Madurai Mani Iyer

Carnatic Musicians
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venu sundar
Posts: 158
Joined: 19 Oct 2009, 22:23

Post by venu sundar »

Madurai Mani Iyer remembrance day was celebrated on 8th January at the Ragasudha Hall Luz.The annual event was organised by Cleveland Thiagarja Committee and it was a very pleasant evening with emotional MMI rasikas came in good number to listen to the Musical ICon who was one of the most popular vocalist along with Ariyakkudi,Semangudi,
Maharajapuram and of curse the great GNB whose centenary is now going on nicely.One should thank VKV who is organising the festival in a very meticulous way every year.It was an emotional evening as one could see th ejoy and ecstacy of listening to MMIs songs and the audience was spell bound.The event started with a prayer by Jaya Sekar who was one of the best teachers contributing to the Cleland Aradhana by her finr training to t a lot of US based children.Vishnuram Prasad presented a lec-demo in which some rare pieces of the great Master was explained by him in detail and with perfection.VKV earlier welcoming the audience mentioned that the event is mor informal one and can be termed as get-together of MMI rasikas.Lalitha Ram a young handdsoml youngster spoke in very hig praise of the legend MMI and narrated how he was attracted by the man and his music.Sundaram Sir As was mentioned by VKV as only one Cleveland Sundaram spoke in praise MMI and also stressed s certain valid points in an objective manner.THere was a Violin Concert by
MS Aishwarya which was accompanied by the versatile Vellore Ramabadran on Mridangm and by sri Venkatraman Aiswayryas father on Kanjira.Aishwarya played the Violin really well and on the cloudy evning it was very good treat to the ears.TRS one of the best music experts spoke at length about hte greatness of Mani Iyer and his music and his qualities.
Earlier Nadopasana Srinivasan shared with the audience his memorable experiences with MMI in the yesteryears.It was a great evning and the audience left with MMI on hteir lips thnaks to VKV Sir and the Cleveland Committee and of course Sundaram with satisfaction!

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Post by rajeshnat »

mmi day of 2009-2010 excerpts are in the url
http://rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php? ... -hall.html

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Post by rajeshnat »

vishnu
If u are reading this , please post about madurai mani iyer's huseni that you spoke about in mmi day (i did not attend your speech). I am not aware of madurai mani iyer singing useni
Last edited by rajeshnat on 09 Jan 2010, 12:52, edited 1 time in total.

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Post by rajeshnat »

Rama Ninne by MMI accompanied by Thiruvalangadu Sundaresa Iyer, PMI and Alangudi at Nangavaram. http://www.sendspace.com/file/8w2otg
Thanks to sripathi_g who gave me this.

Balummi
Posts: 174
Joined: 24 May 2009, 16:46

Post by Balummi »

Dear Rajesh
MMI ' s Rama Ninne (Huseni ) is available in 2 different concerts.

Talking of MMI 's close relatives not attending his rememberance days every year hosted by Sri VKV Sir , I was told that no invitation was extended to them!
This reminds me of my friend's sister commenting that we go to Kapaleeswar Temple not
at the LORD'S invitation! and the Aradhana and Puja are not done at our request If we do not go to the temple the loss is not for Kapaleeswarar

annamalai
Posts: 355
Joined: 23 Nov 2006, 07:01

Post by annamalai »

I heard this version of Rama Ninne by MMI.

But, I think the best version I have heard of Rama Ninne Nammi is by Karaikuruchi Arunachalam. What a rendition !! Ariyakudi's version is also very nice. Wrt to Huseini in general, Aligithe - Kstregna Padam by Balamuralikrishna and Raghuveera Ranadheera by Santhanam.

pgaiyar
Posts: 113
Joined: 27 Jan 2007, 07:59

Post by pgaiyar »

Dear All:

I understand MMI was a bachelor. Can anyone please confirm?. God bless you all.

Regards

Guru

arasi
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Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

VKV and others have related anecdotes about the great vidvAn to us. Here is an interesting piece of work from none other than SubbuDu which I came across. This piece not only adds to the magnanimity of our beloved MMI but also gives a new perspective on the oft-maligned critic as well.
This must have appeared about fifty years ago in the literary tamizh magazine kaNaiyAzhi. Ten years ago, Kalaignan Padippagam published an anthology of prose and poetry selecting them from what appeared in the magazine through several decades.I find no exact dates to go by.
Here is the translation from tamizh:

Madurai Mani Iyer
by
SubbuDu

It was an unforgettable meeting. I had the great privilege of meeting madhura GAna Mani Iyer. It came about as the result of the review that I wrote of his Mumbai concert in Kalki.
"As usual, MMI sang an AlApanA in shaNmukapriya, swung back and forth with his 'U U-s' and ended the concert with the English note", I had written. I had summed it all up in that one line.
This must have happened six or seven years ago.The very next year, MMI came to Delhi to perform. He said to his host that my review struck him as being out of the way. He also expressed his wish to meet me and to know what I meant to say by way of that one-liner.
I was extremely keen on meeting him. Yet, I felt awkward to face and interview the eminent vidwAn who was obviously upset about my pronouncement. If things got out of hand, how was I going to cope with the situation?--my being younger and lacking in my experience in music? I explained this to Sri. Krishnamurthy (the host?) on the phone. On his assuring me that the discussion would be dignified and meaningful, I went to meet MMI at his place.
As I entered, someone was reading The Hindu to MMI. He was keen on following the daily news. My arrival was announced by Vembu Iyer.
"Are you SubbuDu sir?"
"Yes."
"How come you wrote in such detail about other musicians and made such a sweeping statement about me in a single line?"
"There is a lot I want to convey to you. You are a mahA vidvAn, sangIta sAgaram (ocean of music). If you are patient, I will bare my heart to you."
"By all means!"
"To start with, why do you keep singing the same songs over and over again in your concerts?"
"RasikAs love those songs."
"I agree. Yet, if brilliant singers like you do not popularize at least two songs every year, won't the Trinity's songs be forgotten?"
"Do you want me to ignore the rasikAS?"
"Not really. Cater to them three quarters of the time. Can't you allot quarter of the time to the Trinity?
"Do you know, it takes a year or two to popularize a single song?"
"I agree. But, isn't it your responsibility to develop rasanai in your listeners? Out of the four hundred krutis of TyAgarAjA, not even fifty are in vogue."
"Ah, that's what you are saying!"
"I am prepared to listen to you, whatever you have to say about it.To recognize and to propagate them--isn't that a service to music by vidvAns like you?''
"I have in my repertoire countless krutis. But look at the number of request chits that reach the stage even at the beginning of the concert!"
"Have you tried new song lists at any time and have tested it out?"
"The public doesn't give me a chance!"
"Delhi rasikAs are super rasikAs. You won't find MaharAjapuram, GNB or AriyakkuDi fans as such here in Delhi. We are all just music fans. We are nostalgic about our homeland. We are thrilled to hear good CM from any source. We do not get many chances to hear music in this far away place. Based on all this, why don't you try your experiment here? If I am wrong, I will take back my word and apologize no end..."
"What, VEmbu? This evening, we will sing all new uruppaDis (items). These reviewers perhaps think that we don't know that many krutis!"
That evening, not a single 'rubber stamp' kruti was sung.TyAgaiyyA, DIkshitar, SyAMa Sastry and Sivan danced in glee on that stage. The Statesman the next morning did not contain a review but a dedication. On reading it, MMI sent a congratulatory letter to the editor and he in turn sent it to me.
I treasure it as a priceless possession of mine.
* * *
I felt compelled to share this with you folks! Thanks again to KaNaiyAzhi Trust and Kalaignan Padippagam.
Last edited by arasi on 18 Jan 2010, 21:22, edited 1 time in total.

rshankar
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Post by rshankar »

Arasi - thanks for that posting! Just goes to show that there are 2 sides to every coin/argument.

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Post by rajeshnat »

Arasi
Tx for that translation. Instead of mmi being indifferent to the critic subbudu and taking a stand against him, he just went in his way and gave a concert of brand new numbers to please subbudu and in turn make subbudu write a dedication shows to a great extent there was no nexus between reviewers and artists. Good for carnatic music. I would love to know the new Krithis that mmi sang that day.
Last edited by rajeshnat on 19 Jan 2010, 14:28, edited 1 time in total.

musicfan_4201
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:34

Post by musicfan_4201 »

Rajesh
Kruthi would sound better than a anumber. The 'number' jargon is typically used in western music or Indian film songs :) just a thought.

arasi
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Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

Rajesh,
Wish subbudu had at least mentioned a few krutis. Then again, this one was written for a literary publication. Even today, critics fail to mention all the songs in a concert (we are better at that on the forum).

vasanthakokilam
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:01

Post by vasanthakokilam »

Thanks Arasi for finding, translating and posting it here. General human tendency is to give undue importance and weight to rabble-rousers' opinions compared to other more sedate communicators of equal scholarship ( subbudu being a beneficiary of that tendency to some extent) but for a change, he comes out smelling good here for very good reasons. Good for him!

bilahari
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 09:02

Post by bilahari »

Thank you very much, arasi, for the translation. In the case of MMI and other veterans who had/have a tendency to repeat songs, it is the sheer depth of their manOdharma rather than their choice of composition that draws me to their music. You will not find identical kalpanaswara segments in two different MMI renditions of vAtApi, and so on. Additionally, each of MMI's renditions of his trademark songs like eppO varuvArO is so perfect that I never get bored listening to them again and again from various concert recordings. Similarly, I have heard TNK play marivEragathi and the bhairavi swarajathi so many times, and they never fail to move me. This is just my opinion, of course.

arasi
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Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

Yes, Bilahari. The genuine stuff does not easily make you feel jaded.
My reason for sharing this was to say that we discuss things with preconceived notions sometimes (because we tend to base our thoughts on popular opinion). I saw another side to Subbudu here, and since it wasn't someone else's notion of him but was something he narrates himself, we look at an important CM critic of our era in finer detail here rather than as a totally intimidating presence.

VK,
I found another short account about VVSadagopan by Subbudu. I will post it in VVS's thread.

bilahari
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 09:02

Post by bilahari »

Yes, arasi, I agree. I was only addressing Subbudu's point, not that it was invalid!

rajeshnat
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Post by rajeshnat »

musicfan_4201 wrote:Rajesh
Kruthi would sound better than a anumber. The 'number' jargon is typically used in western music or Indian film songs :) just a thought.
Changed the number to krithis. BTW the first musician to introduce western Note(HMB-shankarAbharanam) is mmi too :) I bet that day MMI did not sing that note for sure .

annamalai
Posts: 355
Joined: 23 Nov 2006, 07:01

Post by annamalai »

For MMI due to his own inimitable style of rendition of some krithis (Nijamarmamu, Orajoopu, Ramabakthi, Sarasasamadana, Kapali, Kana Kan Koti "¦.) that he popularized, he had to sing them over and over again. In those days, MP3 concert recordings were not floating around. One of the good aspect of a limited concert repertoire, was almost near "perfect rendition"

arasi
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Joined: 22 Jun 2006, 09:30

Post by arasi »

True. However, new ones or unsung old ones need to be brought to light too. Performers have to work on them before they sing them on stage. If I am correct, they used to, and still do try out the newly learned songs in smaller concerts outside of Chennai, perfect them and then sing them in Chennai and other big cities.
Last edited by arasi on 19 Jan 2010, 15:40, edited 1 time in total.

musicfan_4201
Posts: 199
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:34

Post by musicfan_4201 »

I think most of the old timers have sung a limited set of kritis over and over again. In one of the interviews, Chembai has commented for a similar question asked. That he would prefer to perfect the art of singing a 100 kritis and presen to the audience than singing many half learnt/with mistakes. That shows their commitment :) Plus audience request made them sing a set of kritis.

shripathi_g
Posts: 356
Joined: 30 Mar 2005, 08:25

Post by shripathi_g »

MMI's concert at Nangavaram ( not sure where that is ) is another of his concerts that does not contain the usual items. It has a Ninnu kori varnam with swaras followed by Rama Neepai in Kedaram, Parukulle Nalla nadu, Aaduvome pallu paduvome, a detailed Manavyalakin, Sarasasamadhana, Rama Ninne in Huseni, Chenjurutti thillana, Pagaivanukku arulvai, etc. Except the Sarasamadhana, the other items are fairly rare.

shripathi_g
Posts: 356
Joined: 30 Mar 2005, 08:25

Post by shripathi_g »

The same concert contains an interlude where Thiruvalangadu Sundaresa Iyer, the violinist, making a pun on the name of the town, says "Indha edathla kutcheri panna nanga panam kudukanum" (We should be paying to perform a kutcheri here). MMI replies "Ivar kuduka thayar" (He's ready to pay). TSI says "Illa indha madhiri kaathotamana edathla kutcheri panrathuku kuduthu vechirkanum. Adhukaga sonnen." MMI smilingly replies "Na evalo kudukanum nu solli vittudadhir(I guess)" (Please don't say how much I should pay).
Last edited by shripathi_g on 19 Jan 2010, 21:47, edited 1 time in total.

SangithaRasika
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Joined: 11 Mar 2006, 22:41

Post by SangithaRasika »

Thanks Arasi for the translation.
MMI always said that he sings for Rasikas. Going by that, all the new songs that Shri MMI sang, I think he was still pleasing a Rasika :) In this case it was Subbudu

T J Venkatraman
Posts: 5
Joined: 07 Jan 2010, 00:14

Post by T J Venkatraman »

Young Musicians/Upcoming Musicians have to learn more from MMI
in the list the first and far most is the Sruthi Alignment
2. The Sarvalagu patterns of singing swarams
3. The stress and pause
4. Totally relaxing while singing (In spite of his health condition)
5. The presentation
6. The appreciation for the fellow artists (Which are not seen in with the current day musicians)

Music is like a knife

The use differs when it is in the hands of a Good doctor and a thief

MMI's music is a Knife in the hands of a good doctor

Balummi
Posts: 174
Joined: 24 May 2009, 16:46

Post by Balummi »

MMI has speifically told in an AIR inteview that too much "Kanakku" will spoil the mood and sukabhavam of music. Grammar & kanakku should be used only as a skeliton and it was for this reason he had selected sarvalagu swara singing and simple pallavis for his RTPs .Nothing is gained by exhibiting your knowledge of music except boosting your EGO.
ANANDAM is more important than TECHNIC and in fact technic has evolved only to give maximum musical experience or anandam!
Present day Vidwans like Mr TM Krishna had specifically excluded Sri MMI from their list of Great Carnatic Musicians like Ariyakudi, GNB or Semmangudi for his lack of vidwath as compared to these "giants ". But it is a fact that but for MMI Carnatic Music would not have been so popular with the masses and he never wanted to exhibit his VIDWAT and make every concert a circus show!

N.R.Patanjali
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Joined: 20 May 2007, 18:56

Post by N.R.Patanjali »

MMI' s music goes directly into your heart with soul-stirring and unbroken rythm. He is, perhaps, the greatest musician and is beyond the
comprehension of pundits. Forget what the present day vidwans say about MMI. Sri Kanchi Paramacharya has paid rich tributes to him and
that is enough. He does not need any other encomiums.

Sathej
Posts: 586
Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 00:23

Post by Sathej »

Balummi wrote:Nothing is gained by exhibiting your knowledge of music except boosting your EGO.
....exhibit his VIDWAT and make every concert a circus show!
I have nothing against MMI or the general content of the post. But the above two lines seem a rather sweeping generalization. Exhibiting knowledge/Vidwat appeals to some rasikas too !

Sathej

kapali
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Joined: 04 Jun 2009, 20:35

Post by kapali »

musicians will continue to enthrall rasikas now and in the future . But one thing is certain. The name of MMI and the soul stirrings swaras of his music will continue to be remembered even five decades hence even if others are forgotten. Every phrase in Prince Rama Varma`s tribute to MMI on MMI`s 40 th anniversary is verily true and a correct appreciation of MMI`s greatness.

rajeshnat
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 08:04

Post by rajeshnat »

kapali wrote: Every phrase in Prince Rama Varma`s tribute to MMI on MMI`s 40 th anniversary is verily true and a correct appreciation of MMI`s greatness.
kapali,
Is there a youtube recording of rama verma tribute on mmi available?. Let me know the links please
Last edited by rajeshnat on 01 Feb 2010, 12:36, edited 1 time in total.

kapali
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Joined: 04 Jun 2009, 20:35

Post by kapali »

Rajeshnat,,
I did not see it in the you tube but happened to read the tribute in Aparna`s blog headed by ` Sevikka vendum ayya` column. you can also read it in Rama Varma`s website!

Purist
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Joined: 13 May 2008, 16:55

Post by Purist »

Rama Varma's tribute makes interesting reading. here goes the link: http://ramavarma.yolasite.com/tribute-t ... i-iyer.php

I particularly enjoyed his reference to "accompunishments" in the article.

sbala
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Joined: 30 Jul 2006, 08:56

Post by sbala »

Excellent tribute.

thenpaanan
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Joined: 04 Feb 2010, 19:45

Post by thenpaanan »

Purist wrote:Rama Varma's tribute makes interesting reading. here goes the link :http://ramavarma.yolasite.com/tribute-t ... i-iyer.php

....
One thing that stood out for me in Varma's MMI tribute is the comment that MMI's voice always sounded happy. It was as if he was always smiling with his voice. A western-trained vocalist once educated me about this -- he said you have to smile (sometimes in an exaggerated way) to sound happy to someone who can hear you but cannot see you. He would make me smile real wide when I wanted to project a happy conclusion to a song. I had not paid much heed to that advice until I read Rama Varma's tribute to MMI's singing.

And speak of glee! I don't know whether MMI was actually smiling all the time when he was singing but his voice always, and I mean always, sounds happy. Which is nothing short of astonishing to me. Perhaps it is related to the absence of any strain in his voice, no matter the octave or the interval or the syllable.

What is even more curious is that no one seems to have inherited or learned that way of singing. TVS, for example, has pep and verve and sings marvelously but he seems to not have that happy aspect to his voice.

And no one else in the CM world has those rounded vowels and the effortless glides up and down. Which is sad. It boggles the mind that this voice quality is so rare or so hard to acquire.

-Then Paanan

Balummi
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Joined: 24 May 2009, 16:46

Post by Balummi »

After going through Sri Rama Varma's article on Sri Mani Iyer , I was really thrilled . I was in that same frame of mind when I used to visit him atleast 3 times a week in 1962-63 while a student in Vivekananda College . He was always in a happy state of mind in spite of his health and this reflected in his music .Even at the height of reaching Panchamam while singing swaras he can relax talk a few words and continue after sometime and suddenly reach the height to the surprise of every listener without loosing the thread in a totally relaxed and strainless way which every listener wants
If the singer is in a stressful mood it is sure to be reflected in his music

Balummi
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Joined: 24 May 2009, 16:46

Post by Balummi »

MMI's swara singing espeially for Begada was marvellous The swara sequence simply glides through. Vallabha Nayakasya swaras that Mr.Krishna is refering to I do seem tohave listened!
His masterly exposition of Begada RTP and Thiagarajaya Namaste also in Begada are Still more mesmorising.Every otherday I am forced to listen to his neraval & swaras for Thiagarajaya Namaste in my MP3 player by divine compulsion! I remeber Sri MDR's comment to us IITans wayback in 1968 , that music critics who come to his concerts with a view to give a critcal review of it , simply listen with aah and forget their intentions!

thanjavooran
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 04:44

Post by thanjavooran »

'Begada RTP and Thiagarajaya Namaste '
Shri Balummi,
Will it be possible to upload the above so that we can also have the pleasure of listening MMI's Begada? Thanx in advance

Thanjavooran

matterwaves
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Post by matterwaves »

http://sangeethamshare.org/ksj/Madurai- ... Begada.wma
Wonderful begada : accompanied by Lalgudi

Balummi
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Joined: 24 May 2009, 16:46

Post by Balummi »

Dear Thanjavooran ,
All MMI devotees are having this RTP Begada sung by MMI acompanied by Thiruvalangadu Sundareswara Iyer and Palani Subramanya Pillai It was a 45 mt bliss and the other parts of the concert are missing! If I know how to upload I can do it for all my collections of MMI running into several Giga Bytes! Mr Vishnuprasad might help you in this respect

TOYKING
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Joined: 30 Sep 2006, 23:43

Re: Madurai Mani Iyer

Post by TOYKING »

Can someone please upload Mariveredikkevarayyaraama-shanmukhapriya-Patnam Subramania Iyer sung by MMI.It is not available anywhere else on the internet.....it was uploaded a long a time ago on this forum.Was unfortunate to miss it then .........the link is no longer functioning.....

thanjavooran
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 04:44

Re:

Post by thanjavooran »

Balummi wrote:Dear Thanjavooran ,
All MMI devotees are having this RTP Begada sung by MMI acompanied by Thiruvalangadu Sundareswara Iyer and Palani Subramanya Pillai It was a 45 mt bliss and the other parts of the concert are missing! If I know how to upload I can do it for all my collections of MMI running into several Giga Bytes! Mr Vishnuprasad might help you in this respect
Thanks shri Matterwaves for the wonderful link.
Shri Vishnuprasad why can't you help us?

Thanjavooran

unixguru88
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Joined: 03 Apr 2008, 20:07

Re: Madurai Mani Iyer

Post by unixguru88 »

I just found a brilliant rtp simhendramadhyama on the internet archive. http://www.archive.org/details/1963parv ... iah-uks-vr
Can anyone upload some more concerts with chowdiah as accompanist?

perarulalan
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Joined: 06 Feb 2010, 10:03

Re: Re:

Post by perarulalan »

Dear Thanjavooran and Unixguru!

Here is the link for Begada RTP

http://www.sendspace.com/file/jzlmq8

Regards
Arulalan Rajan

thanjavooran
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Joined: 03 Feb 2010, 04:44

Re: Madurai Mani Iyer

Post by thanjavooran »

Shri Arulalan Rajan ,
Thanx a lot for the link.
with wishes,
Thanjavooran

Balummi
Posts: 174
Joined: 24 May 2009, 16:46

Re: Madurai Mani Iyer

Post by Balummi »

I am surprised that I am able to write in this forum since the last one by Thanjavooran on 2 nd March 2010. severaltimes I tried to write but failed due to password problem in the site. Many might have experienced the same. I hope that there won't be any problem in future.

Many might have noticed in you tube that a small video clipping of an one year old KASHYAP jumping and shouting with joy when Mani Iyer's Vidachalathura was played.
The excitment for the boy is so much that he forgot himself and banged his head against the wall and fell down. To confim that he does it for Mani Iyer's music alone, the uploader had sent other clippings wherin music of all other sorts were played and he simply displays a disinterested look!

perarulalan
Posts: 93
Joined: 06 Feb 2010, 10:03

Madurai Mani Iyer - Solo without Accompaniments

Post by perarulalan »

Dear All

There is one particular audio file which contains the following songs rendered by Sri MMI without any accompaniments!
Venkatachalapathe,
Sri MAthrubhUtham,
karpagame and
diwakara thanujam..

This was earlier uploaded in rasikapriya site I guess and I am not sure if this concert is new to rasikas.org site!

I am not sure if I can upload it elsewhere and give the link. If it is fine, I shall go ahead upload and give the link!

Regards
Perarulalan

ragam-talam
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Joined: 28 Sep 2006, 02:15

Re: Madurai Mani Iyer

Post by ragam-talam »

perarulalan - these sound interesting. Please upload if they are not commercial recordings. Thank you.

perarulalan
Posts: 93
Joined: 06 Feb 2010, 10:03

Madurai Mani Iyer - Solo without Accompaniments

Post by perarulalan »

Dear all

The following is the link

http://www.sendspace.com/file/1zo9f4

Regards
Perarulalan

Balummi
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Joined: 24 May 2009, 16:46

Re: Madurai Mani Iyer

Post by Balummi »

Sri MMI recording without accompaniments that Perarulalan is refering to was recorded in January 1960 in Calcutta at the residence of Sri Viawanatha Iyer , then Chief Enginerr Calcutta Electricity Board. The occasion was Sri MMI and friends were relaxing after lunch and the topics were from politics to music , food etc. In the midst MMI used to sing Navagraha kritis and some listeners' choice without accompaniment.The entire proceeding was recorded for about 90minutes. In the discussion there was one close friend of MMI , Sri Natesan and MMI with a loud innocent laughter remarks about him that he(Sri Natesan) dislikes his(MMI) music with scorn! This spool which was handed ove to me by Mrs Viswanathan in 1988 as it could not be played in ordinary taperecorders as the speed was very slow. I had it transfered to cassettes and now digitalised. I had given copies of this to many .MMI fans

Pratyaksham Bala
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Re: Madurai Mani Iyer

Post by Pratyaksham Bala »

Balummi:
Thanks a lot for your wonderful contribution to Carnatic Music.
Your name Balu-MMI indicates that you are an ardent fan of Madurai Mani Iyer!

Balummi
Posts: 174
Joined: 24 May 2009, 16:46

Re: Madurai Mani Iyer

Post by Balummi »

Dear Pratyaksham Bala ,
I have not contributed anything to Carnatic Music . If mad worshipping of MMI 's music is contribution then I had done a lot in making many listen to his recordings ( sometimes forcefully!). This madness reached its peak when in 1969, I absented for my final exam in IIT so that I could listen to MMI over AIR . On one occasion after listening to his Ma Ramanan in Hindolam in a concert, I suddenly left the concert hall so that the Ma Ramanan mood should prevail for whatever length of time it was possible. And actually the Charanam phrases " Ayiram Peyaral Azhaipinum" lingered over me in his thundering voice till 4 am in the morning on that day. It was a fantastic memory

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