Article 11373 of rec.music.indian.classical:
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From: ravicndn@engr.latech.edu (Ravichandran Mahalingam)
Newsgroups: rec.music.indian.classical
Subject: G. N. Balasubramaniam
Date: 3 Apr 1996 16:09:47 GMT

dear netters

I am posting this on behalf of Mr.  Nagasubramaniam Ganesan, New Mexico.
Due to the restricted access he has I have undertaken to post the articles.
His address is mentioned below.

I hope  you all enjoy the article.

Have a nice day.

with best wishes and regards
m.ravichandran


Dedicated to the Memory of Three Celebrated Musicians
 Who Held and Proved that 

The Magic of Music Lies not Just on Concord of Notes but More Like 
Ambrosia and Mannadew not Only on Those who Make the Music but 
on Those who Hear and Lifts Them to Seventh Heaven of Aesthetic 
Delight.  Anon



I recently visited Tamil Nadu, my native place, in India.  While I was in
Madras I called on Mr. S. Krishnamoorthy ( a nonagenarian living at 17
Kamdar Nagar, Madras 600034, India) and discussed the possibility of his
writing an article about the three celebrated musicians of carnatic music
for the Inter Net.  I know him personally since he happens to be my
brother in-law’s( wife’s brother) wife’s maternal grand father.  He was
also a celebrated music critic in his own right.  He readily agreed to
write an article on (1) T. N.  Rajarathinam Pillai, (2) Maharajapuram
Viswanatha Iyer, and (3) G. N. Balasubramanian. 

Here is his own profile. 
	 The review is from a music lover of over eighty years.  A close
associate with most of the celebrated musicians of the past sixty years
and his personal close contact with them has inspired him to write of the
three of the greatest musicians and the particulars furnished by him are
from close personal knowledge and hence the seal of authenticity.  The
writer does not use I and My prompted by Egoism.  If there are use of “I”
and My they are in token of his personal knowledge and experience and
not hearsay.
	If you have any suggestions or comments please call at
505/844-1684 (w) or fax- 505/844-6972 or email- gnagasu@sandia.gov.  You
can also write to Ganesan Nagasubramanian, 12028 Caribou, NE; Albuquerque,
NM 87111. 

***************************************************************************

Era of Sangeetha Kalanidhi Shri. G. N. 
Balasubramanian (1910-1965).

