Musiri did not like acting in the film, citing that acting with women, make up and bright lights made him uncomfortable. Musiri's guru also warned him against acting in the film, knowing that Musiri had struggled with lung illness in the past, and the damp climate in Coimbatore
might effect his health. For financial reasons, Musiri accepted the acting part. The exertions he underwent during the making of the film is thought to have resulted in life-long lung trouble for Musiri, forcing his early retirement from live performance in 1945 at 46 years of age.
Though retired from the concert circuit, Musiri was active in many Carnatic music affairs throughout India. He was appointed as the first principal of the Central College of Carnatic Music, Chennai
in 1949. During his tenure, he influenced a whole generation of musicians, retiring in 1965. He was also the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer of Sri Tyagaraja Brahma Mahotsava Sabha, and was responsible for organizing the annual aradhana
of Tyagaraja's passing, at his samādhi
in Thiruvaiyaru
. The annual celebration of Tyagaraja's music is the largest musical gathering in India, and continues to this day. Musiri is also credited for his key role in the unification of various factions associated with the Aradhana
.
), Musiri was considered a great exponent of bhava
, bringing out the full emotional content of each krithi that he sang. His patanthara of several krithis has his special stamp, which can be easily recognized when they are rendered by his disciples. He was a specialist in neraval singing and also vilamba sangitham, a slower tempo song designed to exude tranquility and bring out the full emotional content of the ragas and krithis that he rendered. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
, who was a contemporary of Musiri, said "Musiri brought gauravam (dignity) to our profession." He also heralded Musiri's dedication to bhava by saying "He used to be so lost in bhava that he never thought of evoking any response."
In the All India Radio archives catalog, this introduction was written: "Vocalist of mesmerizing melodies Musiri Subramania Iyer, was the repository of pathos
, piety and poignancy. He was more at home in the pristine heights of upper octave than at any other. The enlightened and the lay had always rushed to the concert hall to hear the soulful melody of Musiri Subramania Iyer which had become the subject to talk in innumerable households. His audience got soaked in emotions and feelings that were at once human and divine."
Musiri was not only a respected musician but also a sought-after teacher. His special contribution is the number of disciples he trained in his own home, all of whom have attained distinction in their own right. In fact his shishya parampara is so well recognized, his style of rendering krithis has come to be known as the Musiri School. Well known disciples include Mani Krishnaswamy, T. K. Govinda Rao, K. S. Venkataraman, Suguna Purushothaman and Suguna Varadachari. The Bombay Sisters
C. Saroja & C. Lalitha had their formative learning from Musiri.
in 1971. Roads have been named after him in Tamil Nadu
, and national postage stamps have been issued bearing his portrait in 1999. http://images.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://www.indiapicks.com/stamps/Gallery/1999-2000/1881_Musiri_Subramania.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.indiapicks.com/stamps/Music/Music_Main.htm&usg=__h5uaJF6IxRZV_a4LEf3_cUlUKZ8=&h=222&w=254&sz=10&hl=en&start=4&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=aMkxxjHzE2B6nM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=111&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmusiri%2Bstamp%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1]
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
vocalist who's stage performing career spanned the 1920s to the 1940s. After retirement from the stage, he remained an iconic figure in Carnatic music as a dedicated teacher and leader in the Carnatic community. His bhava
Bhava
The term bhāva is often translated as feeling, emotion, mood, devotional state of mind. In Buddhist thought, bhāva denotes the continuity of life and death, including reincarnation, and the maturation arising therefrom...
-laden renditions of Carnatic songs have become the measuring stick for generations of Carnatic vocalists. Musiri Subramania Iyer is one of the giants of Carnatic music in this century.
Biographical sketch
Musiri, as he was universally known, was born in Bommalapalayam in the Trichy district of Tamil NaduTamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. His father, Sankara Sastry was a Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
pandit. One of three siblings, he lost his mother, Seethalakshmi, as a boy and his sister Rajathi passed when she was but a child. His family was poor—in later life Musiri seldom spoke about those early years. He married Nagalakshmi when he was 14 years old.
Musuri learned to fluently speak, read and write in English when he was 17. Inspired by the singing of a popular acting star of those days, S. G. Kittappa
S. G. Kittappa
Shencottah Ganagathara Aiyer Kittappa was a Tamil classical singer and stage actor who was active in the pre-cinema days of the 1920s. He was the husband of singer and film actor K. B. Sundarambal.- Early life :...
, he decided to become a musician. Like Kittappa, Musiri had a strong vocal range in the higher octaves, and could imitate the former's hit songs with ease.
Musiri's initial training in music was under S. Narayanaswamy Iyer for two years, before moving to Chennai for more serious studies with violinist Karur Chinnaswami Iyer. Due to a lack of time to devote to teaching, Chinnaswami sent him to become the disciple of renowned vocal teacher T.S. Sabhesa Iyer who lived in Purasawalkam
Purasawalkam
Purasawakkam , also known as Purasaiwakkam or Purasai, is a residential area and shopping district in Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is close to the Chennai Central and Egmore railway stations. Purasawalkam is considered a perfect mixture of commercial and residential hub. The name...
