A REFERENCE MUSICIAN

(Posthumous version published in Sruti Magazine)

The   following article was written by HEMMIGE V.  SRIVATSAN,  who  lives  in the U.S. A senior disciple of KVN, he also used to  provide  violin accompaniment  to him. This article was written three weeks before KVN passed away. In editing this article, we   have  deleted the  honorific of Sri used by the author every time he  mentioned the name of the artist.

Rare is the  artist who excels in all facets of his art. This  is especially true in Carnatic music, which has so many aspects that achieving  mastery  over  even a few of them  is  no   easy  task. However,   K.V.  Narayanaswamy  (KVN) is   an  exemplar  of  all- encompassing  excellence--  a testament  to   his  uncompromising pursuit  of  perfection, or his dedication to, as he  calls  it, kutram illada sangeetam--   music without any blemish.

What are the components that make such a complete musician?

It  can be said that any Carnatic musician should meet  the  four basic  requirements, namely: perfect sruti; proficiency in  laya; chaste rendition of kriti-s; and manodharma of depth.

In  addition, a successful Carnatic concert vocalist should  also have:  

·        an attractive and appropriate concert plan

·        an  efficient vocal technique

·        a captivating style

·        spontaneous  creativity

·         a wide  repertoire  of  kriti-s  in  various  raga-s,   tala-s   and languages  sourced  to different composers

·        the ability  to  sing unaffected by variables such as hall acoustics and the quality of accompanists  and  audience

·        stamina to maintain  a  high   energy level throughout a concert;

·        the ability to move the listener to a higher plane; and 

·        a dignified stage presence.

KVN's  concerts typically fulfill all these  criteria.  Delving deeper one can see how.

Perfection of Sruti   This is the hallmark of KVN's music. Further analysis  shows  that the level of sruti perfection  he  has attainedis  quite amazing. Every plain note and every segment  of  every gamaka  is  perfectly aligned to sruti. This is no  easy  task, given  the complex gamaka-s present in Carnatic music.  There  is not much more that needs to be said about such sruti   perfection, except  that it is a pure delight to the ears and a major   reason why  KVN  is  able to establish an immediate  rapport   with  the audience.

Proficiency in Laya There are three aspects to this:  kalapramana (tempo);   spontaneous  patterns;   and  kanakku   or   calculated patterns.  With   respect  to kalapramana, KVN is  able  to  sing comfortably   in a wide arc of speeds, ranging from quite slow  to very   fast.    Consider  a  piece  for  which  he   is    famous: Gopalakrishna Bharati's Varugalamo ayya (Manji), which he sings at a  very slow pace. This pace is one reason for its  spellbinding effect.  The needle jumps to the other end in  Ramnad  Srinivasa Iyengar's    kriti  Neekela  nayada  (Devamanohari).  This   is   a difficult  piece to sing fast due to its large movements   up  and down  the scale; nonetheless, KVN has rendered it at breakneck   speed in many concerts.

Another example is KVN's handling of Tyagaraja's Raghuvara  nannu (Pantuvarali) which is included in the album released by Nonesuch Records  in  the  U.S. in 1967. He has rendered   the  kriti,  the niraval, and the kalpana swara-s in a blazingly fast speed,   yet nothing is compromised: each note is crystal clear.

It  goes without saying that  KVN renders the madhyama  kala  or middle  speed  passages  equally   well.    Then  there  is   the difficult   `rendungattaan'--  neither  here  nor  there--    speed hovering somewhere between vilamba kala and madhyama kala-- which he   handles just as his guru  Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar. Examples  of pieces   in this tempo are Tyagaraja's Ninnu vina  sukhamu  (Todi) and   Heccharikaga (Yadukulakambhoji). Maintaining this tempo  can be quite tricky, but it seems effortless for  KVN.

KVN is wont to create diverse  musical patterns   spontaneously, on  the spot, and yet he always succeeds in completing  them  at the correct point in the tala cycle. This requires a great amount of skill and mastery over laya, not to mention that the resulting pattern   itself  should be pleasing to the ear. KVN  excels  at this   `last-second  fitting' and has displayed  the  requisite  skill throughout  his concert career with great effect. It  is  indeed exhilarating for the accompanists and the audience!

