Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Carnatic Musicians
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vganesh
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Post by vganesh »

The Chembai ekadesi festifal is also being telecast in Doordarshan - Malayalam every year, every day for half an hour after the festival.

n.lakshmanan
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Post by n.lakshmanan »

I have siva siva ena radha song sung by Sri Bhagavadar and K J Yesudoss

It is really really fantestic...

srkris
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Post by srkris »

sIrkAzhi gOvindarAjan at Guruvayur Ekadasi Annual (Chembai memorial) Music Festival rendering a couple of tribute songs sometime in the late 1970s or early 80s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlwXVA3mhk0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=codpRFe17cs

The mridangam accompaniment by Mavelikkara Krishnankutty Nair is more than good.

girish_a
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Post by girish_a »

Of all the tributes to music vidwans that I have read, I found this the most touching:

http://rasikas.org/chembai/chembailastday.html

Beautiful from first to last. It shows that Chembai was not merely a great musician but a high soul as well.

sivachinta1965
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Post by sivachinta1965 »

dear Rasikas

One more C concerts( I do not know whether this picture is repeated). Mridamgam is not seen, who is at ghatam?

Image

Sivaprasad

srkris
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Post by srkris »

Just before the kutcheri was about to begin... MSG adjusting the pitch of his violin to the tambura sruti being played by the sishya at the back and Alangudi looking fresh and expectant to prove his mettle yet again.

Thanks Sivaprasadji. Where was this picture taken from?

Alangudi and Chembai had the greatest respect for each other for once Chembai had rushed to Alangudi's native village on hearing that he was ill. He asked Alangudi to pray to Guruvayurappan and gave him some prasadam after having which Alangudi's illness disappeared the same day. Chembai later said to him "As long as I live, you will play ghatam for me".

I could be wrong, but going by the number of times that the MSG-TVG-Alangudi combination has performed with Chembai late in his career/lifetime, I would presume that the missing mridangist is TVG.

This picture was taken sometime between 1965-1973

The twins sitting behind Chembai are Jayan and Vijayan i.e the malayalam film music directors known together as Jayavijaya, who were earlier disciples of Semmangudi (he was the principal of the music college where they studied music initially), Alathur Brothers and BMK respectively before they became Chembai's sishyas.

sivachinta1965
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Post by sivachinta1965 »

dear Krisji

This is from a secular ( communist) magazine called "One India One people " 1997 issue , highlight on Karnataka state. The author categorically says that Carnatic music is music of Karnataka(?!!!!).

What is that instrument bleow the microphone??

why all Ghatamists open their shirt out during the concert?

sivaprasad

srkris
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Post by srkris »

Probably he meant "the Carnatic" which was the region covering much of TN & Kerala apart from the southern parts of Karnataka and Andhra.

The thing below the mic might probably be a spool recorder to record the concert.

Wikipedia says about your query "The artist sometimes presses the mouth of the pot against their bare belly, which deepens the tone of the bass stroke, and is another way to produce the "gumki" sound".

arasi
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Post by arasi »

Girish,
Thank you for your link. It is from Rasikas too and I hadn't read it until now!
What a moving piece! What a memorable day in the annals of CM!
Music has powers which are beyond our comprehension.

srkris
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Post by srkris »

The discussion on history of flat notes vs gamakas has been moved to http://rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php? ... notes.html

vasanthakokilam
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Post by vasanthakokilam »

Girish: Thanks for pointing us to that link about the last day of Chembai. Very well written and it captures the many dimensions of him which made him the great person he was. His humor is one of a kind and brilliant. I can sense why people were so comfortable being with him. Example is his quip to Rama Marar when he wished Chembai would live for 125 years: "You don't poke your head in it. All is settled between me and Guruvayurappan.". The humor is enhanced when we can imagine his tone and style of saying that in his malayalam.

cpblog
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Post by cpblog »

kaumaaram wrote:From a blogspot:


Conflict In Chettinad [1936]


"......Chembai now stopped singing and, with an air of insouciance, asked: "What is it you want, please?" The common response was: "We want Chowdiah to play the English Note!"
While enjoying the above as an anecdote only and without further ado into the above fray...if any one is curious about 'The English Note', you can hear Chowdiah play a piece of it with MMI at http://chowdaiahandparvati.blogspot.com/
Last edited by cpblog on 18 Aug 2009, 03:09, edited 1 time in total.

statshari
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Post by statshari »

Are there any full length concert recordings available (not the small pieces) of Chembai
during his prime, (say 1920-50?) with Chowdiah, Mani Iyer, Dakshinamurti Pillai etc..?

ignoramus
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Post by ignoramus »

Statshari
Chembai was in his prime all the time i think :) havent seen / heard any of that period which you mentioned

laks1972
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Post by laks1972 »

sivachinta1965 wrote:dear Krisji

This is from a secular ( communist) magazine called ...............
Are communists in India secular ??? They appease minorities and bash majorities. Is that secular ??

sivachinta1965
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Post by sivachinta1965 »

dear laksji

I mean pseudo. They also propagate Carnatic mUsic means Music of Karnataka! MDR Ramanathan is rebel musician or a Marxist.! Chembai is a socialist like........

sivparasad

sindhu
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Post by sindhu »

why all Ghatamists open their shirt out during the concert?

- they do not want cover up the naadam originated thru navel which sails to other end of ghatam. :D

ragam-talam
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Post by ragam-talam »

Amazing, truly vintage video (yes, video!) clip of the immortal Chembai, alongwith Chowdiah and PMI!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WXKnsN_HVg

They all look so young.

kaumaaram
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Post by kaumaaram »

It is from the movie that Mysore T Chowdiah produced. Thanks a ton for the link. Here are the excerpts of the article "Remembering Pandari Bai: by Randor Guy:

During one of her plays in Mysore City, one of the many in the auditorium was the legendary violin maestro and icon of classical carnatic music, Mysore T Chowdaiah. He had made waves creating new trends and patterns of music with his self-designed seven-stringed violin. Lured by the world of grease-paint and celluloid the successful musician had made up his mind to produce a movie and also play the lead role in it, in partnership with the noted Kannada theater person and comedian K Hiranaiah. Impressed by the young girl, her looks and performance, he cast her in his musical movie as the hero’s daughter. That was the historic Kannada film Vani (1943) and it marked Pandari Bai’s entry into cinema. She was barely thirteen. However, the movie fared badly at the box-office and the master of the bow and strings burnt his magic fingers almost to the wrist!

(The popular Kannada cinema rebel star Ambarish is Chowdaiahs grandson. This film, however, won an incredible footnote in the history of South Indian Cinema. The classical carnatic musical giant, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar appeared on-screen giving a 10-minute performance accompanied by another icon and legend of music, Palakkad Mani Iyer on the mridangam. Of course, Chowdaiah played the violin and also composed the song. Chembai, a conservative orthodox Brahmin who thought lowly of movies refused to touch the generous fee of ten thousand rupees, a fortune in its day, offered by Chowdaiah! However, after much persuasion by Chowdaiah and other friends, he accepted it but donated the money to his favourite temple in his village for making jewels for the presiding deity. Recently a print of Vani was found by Master Hiranaiah (the comedian’s son and famed Kannada theater person) and it is being reconditioned for screening.)


http://www.screenindia.com/old/archive/ ... nt_id=1966
Last edited by kaumaaram on 11 Dec 2009, 15:41, edited 1 time in total.

sivachinta1965
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Post by sivachinta1965 »

dear kaumarji

The movie has already been screened at Thrippunithura as part of MDR day 2009. I think Rajamani sir was instrumental in the screening.

I wonder how these type of movies go dormant and surface after a long time. Hope we would be able to watch GNB's Bhama Vijayam which is lying hidden somewhere!