. Musiri trained with him for 9 years in the guru shishya parampara
Guru-shishya tradition
The guru-shishya tradition, lineage, or parampara, denotes a succession of teachers and disciples in traditional Indian culture and religions such as Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism. It is the tradition of spiritual relationship and mentoring where teachings are transmitted from a guru...
, learning his guru's particular way of performing neraval that Musiri would later become famous for.
He made his debut in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
in 1920. His name was announced as "Subramania Iyer of Musiri
Musiri
Musiri is a panchayat town in Tiruchirappalli district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Musiri is located at . It has an average elevation of 82 metres . It is the site of an ancient inland port on the Kaveri River also called Pseudostomus or 'one with false mouths'.-Demographics: India...
" and the name stuck. (As per tradition in India, the town the artist hails from is sometimes added as a prefix to ones name, honoring the town while simultaneously giving a distinction of a specific geographical nature to the artist, such as Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar was a Carnatic music singer from Palakkad . Known by his village name Chembai, or simply as Bhagavatar, he was born to Anantha Bhagavatar and Parvati Ammal in 1896, at Kottayi near Palakkad on Janmashtami day, with Bharani star in the month of Chingam...
, etc.) Given that Musiri was not born in Musiri, accounts differ as to why the name Musuri was added to his name. Musiri once stated that it was simply because Musiri was a more well known location than Musiri's home town of Bommalapalayam, and easier to say as a prefix. Whatever the case, Musiri was a prolific and expert performer, and within 10 years his reputation as a master musician across India was sealed.
In his career, the popularity of Musiri and his name reached every corner of India. His 78 rpm gramophone
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
records were successful to the point that the audience would sometimes demand he sung songs in the exact way as heard on the record. Beginning with the krithi Nagumomu, everything Musiri recorded were best sellers. Nagumomu was a song that, previous to Musiri, was only sung in the Abheri
Abheri
Abheri is a raga in Carnatic music . It is a Janya raga , whose Melakarta raga is Kharaharapriya, 22nd in the 72 Melakarta raga system....
raga, as India's Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
composer Tyagaraja
Tyagaraja
Kakarla Tyagabrahmam , colloquially known as Tyāgarājar and Tyagayya was one of the greatest composers of Carnatic music or classical South Indian music. He, along with his contemporaries Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastry, forms the Trinity of Carnatic music...
is thought to have composed it in Abheri. However, Musiri felt that the song sounded more emotional in the Karnataka Devagandhari
Devagandhari
Devagandhari is a raga in Indian classical music. It is used in the Sikh tradition of northern India and is part of the Guru Granth Sahib...
raga, (a similar but subtly different raga) and he sang and recorded Nagumomu with Karnataka Devagandhari. Carnatic music is an exacting music that places large importance on tradition. Therefore, Musiri's rendition of the song in a different raga than it was originally written caused outrage in many Carnatic musical purists. But Musiri stuck to his decision. Given that Musiri was a devotee of Tyagaraja, taking liberty with Tyagaraja's song was out of freedom of spontaneous expression and not out of irreverence. As a point of fact, Nogumomu sounded so suited to Karnataka Devagandhari raga that everyone began to perform it in the "Musuri way", artists such as Bangalore Nagarathnammal, M. S. Subbulakshmi
M. S. Subbulakshmi
Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi , also known as M.S., was a renowned Carnatic vocalist. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor. She is the first Indian musician to receive...
, and Bhanumathi Ramakrishna. Other songs that became popular and became recognizable through Musuri's signature touch were Enta vetukondu in Saraswathi Manohari raga
Raga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
, Enthu daginado in todi
Todi
Todi is a town and comune of the province of Perugia in central Italy. It is perched on a tall two-crested hill overlooking the east bank of the river Tiber, commanding distant views in every direction.In the 1990s, Richard S...
raga, Tiruvadi caranam in Kambhoji, Enraikki shiva kripai in Mukhari, and Vritta shenjadai ada, a raga mala.
Musiri acted in the role of Sant Tukaram in the eponymous film. Though the film is out of print, Musiri's songs in the film have stood the test of time. Musiri did not like acting in the film, citing that acting with women, make up and bright lights made him uncomfortable. Musiri's guru also warned him against acting in the film, knowing that Musiri had struggled with lung illness in the past, and the damp climate in Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Coimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
might effect his health. For financial reasons, Musiri accepted the acting part. The exertions he underwent during the making of the film is thought to have resulted in life-long lung trouble for Musiri, forcing his early retirement from live performance in 1945 at 46 years of age.
