7 months ago
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There is an anecdote astir nagaswaram player Tirumeignanam P. Natarajasundaram Pillai, whose centenary is presently celebrated. After his cremation, the vettiyan (crematorium worker) is said to person remarked that his decease had brought tremendous alleviation to thavil players. Such was his rhythmic prowess that thavil players dreaded the imaginable of accompanying him. The precocious thavil player Needamangalam Shanmugavadivel used to telephone him “Laya Yaman” oregon the Yama of Layam. Pallavi Natarajasundaram Pillai, arsenic helium was known, was renowned for performing mallaris. The disposable recordings are not lone an invaluable documentation of his benignant but besides a grounds to his astonishing grip connected layam or thalam.
‘You are wrong’
“Thavil players should beryllium highly cautious and travel him with utmost concentration. Otherwise, they mightiness not header with his playing techniques. On a fewer occasions, helium would say, ‘Thambi [younger brother], you are wrong.’ When I corrected myself, helium would say, ‘You are right, kannu’,” recalled thavil maestro Haridwaramangalam A.K. Palanivel. Mr. Palanivel said determination would beryllium nary dull infinitesimal successful a performance by Natarajasundaram Pillai. “In those days, astatine temple concerts, helium would play betwixt 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. After a interruption for dinner, the performance would commencement with mallari in ganta kathi when the deity was taken retired successful procession. It would proceed until the deity returned to the temple. He would extremity the performance with Tiruppugazh,” helium said. A relation to people his centenary has been scheduled for October 12 successful Mayiladuthurai.
Natarajasundaram Pillai was calved connected September 29, 1926, astatine Tirumeignanam, a colony adjacent Kumbakonam, which holds a spot successful Shaivite tradition and is referred to arsenic Nalum Mayanam in Thevaram hymns. He belonged to a play erstwhile the composite Thanjavur, successful the words of Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, was a vanam (forest) of nagaswaram and thavil players. There were innumerable nagaswaram and thavil players, each with his ain style. Their chiseled approaches contributed to the improvement of raga, keerthana, and rhythmic patterns successful Carnatic music.
Musicologist B.M. Sundaram, successful his publication Mangala Isai Mannargal, says Natarajasundaram Pillai learnt nagaswaram from his uncle Narayanaswami Pillai. He began to specialise successful the techniques of pallavis while performing arsenic the supporting instrumentalist for Dharmapuram Abirami Sundaram Pillai. Later, helium joined the troupe of Tiruvarur Vaidhyanatha Pillai.
Mr. Sundaram recalled an incidental that drew Natarajasundaram Pillai’s skill to the attraction of the precocious mridangam maestro Palani Subramania Pillai, who had arranged a performance astatine the Chennimalai temple. Musicians specified arsenic Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar and M.S. Subbulakshmi had participated successful the function. After mallari, Vaidhyanatha Pillai began rendering the alapana of raga Bhairavi. It failed to pull the musicians, who near for their rooms.
‘Wildfire’
“It was past that Natarajasundaram Pillai, the 2nd nagaswaram player, picked up his instrumentality and played a pallavi, which dispersed similar wildfire. The code and velocity attracted the musicians. Palani Subramania Pillai embraced him aft helium finished the pallavi and blessed him with success,” says Mr. Sundaram. However, the lawsuit led to his removal from Vaidhyanatha Pillai’s troupe, and helium aboriginal formed his own.
“The communal antheral whitethorn not recognize what helium is performing, but they are mesmerised by his music. There utilized to beryllium thani avarthanam in each talas,” said Mr. Palanivel, who accompanied Natarajasundaram Pillai along with different thavil player, Tiruvalaputhur Kaliyamurthy. The mallari they played unneurotic astatine the Rameswaram temple continues to showcase the talents of Natarajasundaram Pillai, Mr. Palanivel, and Kaliyamurthy, who accompanied him connected thavil without deviating adjacent for a second.
Music historiographer Lalitharam, who specialises successful nagaswaram music, said Natarajasundaram Pillai had played a varnam set to Bhairavi as if it were an elaborate ragam-tanam-pallavi. “Rhythm is portion and parcel of his music, and it effortlessly manifested during his performance. For others, it whitethorn beryllium similar walking a tightrope. Natarajasundaram Pillai achieved it arsenic if helium were walking connected a well-paved road,” helium said.
Mr. Sundaram’s publication provides details astir Natarajasundaram Pillai’s visit to Sri Lanka. “When his fame arsenic a pallavi expert reached Sri Lanka, helium was invited to execute there. There were besides pallavi experts who posed a situation to musicians visiting from Tamil Nadu. Natarajasundaram Pillai not lone played their pallavis but overawed them with his unsocial benignant of rendering,” writes Mr. Sundaram.
Thavil maestro Thanjavur T.R. Govindarajan, who was portion of Natarajasundaram Pillai’s troupe for a year, sang a pallavi set to raga Sahana to exemplify however the nagaswaram player handled a pallavi as though it were a keerthana. “There were precise analyzable rhythmic patterns, but his benignant was specified that rasikas were not bogged down by them,” helium said.
Mr. Govindarajan added it was ever a situation to travel Natarajasundaram Pillai, due to the fact that the infinitesimal helium began performing, helium would go a antithetic idiosyncratic — keeping thalams on his legs and ne'er allowing anyone to disturb his performance.
“Whether it is ragam, keerthana, pallavi, oregon swaram, helium excelled successful each aspects of nagaswaram music. There was nary earlier him. I powerfully judge determination is nary aft him. He was made of layam, layam, and layam.”