Given  his mastery of laya, KVN can plentifully  offer  kanakku swara-s-- that is, swara matrices based on arithmetically derived permutations and combinations--but he does so sparingly. Examples: his  use  of 7-akshara patterns in his Misra Chapu  niraval;  and 17-akshara  patterns  in  his Adi  2-kalai,  arai-eduppu   kalpana swara-s. Further evidence of his laya mastery is available in the pallavi-s   that  he  sings,  which as often  as  not,  are   quite complex.  Like the  Adi 4-kalai pallavi in Todi:  Dasaratha   bala Ramachandrayya, which has an ateeta (before samam) eduppu  of 7/8 on the last veechu (khali). In one concert where he sang this pallavi,  he improvised  beautiful kalpana swara-s with  kuraippu (patterns of diminishing length)  at 7/8 eduppu in 2-kalai. It is difficult  to  describe, but the laya control this  required  was tremendous.  But the sequence was elegant at the same time.  What more could a listener ask for?

Furthermore,  while it is all too easy to make an exhibition  out of such laya mastery, KVN prefers  to use it in an   understated manner,  always  keeping  it  congruent  to   the  larger  musical picture.

Chaste rendition of kriti-s   While singing a kriti, there must  be fidelity  both to sahitya and sangati-s (variations on  a  theme)  First,  KVN sings  the   lyrics  with utmost  clarity.  His  pronunciation  is impeccable. He takes extra care to distinguish between  alpa-prana (non-aspirated) and maha-prana (aspirated) consonants, since this distinction  is  especially important when singing  in  languages rooted  in  Sanskrit.  He even dwells on  small  details  such  as pronouncing  the   two  "sh"  consonants  in Seshachala    nayakam differently.  Of course, syllable accuracy is pointless   if the  word  itself is distorted; so  KVN takes  great   effort  to ensure  that he does not split words inappropriately. One   example of  this is in Tyagaraja's Endaro mahanubhavulu in Sree raga.   In the  final charana swara, the phrase `bhavaragalayadi'  is  typically sung with the syllable `ra' in upper Ri and `ga' at the lower ga, resulting in split bhavara-galayadi. To avoid this awkward split, KVN  sings the entire word raga at the upper ri. The  upshot of   all this attention to detail is that a listener  can  usually gather the lyrics to a song just by referring to  KVN's rendering of the same.

As  regards   sangati-s,   KVN's  approach is  akin  to  that  of Ariyakudi   Ramanuja  Iyengar  who felt it unnecessary to  sing  a large number of sangati-s as a matter of routine. Typically,  KVN sings  no  more   than three or four sangati-s in  the  pallavi  or anupallavi   of a kriti. Nonetheless, his rendition  is  entirely satisfying.  It would appear that his intent is  to display  the raga bhava as completely and yet as concisely as possible.

Depth  of  manodharma    KVN's treatment of the  three  aspects  of manodharma in a kriti suite-- raga alapana, niraval, and  kalpana swara-- also deserves attention.

The  highlight of KVN's raga alapana-s is its  brevity  combined with density of varied expression. In his own words: "An  alapana should   be   like  an  essay.   It  should  have   a   meaningful introduction.   It should have different types of sentences,  with fullstops  and   commas, and with question marks  and  exclamation points as well. And it should have a proper conclusion." True  to his word, the introduction to his alapana leaves no doubt about the raga's identity. Proceeding further, he uses many   varieties of  phrases interspersed with meaningful pauses, and each   phrase is linked to the next seamlessly. Finally, the   conclusion is a summary of the whole raga. His alapana-s rarely lastlonger  than  10 minutes, yet convey the essence  of  the   raga fully within that time.

Niraval  Niraval is another vehicle for the display of manodharma. Comprising as it does  sahitya, raga bhava and laya, it is  quite possibly  the  most difficult to master. There is no   doubt  that niraval is  KVN's forte and, not surprisingly, he is known as a `niraval vidwan' among discerning listeners. What is so  special about  his   niraval?  First of all, his  choice  of  the  niraval passage,  containing  pleasing, positive  words,  is  invariably appropriate.   Second,  he is known to sing  niraval  in   raga-s where  it  is  difficult to execute, such as Athana,   Sama,  and Surati.  Finally,  his approach to niraval  is   methodical,  yet exquisite.  For  instance, in executing the   2-kalai  niraval  at `Vasavadi   sakala   deva'    in   Muthuswami   Dikshitar's  Sree Subrahmanyaya   namastey  (Kambhoji), KVN usually starts  in  the vilamba   kala,  displaying the raga bhava in full   by  including free-form  phrases similar to an alapana;  and then proceeds  to the next appropriate swara up the scale. For this piece, he  starts  at the upper sa, move to ri, then to ga and ma and  climax at  upper pa!!   Then he switches to madhyama kala,  which  is purely  bound  to   the  rhythm and  does  not  include  free-form phrases.   Subsequently he transits to durita  kala  niraval; his treatment of this is a marvel, in the way he infuses various rhythmic  patterns and fits the sahitya around each.  Occasionally he introduces phrases at one speed above and the result   is quite thrilling to the listener.

In general,  KVN's niraval-s, to singing which he attaches  great importance, convey a wide array of moods, ranging from   sublime to  exciting.  He  frequently includes niraval in  four   or  five kriti-s,  much  more than one comes across in a   typical  concert nowadays.

Kalpana  swara-s  KVN employs a judicious mix  of  sarva  laghu, spontaneous  patterns   and kanakku in swaraprastara. He  does  not overindulge  in   kanakku.  Another characteristic  is  that  his swara-singing   has the correct proportion of plain   and  gamaka- laden notes, even in durita kala.

KVN's  exposition  of kuraippu can be quite elaborate.  On  one occasion,  in the kalpana swara for Tyagaraja's Manasu   swadheena (Sankarabharanam),  he  sang  no  less  than   30  single-avartana kuraippu rounds.   Just  when  it   seemed  that  he  had   exhausted   the possibilities, he  conceived a new pattern.

In  sum,  KVN's kalpana swara-s are   imaginative,  engaging  and exciting and have the underlying purpose of projecting the   bhava of the raga concerned.

Captivating  style  If his rasika's response to his music  is  any indication,   then   it  is  fair  to  describe  KVN's  style    as captivating.  The style is based largely upon that of  his   guru Ariyakudi  Ramanuja Iyengar, but it is far from  identical.   One could  say that he has incorporated the essence of the  Ariyakudi bani  along  with  stylistic traits of  his  own.  (His   in-depth handling of niraval, for example, is different from  Ariyakudi's treatment of the same.) Overall, he is always open to new ideas, but  his   unparalleled  aesthetic sense  serves  as  his  musical compass.

Attractive & appropriate concert plan  KVN's model for his concert plan   was  honed  by  Ariyakudi, whose goal  was  to   ensure  his audience's  attention virtually every second by offering   variety in  his  concerts.  He usually begins the concert with   a  varnam, followed  by a medium- to fast-paced piece, succeeded soon   after by  a  pratimadhyama raga such as Pantuvarali  or   Poorvikalyani. Then, typically  there is a `sub-main' item with a raga   alapana of moderate proportion,  niraval, and kalpana swara-s. Next there is   likely    a  slower  piece    rendered   without   any improvisation.  The   centre-piece of the concert  is  the  `main item' consisting of an elaborate alapana, niraval, kalpana swara- s,  followed  by a tani or percussion interlude.  This  might  be followed  by a ragam-tanam-pallavi, and finally by  tukkada-s  or songs  sung  in  a  lighter   mien.  Generally,  while   Ariyakudi concentrated    on    madhyama  kala,  KVN  uses  a    variety   of kalapramana-s and moods to captivate the audience.

KVN,  like  Ariyakudi,  has    an  uncanny  ability  to  read  the collective   mind  of  his listeners and  select  the  raga-s  and compositions that would please them. Also, frequently he  decideson certain pieces in advance of the concert, especially if he has not sung them lately. The result is that he can accommodate in his  concert programmes raga-s and compositions he has  not   sung for a long time.