Though retired from the concert circuit, Musiri was active in many Carnatic music affairs throughout India. He was appointed as the first principal of the Central College of Carnatic Music, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
in 1949. During his tenure, he influenced a whole generation of musicians, retiring in 1965. He was also the Honorary Secretary and Treasurer of Sri Tyagaraja Brahma Mahotsava Sabha, and was responsible for organizing the annual aradhana
Aradhana
Aradhana is a 1969 Bollywood film directed by Shakti Samanta and starring Sharmila Tagore and Rajesh Khanna. It is a remake of the 1946 Hollywood film To Each His Own. It was voted best film of the year by the Filmfare Awards...
of Tyagaraja's passing, at his samādhi
Samadhi
Samadhi in Hinduism, Buddhism,Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools is a higher level of concentrated meditation, or dhyāna. In the yoga tradition, it is the eighth and final limb identified in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali....
in Thiruvaiyaru
Thiruvaiyaru
-External links:**...
. The annual celebration of Tyagaraja's music is the largest musical gathering in India, and continues to this day. Musiri is also credited for his key role in the unification of various factions associated with the Aradhana
Aradhana
Aradhana is a 1969 Bollywood film directed by Shakti Samanta and starring Sharmila Tagore and Rajesh Khanna. It is a remake of the 1946 Hollywood film To Each His Own. It was voted best film of the year by the Filmfare Awards...
.
Place in Carnatic music
Renowned for his high pitched voice and tonal purity (known in Carnatic music as srutiSruti
' , often spelled shruti or shruthi, is a term that describes the sacred texts comprising the central canon of Hinduism and is one of the three main sources of dharma and therefore is also influential within Hindu Law...
), Musiri was considered a great exponent of bhava
Bhava
The term bhāva is often translated as feeling, emotion, mood, devotional state of mind. In Buddhist thought, bhāva denotes the continuity of life and death, including reincarnation, and the maturation arising therefrom...
, bringing out the full emotional content of each krithi that he sang. His patanthara of several krithis has his special stamp, which can be easily recognized when they are rendered by his disciples. He was a specialist in neraval singing and also vilamba sangitham, a slower tempo song designed to exude tranquility and bring out the full emotional content of the ragas and krithis that he rendered. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer is considered to be one of the greatest Carnatic vocalists of the twentieth century...
, who was a contemporary of Musiri, said "Musiri brought gauravam (dignity) to our profession." He also heralded Musiri's dedication to bhava by saying "He used to be so lost in bhava that he never thought of evoking any response."
In the All India Radio archives catalog, this introduction was written: "Vocalist of mesmerizing melodies Musiri Subramania Iyer, was the repository of pathos
Pathos
Pathos represents an appeal to the audience's emotions. Pathos is a communication technique used most often in rhetoric , and in literature, film and other narrative art....
, piety and poignancy. He was more at home in the pristine heights of upper octave than at any other. The enlightened and the lay had always rushed to the concert hall to hear the soulful melody of Musiri Subramania Iyer which had become the subject to talk in innumerable households. His audience got soaked in emotions and feelings that were at once human and divine."
Musiri was not only a respected musician but also a sought-after teacher. His special contribution is the number of disciples he trained in his own home, all of whom have attained distinction in their own right. In fact his shishya parampara is so well recognized, his style of rendering krithis has come to be known as the Musiri School. Well known disciples include Mani Krishnaswamy, T. K. Govinda Rao, K. S. Venkataraman, Suguna Purushothaman and Suguna Varadachari. The Bombay Sisters
Bombay Sisters
-Early life:Bombay Sisters were born in Bombay. They have been trained by H. A. S. Mani, Musiri Subramania Iyer and T. K. Govinda Rao.-Career:Part of the trend of duo singing in Carnatic music, which started in the 1950s, with performers like Radha Jayalakshmi, and Soolamangalam Sisters, they have...
C. Saroja & C. Lalitha had their formative learning from Musiri.
Awards
Before the Sangeetha Kalanidhi award existed, the highest honor possible in 1939 was to be invited as the President of the Annual Conference by the Madras Music Academy. Musiri was invited to be President of the Annual Conference that year, and was awarded the Sangeetha Kalanidhi by the Music Academy of Chennai as soon as the award came into being in 1942. Musiri was on;y 39 when he received it, a record that was bested by Semmangudi who received the award at the age of 38 in 1947. In 1963 he was awarded the Isai Perarignar from the Tamizh Isai Sangam. The Indian Fine Arts gave him the Sangita Kala Shikhamani in 1966. In 1967, he was made a Fellow of the Sangit Natak Academy. The President honored him with the Padma BhushanPadma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
in 1971. Roads have been named after him in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, and national postage stamps have been issued bearing his portrait in 1999. http://images.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://www.indiapicks.com/stamps/Gallery/1999-2000/1881_Musiri_Subramania.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.indiapicks.com/stamps/Music/Music_Main.htm&usg=__h5uaJF6IxRZV_a4LEf3_cUlUKZ8=&h=222&w=254&sz=10&hl=en&start=4&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=aMkxxjHzE2B6nM:&tbnh=97&tbnw=111&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmusiri%2Bstamp%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1]
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<H2>External){kind=link}