A musical prodigy was born with all the blessings of God in an environment
and facility for a musical prodigy to grow up under his father Shri. G. V.
Narayanaswamy Iyer, who was a teacher in Hindu High School, a keen student
of music with an almost professional thoroughness.  The other inmates of
the house being Shri. Guruswamy Bhagavather, a favored disciple of Shri.
Patnam Subramania Iyer, Shri. Madurai Subramania Iyer, a good violinist
who had completed his studentship with Karur Shri. Chinnaswamy Iyer (one
of the four great violinists of the day) and frequent visits of many
musicians who came to see Mr. G. V. Narayanaswamy Iyer, who was then the
secretary of Sri. Parthasarathy Swamy Sabha.  (This house in Sivaraman
street in Triplicane was the meeting place of established vidwans, who
were in Madras or came to Madras).
	One of the earliest prestigious music sabhas Sri. Parthasarathy
Swamy Sabha had the distinction of being run by some of the real music
lovers, scholars, pandits, vidwans, patrons and rising artists.  Monthly
concerts were arranged in the 1st floor of a building, where Shri. G. N.
Balasubramanian had every opportunity of hearing good music.
	The gift of voice is an asset to any musician and should be
grateful for, but then there is a practical problem involved, which a
moment’s calm analysis will show.  In such a voice running at so fast a
speed the effects of Brighas, twists and turns, come in quick succession
that most of the audience, the lay audiences fail to appreciate and feel
restless.  Those with a musical ear, sure knows some of the nuances but
this is loss to the lay audience, of course, and also a loss to the
musician that his great achievements pass unnoticed.  This was what I had
to impress on Mani (G. N. Balasubramanian) in those days.  The cascade of
notes were so overwhelming that our intimate friends failed to grasp the
subtleties as confessed by them.  In this attempt, another close friend
and well-wisher was a trained mridangam expert Sri. K. Rajamani, B. A. B.
L. (one year my junior in Presidency College, Madras) trained by Sri.
Krishna Pillai of Pudukkottai, another disciple of Manmudia Pillai.  The
residence at No. 73, Big Street, Triplicane, Madras was where we three
met. Mani got to practice to the accompaniment of mridangam. This helped
him a lot and taught him many useful bits about mridangam technique which
he could make use of in his concert.  Some of the earlier appearances of
Mani were with Rajamani on mridangam. Very many of the earlier
performances of the few early years were at some friends’ house parties,
college functions etc.
	A performance was arranged by one of his admirers a well-wisher in
Theosophical Society, Adyar under the world famous Banyan Tree (which has
been there for centuries and ever green) Srimathi Rukmani Devi Arundale
was the patroness of the occasion.  Her appreciation and applause were
noticed by the press representatives present on the occasion and they gave
a glowing report of the concert in the next day dailies and that meant Mr.
G. N. Balasubramanian ( still my Mani) had arrived and the road to name,
fame and fortune were open to him.  Tributes paid to G. N. B. by the press
did start the period when he received invitation from many of the music
sabhas in Madras and some important mofussil towns where they had
established Music Sabhas.  Nothing succeeds like success and within a few
years, he was among the most sought after male vocal musicians.  His style
of Raga elaboration, rendering of standard kritis in the classic
traditions and apt swaraprasthana endeared him to the average music hall
audience as well as to the knowledgeable musically trained critical
audience of this time.  He had restricted the speed, ideally suited to his
voice at the same time easily followed by the audience.  He had gained by
attending the vocal recitals of the all time great Ariyakudi Ramanuja
Iyengar the Kalpana Sangeetham of Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer and
achieved a synthesis of the two models, most attractive and technically
perfect.  No wonder, he was at the top of the profession and he had
gathered around him a large number of admirers, and ardent audience.  His
fan mail grew fast.
	This was not an unalloyed good.  The inevitable frequency of
kutcheries, the frequent travel by air, and surface route, the irregular
hours of food and rest began to tell on his health.  When remonstrated
with his undertaking 18 engagements a month often in places distant from
each other, he had only one thing to say  - I must meet my needs.  They are
great - my family is big, frequent marriages do and cost quite a bit and I
cannot spoon pick and choose and not undertake so many engagements.  This
he again said when he came to Bombay for a concert and stayed in Wadala
with his kinsman.  The next evening he called on me at my house in
Chembur, stayed for a few hours - would not eat - could not eat - just a
mouthful of payasam and left early to take rest.  This incident depressed
me and all members of my family to see him in poor health.  He had taught
and groomed during his active years number of his disciples to reach the
top grade among professional musicians of the day - Radha Jayalakshmi, M.
L. Vasanthakumari, Trichur V.  Ramachandran, S. Kalyanaraman - to name a
few - and they in their turn had trained musicians fast approaching the
top.  G. N. B. had the honor and pleasure of seeing his second generation
shisyas numbering among the top of the profession.  He had won all the top
honors and distinctions in the field of music.  He was made the state
vidwan of Travancore, a Sangeetha Kalanidhi of Madras Music Academy etc. 
He developed and perfected a new style of vocal music rich-classical and
very effective, appealing to the people as well as the pandits
	Mani was persuaded by his friends and admirers to act in a film
called "Bhama Vijayam".  This film was unique in the sense that Mani and
M. R. Krishnamoorthy (brother of Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer) together
gave some excellent music in perfect unison.  Later he acted with the
celebrated musician M. S. Subbalakshmi in Sakunthala as Dushyantha.  This
film gave occasion and medium for the two top class musicians of the male
and female groups to act and sing together - a feast of reason and flow of
soul.
	The quality of such music is not strained but blesseth the
person/persons who sing and those who hear as well.  Kritis (or ragas) GNB Introduced
into Public Concerts which later gained currency and Many Suggestions Key:
X - introduced; XX - sung often

	1. 	 - Vardhani X
	2. Manasiloni Marmamulu - Hindolam X
	3. Makelara - Ravichandrika XX
	4. Me Valla Gunadosha - Kapi XX
	5. Muddhumomu - Suryakanthi XX
	6. Yagnathulu - Jayamanohari X
	7. 	 - Hinditavasantham X
	8. Varanarayana - Vijasri X
	9. Vasudevayani - Kalyani X
	10. Sobhulu - Jaganmohini XX
	11. Sarasamudena - Kapi Narayani XX
	12. Sundari Ni - Kalyani XX
	13. Yet - Varali
	14. nYenthundi Vedali - Darbar XX
	15. Kalalaerchina - Deepika X
	16. Koniyade - Kokiladwani XX
	17. Jasinethalla - Thodi XX
	18. Dasukovalena - Thodi XX
	19. Natimata - Devakriya XX
	20. Nadhaloludai - Kalyanavasantham XX
	21. Nidhichala Sukama - Kalyani XX
	22. Pakkala Nilabadi - Karaharapriya XX
	23. Paramathmudu - Vagadhiswari XX
	24. Brova Barama - Bahudari XX
	25. Brochevarara - Sriranjani XX
	26. Mathilonayu         X

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