“ Ragas are pre-existing forms of joy” — Spencer R Venugopal

Va Muruga Vaa, composed by Spencer R Venugopal, a renowned contemporary composer, continues to be one of the most popular songs in the raga Begada. It captures the essence of the raga and yet, has a unique soundscape, distinct from prior compositions in the same raga. Spencer R Venugopal had a serendipitous entry into the realm of composing music. The ‘Spencer’ prefix refers to the fact that he worked at the Spencer company in Chennai, eventually becoming its Managing Director and Vice Chairman.

• Melodious Compositions of Spencer R Venugopal sung by many legendary musicians

Voleti Venkatesvarulu taught multiple compositions of Spencer Venugopal in his Sangeeta Sikshana series on All India Radio. Voleti’s guru Dr Pinakapani published notations for multiple songs composed by Spencer Venugopal.

Compositions of Spencer R Venugopal sung by multiple generations of Voleti’s musical lineage:

• Voleti sings Shri Kamakshi amba in raga bhairavi
• Malladi Suri Babu, the senior disciple of Voleti, sings Vadanavijita (raga Nagasvaravali) to Dr Pinakapani
• A presentation of Spencer Venugopal’s compositions by Malladi Suri Babu and his sons Malladi Brothers
• Malladi Suri Babu’s grandson sings Namo Namo Daasarathe (raga Salaga Bhairavi)

Compositions of Spencer R Venugopal

“Your compositions are superb pieces of Carnatic Music, unsurpassed in Musical beauty. Your way of singing them is unique and inimitable as models of Carnatic Music, they richly deserved to be preserved for posterity. “ — Dr Pinakapani in a letter to Spencer Venugopal in 1999 prior to also publishing the notation of 75 of his telugu compositions [6]

• Partial List of Compositions by Spencer R Venugopal

R Kavitha, a senior student of Seetha Rajan shares the following analysis about Spencer Venugopal’s compositions in her research study in 2002:

hundreds of “compositions which include Varnams, Kritis, Ragamalikas, Thillanas Padams, Javalis and Svarajati in rakti, rare as well as new scales. There is a strong influence of the Veena Dhanammal school, replete with raga bhava. Looking at the compositions, one can understand that he is a person who has made complete use of ragas to bring out the emotional and aesthetic content rather than just being a grammarian who takes care to present the length and the breadth of the raga exhaustively covering all the prayogas(musical phrases).” [4]

“classical influences must always be allowed to remain behind any creativity. For that matter, you will agree that there have been no major departures from the format adopted for kritis, varnams, tillanas, etc., for the past century or so. So conformity does not indeed confound creativity. The question is whether one is able to produce new joys from the old.” — Spencer Venugopal, As told to V. V. Chellappa and Jayalakshmi Sekhar [3]

Varnams

Kavitha shares that “The ata tala varnams in Chintamani and Mukhari are brilliant compositions, considering the limited scope of these ragas.

It is interesting to note that all his adi tala varnams are in relatively rare ragas like Malavi, Andolika, Purnachandrika, Phalamanjari, Suddha Bangala, Kannada, Janaranjani, Behag, Ravichandrika, Balahamsa, Kannadagaula and Gaulipantu.”[4]

• Kannada Varnam. tala Adi

Svarajathi

• Svarajathi in Sri Ragam

Structure follows the Svarajati format established by Syama Sastri. The ebb and flow of the first svara-sahitya may have been inspired by the muktayi svaras(solfa passage that occurs before charanam) in the Kapi varnam of the Tanjore Quartet.

Kavitha shares these additional insights in her research paper:

“This svarajati has a range from the mandra stayi madhyama (lower octave, ma) to the tarastayi panchamam(upper octave, pa)

The very first phrase establishes the identity of the Raga Sri.”[4]

Sada ni padayugamulane raga Thodi, tala Adi

• Starts with svaraskharas and structured similar to Syama Sastri’s svarajatis
• Kavitha adds that this composition employs multiple jaru gamakas (glides).[4]

Kritis

Shri Lalite, raga Lalita, tala Rupakam

Essence of raga Lalita including many of its key musical phrasings and yet, distinctive with multiple kaarvais(elongations, musical pauses).

