Musiri Subramania Iyer
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Musiri Subramania Iyer (9 April 1899 – 25 March 1975) was a Carnatic
vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
whose stage performing
career The career is an individual's metaphorical "journey" through learning, work and other aspects of life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term is used in a variety of ways. Definitions The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defin ...
spanned the 1920s to the 1940s. After
retirement Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
from the stage, he remained an iconic figure in Carnatic music as a dedicated
teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
and leader in the Carnatic community. His
bhava The Sanskrit word bhava (भव) means being, worldly existence, becoming, birth, be, production, origin,Monier Monier-Williams (1899), Sanskrit English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Archiveभव bhava but also habitual or emotional te ...
-laden renditions of Carnatic songs have become the measuring stick for generations of Carnatic vocalists. Musiri Subramania Iyer is considered one of the giants of Carnatic music in the twentieth century.


Early life and career

Musiri Subramania Iyer was born in Bommalapalayam in the
Trichy Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bein ...
district of
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
. His
father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...
, Sankara Sastry was a
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
pandit A Pandit ( sa, पण्डित, paṇḍit; hi, पंडित; also spelled Pundit, pronounced ; abbreviated Pt.) is a man with specialised knowledge or a teacher of any field of knowledge whether it is shashtra (Holy Books) or shastra (Wea ...
. One of three siblings, he lost his
mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...
, Seethalakshmi, as a
boy A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man. Definition, etymology, and use According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is ...
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. Musiri Subramania Iyer learned to fluently speak, read and write in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
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 Subramania Iyer'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 A disciple is a follower and student of a mentor, teacher, or other figure. It can refer to: Religion * Disciple (Christianity), a student of Jesus Christ * Twelve Apostles of Jesus, sometimes called the Twelve Disciples * Seventy disciples in t ...
of renowned vocal teacher T.S. Sabhesa Iyer who lived in
Purasawalkam Purasawakkam, also known as Purasaiwakkam or Purasai / Purasawalkam, is a residential shopping area in the district of Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is close to the Chennai Central and Chennai Egmore railway stations. Etymo ...
. Musiri Subramania Iyer trained with him for 9 years in the guru shishya parampara, learning his guru's particular way of performing
neraval In Carnatic music, Neraval also known as Niraval or Sahitya Vinyasa is the elaboration and improvisation of melody for a particular line. Usually, just one or two lines of text from the song (from the charanam part of the kriti) are sung repeat ...
that Musiri Subramania Iyer would later become famous for. He made his debut in
Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
in 1920. His name was announced as "Subramania Iyer of
Musiri Musiri is a municipality in the Tiruchirappalli district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has an average elevation of 82 metres (269 feet). Etymology The original name of this town was "Musukundapuri", named after a Chola kin ...
" 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 a.k.a. Vaidyanatha Iyer (1 September 1896 – 16 October 1974) was a Carnatic music singer from Palakkad (state of Kerala, India). Known by his village name ''Chembai'', or simply as ''Bhagavatar'', he was born to ...
, etc.) Given that Musiri was not born in Musiri, accounts differ as to why the name Musiri 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 Subramania Iyer 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 sing 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 (pronounced ābhēri) is a raga in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is a ''Janya'' raga (derived scale), whose '' Melakarta'' raga (parent, also known as ''janaka'') is '' Kharaharapriya'', 22nd in the 7 ...
raga, as India's
Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
composer
Tyagaraja Thyagaraja (Telugu: త్యాగరాజ) (4 May 1767 – 6 January 1847), also known as Thyāgayya and in full as Kakarla Thyagabrahmam, was a composer and vocalist of Carnatic music, a form of Indian classical music. Tyagaraja and his ...
is thought to have composed it in Abheri. However, Musiri Subramania Iyer felt that the song sounded more emotional in the
Karnataka Devagandhari Abheri (pronounced ābhēri) is a raga in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is a ''Janya'' raga (derived scale), whose ''Melakarta'' raga (parent, also known as ''janaka'') is ''Kharaharapriya'', 22nd in the 72 ' ...
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 Subramania Iyer'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, Nagumomu sounded so suited to Karnataka Devagandhari raga that everyone began to perform it in the "Musiri Subramania Iyer way", artists such as
Bangalore Nagarathnamma Bangalore Nagarathnamma ( kn, ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು ನಾಗರತ್ನಮ್ಮ, te, బెంగుళూరు నాగరత్నమ్మ, ta, பெங்களூரு நாகரத்தினம்மா, sa, बेंग ...
,
M. S. Subbulakshmi Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (16 September 1916 – 11 December 2004) was an Indian Carnatic singer from Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. She is ...
, and
Bhanumathi Ramakrishna P. Bhanumathi Ramakrishna (7 September 1925 – 24 December 2005) was an Indian actress, singer, film producer, director, music composer, and novelist. She is regarded as the first female super star of Telugu cinema. She is also considered the ...
. Other songs that became popular and became recognizable through Musuri's signature touch were ''Enta vetukondu'' in Saraswathi Manohari
raga A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a musical mode, melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradit ...
, ''Enthu daginado'' in
todi Todi () is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) of the province of Perugia (region of Umbria) 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. I ...
raga, ''Tiruvadi caranam'' in
Kambhoji Kambhoji or Kambodhi is a popular Raga in Carnatic Music. It is classified as a derived raga from 28th Melakartha, Harikambhoji. Scale The scale of Kambhoji is Ascending: S R2 G3 M1 P D2 S Descending: S N2 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S (N3 P D2 S) ...
, ''Enraikki shiva'' kripai in Mukhari, and ''Vritta shenjadai ada'', a ragamala. Musiri Subramania Iyer acted in the role of
Sant Tukaram Sant Tukaram Maharaj (Marathi pronunciation: ̪ukaːɾam was a 17th-century Marathi poet, Hindu ''sant'' (saint), popularly known as Tuka, Tukobaraya, Tukoba in Maharashtra. He was a Sant of Varkari sampradaya (Marathi-Vaishnav tradition) ...
in the eponymous film. Though the film is out of print, Musiri Subramania Iyer 's songs in the film have stood the test of time. Musiri Subramania Iyer did not like acting in the film, citing that acting with women, make up and bright lights made him uncomfortable. Musiri Subramania Iyer 's guru also warned him against acting in the film, knowing that Musiri Subramania Iyer had struggled with lung illness in the past, and the damp climate in
Coimbatore Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbato ...
might affect 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 lifelong lung trouble for Musiri Subramania Iyer, forcing his early retirement from live performance in 1945 at 46 years of age. Though retired from the concert circuit, Musiri Subramania Iyer 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 (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
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 ''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditation, meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ash ...
in
Thiruvaiyaru Thiruvaiyaru (also spelled as Tiruvaiyaru or Tiruvayyaru) is a panchayat town in Thanjavur District in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Etymology Thiruvaiyaru means ''Five Rivers around the city''. The Five Rivers are Vadavaar, Vennaar, Vett ...
. The annual celebration of Tyagaraja's music is the largest musical gathering in India, and continues to this day. Musiri Subramania Iyer is also credited for his key role in the unification of various factions associated with the Aradhana. In another instance, during a function, Ganesan Iyer, a leading lawyer during that time in Dindukkal also an ardent Karnatic rasika happened to sing in the presence of Musiri Subramania Iyeri. After he completed his song, someone had asked Musiri Subramania Iyer to rate the performance. Not quite impressed by the performance, Musiri Subramania Iyer wittily said his singing was comparable to how Musiri Subramania Iyer would have performed as an advocate. This was quoted by Ganesan Iyer on many occasions.


