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COVER STORY
A major centre of music, Mysore has given its name to one of the
four important veena styles in south India. Similar to the gharanas
of Hindustani music, these four styles – Tanjavur, Mysore, Kerala
(Tiruvananthapuram) and Andhra (Bobbili-Vizianagaram) – evolved in
the four major centres where vainikas converged under royal
patronage.
Though Mysore has had many illustrious artists for several
centuries, authentic and historical documents about them
are hardly available. Among the few exceptions is Veena
Shamanna, whose successors have preserved the family heirlooms,
artefacts and information in good condition, though Veena Shamanna
did not receive the publicity he richly deserved.
Birth and music trainingShamanna’s earliest known ancestor was a
certain Bhagavatar (circa 1745 AD) who had two sons – Rama
VEENA SHAMANNA (1828-1908)Exemplar of the Mysore bani V.S.
Sampathkumaracharya and K.R. Mohan
Veena Shamanna and his disciples
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Bhagavatar (a Tanjavur Asthana Vidwan) and Lakshmana Bhagavatar.
Around 1846, when Tanjavur and surrounding districts suffered a
severe drought, Rama Bhagavatar sold his lands, and along with his
brother, migrated to Gobichettipalayam of Coimbatore district in
Tamil Nadu, and then on to Chikkade village of Pandavapura Taluk in
Mandya district, Karnataka. Rama Bhagavatar came to Mysore seeking
royal patronage. Enthralled by his music, Maharaja Mummadi
Krishnaraja Wodeyar (1794-1868) offered him a respectable position
in the palace. His job was to render musical service at the Kote
Varahaswamy and Trinayaneswara temples in the palace premises on
important occasions. Rama Bhagavatar was blessed with the birth of
Shamanna in 1828, reportedly after he prayed to Lord Kandaswamy of
Kalipatti village in Salem district. As the child’s complexion was
dark, he came to be called Shamanna, syamala meaning dark, though
his name was Venkata Subramanya Iyer.
With basic training in veena playing from his father and
rigorous practice, Shamanna blossomed into a first class vainika
and court musician who held the veena vertically in the oordhva
posture. His music was remarkable for its crispness, his tanam
playing a feast that thrilled the audience. A champion in rhythm,
he was called Tala Brahma and Abhinava Bhoja. He was also
proficient in the violin, ghatam and swarabat. It is said the
tension and tempo he imparted to his music captivated the
audience.
Other veena luminaries of the Mysore royal court at the time
were Padmanabhaiah (1842-1900), Seshanna (1852-1926), Subbanna
(1861-1939) and Chikka Lakshminarayana. All through the reign of
the Wodeyar dynasty, classical music, the veena in particular,
enjoyed royal patronage. Kannada Poet Laureate B.M. Sri hailed
Mysore as “Veeneya bedagidu Mysooru” (veena’s grace, this
Mysore).
Many interesting anecdotes are told of Shamanna’s
proficiency in music. Once a prominent visiting musician threw a
challenge to the local musicians to beat him in playing a shatkala
pallavi on the jalatarangam. Shamanna took up the challenge and
played the pallavi Annitiki neeve adhikariyai in the raga
Natakurinji. He also sang the pallavi in trikalam set to one gati,
while maintaining the tala in another gati. When the visiting
musician was asked to play the fourth kalam, he quietly left the
place, accepting defeat. (C.K. Venkataramaiah – Aalida
Mahaswamiyavaru). The Maharaja honoured him with a cash award of
1500 varahas.
In another instance, during a performance at the palace, a
French musician tuned a raga in Western music and challenged the
audience to replay it on any instrument in Carnatic music. Shamanna
played the tune with ease and elegance.
Shamanna’s residence was a centre of cultural activities. Many
great musicians like Parameswara Bhagavatar, Patnam Subramania
Iyer, Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer, Pallavi Sesha Iyer, Tirukodikaval
Krishna Iyer and Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar visited his house.
Shamanna was the first music teacher of Maharaja Chamaraja Wodeyar
(1863-1894), Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar (1884-1940), and his
sisters. Not far away from the palace, on Veena Shamanna Street,
are seven houses the Maharaja donated to him.
A silver medal inset with diamonds and engraved with an image of
a peacock was awarded to him in the music category at the Madras
Fair in 1880.
CompositionsShamanna composed two jatiswarams and one varnam in
Bilahari, which are found in the Sangeeta Samaya Sara, a book on
Carnatic music authored by his son Veena Subramanya Iyer.
Distinguished disciplesShamanna had a large number of disciples.
Apart from his sons, Veena Ramanna (1832-1901) and Veena Subramanya
Iyer and his grandson Veena Venkatasubbaiah, he trained his nephew
Subbarayaru (the first guru of Mysore Vasudevacharya) as well as
Veena Padmanabhaiah, Veena Sundara Shastri, Karigiri Rao,
Lakshminarayanappa, Veena Sivaramaiah, Karoor Krishna Rao, Morching
Ramanna, Titte Narayana Iyengar, Kollegal Dakshinamurty Sastri and
Konanur Srikanta Sastri, to mention a few.
