The simplest of Pallavi words in one of the simplest of talas, in a raga that has a humongous corpus of already composed music. And yet, the sophistication of rendition lies in its deceptive simplicity. Something that could be extrapolated quite safely to the music in general of the great man, Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar.
Ariyakkudi was a man who knew his own strengths well, and how his skills could be packaged to appeal to a wide swathe of listeners. In his own words, his music was the golden mean of Carnatic music. He said “If you want fast paced brikas, go to GNB; if you want emotive music, go to Musiri; if you want complex laya vyavahara, go to Alathur brothers; but if you want a bit of everything in one concert, come to me!” It was not arrogance, but true self awareness. To his list, I can safely add “if you want thrilling raga alapana, go to Maharajapuram; if you want lilting swara kalpana, go to Madurai Mani Iyer; if you want those little musical nuances that make all the difference, go to Semmangudi; but if want you a glimpse of all of these, come to me!”
With this background, let us listen to this superlative rendition of an RTP in Sankarabhanam, which to me is living proof of the above sentiment.
To start with, only a few artistes have stamped their authority on any raga the way Ariyakkudi dominates the landscape of Sankarabharanam. While this rendition is a signature example, his renditions of Bhakti Bhicchamiyave, Enduko Peddala or Akshayalinga Vibho, among several others, go on to underline his mastery of this grand raga.
The Pallavi itself could not have been simpler in structure. 10 syllables across 4 words in a single kalai 3 beat rupaka talam. But the pace he chooses is intriguing to say the least. In kriti renditions, he preferred a madhyama kala or medium pace. But this one is slower, but not slow enough to merit being called chauka or slow pace. It is what Palghat Mani Iyer termed “rendum kettan kalam” or intermediate pace. By his own admission, PMI struggled initially to play for this pace. You can sense the tension just keeping beat while Ariyakkudi is singing; the hands itch to either speed up or slow down but Ariyakkudi comfortably maintains the kalapramana.
Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar, or just Iyengarval, was the first mass superstar of the Carnatic World. A man who defined performance craft for the evolving patronage world beyond royal courts and temple premises. His “formula” has stood the test of time, to the extent that his format has taken on the position of the gold standard of “tradition” against which any performance narrative of Carnatic concert music is measured and critiqued.
His understanding of audience expectation was legendary. His ability to make every concert a public success, constraints notwithstanding, was the hallmark of a true professional. Palghat Mani Iyer was so enamoured by this skill of Iyengarval that he said his ideal concert was one where Iyengarval had a sore throat - because that his when his other skills would come to the fore to ensure success of the concert!
To a generation of musicians who dominated the Carnatic scene in the 1950s and ‘60s, he was THE aspiration. Whether it was GNB who idolised him as “Hero as a musician”, or Palghat Mani Iyer whose idea of heaven was accompanying Ariyakkudi in concert, or Semmangudi who wished he could be reborn to be able to sing like Iyengarval, Ariyakkudi was was the prima donna who defined the path. A “margadarshi”, if you will.
Carnatic lore has it that when a lay Rasika once went up to the great man to say “these days your music has become much better”, he is supposed to have retorted “I’m singing as I always have been; musical acumen seems to have evolved at your end!”
This Pallavi is a subtle challenge the great man is throwing at us.
“Do you have it in you to measure my greatness?”
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