R Kavitha shares the following insights about this evocative kriti in her thesis:

“The kriti commences with a grand jaru (glide) to the tara sthayi shadjam (upper octave Sa). A musical composition full of aesthetic raga-bhava phrases, svarakṣharam(when the musical notes and lyrical syllables align), adherence to the rules of prosody and the rendition of the madhyama kāla sahitya, all in the same composition brings about majesty in this piece.”[4]

Kavitha also notes the alliteration and rhyming in the lyrics, the slower tempo and the addition of the madhyamakala passage as elements inspired by Dikshithar compositions.

Sarisamana in rare raga Vitapi, tala Desadi

The raga Vitapi is a janya of fourth melakarta Vansapati with the ascent S R₁ M₁ P D₂ Ṡ and descent Ṡ D₂ P M₁ R₁ S (today’s suddha saveri with small Ri or earlier, (karnataka) suddha saveri with big Dha).

Analysis by researchers V. K. Arun Kumar and Dr. S. Subbu Lakshmi:”The pallavi of this song commences in the normal Sa, reaches up to Pa in the first sangati, and goes up to the higher Sa and Ri in the subsequent sangatis. This feature reminds us of many popular kritis of Tyagaraja. The pallavi, literally, gives us a complete view of the contours of the rāga, across a full octave and more.”[2]

Song starts with multiple svaraksharas; Image Source:[2]

A composer’s insights — a Masterclass on Music Appreciation

In Carnatic music, compositions are the gateway to a better understanding of the ragas and the songs that greatly resonate become our favorite melodic paintings of that raga. We yearn to learn more about the composers’ ethos, their musical arc, their inspirations, their approach, their favorite ragas and musical styles. And in rare instances, our questions get astutely answered, firsthand, by the contemporary composer.

Spencer Venugopal graciously agreed to share his insights and clarify additional questions. And when we study his perceptive and discerning responses, we realize they are not only a gateway to a better understanding of his beautiful compositions: it is actually an eloquent masterclass on how to vastly broaden our perspectives to truly appreciate classical music.

An online interview with Spencer R Venugopal

When did you start your Music Lessons, who was your Guru?

“I never learnt music properly. As for music in the family, it seems my mother had taken lessons in music in her childhood. But I heard her sing just once and that too a phrase or too. But my father, who really did not care much for music, decided for some reason to have my sister (my elder) taught violin. She later became an accomplished violinist.(During the time she was living in Delhi , she once had an opportunity to accompany MS and also DKP in some private music concerts. Her name is Vedavalli Ramaswami). She is no more.

She was a student of the Central college of Carnatic music when it was adorned by the stalwarts like Brinda, Musiri and others. My younger brother, a retired Mathematics professor, living in Canada became deeply involved and knowledgeable in Music very early in his life. But, somehow I remained untouched until quite late in my life . My meeting with a friend, P N Raghava Rao, a very sensitive , aesthetic musician was the turning point and I became “bitten by the bug” as they say.[1]

Note: Raghava Rao was a student of Kittamani Iyer and a close friend of Ramnad Krishnan

Raghava Rao was a great one in rendering ragas. He would capture the essence of any raga, common or rare , within just a few phrases .He also had a large repertoire of varnams, kritis, padams and javalis. He was a whole time govt employee, yet his real goal and passion yet was music. Although I had an opportunity to learn properly from him and acquire a repertoire of kritis it never occurred to me to do so nor did he ever suggest that.

It was through Raghavarao that I cultivated my love for real aesthetic music . He led me to listening to Ramnad Krishnan, DKJ, TMT, and a few others. I finally graduated to listening to the great Brinda. All these great musicians became my close friends too, later on . Whilst I had been captivated by their music I felt equally motivated to acquire some basic svara gnanam and laya gnanam. Here my wife was a great help and in a way my guru. Thus started my music journey .

And at this advanced age, I am now so grateful for my passion for music. I can sometimes pass hours in sheer musical contemplation, having lost my passable singing voice.”[1]

Note: Spencer Venugopal is currently in his nineties.

How did you become so adept in multiple languages — Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit

“I have always had a fascination for different languages, each one with its own subtle articulation. So I took the trouble to learn , apart from English and Tamil, other languages including Sanskrit, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam Marathi. I can’t claim deep scholarship in these languages but I am happy to be able to enjoy their nuances, their prose and poetry. I keep reading as much as possible in all these languages. I would very much like to learn Bengali too and even made a start. Whether it is my age or sheer laziness, I have not made any progress so far.”[1]

What concerts did you listen to when you were growing up; what were the musical styles that appealed to you?

“The padams made a profound impression on me in terms of defining a subtler approach to ragas with their sweep and depth.” [1]

“Thanks to Raghavarao I was, so to say, guided into some schools of music which he held in esteem the Dhanam style, meaning the Brinda style. I delved rather deep into this raga oriented music free from too much emphasis on the drama of laya. Also, I learnt to steer clear of all compromises outside the classical frame.

Yet with an eclectic mind I did listen to a variety of styles and schools, making my own choices as time passed. . By and large I found myself disenchanted with the festive, boisterous, popular kinds of music, namely, “the concerts and performances”.

The padams made a profound impression on me in terms of defining a subtler approach to ragas with their sweep and depth.

Brinda’s deep insight into the soul of the ragas, her unswerving aesthetics, sense of proportion bordering on an artistic reticence as I would like to call it, her sensitive employment of the voice, her ability to share her “experience” rather than merely performing left a deep impact on me.

I was quite entranced by the unique skills and graces of the styles of MS, DKP and MLV amongst women artists and amongst men other than those I have referred to earlier, Semmangudi was my great favorite. By the time I started listening to Carnatic music , the seniors like Ariakudi, Maharajapuram, GNB and others had departed from this world.

My close association with Brinda continued till she passed away. I used to visit her once every week with a friend and she would sing for us for an hour or two complying with our requests for any specific kritis. How fortunate !!”[1]

Were you also fond of poetry?

“Like music, it has a joy of its own kind. The connoisseur is as much a poet as the creator.” [1]

“Poetry is the soul of a language. You do not learn or labor to write or enjoy poetry. It is what cascades forth when you are true to your innermost self. You need much fewer words to write poetry than to write profound prose. But it demands a special sensitivity. It is not just a clever turn of phrase. It is a deeper experience where you are face to face with what you have been searching for, beyond the material existence . Like music, it has a joy of its own kind. The connoisseur is as much a poet as the creator. It is an experience shared by both these equal partners.

I read and enjoy poetry in all the languages I am familiar with . Of course I am partial to classical poetry with its conventional form and content.

Often times I try translating just to see how it sounds in another tongue . I write my own lines too, more for a tryst with my inner self. Lately, I have been immersed in Urdu ghazals from Ghalib to recent days. I have tried to translate a good number of them too, purely as a personal exploration, quite conscious of my inadequacies.

All this has proved to me that there is so much joy all around you if only you don’t look away.”[1]

Favorite Composers?

“Each one of them claimed within impeccable classical boundaries a uniqueness which has enriched our music to a breathtaking level.”[1]

“Needless to mention the seminal impact on our music from the Trinity and other great composers like Gopalakrishna Bharathi, Subbaraya Sastri, Veena Kuppaiyar and others, particularly the creators of the unsurpassed musical forms of the padams in Telugu and Tamil, down to contemporaries including Papanasam Sivan, all with an inspiring sense of devotion, perception and perspicacity.

Each one of them claimed within impeccable classical boundaries a uniqueness which has enriched our music to a breathtaking level. The prominence enjoyed by compositions in our concerts today is entirely due to the genius of these great minds, these selfless devotees to the cause of our music.

It is amazing how these compositions have defined our ragas, extended their frontiers and enhanced their aesthetic intensity. Equal credit is due to the musicians too who have strived hard to preserve this rich heritage undistracted by extraneous factors. But for these succeeding generations of great composers and musicians, there would have been no Carnatic music of the present sweep and depth.”[1]

What particular features of a composition that appeals to you the most, and immediately draw your attention

“ the ‘theme’ of a composition should be the raga form.”[1]

“I for myself seek in each composition which I listen to, an original raga contour, an unexplored vista, a hitherto unseen hue, an unfathomed depth. The great compositions of the past by and large meet these expectations to an incredible degree through means so subtle as to defy description.

I have been told repeatedly that my compositions show “Shyama Sastri, Subbaraya Sastri” influence. Possible, because I am raga focused , generally frugal on the lyric, and have sometimes followed the particular kriti format of this school . I also hold a view that the lyric should not unduly distract attention from the raga experience in a composition and that the “theme” of a composition should be the raga form and not the message from the lyric. “[1]

Weekend Music Seasons in your house

“ A little time after my acquaintance with him, Raghavarao invited me to attend the singing sessions held every Friday evening in the house of NMN (N M Narayanan), the (music) critic. Thanjavur Sankara Aiyar would also join. The three sang jointly for a couple of hours but only kritis, no ragam, no neraval svaram and only songs within the common repertoire the three shared. (The exception was my kritis which I was asked to sing at the end of each session.)

Sometime later, both Sankara Aiyer and Raghavarao felt the need for a freer session and so I invited them to my home on Sundays. At my home there was not only freer singing .. ragam, neraval, svaram etc but a few other musicians joined too, some regularly and others off and on. These sessions included during some period, Lalgudi, DKJ, TMT , NMN’s sister Bhuvana , a remarkable musician with an astounding repertoire of rare varnams, kritis and padams and others. Violinist T. Kesavulu would invariably join as an accompanist and had left one of his violins in my house for that purpose. Nirmala Parthasarathi, the Veena player was a regular. At times we had in this group Thirupamburam Sivasubrahmanya Pillai ( a great musician and brother of T. Swaminatha Pillai ) and too the remarkable musician, Narasimhalu of the Balasaraswathi group. Even MS(M S Subbulakshmi) surprised us with an unannounced visit once and at my request, she sang a couple of kritis including Hiranmayeem in the session.

Raghavarao being the heart and soul of this activity did not miss a single session and so after his sudden premature death, I did not have the heart to continue these music sessions any longer. They abruptly stopped but musician friends including Brinda, DKP(D K Pattammal), MLV (M L Vasanthakumari), KVN(K V Narayanaswamy) with his talented wife,Padma, Voleti, DR.Pinakapani, Ritha Rajan, Seetha Rajan, Bombay Ramachandran, musician and well known teacher (who rendered into notation a number of my compositions ) and others used to visit now and then and mostly on those occasions there was singing.

Needless to say these music sessions provided me not just a learning curve but a mighty rainbow of experience.”[1]

What was the catalyst for you to start composing?

“Some months after I started attending the music sessions in NMN’s house, all of a sudden one day, NMN insisted that I too should sing. Although, I had by that time acquired some svara laya gnanam, I had yet never learnt even one kriti which I could render passably. But NMN would not relent and so in the end, more under duress than otherwise, I composed one of my own in Vasanta (raga) and rupaka tala and daringly appended a simple chittasvaram too. I was quite thrilled by the response from the group when I presented this song. And since I had to sing in every session, I felt motivated to compose more and I even enjoyed doing so. My next, a Varali piece in 1 1/2 edam received even greater appreciation. And so one followed another. Meanwhile, Raghavarao presented one of my kritis in his radio program, NMN learnt my Nayaki kriti; Sankara Iyer praised my Natabhairavi kriti and so on and on. In a way after that there was “ no looking back” as they say.”[1]

Approach to composing

“You do not compile a raga by stringing svaras together any more than you can assemble a flower putting together the various parts.”[1]

“My fascination was more intense for the raga forms in the kritis than for the lyrics or other aspects. I would go into a reverie contemplating any particular raga. It did not matter if it was a major raga or a rare one.

If your concern is with the aesthetic, “emotional” form of a raga instead of its grammatical form , then there can be nothing like a strange raga or a familiar raga. All these distinctions rear their heads only when you are taught a raga as a grammatical svara oriented form. Raga forms are more easily absorbed by a learner from singing a kriti in the raga than by learning to put the svaras in a defined order. Semmangudi once said “ teach the children first to sing simple kritis and then put them in the sarali .Their learning would be more joyful.”

In the aesthetic emotional form, all ragas give you the same joy. Music is easier to learn through the heart than through the head. I for one learnt my music only through my heart although, later, I learnt to use the svaras as markers. Somebody said of notations that they are useful but mostly they are such that what is written is not sung and what is sung is not written.

Also I believe that ragas don’t flow from svaras . In fact the svaras flow from the ragas. Ragas are pre-existing forms of joy . We need the svaras just to identify roughly their form. By svaras we don’t mean just the frequencies. There are the plain notes, gamakams, kaarvais, oscillations, pauses, the links between the svaras all of which together define the identity of a raga. You do not compile a raga by stringing svaras together any more than you can assemble a flower putting together the various parts. Each raga has its own unique svaras and unless your heart is imbued with the bhava of that particular raga you won’t get its svaras right.

