MSG Guruji by Narmada Gopalakrishnan
In the world of Indian Classical music, ‘MSG’ is instantly recognized as the legendary violin maestro Shri M S Gopalakrishnan.
Melodious and soulful music, perfect technique and fidelity to pitch and the entire melody spectrum, from meditative to the fastest tempo, are featured in MSG’s solo concerts. His uncanny osmosis of the vocalist’s style, and sparkling improvisations that greatly embellish the overall concert, compel us to gravitate to the concerts where MSG is the accompanist.
In his tribute, Sriram Parusuram said it perfectly, “MSG redefined, and in the process, transformed the art of Indian violin playing. There is no violinist of worth today who has not been deeply impacted by his immense technical and musical contribution.”
Narmada Gopalakrishnan, MSG’s daughter, and disciple, imbibed the essence of the Parur style from her father MSG Guruji and grandfather Parur Sundaram Iyer, Narmada also accompanied MSG in concerts for more than four decades.
In her article, ‘ MSG — My Father, Guru and Philosopher’ in the Shanmukha Journal Apr 2013 , Narmada says “
He made me practise 7 hours a day. I learnt the basics from my grandfather ,for nearly 14 years, who brought me very close to understanding my father’s virtuosity.
In every one of my concerts with Guruji I presented a solo piece of alapana. He was unsparing on the stage and made me understand that I had to compete with him; I had to immerse myself in assiduous practice to match his dazzling creativity. He taught me what it was to play a duet concert and how to become a solo violin performer. He always told me that unless I perform in accompaniment both to him as well as other artistes it would be an uphill task to understand presentation on the stage.”
In this heartfelt lecdem held on Jan 3, 2019, sixth remembrance day for MSG, Narmada shares beautiful memories, rare insights and also demonstrates the actual foundational exercises of the Parur style that were part of their daily Sadhana (practice) :
The sections below are translated highlights from Narmada’s lecdem.
Narmada says “MSG is synonymous with the violin; he was one of the greatest pioneering violinists, who served as a bridge between North and South India.
Playing with him was my greatest gift. I stand as the link for 100 years of music; you might wonder how? I played with MSG guruji for 45 years, MSG Guruji played with his father Parur Sundaram Iyer. (MSG performed for 70 plus years)
I learnt the techniques of violin playing from my grandfather Parur Sundaram Iyer who was my first Guru. MSG guruji taught me the art of performance. My mother Meenakshi Gopalakrishnan taught me vocal music.
It is critically important for music to be universal. Appa used to say music ‘manasai akarshanam pannannum’ (music must immediately attract the mind)
My father lost his mother when he was just 6 months old; he used to describe his father as, “ My father was my Maatha(mother), Pitha(father) and Guru(teacher).”
The unique Parur Style
Narmada explains the origin and key aspects of the Parur style.
‘The Parur style was named after Parur Sundaram Iyer’s ancestral village Parur, just like the Hindustani gharanas Maihar, Patiala, Gwalior that are named after the region or place the founder is from. Parur is a beautiful village in Kerala, near Kaladi.
Parur Sundaram Iyer went all the way to Bombay (Mumbai) in his quest to developing the violin. He associated himself with the great Pandit Vishnu Digamber Paluskar at the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya.’
- See picture of Parur Sundaram Iyer with Vishnu Digamber Paluskar in this tribute : M S GOPALAKRISHNAN: THE ULTIMATE PROFESSIONAL, BY SHRI N RAMANATHAN
‘What is unique about the Parur style ? It is a common link between Hindustani and Carnatic music.
Different violin styles have different genesis; some are based on the nadaswaram, linear axis with emphasis on gamakam(oscillation) embellishment; gayaki style, based on vocal singing, with the focus on emulating the human voice in the playing of the violin; a third style based on sarangi; the Parur style is a combination of Hindustani and Carnatic, it is not a blend. A person who learns this style attains the expertise, the individual merit to perform both Hindustani and Carnatic music.
MSG performed classical Hindustani music, full length concerts, not just Bhajans but all Hindustani classical music genres such as bada khyal, chota khyal, thumri, tarana .’
“MSG maintained the classicism in every concert that he played. His Carnatic renderings were “shuddhamana Carnatic” while the pure North Indian classical touch was admirable in Hindustani solo concerts. His jugalbandhi with leading artistes of North India proved his meticulous approach.”[3]
Foundational Exercises
‘Parur Sundaram Iyer wrote an article The Supreme Violin in Sangeetha Rupak Magazine published in Benares(Varanasi) and he called the violin the King of instruments and Queen of melody.
Thatha advocated the use of the second and third finger for Sa and little finger for Pa. He created beautiful exercises for the violin — svaravali to traverse 4 and a half octaves. He showed important svara patterns in 3 sthayi(octaves) since Hindustani musicians traverse beyond the Tara Shadja (Upper Sa).
- Demonstration by MSG (Radio Autobiography Part 1)
- Demonstration by MSG (Radio Autobiography Part 2)
- Demonstration by Narmada — (Raga Sankarabaranam)
When you practice like this MSG Guruji used to say, the emphasis is on svarastahana suddham (accuracy of placement of each note or svara); every note has to be pure and has to meld with the tanpura. We had to first learn for 6 months to flawlessly tune the manual tanpura.’
Emphasis on warm up exercises and flawless bowing, including learning Western Classical Music techniques.