Sivaprasad

kaumaaram
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Post by kaumaaram »

Sivachinta,

The rasikas are already on the unt for GNB's Bhama Vijayam and I am sure that they will succeed.

sivachinta1965
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Post by sivachinta1965 »

dear Kaumaramji

Could you please substantiate on the "hunt"?. A part of the movie was screened in the 25th anniversary celebrations in 1957(?), then missing. If somebody trace the movie out, that would be a "GNB Vijayam". Wishing you all the success!

Sivaprasad

kaumaaram
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Post by kaumaaram »

ragam-talam wrote:Amazing, truly vintage video (yes, video!) clip of the immortal Chembai, alongwith Chowdiah and PMI!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WXKnsN_HVg

They all look so young.

The video has disappeared. Has anyone downloaded it? If yes, could the link be sent to me please.

aditya1093
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Post by aditya1093 »

I excerpted the video clip of great CVB-MTC-PMI from a documentary about Palghat Raghu. which lasts for only 45secs. Please check if this is what you are looking for.

http://www.fileflyer.com/view/lxU8eAZ


Thanks

srkris
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Post by srkris »

Yella Venkateswara Rao, the mridangist, adds the following bit of information (read somewhere sometime back but forgot where):

"In the latter part of his life, Chembai got almost a saintly status in the eyes of his admirers. I have not seen so many people from the audience falling at the feet of any other musician in reverence after concerts at the venues, in my career".

I heard this from another source too where it was described that Chembai often seemed get the respect that is usually accorded more to religious leaders than musicians, for whenever he was seen in a temple in Kerala, people made it a point to take his blessings as well as that of the God. Wonder if anyone from that time have witnessed it.

srkris
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by srkris »

Image

Chembai at Chennai, Balamuralikrishna and TVG having a good laugh over something.

arasi
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by arasi »

srkris,
What an expressive picture! Even before I read your post, I wondered what the amused exchange between them was all about. Jesudas is pretty serious--singing too, it seems.

srkris
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by srkris »

Arasi,

There's no Yesudas in the picture. The one next to Alangudi (ghatam) is not him.

semmu86
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by semmu86 »

I think arasi must have meant the one, who is immediate right to the tampurA player, who i feel has some resemblance to Yesudas.

rajeshnat
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by rajeshnat »

semmu86 wrote:I think arasi must have meant the one, who is immediate right to the tampurA player, who i feel has some resemblance to Yesudas.
Even I was thinking the same , if that is not yesudAs , who could that be?

srkris
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by srkris »

The one to to the right of the tambura player is K.G.Vijayan, a sishya. The tambura player is his brother K.G.Jayan.

Here is a picture with Yesudas sitting next to the mridangist observing, all smiles. The violinist is (now Padmabhushan) Dr. Nookala Chinna Satyanarayana.
Image

thenpaanan
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Re:

Post by thenpaanan »

The website http://chembai.com reminded me that Chembai was one of the musicians of yesteryear who bridged the transition from pallavi-based concerts to kriti-based concerts based on the Ariyakudi format. Indeed one of the articles on the website describes an early concert of Chembai that starts with viribONi and meanders through ghana raga tanam, an expansive RTP, and ends perhaps with a verse from gIta gOvinda.

Did Chembai express any opinions about the transition? If the contents of his later concerts which are almost tailor-made for the kriti-based format are any indication, he must have liked/preferred the Ariyakudi format, but I wonder if he articulated any position about it.

-Then Paanan

kaumaaram
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by kaumaaram »


nidhichalasukhama
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by nidhichalasukhama »

Dear All,

This is my first post and I have joined this family of carnatic music lovers & vidwans a few minutes back.