Constant immersion in time honored kritis and intense contemplation alone can reveal the true form and joy of a raga. Like poetry is a feeling beyond the words, raga too is beyond the stated svaras. Again, when you enter the bhavasvaroopam (emotional framework) of a raga, you even observe its frontiers extending. Successive composers and musicians through their contemplation created more and more space in each raga, yet within its framework.

What we consider a difficult or rare raga is one which has not received such profound contemplation or prolific composing. If by just stringing together svaras you can beget ragas, how is it that not all such formulations have not captured the imagination of a musician?”[1]

Inspiration that led to the creation of a particular song, how did the choice of ragas happen for a song?

“It is the raga form taking shape in mind which chooses the lyrics, the syllables, the sounds and pauses along with the kalapramanam(tempo) and the talam.”[1]

“I do not choose ragas for my kritis. It is the raga form taking shape in mind which chooses the lyrics, the syllables, the sounds and pauses along with the kalapramanam and the talam. My lyrics are more an aid to the musical movement. They are drawn from my favorite store of images. I don’t claim to convey in my lyrics any profound message nor proclaim any deep sense of religious devotion. But some imagery stays with me always through the influence of time honored kritis

Vaa muruga vaa was the result of my obsessive involvement for sometime with (raga) Begada .The words fell in place during a visit to Thiruchendur. I first sang this kriti in a musical group along with whom I had gone there. (Yes, with all the sangathis (musical variations for each line) and the brigas(super fast musical phrasings) in “ thenmadhura” and “ punya deena sharanya”. (Incidentally my Bhairavi kriti, “Saati evvare” and Thodi kriti “Thaamadamaa” and a few others too have similar briga sangatis).

The kriti “Sada nee paadamu” in Thodi was under the influence of “ Nannu brochutaku” I had heard from DKP in a concert. My kriti was complete in my mind by the time I returned home and by strange coincidence, the kriti was launched by DKP herself in a national program of the AIR (All India Radio) .

Nee Daya Ledhani in Dhanyasi occurred to me after my very first personal meeting with MS when she expressed a wish to learn my compositions.

My big kriti “Sri Kamakshi” in misra chapu and Bhairavi raga (Voleti’s favorite) was under the spell of Shyama Sastri’s svarajati, and too my svarajati in Sri ragam

My Devagandhari kriti was the result of my viewing the ragam from a different angle and using an unaccustomed eduppu.

My Malavi kriti with an atheetha eduppu was also the result of my approaching the ragam differently. These are a few examples.

l have tried to visualise the forms of over 180 ragas including melakartas, well known ragas, lesser known ragas , rare ragas and over 10 ragas of my own creation, all of them not as scales but as emotional soundscapes in which you can sing raga alapana, neraval and svaram. My success is naturally left to others to judge.”[1]

Laya aspects — Do you have any favorite talas or eduppus?

“Talas employed are Adi, Rupakam, Triputa(Tisra, Khanda), Jhampa(mainly Misra), Misra chapu, Khanda chapu, Ata tala (mainly khanda jati). But they are used not as laya exercises but only as a gentle support to the bhavam of the raga movements in the kritis. The tala setting is essential to the joy of a kriti as much as the raga form. But it should not dominate, and eventually drown the raga bhavam. The tala element should submit and not challenge. I have used the atheetha eduppu a few times in both slow and brisk kritis to accentuate the bhavam.

Tisra jati triputa talam with the unique eduppu is such a wonderful setting for padams.( I have used this in some kritis too).
Misra chapu has its own vishranti(tranquility) and elegance. I have tried to get this vilambit gait in Rupakam too in my Vijayasri padam.(After hearing it first from Ritha Rajan, Brinda asked me too to sing it to her). My Dhanyasi padam is in Tisra jati triputa talam”[1]

Padams have such a unique soundscape and perhaps, the most evocative representation of the raga. How do you view the uniqueness of the Padam? Did you find it more challenging to compose a Padam or was it again, a similar organic process to composition of kritis

“ They require a certain daring, not to conquer but to surrender. They take you to a level of experience where the svaras really flow from the bhava.”[1]

“Padams sum up the soul of any raga. They explore ragas in their innermost recesses where the grammar and aesthetics fuse into each other and let imagination grow new wings. They require a certain daring, not to conquer but to surrender. They take you to a level of experience where the svaras really flow from the bhava. Their noble gait subordinates the singer’s ego . Layam essential to the aesthetic contours of a padam is so immanent that it is not so much a feature as it is its nature.

