![]() But, the problem of stagnancy born out of comfort affects all artists. Maybe he was just singing the music he loved and did not care if some people thought that it was ridden with sameness. I do not know if TVS even thought of changing his musical colours. Do I continue offering the audience what they have been used to, or should I challenge them? The risk involved in change often makes an artist stick to the old chosen course. But this is a struggle that every established artist is tormented by. TVS became predictable and all of us knew what to expect. ![]() This might not have bothered him, but we should at least now remember him as much for his ideas as we do for his presentational panache.Īs his career moved ahead, TVS was found to be singing the same songs and following a repetitive creative template. But we were unable to break free of this conditioning and marvel at his mind. TVS’s mind was not pinned down by this construct. Intellectualism in Karnatik music is unfortunately trapped within the four walls of arithmetic and permutational jugglery. All of us spoke of his naturalness as a musician but failed to recognise the mind behind it. But his ancestry deprived him of this recognition. TVS picked up the Madurai Mani Iyer style, but gave it a new direction, a verve, power, strength and flow, making it all his own. ![]() Strong influences exist in all of us but these are descriptive features, not our essential characteristics. This was unfortunately missed by many, and his music was and is always referenced to his illustrious uncle, boxing him in the Madurai Mani Iyer mould. But his music was not an imitation or an overt continuation of his uncle’s musicality. It is also true that, in our cultural traditions, the individual is always considered a carrier of the past and therefore any assertion of the “self” is seen as vulgar. He revered his uncle and his music obviously had a strong influence of this heritage. TVS never thought of his family legacy as a burden. He gave it a lilt, a sway that had never been heard before. Someone who broke many preconceived notions about how Karnatik music must sound. TVS was the nephew of the musical genius, Madurai Mani Iyer. He danced with the ragas and talas, cajoling them to help him create beauty. At no point were we made aware of the level of difficulty. All of a sudden everything fell into place, bringing a smile to all, including him. We tried desperately to keep track, moving to the edge of the seats wondering how, when and where they would land. They would swerve, bend, leap and pause almost at will. Much like how we cannot track the trajectory of every falling droplet, you never knew how his raga passages or swara torrents would move. It kept pouring down with no drought in sight. With TVS, music was an unreserved waterfall. I ran from one auditorium to another and watched this man weave looms of musical tapestry and gasped during those moments of magic. This is true of T V Sankaranarayanan or TVS as he was known to all of us.Īs a young teenager growing up in Madras (now Chennai), it was TVS’s voice that drew me to music. Unfortunately, in the national news stream, artists whose impact is specific to a particular region or genre are irrelevant, and their passing is relegated to a few lines of obituary with statistics of their birthday, awards and death. A Karnatik musician who did not conquer music, T V Sankaranarayanan took care of her with kindness. On September 2, India lost one of its most graceful musicians.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |