Lalgudi Jayaraman | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | (1930-09-17)17 September 1930 Edayathumangalam,Trichinopoly District, Madras Presidency, British India (nowTiruchirappalli district,Tamil Nadu, India)[1] |
| Died | 22 April 2013(2013-04-22) (aged 82) Chennai,Tamil Nadu, India |
| Genres | Indian classical music |
| Occupation(s) | Violinist, composer, |
| Instrument(s) | Violin, percussion, synthesizers |
| Years active | 1942–2013 |
Lalgudi Gopala Iyer Jayaraman (17 September 1930 – 22 April 2013) was an IndianCarnatic violinist, vocalist and composer. He is commonly grouped withM.S. Gopalakrishnan andT.N.Krishnan as part of the violin trinity of Carnatic music. He was awarded thePadma Bhushan by theGovernment of India in 2001.
His disciples included his two childrenLalgudi G. J. R. Krishnan andLalgudi Vijayalakshmi; his sister Lalgudi Srimathi Brahmanandam; former composer-conductor of All India Radio'sVadya Vrinda National Orchestra P. Purnachander Rao; the musician S P Ramh (grandson of Shri. G.N. Dandapani Iyer); Harikatha exponentVishaka Hari; Carnatic vocalistSaketharaman;Vittal Ramamurthy; Dr. N. Shashidhar; film music composerGirishh G; Padma Shankar; Kanchan Chandran; Raghuram Hosahalli; London violinist Shri A.G.A.Gnanasundaram; Srinivasamurthy; Pakkala Ramdas; Sankari Krishnan; Yamini Ramesh; Mumbai Shilpa; Shreya Devnath; Krithika Natarajan; Salem Sisters; Vainika Srikanth Chary; andBombay Jayashri Ramnath.
Born in the lineage of a disciple of the musicaltrinity (Musthuswamy Dikshitar, SriShyama Shastri, andSt. Thyagaraja), Lalgudi Jayaraman inherited the essence ofCarnatic music from his father, V. R. Gopala Iyer, who trained him. Gopala Iyer, a martinet, enforced traits of intense focus and discipline in the young Jayaraman through rigorous lessons. Though a harsh father and guru, Gopala Iyer would not allow the young Jayaraman to even sharpen pencils, believing that his tender fingers were too precious.[2]
At the age of 12, he started his musical career as an accompanying violinist to Carnatic musicians before rising as a prominent soloist.[3][4]
He expanded the style of violin playing by inventing a new technique that is designed to suit the needs ofIndian Classical Music and establishing a unique style that came to be known asLalgudi Bani. Jayaraman composed several 'kritis', 'tillanas' and 'varnams' and dance compositions, which are a blend ofraga,bhava, rhythm and lyrical beauty. Lalgudi's instrumental talent comes to the fore in the form of lyrical excellence. He brought vocal style into violin, and his renditions exhibit knowledge of lyrical content of the compositions.[5][6][7] Lalgudi actively and scientifically learned to self-critique his performances and dutifully wrote detailed reviews after each concert, a habit encouraged by his father and guru.[2] He was loath to experiment on stage in his solo concerts and almost always planned to the last detail, leading a certain critic to tout them as being intellectual rather than emotional in spirit, but Lalgudi's spontaneity and innate musical genius were often seen when he accompanied leading vocalists.[2]
He was always in great demand for accompanying vocalists, and has accompanied vocal virtuosos includingAriyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar,Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar,M. D. Ramanathan,Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer,G. N. Balasubramaniam,Madurai Mani Iyer, Alathur brothers, Voleti Venkateswarulu,Nedunuri Krishnamurthy,K. V. Narayanaswamy,Maharajapuram Santhanam,D. K. Jayaraman,M.Balamuralikrishna,T. V. Sankaranarayanan,T. N. Seshagopalan and flute maestroN. Ramani. He was forbidden from accompanying female artistes by his father, a promise that he kept.[8] He has given concerts extensively inIndia as well as abroad. TheGovernment of India sent him to Russia as a member of the Indian Cultural Delegation.
He was the first to bring international attention to theCarnatic style of violin playing. He also introduced a new concept of musical ensemble with violin,venu (flute) andveena in 1966.
After inviting him to play theEdinburgh Festival in 1965,Yehudi Menuhin, the renowned violinist, impressed by Lalgudi's technique and performance, presented him with his Italian violin. Lalgudi presented Menuhin with an ivory dancing Nataraja when Menuhin visited India.[9]
He has also performed in Singapore,Malaysia,Manila and East European countries. His recordings submitted to theInternational Music Council,Baghdad, Asian Pacific Music Rostrum and Iraq Broadcasting Agency by AIR New Delhi have been adjudged as the best and accorded the first position out of 77 entries received from the various countries during 1979. He was invited to give concerts atCologne,Belgium and France. TheGovernment of India chose him to representIndia at the Festival of India in USA, London and he gave solo and 'Jugalbandi' concerts in London and also in Germany and Italy that received rave reviews. Sri Lalgudi went on a tour in the year 1984 toOman,UAE,Qatar andBahrain, which was highly successful. He composed the lyrics and music for the operatic balletJaya Jaya Devi, which premiered in 1994 atCleveland, Ohio (US) and was staged in many other cities in the United States. In October 1999, Lalgudi performed in the UK under the auspices of Sruthi Laya Sangham (Institute of fine arts). After the concert, a dance dramaPancheswaram, composed by Lalgudi, was staged.[10]
His biography,An Incurable Romantic, by Lakshmi Devnath, was released posthumously in 2013. It contains a foreword by sitaristRavi Shankar, and charts his 70 years in the music industry.[11]
Jayaraman earned several titles, such as 'Nada Vidya Tilaka' by Music Lovers’ Association of Lalgudi in 1963, 'Padma Shri' by theGovernment of India in 1972, 'Nada Vidya Rathnakara' by East West Exchange in New York, 'Vadya Sangeetha Kalaratna' by Bharathi Society, New York; 'Sangeetha Choodamani' by Sri Krishna Gana Sabha, Chennai in 1971; State Vidwan ofTamil Nadu by the Government of Tamil Nadu and Sangeetha Natak Academy award in 1979 etc. The First Chowdaiah Memorial National-Level award was given to Sri Jayaraman by the Chief Minister ofKarnataka. He also received honorary citizenship ofMaryland, US in 1994 and thePadma Bhushan by theGovernment of India in 2001.[12] He won theNational Film Award for Best Music Direction for the filmSringaram in 2006. In 2010, Jayaraman became a fellow of theSangeet Natak Akademi.[13]
Lalgudi Jayaraman was married to Smt Rajalakshmi and had two children, sonG.J.R.Krishnan and daughterLalgudi Vijayalakshmi. Both follow the footsteps of their father and are famous in their own right. Jayaraman had three sisters Padmavathy, a vainika, Rajalakshmi and Srimathi, both violinists. Srimathi learned violin from him as well. The renownedveena playerJayanthi Kumaresh is his sister Smt Rajalakshmi's daughter.
Jayaraman died on 22 April 2013 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home inChennai.[14][15]
Most famous for histhillanas andvarnams, Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman is considered one of the most prolific composers of modern times.His compositions span four languages (Tamil,Telugu,Kannada andSanskrit), as well as a whole range ofragas not conventionally used for varnams or thillanas. Characteristic of his style, the melody of his compositions camouflages subtle rhythmic intricacies. His compositions are very popular withBharathanatyam dancers, even as they have become a standard highlight of every leadingCarnatic musician's repertoire.His compositions include:
| Compositions | Raga | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Chalamu séyanéla | Valaji | Telugu |
| Parama karuna | Garudadhvani | Telugu |
| Neevé gatiyani | Nalinakanthi | Telugu |
| Neevégaani | Mandari | Telugu |
| Vallabhai nayaka | Mohanakalyani | Tamil |
| Devi un paadamé | Devagandhari | Tamil |
| Ramanai Raghunathanai | Atana | Tamil |
| Thirumal Maruga | Andolika | Tamil |
| Unnai yandri | Kalyani | Tamil |
| Ento Premato | Bahudari | Telugu |
| Tarunam En Taye | Saama | Tamil |
| Jalajaksha Ni Padame | Asaveri | Telugu |
| Inta Tamasamela | Kanada | Telugu |
| Arunodayame Anbin Vadivame | Bowli | Tamil |
| Nambum Anbarkkarulum | Varamu | Tamil |
| Nadaswaroopini | Neelambari | Telugu |
| Engum Nirai Daivame | Hamsavinodini | Tamil |
| Compositions | Raga | Language |
|---|---|---|
| Innam En Manam | Charukesi | Tamil |
| Senthil Nagar Mevum | Neelambari | Tamil |
| Devar Munivar Tozhum | Shanmukhapriya | Tamil |
| Angayarkanni Anandam Kondale | Ragamalika (Navarasa pada varnam) Ragas:Bilahari, Huseni,Valaji, Saranga,Sucharitra,Athana,Rasikapriya,Sahana,Nadanamakriya | Tamil |
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Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman also tuned theSwathi Thirunal thillana 'Gitu Dhunika Taka Dhim' in RagaDhanashree and set the compositions in its current form, which then went on to become hugely popular
| Krithi | Raga | Language |
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| Vinayakunnadeva | Dharmavati | Telugu |
| Kandan Seyalandro | Nattakurinji | Tamil |
| Ten Madurai Vazh | Hamsaroopini | Tamil |
| Kumara Guruguham | Shanmukhapriya | Sanskrit |
| Nee Dayai Seyyavidil | Begada | Tamil |
| Sri Jagadeeswari Durga[16] | AhirBhairav | Sanskrit |
Apart from these compositions, Sri Lalgudi jayaraman has composed jathiswarams and swarajathis as well. The jathiswaram inRasikapriya raga is popular among Bharatanatyam dancers. He has also composed a unique swarajathi which demonstrates the concept ofGrahabhedam, using ragasSindhu Bhairavi, Chenchurutti,Mohanakalyani, Behag and Tilang. He was a much sought after tunesmith who set tunes to numerous songs and compositions including several krithis ofAmbujam Krishna.
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