CharitiesShamanna donated his lands at Mallasamudram and Mevandi
villages in Salem district to the temple housing his family deity
Kalipatti Kandaswamy. He also donated
Lord Kandaswamy of Kalipatti
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a number of houses in Mysore to his disciples and
well-wishers.
Last daysLegend has it that when he was informed about the death
of his close friend Avadhani, Shamanna said: “Today is Avadhani’s,
tomorrow is Shamanna’s”. He passed away the very next day. Highly
respected by the royal family, he was the guru of three successive
Maharajas. Maharaja Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar came to pay his
last respects and tributes to Veena Shamanna.
His sonsVeena Subramanya Iyer (1864-1919)
Subramanya Iyer, the second son and chief disciple of Shamanna,
was a court musician of Mysore. His notable contribution to
Carnatic music is his book Sangeeta Samayasara – the first treatise
on music written in Kannada (1915). The book is in two parts,
theory and practice, with sarali, janta varisai, alankara, songs,
varnas, lakshana jatiswara and other contents of value to students
as well as performers.
On the occasion of the marriage of Yuvaraja Kanteerava
Narasimharaja Wodeyar (1888-1940), Subramanya Iyer composed a
ragamalika and played it on the veena. This is available in
Sangeeta Samayasara.
Subramanya Iyer paid much attention to physical culture. He was
also well-versed in astrology.
Subramanya Iyer served as a music teacher in the Mysore palace
zenana, a rare privilege for men.
Subramanya Iyer built the Ramotsava Hall for music concerts in
his house and decorated it with colourful candle-bearing
chandeliers, and glass domes imported from Germany. Musicians from
other parts of the country had to perform here to qualify for
performance at the Mysore Palace.
Veena Venkatasubbaiah (1899-1961)
Another distinguished descendant of this illustrious vainika
family was Venkatasubbaiah, son of Ramanna, the elder son of
Shamanna. As Venkatasubbaiah lost his father when he was just a
year old, his uncle Veena Subramanya Iyer adopted and nurtured him.
At the tender age of five, Venkatasubbaiah gave a veena performance
in the palace which won him high appreciation and 150 varahas from
the Maharaja. Later he became a court musician and music tutor to
Maharaja Jayachamaraja Wodeyar. When Venkatasubbaiah married in
1919, the Maharaja sent a royal palanquin for the bridal
procession.
The vainika trio of Shamanna, Subramanya Iyer and
Venkatasubbaiah completed three generations of gurus from the same
family to three generations of Mysore Maharajas.
Keeping the legacy aliveBalasubramanyam celebrated the birth
centenary of his father Veena Venkatasubbaiah in a befitting manner
in 1999. He also organised a grand event on the 101st death
anniversary of his great-grandfather on 7 November 2009 in Mysore.
On this occasion, 225 achievers from different walks of life were
honoured and an exhibition of the family’s musical heirloom was
organised. The scion of the Tanjavur royal family, Prince Shivaji
Rajah Bhosale and his wife Sumitra Raje Bhosale graced the occasion
and visited Shamanna’s house.
Balasubramanyam has been organising music recitals in memory of
his great-grandfather Veena Shamanna and grandfather Veena
Subramanya Iyer every year in December at Gana Bharathi, Mysore. He
also conducts a similar recital in memory of his father Veena
Venkatasubbaiah every year in January at the Percussive Arts
Centre, Bangalore.
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The musical spirit and legacy of Veena Shamanna continue to live
on in Ramya and Sowmya, the twin daughters of V. Balasubramanyam,
who now give concerts on AIR and Doordarshan.
(The authors are music historians)
Most of the heritage objects belonging to Veena Shamanna and his
descendants have been collected and preserved at the renovated
house of Veena Shamanna in Mysore, by V. Balasubramanyam,
great-grandson of Shamanna and son of Venkatasubbaiah.
Notable among these are:
v 300-year old Saraswati veena with 2 kg of ivory inlay work,
used by the ancestors of Shamanna. This is in perfect working
order, with the old strings retained in fine condition.
v 250-year old rosewood veena weighing 10 kg, used by Subramanya
Iyer.
v 300-year old swarabat played by Shamanna.
v Silver medal awarded at the Madras Fair in 1880.
v Manuscript of Sangeeta Samayasara.
v Letters relating to the correspondence of Shamanna’s family
with the Mysore Palace and musicologists during 1901-1915.
Preservation of heirlooms
Those who wish to see the heritage objects displayed
at the Veena Shamanna house in Mysore can contact V.
Balasubramanyam (0) 94484 64148 or 0821-2440148.V. Balasubramanyam
with members of the Tanjavur royal family on the
101st death anniversary of Shamanna
Saraswati veena
Rosewood veena
Swarabat
Silver medal