My first post happens to be on Chembaival as I am forever mesmerised by his agre paschyami ( from Narayaneeyam ) in praise of Sri Guruvayurappan , which reads as

" Agre paschyami tejo nimidaara kala yavali lobhaneeyam , piyushaplavitoham tadanutadutare divya kaisora vesam , tarunya ramba ramyam parama sukha rasa swada romanchitangai , raavidam naradatyar vilasat upansihad sundari mandalicha "

which when translated would mean

" Hey Guruvayoorappa , the one who is ever so radiant and whose very form is so captivating , one who is eternally young , meditating on whose very name confers on the devotee supreme bliss & the sweetest taste , the one who is venerated perenially by Sage Narada and the one who is constantly surrounded/circumambulated by Upanishads in the form of sundaris "

I gather that there is a possibility that a recording of his last concert may be privately available. If it can be accessed by any of the rasikas & vidwaans on this forum and be shared , it would be a divine blessing for all of us. Eagerly awaiting response from the learned members on this.

Sivaramakrishnan
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by Sivaramakrishnan »

Advocate Narendra Menon of Ottapalam in Kerala, connoisseur of arts and a great patron of Chembai was present at the last concert of Chembai and is known to have taken some memorable snaps of the concert.

cienu
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by cienu »

A picture of the maestro (courtesy from my mother's collection)
GNB has found something to break into laughter ! :)
Srkris - a request to identify the person next to Chembai .
Image.

thanjavooran
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by thanjavooran »

Is he not Sattur AGS ? If not Can be MMD also.
Thanjavooran 19 08 2010

Ramasubramanian M.K
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by Ramasubramanian M.K »

I think it is Sattur.

Pratyaksham Bala
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by Pratyaksham Bala »

Look alikes!

Sri Sattur A.G. Subramanyam:-
http://www.carnatica.net/artiste/satturags.htm
Sri M.M. Dandapani Desikar:-
http://archives.chennaionline.com/music ... esikar.jpg

But, the one in the above post is Sattur AGS.

srkris
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by srkris »

CIenu thanks for the photo, it is Sattur indeed, looks quite young.

ragam-talam
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by ragam-talam »

I was listening to a Chembai concert recording last night...

He does a lovely Todi alapanam.
What is unique (at least for me) was that during the alapanam, he inserts the words 'oh rama' - as part of the alapanam! He weaves it into the alapanam so seamlessly for a few minutes, then goes back to the akaram. It creates such a divine effect!

What a great vidwan he was!

I have never heard any other artiste doing anything similar.

arasi
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by arasi »

r-t,
TVS and his 'Hari' ?

venkatakailasam
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by venkatakailasam »

Rakshamam Saranagatham-Minakshisuta-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqlDWg74LHA chembai vaityanatha bahavathar


venkatakailasam

venkatakailasam
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by venkatakailasam »

Agre pashyami thejo by Chembai Vaithiyanatha Bahavathar:

It is a mix by me at this link: ( lyrics provided with the Video)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQUhG6AViEw

venkatakailasam

Ashwin
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by Ashwin »

A few years ago during the MA's December conference, Shri TVG gave a lecdem on varieties of tanam singing and played several clips of great masters rendering tAnam. IIRC, one very short audio clip taken from the MA archives featured a younger Chembai presenting tanam in tODi rAgam - it was simply mind-blowing. If someone out there has this clip and is willing to share it, I'd much appreciate it!

Ashwin

satyabalu
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by satyabalu »

just now I have read Venkatakailasam post in "Vaggyekaras -Lalitha Dasar" -Chembai tuning music for Lalithadasar compositions.

vasanthakokilam
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by vasanthakokilam »


satyabalu
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by satyabalu »

vasanthakokilam wrote:The link to that thread : http://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=16228
I wish I could do it if initiated.

srkris
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by srkris »

TS Balakrishna Sastri makes a short speech
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaLJbCcn5L0

sivachinta1965
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Re: Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar

Post by sivachinta1965 »

dear Rasikas

Yet another GuruvayoorEkadashi and another Chembai photo

Image

Siva

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