Demonstration : Single bow Janta (notes come in pairs) exercise which Narmada said is like a gym for the left hand! This exercise is similar to sangatis in the song shobillu in Ragam Jaganmohini
‘So many varieties in the exercises, different patterns, sea of chapters which Parur Sundaram Iyer has covered. ‘
- Demonstration of another exercise
One string play
“Tirukodikaval Krishnamoorthy Iyer was known to play an entire varnam on one string. Taking a cue from this, MSG’s father researched and taught his sons to play the same as an exercise.” [4]
- Demonstration of playing the Saveri varnam on one string
Sadhana — The triumph of Riyaz
“MSG always said — “Like food, like breath, like violin”. — Narmada Gopalakrishnan
Narmada spoke about the critical focus on diligent, and deliberate daily practice and the relentless quest for perfection.
‘And just like we eat every day, need to practice every day. He used to practice for 10 hours a day, starting early in the morning.
Varnams on every string — more than 10 times each. He believed that there is no shortcut for attaining outstanding output and insisted on riyaz and more riyaz.
Melodic prabhavam manodharmam(improvisation) comes only when basic practice is done diligently.’
Shri MSG as a soloist and performer
In her article, ‘ MSG — My Father, Guru and Philosopher’ in Shanmukha Journal Apr 2013 , Narmada says
“Shri MSG began his career as a trio with his father and elder brother and later began to play in duets with me; much later, my brother Suresh joined us to make a trio.
His absolute control on the violin, total shruti shuddha(fidelity to pitch), virtuoso bowing and exquisite melody were remarkable. The great violinist Yehudi Menuhin remarked, “I have never heard such a violin in all my travels. “ His outpouring of ragas and tanams brought brahmananda(great joy). Ragas like Nalinakanti(Song Manavyala), Hameer Kalyani, Sindhubhairavi and Kumudakriya(Song: Ardhanareeswaram) as also the kriti Bhavanuta (Raga Mohanam) were some of his signature pieces.
His Hindustani solo concerts embracing ragas like Shuddh Kalyan, Miyan Ki Malhar, Puriya, Bilaskhani Todi and Gorakh Kalyan were acclaimed by his rasikas in North India and globally.
Parur Sundaram Iyer also made Shri MSG play the Fritz Kreisler Western composition for the first time in the history of Indian violin music and Sindhubhairavi tarana in all solo concerts.
- MSG Concert with the Fritz Kreisler’s Scherzo at at 1:48:40 (Source: Shankar Krish’s blog)
- Scherzo alla Dittersdorf composed and played by Fritz Kreisler
MSG performed continuously for 75 years, a very rare feat indeed.” [3]
Narmada played snippets from Manavyala (Nalinakanti), Kumudakriya and Sindhubhairavi tarana in the lecdem. And regarding MSG’s approach to Tanams, Narmada said that needs more practice and she is working on that and will present in a subsequent lecdem!
Additional insights from Prof N Ramanathan in his tribute M S GOPALAKRISHNAN: THE ULTIMATE PROFESSIONAL published in Sruti Magazine in 2013
“ Unique varnam technique : Playing a varnam in three speeds has a unique colour to it in this school. Normally in other schools of violin playing, varnams in the ragas Todi and Saveri for instance, would be played in the slow tempo, with long and well oscillated swaras. In the second tempo, the oscillations and shakes are appropriately compressed and single finger movements give way to two fingers and an illusion is created that the swaras have been transformed into a higher tempo. In the next higher tempo, the the gamakas are more or less suggested. In the Parur style of playing, however, the gamakas of the commencing tempo, in their entirety of form, are rendered in double and quadruple speeds without any compression… This playing, as mentioned earlier, is unimaginable, even mind-boggling.”[5]
“The test for any graduate of the Parur school is the ability to play the Bhairavi raga Ata tala varnam on just one string. This has to be done in each of the four strings, taking ma as sa in the two strings tuned to sa. Further the varnam has also to be played in three speeds.”[5]
“One admirable feature in Gopalakrishnan’s approach to music was his respect for the text of the song (sahitya). When he played a varnam or a kriti, you invariably noticed the bow turning and stressing to mark the presence of a syllable in the sahitya. In a varnam this was consistently maintained even when rendered in three tempos. Further, when playing the niraval for a theme, he marked the syllables of the theme meticulously. This was maintained in the second tempo of niraval rendering too. Despite other instrumental colours to his playing, his loyalty to song and singing was impeccable.”[5]
Links where we can listen to more of MSG’s melodious music
· 78 RPM, First Recording of MSG; MSG is playing with his father Parur Sundaram Iyer and the song is Manavyala in ragam Nalinakanthi)
·LP (1976), MSG playing Viribhoni, Ata Tala Bhairavi Varnam
A wonderful array of MSG’s mellifluous concerts in Shankar Krish’s blog
· Find fantastic concerts with MSG as the violin accompanist in Sangeethapriya’s vast online concert library
· Search for MSG on Raju Asokan’s Youtube channel to find a vast array of amazing solo concerts (Carnatic and Hindustani), Jugalbandhis and Carnatic concerts where MSG is the violin accompanist
References
1. JMA 1948 — Indian Origin of the violin by Dr V Raghavan
2.Sruti — Parur Sundaram Iyer
3. MSG — My Father, Guru and Philosopher by M Narmada in Shanmukha Journal Apr 2013
4. Hindu Article on MSG when he received the Padma Bhushan
5. MusicResearchLibrary M S GOPALAKRISHNAN: THE ULTIMATE PROFESSIONAL, BY N RAMANATHAN
