Pallavur K. Mani Iyer

Carnatic composers (other than performing vidwans)
Post Reply
narayan
Posts: 383
Joined: 05 Oct 2008, 07:43

Pallavur K. Mani Iyer

Post by narayan »

Mumbaikars would know about the works of Pallavur K. Mani Iyer, who had a long and productive innings in Mumbai as a teacher and musician (from 1949 to 1987 when he passed away). His birth centenary was celebrated at the Mysore Association on 16 Sept, in a function organized by V. Vamanan and his disciples and associates. Apart from a gathering of many musicians and music lovers from Mumbai, his life work was ably highlighted by the polished rendering of several of his kritis. What I could hear was a varnam in Vijayanagari, a song in a Todi janyam (SGMPDNS - SNPMGS), and a sprightly misra chapu composition in Mohanam by Smrithi Sunderarajan and then Upasinchutaku in Bahudari and Pavana Paramapavana in Pantuvarali by Gayatri Sundaresan. I remember the last two particularly because I have heard them more than once from Vamanan over the last twenty years. But the new songs were nice, too.

Continuing this activity in the centenary year, on 18th Sept, there was a concert by Vamanan at Music Triangle, where he has instituted an endowment in honour of his guru, for an annual concert. The concert was entirely of Mani Iyer's compositions, an Ata Tala varnam in Chakravaham, Sumukha in Gambhiryanatai, a song in Rasavinodini which I have heard before, a song in a Shankarabharanam janya (Suddha Saveri with a ni), a leisurely song in Anandabhairavi, Saketa Pura vasa in Kamas (which we heard in Mani Iyer's voice on the previous occasion, in a recording), a suddha saveri song and a very fine song in Begada (Sarasijasana sevita). This is what I could hear of the concert (with Smrithi Sunderarajan on the violin, Rajesh Srinivasan and Ganesh on the mridangam and ghatam).

Mani Iyer's songs are striking, and among other things, with the polish that Vamanan has given them through his years of singing them, they are indeed concert worthy and gripping. I think with the people he has now trained, their growth is assured as there is a corpus of committed and capable musicians who have seen the value of these compositions. All the songs that I mentioned are anything but routine and permit exploration and have some raga based merit. Mani Iyer (a distinguished student at Annamalai Univ in the good old days and later a disciple of Chembai) was a highly original mind and a passionate musician.
Last edited by narayan on 21 Sep 2010, 19:23, edited 3 times in total.

rshankar
Posts: 13754
Joined: 02 Feb 2010, 22:26

Re: Pallavur K. Mani Iyer

Post by rshankar »

Great to hear about Sri Mani Iyer. Any chance of posting a sample of clips for others to 'hear' his compositions?

prashant
Posts: 1658
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 09:01

Re: Pallavur K. Mani Iyer

Post by prashant »

I've heard the pantuvarALi song before from Vamanan at the late Sri P. N. Krishnamoorthy's 75th birthday celebrations. It's one of the best songs I have heard in this raga.

narayan
Posts: 383
Joined: 05 Oct 2008, 07:43

Re: Pallavur K. Mani Iyer

Post by narayan »

rshankar wrote:Any chance of posting a sample of clips for others to 'hear' his compositions?
I will try to check with Vamanan and associates (sounds like some legal firm!) to see if they have any sources for doing this. I am technologically challenged anyhow, and do not have access to recordings or clips. But I do know that the songs have been notated and written up properly and they have been formally taught to some number of people, including a couple of very capable youngsters. So I am extremely hopeful that they will be heard by some of you at some point. I have heard some of these songs from the late 1980s and they have stood the test of at least a generation of time in their freshness.

I agree with Prashant, the Pantuvarali song is a fine one. Kalapramanam of, say, Parama pavana rama in Purvikalyani and with an interesting building up in the pallavi itself.

Rasavinodini is a Ramapriya janyam (SGMPDS - SNDPMGS) and the song was a lilting one. Gambhiryanatai (not Gambheeranatai, as was emphasised by Vamanan!) is SGMPNS - SNPMRS, with the antara gandhara on the way up and R3 on the way down. Very much like Nattai, of course, but no SRG, straight SG. Mani Iyer has composed in Telugu, Sanskrit and Tamil, including a few manipravalams (as befits his name!) and his signature is Mani (usually mani vinuta or mani sannuta or thereabouts).

Smrithi
Posts: 5
Joined: 20 Sep 2010, 21:11

Re: Pallavur K. Mani Iyer

Post by Smrithi »

Narayan Sir, just a typo i guess-
"a song in a Todi janyam (SGMDNS - SNPPMGS)"

Divya Gandhari(Thodi derivative) takes SGMPDNS-SNPMGS.

Regards,
Smrithi

narayan
Posts: 383
Joined: 05 Oct 2008, 07:43

Re: Pallavur K. Mani Iyer

Post by narayan »

Smrithi wrote: Divya Gandhari(Thodi derivative) takes SGMPDNS-SNPMGS.
Thanks. Have made the correction. If you can address rshankar's request in this thread in any way, please do, and I am sure many will benefit.

Smrithi
Posts: 5
Joined: 20 Sep 2010, 21:11

Re: Pallavur K. Mani Iyer

Post by Smrithi »

I will check and revert. Thanks.

Pratyaksham Bala
Posts: 4164
Joined: 21 May 2010, 16:57

Re: Pallavur K. Mani Iyer

Post by Pratyaksham Bala »

rshankar wrote: 19 Sep 2010, 20:17 Great to hear about Sri Mani Iyer. Any chance of posting a sample of clips for others to 'hear' his compositions?
At last here is one !

Evarunnaru – Saramati - Pallavur Mani Iyer by Govind Balakrishnan
https://youtu.be/4PKLqf-K6ws?t=1

Lakshman
Posts: 14019
Joined: 10 Feb 2010, 18:52

Re: Pallavur K. Mani Iyer

Post by Lakshman »

Is a book of his compositions available?

Post Reply