Additionally,  KVN selects concert items that have a nexus to the concert venue, such as a song about or dedicated to the deity   of a   nearby temple, or a song associated with the  occasion   which might be Sree Rama Navami or Navaratri. One such instance was  in a   concert  in 1995 at the Sree Anjaneya temple  in  Nanganallur, when   he  selected  the pallavi  text  `Kaana  kidaikkumo   Sabesan darisanam',  for the RTP in Kalyani, but quite aptly  substituted Sabesan with Hanuman. He sang it so naturally that virtually  all on  stage   and  in  the audience  were  surprised  how,   although presumably he had  never sung this new version before, he did   so as if it were the original.

Lastly,  a  sense of proportion is paramount to the  success  of KVN's  concerts. Again like  Ariyakudi before him, KVN  holds  the conservative  view that  `less is better'. He never  indulges  in excess in any aspect of his performance. As a matter of fact,  he leaves  the  audience wanting more, hoping, for instance,   that  he would sing just a bit more of the Kharaharapriya raga that was so enchanting..  Frequently  he sings just three or  four  rounds   of kalpana swara-s in a kriti suite because he feels only so much is appropriate.   Due to this astute sense of proportion, he  manages to  fit  in a wide variety of pieces and even a  short  90-minute concert sounds as complete as a three-hour performance.

Efficient  vocal technique    KVN's vocal technique is  among  the best  displayed  by his contemporaries.  His  technique  requires little,  if  any,   strain. The tonal quality  of  his  voice  is sweet, especially in the upper register. His unconstrained  open- mouthed  singing  ensures   that all vowels  and  consonants  are enunciated perfectly.   Each note is flawless in its clarity. His breath control is nearly superhuman and, because he blends  the breath  points so well into the music, a listener would   find  it difficult  to detect where he takes a breath. Finally, as he   knowsthe  status of his voice on a dynamic basis, he takes care not  to subject it to undue strain. In fact, he selects pieces that are most amenable to the condition of his voice at any given time, an intelligent practice he has likely picked up from his master.  He says:  "The biggest secret of vocal technique is   that  the performer  should  know the strengths and weaknesses of   his  own voice."

Spontaneous creativity   Listening to just a few of KVN's  concerts is  enough  for   a  listener  to  notice  this  great   artist's spontaneous  creativity.  On stage, KVN constantly  explores  new vistas,  all  the while staying within the  classical  realm.   He sings  even the same kriti slightly differently  from    one concert to the next-- for example, by adding  new sangati.   Once, he sang Swati Tirunal's Kripaya palaya saurey (Charukesi) as  the main piece three days in a row, but each rendition was  different from  the   other  two. On another occasion he  sang  a  beautiful niraval   in Swati Tirunal's Pahi parvata (Arabhi) at a  point  in the kriti which, he acknowledged, he had never before considered. This  level  of   creativity implies that  he  is  completely  in control   of  all aspects of his music. Furthermore,  it  appears that he relishes the challenge of exploring new frontiers.

Wide concert repertoire   KVN's repertoire consists of   varnam-s, kriti-s, pada-s, javali-s and tillana-s, as well as of devotional texts like Tevaram, Tirupavai and  Tirupugazh, in Tamil,  Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Sanskrit and Hindi. He prefers compositions in ghana raga-s such as Todi and Kambhoji, but also sings some  in less  popular   ones such as Nagadhwani and Kokilapriya.  He  sings kriti-s in rarely used tala-s, such as 4-kalai Desadi,  Sankeerna jati  Triputa and Tisra jati Jhampa. Beyond those  of  popularly- known  composers, he sings compositions by others  like  Subbarama Dikshitar,  Vedanayakam   Pillai,  Ramalinga  Swamigal,   Surapura Anandadasa,    C.S. Krishna Iyer and Swarna  Venkatesa  Dikshitar. Thus,   it  is self-evident  that  he  has  a    many-splendoured repertoire.