Place in Carnatic music

Renowned for his high pitched voice and tonal purity (known in Carnatic music as sruti), Musiri Subramania Iyer was considered a great exponent of
bhava The Sanskrit word bhava (भव) means being, worldly existence, becoming, birth, be, production, origin,Monier Monier-Williams (1899), Sanskrit English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Archiveभव bhava but also habitual or emotional te ...
, bringing out the full emotional content of each
krithi ''Kriti'' (Sanskrit: कृति, ''kṛti'') is a format of musical composition typical to Carnatic music. ''Kritis'' form the mental backbone of any typical Carnatic music concert and is the longer format of Carnatic song. "Kriti" also means C ...
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 Radhakrishna Srinivasa Iyer (25 July 1908 – 31 October 2003) was an Indian Carnatic vocalist. He was the youngest recipient of the Sangeetha Kalanidhi awarded by the Music Academy in 1947, a distinction he holds to this day ...
, who was a contemporary of Musiri Subramania Iyer, said "Musiri Subramania Iyer 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 th
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 Subramania Iyer 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 M S Subbulakshmi,
N. Rajam N. Rajam (born 1938) is an Indian violinist who performs Hindustani classical music. She remained professor of Music at Banaras Hindu University, eventually became head of the department and the dean of the Faculty of Performing Arts of the Uni ...
, Musiri M.R.Gopala Rathnam, T. K. Govinda Rao,
Bombay Sisters The Bombay sisters, C. Saroja (b. 7 December 1936) and C. Lalitha (b. 26 August 1938), are a Carnatic music singing duo. Early life The Bombay Sisters, C. Saroja and C. Lalitha, were born in Trichur, Kerala to Mukthambal and N. Chidambaram Iye ...
C. Saroja & C. Lalitha, Thylamba Krishnan, Mani Krishnaswamy, K. S. Venkataraman, Suguna Purushothaman and
Suguna Varadachari Suguna Varadachari is a Carnatic vocalist and Carnatic music teacher from Tamil Nadu, India. She is also a Veena artist. She received several awards including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and Sangita Kala Acharya Award by Madras Music Academy. B ...
. The Musiri Subramania Iyer Bani is carried out to the next generation by these great Vidwans and Vidushis. Some of the students under Musiri Subramania Iyer Bani are Vocalists Kum K. Gayatri, Kum. Vidya Kalyanaraman, Sakuntala Narasimhan, Sri. Prasanna Venkatraman, Jayam Venkateshwaran and others.


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 Subramania Iyer 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 Subramania Iyer was only 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 Isai Perarignar (Tamil: இசைப் பேரறிஞர்) is an award given to Tamil musicians every year by the Tamil Isai Sangam Isai Mandram is a music association started to promote pure form of ancient Tamil music popularly known as th ...
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 Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
in 1971. Roads have been named after him in
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
, and national postage stamps were issued bearing his portrait in 1999.


References


Further reading

*V. Sriram. ''Carnatic Summer: Lives of twenty great exponents'', pp. 49–62 East West Books, Madras 2004 (2007 Edition)
The Hindu: Musiri for Bhava
''Friday Review Chennai and Tamil Nadu'', 24 March 2006 *Ramanathan, Dr.

''Sruti Magazine'', ''The intellectual Approach'', January 2010 *MusicIndiaOnlin

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iyer, Musiri Subramania Male Carnatic singers Carnatic singers 1899 births 1975 deaths People from Tiruchirappalli district Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 20th-century Indian male classical singers Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Singers from Tamil Nadu Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship