This article on Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar was posted to rmic by
BRC Iyengar.  Also look at the "Palghat Mani Iyer's thoughts on music"
article for the mridangam maestro's view on Ariyakudi.

On bhava in Ariyakudiıs music:

Ariyakudiıs music  is something unique.  I have witnessed GNB
prostrating before him!  You know what it means.  Having closely observed
him, listened to him, known him as I do etc., I can still make some 
comments.  His poise and presentation were great.  No question about it.
To express bhava, there is certain amount of acting which is also
necessary while singing. I mean to say, listening live is more important.
 How can young man who listens to the 15th or 20th edition of his
recorded music assess the bhava in his music? In a kathakalakshepam, say
of Blakrishna Sastrigal, he can make you cry, because, he himself cries
on the occasion, and sometimes dramatically wipes his tears with his
angavasthram! This may be another extreme; it is a profession.  I would
not therefore contribute to the belief, that Iyengarıs music lacked
bhava.  Have you to listened to his Paramapavana Rama, Ninne Namminanu in
Thodi, Meenakshi  memudamdehi, Sri Sathyanarayana, Endukupeddala,
Elavatharam Ethukontivo, Enthaninne Varninthunu Shabari- any number of
songs.  They were all full of bhava. If you want to assess an artist of
bhava in his music, you must listen to the Thyagarajaıs krithis coming
out of his heart.  Diskshitharıs compositions are rich in raga bhava,
while those of Shyama Sastri, there is intricate laya. Donıt confuse one
with the other.

Continuing about bhava, I wish to make some general comments.

We must separate entirely the claim that music can arouse emotion in us
from the claim that music is sometimes sad or angry or fearful...a piece
of music might move us because it is expressive of sadness, but it does
not move us by making us sad. Othelloıs suicide is profoundly moving; but
it does not make us suicidal.  Even tragedy is an affirmation of life.
The general emotional tone of a piece of music, or the way it is
presented will probably similarly perceived by different listeners.  But
there will always be disputes about specific details when criticism is
carried further.  What matters is the general state of arousal and its
simultaneity.  Because of its capacity to intensify crowd feeling, music
has a power akin to that of the orator.

The close relationsip between music and bodily movements is yet another
thing.  There is no doubt that seeing the movements which musicians make
during live performance, is for many people, an important reason for
going to concerts as opposed to listening to music at home on radio or
disc.

What is 'human measure' in music? It is, first of all absolutely physical
and it is immediate.  I am made bodily ill, for example, by sounds
electronically spayed for overtone removal. Assess the noise pollution
created by loudspekers in to dayıs concerts.  To me they are castration
threats.

In western music, I am toldthat musical devices are used to represent
particular emotions.  For example, the interval of the major third
commonly expresses joy; while the minor third is generally associated
with grief.  Also, the emotional effect is more dependent upon the
context.

Music is "the supreme expression of universal emotion, in an entiely
personal way, by the great singers".  However, it is not a direct
evocation of these emotions within himself which moves the listener, but
rather the way in which a great singer transorms universal emotions into
art. However, do not forget that a performer is a skilled manipulator who
"believes that he feels what he believes the listener feels".  He is also
a confidence tricker who skilfully manipulates audiences into
experiencing false emotions, as Hitler did with his oratory.  This
however, may not apply to sophisticated listener.

The reactions that music evokes are not feelings, but they are the
images, memories of feelings.

On the lack of adequate silence in Ariyakudiıs singing:

I would prefer to use the term Visranthi.  I do agree that he would not
give time interval between songs or for that matter,between the angas in
a composition.  Even in his alaapana, it used to be racing. You may
indeed consider this feature as perhaps a weak point.  But that was his
style.  It was essentially madhyamakala music,  Even the vilamba kala
krithis, he would sing a wee bit faster.  Visranthi between pallavi and
anupallavi or between anupallavi and charana is a flexible matter.  These
days, it is deliberately planned in such a way that the mridangam gives a
four-avartha thirmanam, which sounds out of place.  More often Mani, who
was his constant companion, would give such a small thirmanam that
Iyengarwal would have no choice but to take up the next part,
immediatedly after.  If one should consider postively, it used to add
such a tempo that the concert would not sag at any moment.  And take his
swarakalpana exercises.  They would always start as short phrases, in 1/2
avartha and he would gradually build it a maximum of four or six
avarthas.  It would all be extempore and nothing worked out at home,
(aiming for a  long thirmanam).  It was always sarwalaghu.


On Sruti: that he could not hold it

That was not actually the case.  It was his shaarira, which gave that
erroneous impression.  He had a peculiar shaariara: in a sense, it was
not smooth, but had a uniquely rich gamaka.  In fact he was aware of that
shake and converted it with an unimaginably rich gamaka (not in the
ordinary sense).  He believed and used to say us- "music should be like a
reverse 'Potlam' (pyramid), rich at at the base and needle sharp at the
top".  His allignment at thara shadja  with the sruthi used to be
outstanding; no doubt about it.

On Ariyakudi and GNB

He had a different problem.  He was also popular as a madhyamakala
singer.  But in raga bhava, he had his own niche. His allignment with the
sruthi, was a problem which arose later in his career.  He could not
catch up with thara shadja, and would not stay there.  He would either
ask Balu to hold on to it or ask the violinist to exagerate it.  He would
keep quiet.  By then he had physically worn out.  He was fully aware of
it and several times, he has commented about it with me.

brc iyengar