Tiruppamburam Swaminatha Pillai
It could have been the year 1930. An elderly gentleman with sacred ash marks on his forehead came to the house asking "Dhanamma, do you remember me? Just like old times shall we sing together the songs of Pallavi Gopala Iyer that we learnt from our teacher?" Replying "Sure, how can I forget even if its so long ago now?" Dhanam took her veena immediately, strumming it to check the shruti she began Needu Charana in the raga Kalyani, and later Amba Naadu in the raga Todi. There was absolutely no difference between his singing and her veena playing....I still cannot forget the gamaka shuddha and the stately tempo in the music of those aged musicians.Nagaswara vidwan Tiruppamburam Nataraja Sundaram Pillai, fiddle vidwan Tirukkodikkaaval Krishna Iyer, and Veena Dhanammal were all disciples of Sattanur Panchanada Iyer. Panchu Iyer belonged to the Dikshitar shishya parampara, so it was not surprising that Nataraja Sundaram Pillai compiled Dikshitar's kritis and published them as a book Dikshita Kirtana Prakashikai, in Tamil. Swaminatha Pillai is the oldest son of Nataraja Sundaram Pillai. The second son Somasundaram Pillai runs the Nagaswaram school established at Palani. The youngest, Sivasubramania Pillai works as a lecturer in Music at the College of Music that is attached to Annamalai University. Swaminatha Pillai also worked for several years as lecturer in Music at Annamalai University. For the past five to six years he worked at the Central College at Madras as Professor.
S G Kittappa was a close friend of Pillai. Kittappa has recorded the song Geetarthamu that he learnt from Pillai. Madurai Ponnusami Pillai and Palani Subramania Pillai were held in high regard by Pillai. When Swaminatha Pillai built a temple at Tiruveezhimazhalai and performed the kumbhaabisheka, nagaswaram Ponnusami Pillai and the Dhanammal family performed music concerts, honouring the festival. Hindustani flute musician Pannalal Ghosh respected Pillai very much. Kochi, Pudukkottai, Marungapuri, Sethur samasthana-s and several sabhas patronised Pillai. Pillai also used to remember with much appreciation that his disciples from Yazhpanam got together and took Pillai to Ceylon, and arranged many concers for him there.
Pillai was deeply devoted to the Carnatic music tradition. At times, Pillai's stubbornness in holding onto some of his set ways could appear distasteful to some. When the Historical Records Commission met at Annamalai University, Swaminatha Pillai was the Principal of the College of Music. Swaminatha Pillai's flute concert was planned for one of the evenings. Since several guests were from north India, Pillai was elaborating ragas familiar to them such as Kapi, Hamir Kalyani and Behag when a rasika interrupted the mood with his request for magudi. [Magudi is traditionally a folk melody commonly played by snake charmers; it was popular with flautists as a short tail-ender appealing to everyone in the audience]. "A good display of your knowledge in music!" whiplashed Pillai scornfully at the ill-timed request.
Pillai has recorded three songs. Amba Paradevate in the raga Rudrapriya is presented to perfect laya. Tirupati Narayanaswamy's javali Vagalaadi Bodhana and Subbarama Iyer's padam in the raga Sahana Ini Enna Paechirukkudu Poam Poam ['What more is there to say, please go away, just leave.'] are the other two songs recorded by Pillai. It doesn't look like any of these records are available in the market today, what more is there to say now.
--------
(1) Also see http://www.guruguha.org/spillai.php: "After his voice broke, Swaminatha Pillai switched to the flute."
Swaminatha Pillai had music lessons from his father at first and quite naturally he was started off with the nagaswaram. In fact, the Tiruppamburam Brothers had a plan to play Dikshitar kritis together as a nagaswaram duet. But after performing violin and vocal music concerts for some time, Swaminatha Pillai decided on the flute as his rightful instrument.(1)
Experts in music used to highly appreciate Swaminatha Pillai's fidelity to tone, perfection in laya, medium paced vinyaasa, and raga bhava. Veena Dhanammal and her family were very fond of Pillai's music. Despite her advanced age and frail health, Dhanam used to attend [Pillai's] concerts at far off places without fail. Thirty years ago when Swaminatha Pillai performed at the Jagannatha Bhakta Sabha in Egmore, Veena Dhanammal was the Chief Guest. That day Pillai played the raga Ananda Bhairavi followed by Shyama Sastri's kriti Marivere Gati. Tanjavur Vaidyanatha Iyer's mridanga happened to be a brisk match to the sprightly mishra chapu. Playing the chittaswaras for the kirtana suiting Dhanammal's pathantara with gamaka shuddha, Pillai lost himself, immersed in the accompaniment of the mridanga and suddenly played the medium paced madhyama kala. Immediately Dhanammal remarked "What is this sudden change in tempo, brother, have you suddenly become youthful and vain..." and gently reprimanded Pillai. Towards the end of that piece when playing sahitya for the chittaswara, Pillai made amends resuming the slow tempo and earned further appreciation from Dhanammal as she responded with "Besh!" Many times, Pillai would recall this incident with pride.
At a wedding in Dhanammal's family Pillai was playing with deep happiness right from the very beginning. After an hour or so had passed, Dhanammal addressed Pillai with the words "Brother, I haven't heard this music anywhere after Sarabha Sastri passed away. I must hear alapana and tanam in the raga Kamboji only from you... please comply?" But even before she could complete stating her request, Pillai started Nee Naama Rupamulaku (the customary piece that concludes a concert). He began descending from the stage after the recital and later, Dhanammal presented Pillai with a huge silk shawl. It was known that Pillai will not agree to playing tanam on the flute. He just could not make bold to openly refuse a request for it, though. Still, Dhanammal was very happy with Pillai's playing of the other songs.
Experts in music used to highly appreciate Swaminatha Pillai's fidelity to tone, perfection in laya, medium paced vinyaasa, and raga bhava. Veena Dhanammal and her family were very fond of Pillai's music. Despite her advanced age and frail health, Dhanam used to attend [Pillai's] concerts at far off places without fail. Thirty years ago when Swaminatha Pillai performed at the Jagannatha Bhakta Sabha in Egmore, Veena Dhanammal was the Chief Guest. That day Pillai played the raga Ananda Bhairavi followed by Shyama Sastri's kriti Marivere Gati. Tanjavur Vaidyanatha Iyer's mridanga happened to be a brisk match to the sprightly mishra chapu. Playing the chittaswaras for the kirtana suiting Dhanammal's pathantara with gamaka shuddha, Pillai lost himself, immersed in the accompaniment of the mridanga and suddenly played the medium paced madhyama kala. Immediately Dhanammal remarked "What is this sudden change in tempo, brother, have you suddenly become youthful and vain..." and gently reprimanded Pillai. Towards the end of that piece when playing sahitya for the chittaswara, Pillai made amends resuming the slow tempo and earned further appreciation from Dhanammal as she responded with "Besh!" Many times, Pillai would recall this incident with pride.
At a wedding in Dhanammal's family Pillai was playing with deep happiness right from the very beginning. After an hour or so had passed, Dhanammal addressed Pillai with the words "Brother, I haven't heard this music anywhere after Sarabha Sastri passed away. I must hear alapana and tanam in the raga Kamboji only from you... please comply?" But even before she could complete stating her request, Pillai started Nee Naama Rupamulaku (the customary piece that concludes a concert). He began descending from the stage after the recital and later, Dhanammal presented Pillai with a huge silk shawl. It was known that Pillai will not agree to playing tanam on the flute. He just could not make bold to openly refuse a request for it, though. Still, Dhanammal was very happy with Pillai's playing of the other songs.
Four to five years ago, Venugana Shikhamani Palladam Sanjeeva Rao gave a flute recital at the Central College. After the concert, the Principal of the College Musiri Subramanya Iyer gave a speech in appreciation. Musiri let Swaminatha Pillai take the proud office of honouring Sanjeeva Rao with fruits, flowes and gifts. Handing Sanjeeva Rao a tray of gifts and ready to honour him, Swaminatha Pillai first prostrated at Rao's feet to get his blessing. Sanjeeva Rao who was no less in respecting fellow musicians, said in quick repartee: "I'm accepting this honour only because I'm older to Pillai in age. No one can match him in merit." Pillai also held Karaikudi brothers, Konerirajapuram Vaidyanatha Iyer, Kanchipuram Naina Pillai, Madurai Ponnusami Pillai, Tiruvavaduturai Rajarathinam Pillai and other vidwans in great respect.
One of the prominent disciples of Pillai who learnt to play the flute from him was T Viswanathan, the grandson of Veena Dhanammal. Those popular in vocal music are Sirgazhi S Govindarajan, Tiruvarur Namasivayam, and Radio Narasimmalu. Some compositions that Pillai made popular via his disciples are the 108 raga-tala malika composed by Ramaswami Dikshitar, the rare compositions of Kumaara Ettendirar, and tillanas in several unusual tala-s. While he was the Principal of the Music College at Annamalai University, Pillai set to tune and taught several of Muthu Thandavar's songs in rare janya raga-s. One year, Sirgazhi S Govindarajan sang all the unusual songs that he learnt from Pillai at a music competition series. Needless to add Govindarajan bagged all the prizes that were for the winning, then!
In the administration of his office, in the establishment of rules and in abiding by established regulations, Pillai was a strict disciplinarian. If the day was set to start at 10am at college, Pillai would be there promptly by 8:30am. Pillai took teaching as a serious responsibility. Even on February 8th - the day Pillai passed away following a heart attack, he had returned home from college after a full work day.
One of the prominent disciples of Pillai who learnt to play the flute from him was T Viswanathan, the grandson of Veena Dhanammal. Those popular in vocal music are Sirgazhi S Govindarajan, Tiruvarur Namasivayam, and Radio Narasimmalu. Some compositions that Pillai made popular via his disciples are the 108 raga-tala malika composed by Ramaswami Dikshitar, the rare compositions of Kumaara Ettendirar, and tillanas in several unusual tala-s. While he was the Principal of the Music College at Annamalai University, Pillai set to tune and taught several of Muthu Thandavar's songs in rare janya raga-s. One year, Sirgazhi S Govindarajan sang all the unusual songs that he learnt from Pillai at a music competition series. Needless to add Govindarajan bagged all the prizes that were for the winning, then!
In the administration of his office, in the establishment of rules and in abiding by established regulations, Pillai was a strict disciplinarian. If the day was set to start at 10am at college, Pillai would be there promptly by 8:30am. Pillai took teaching as a serious responsibility. Even on February 8th - the day Pillai passed away following a heart attack, he had returned home from college after a full work day.
From the year 1953 onwards, Pillai chaired music conference sessions at Sangeetha Vidwat Sabha and Indian Fine Arts Society at Madras. Pillai was awarded the Sangita Kalanidhi in the year 1953. This year Pillai has been selected to received the President's Award for instrumental music. In fact this month on February 28th Pillai was set to receive the award directly from the President of India, but fate has willed things another way.
That Pillai passed away all of a sudden making orphans of all his rasikas is a matter of great grief. I think also of his family. Only Swaminatha Pillai's older daughter is married. In the Tamil month of Chittirai, the second daughter's engagement ceremony is planned. Pillai's sons are much youngser, they are still in school.
S G Kittappa was a close friend of Pillai. Kittappa has recorded the song Geetarthamu that he learnt from Pillai. Madurai Ponnusami Pillai and Palani Subramania Pillai were held in high regard by Pillai. When Swaminatha Pillai built a temple at Tiruveezhimazhalai and performed the kumbhaabisheka, nagaswaram Ponnusami Pillai and the Dhanammal family performed music concerts, honouring the festival. Hindustani flute musician Pannalal Ghosh respected Pillai very much. Kochi, Pudukkottai, Marungapuri, Sethur samasthana-s and several sabhas patronised Pillai. Pillai also used to remember with much appreciation that his disciples from Yazhpanam got together and took Pillai to Ceylon, and arranged many concers for him there.
Pillai was deeply devoted to the Carnatic music tradition. At times, Pillai's stubbornness in holding onto some of his set ways could appear distasteful to some. When the Historical Records Commission met at Annamalai University, Swaminatha Pillai was the Principal of the College of Music. Swaminatha Pillai's flute concert was planned for one of the evenings. Since several guests were from north India, Pillai was elaborating ragas familiar to them such as Kapi, Hamir Kalyani and Behag when a rasika interrupted the mood with his request for magudi. [Magudi is traditionally a folk melody commonly played by snake charmers; it was popular with flautists as a short tail-ender appealing to everyone in the audience]. "A good display of your knowledge in music!" whiplashed Pillai scornfully at the ill-timed request.
Only recently did Pillai's disciple Sirgazhi S Govindarajan organize the shashtiabdapoorthi function for his guru with splendour. And to think Pillai who is only 60 some years is no longer with us... Pillai's demise is indeed a heavy loss for music. Papa Venkataramaiah in his condolence letter expressed this grief with much brevity, with the following words: "A true musician has passed away. I can't think of saying anything more."
Pillai has recorded three songs. Amba Paradevate in the raga Rudrapriya is presented to perfect laya. Tirupati Narayanaswamy's javali Vagalaadi Bodhana and Subbarama Iyer's padam in the raga Sahana Ini Enna Paechirukkudu Poam Poam ['What more is there to say, please go away, just leave.'] are the other two songs recorded by Pillai. It doesn't look like any of these records are available in the market today, what more is there to say now.
--------
(1) Also see http://www.guruguha.org/spillai.php: "After his voice broke, Swaminatha Pillai switched to the flute."