Dignified  stage presence   `Stately though simple' is perhaps  the most  appropriate description of KVN's stage presence. Some  say he appears quite serious on stage, and they  are   correct. But it would be no overstatement to say that such seriousness is in   concordance with his whole approach to music, which is  that music   should  not  be  taken lightly.  It  was  not   surprising, therefore,  that  KVN,  while on stage, does not give   in  to  any banter  or frivolous gesture; in fact, he eschews anything  that did  not  pertain directly to his singing. Though  he   interactswith  and appreciates the contributions of his accompanists,   and accepts requests from the audience, he retains his professional mien.    Simply  put, he gets on stage,  performs  with  great sincerity,  and  leaves the stage quietly. Even when  his   sidemen are quite junior to him in age and status, he never treats them with condescension. He gives each one of them  due respect for his position on stage. He never engages in `testing' his accompanists or  in one-up-manship. Due to his fair and encouraging  attitude, he  brings out the best in each one of them  and   the  resulting synergy between the artists contributes to the concert's success.

Ability  to  sing unaffected by variables   Some  of   KVN's  best concerts  are those in which his sidemen are  most  discordant. How is this possible? One theory is that he retains the  tambura sruti in his memory and sings in tune even when any of the   others on the stage play truant. This does not explain the mystery but only deepens it: how does he manage it? Similarly, even when any of  the   percussionists goes out of step, he maintains  the kalapramana without faltering.

KVN  is  equally impervious to hall acoustics. There  have been  many occasions   where the music echoed so badly that  even  those  on the stage could not hear each other properly,  but KVN  continued to  as though there was no problem. He can sing just as well  at  the Carnegie  Recital  Hall in New York City as he would in  a  stone cave.   The  size and quality of his audience does not  affect  his performance  either. Many memorable concerts  have had only 20  or  30 persons in the audience.

During his performance at  the Rama Seva Mandali in Bangalore  in 1988,  it  started  to  rain and   the  stage  too  was  affected. Surprisingly, this did not bother  KVN in the slightest;  he just signalled the accompanists to move over and continued singing  as if  nothing  had  happened. Such a   level  of  concentration  and composure is something that every artist would like to possess.

Stamina  to  maintain  a high energy level   Given  a  style  that encompasses   singing in the upper octave as much as it did,   KVN ought  to be physically drained by the end of  a  concert. Yet  this  never   happens. In fact,  his  concert  performances  underscore his   remarkable stamina. The tillana that he sings at the end is as energetic  as the varnam with which he started. This remarkable staying  power, combined  with   his perfected technique, has resulted in  many  high- octane performances even in four-hour concerts.

Ability  to move the listener to a higher plane  All of the  above parameters  would be meaningless if a musician did not   transcend the  technical  and  intellectual  realm  and   connect  with  the listener on a deeper level. The quintessential reason why   KVN's music  leaves  a lasting impression on his listeners   is  that  he genuinely  feels everything that he sing and sings nothing for  the purpose of exhibition. It appears that every sangati he   creates is  a paradox: well thought out and  yet  spontaneously   charged with the feeling of the moment. Because of this deeper connection with   the listener, one can hear even a recorded concert of   KVN for  the hundredth time and feel just as transported as the  very first time.

KVN  is  also  an   excellent teacher.  Because  of  his  careful attention to detail in his own music, he can exactly assess the ability  of a student of any proficiency and tailor the  teaching method  to  suit  the learner. If a student  does   not  have  the capacity  to  grasp   a  particularly  complex  phrase,  he   deconstructs it into  simple   parts  so  that   the  student   canunderstand and absorb the lesson.

Not  surprisingly,  KVN  makes   it a  point  to  underscore  voice culturing  also.    He  prescribes  voice  exercises  which,  when applied  faithfully,  enable the student to sing  with  relative ease.

Despite  all  his achievements,   KVN remains  a  humble  person, constantly  aiming  at higher level  targets. A couple  of  years ago, referring to an earlier concert, he remarked: "Annikku  daan nan saareeram eppadi kudukkanum-nu terinjinden." (It was only  on that day that I learnt how to produce my voice correctly).

Considering all these aspects, it would be no exaggeration to say that   vidwan  Palakkad  K.V.  Narayanaswamy   is  a   "reference musician",  a role model for all those aspiring to  navigate  the vast and glorious ocean that is Carnatic music.

  since April 1, 2003