When something occurs to you spontaneously the question of a ‘challenge’ does not arise. Your intuition holds you by the little finger and leads you all the way. Inspiration is never indeed any thing external. It is only the degree and intensity of your internalization of the raga which can provide the inspiration for a creation.”[1]

What was the inspiration for your padams in Chintamani and Vijayasri?

“The Vijayasri (janya of mela 41 pavani) composition, Varanarada, is rendered usually in the fast gait. But to me it manifested in a relaxed languorous form and lent itself as the medium for a padam. In contrast Gowlipantu I found suitable for a Javali.

Who would not be enchanted by Chintamani(janya of mela 56 Shanmughapriya) particularly in its composite homogeneous form as visualized by Shyama Sastri? Its languorous ambience has all that a padam or an ata tala varnam demands. I used to enjoy just singing the ragam as a wholesome ragam without a split personality. In just a single composition Shyama Sastri invested it with all the grandeur, sweep and aesthetic dimensions as Bhairavi.”[1]

In your discussions with Brindamma, did she share any specific insights about padams and how she approaches them?

“Brinda never “spoke“ music. She only sang. You get her message from her singing. (She would rather sing to her students a line several times than try to explain it to them in svaras, notations or concepts).As a teacher she made an earnest attempt to transfer to her students her experience and not merely her knowledge. Naturally so, because her own excellence in rendering was a measure of the intensity of her innermost experience.”[1]

Stalwarts singing your compositions

“It was my good fortune that several senior vidwans picked up my kritis for presenting in concerts

Yes, it was DKJ who first sang my compositions in concerts. They were Vaa Muruga in Begada and Nee Vanti daivamu in Varali. He used to sing several of my songs including Sada nee paadamu and Thaamadama in Thodi, Saatievvarae in Bhairavi, Muruga in Nayaki and others. Later on DKP would sing in concerts my Bhairavi, Varali and Thodi kritis.

MS rendered the kriti Nee Daya ledhani in Dhanyasi and Vaa Muruga in her concerts.

TMT, LALGUDI, RAMANI, MLV amongst others also presented my kritis in concerts. The younger artists also have felt motivated to render my kritis and even perform dedicated concerts of just my kritis (Seetha Rajan, Neela Ramgopal).

I recall how TMT in two of his concerts did an elaborate alapana of Muktidayini and Vitapi, two ragas created by me and rendered my kritis with extensive svaras too. I was astounded by the ambience he was able to build into those ragas .

Semmangudi’s words of appreciation after listening to my Thodi kriti (Sada nee paadamu), Brinda’s compliment for my padam in Vijayasri and Sriragam svarajati are quite unforgettable . Her daughter Vegavahini had also rendered in concerts my other kritis.

Vaa Muruga received attention from numerous musicians including instrumentalists like Lalgudi, Mandolin Srinivas, Thiruvizha Jayasankar ( nadaswaram). Lalgudi rendered also my Nayaki kriti, “Muruga Muruga enum”.

Another treasured memory is of the time when KVN, his wife Padma, his guru C S Krishnaier and myself sang inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Kamakshi temple in Kanchipuram, another kriti of mine in Thodi in Misra Jampa, “Sri Kamakshi varadayaki”. KVN wanted to do so before presenting it in his concert in the Music Academy, the next week.

I cannot also forget the short concerts I was asked to perform in the Thittai and the Vadapazhani temples, singing my compositions. And hold your breath, it was Lalgudi and Ramabhadran who insisted on providing the accompaniments!!!

Bombay Ramachandran( formerly of the music school of Shanmukhananda sabha) personally listened to me sing and notated several of my kritis and even printed some of them and taught them to his students . On his suggestion I composed a ragamalika kriti featuring nine ragas bearing names ending in Manohari, along with chittasvarams and Sahitya.

Voleti Venkateswarlu took interest in my compositions and invited me to the AIR studios in Vijayawada. He recorded my compositions in Thodi, Bhairavi, Devagandhari, Malavi and Sriragam. He not only rendered these kritis in concerts but also taught them in the Sangitha sikshana program over AIR(All India Radio).

- Tribute to Voleti by Spencer R Venugopal

Through Voleti my kritis were made known to Dr. Pinakapani, a legend in Andhra Pradesh , who evinced such deep interest that he undertook to render notations for 75 non Tamil kritis despite his poor health and inability to sit up for more than half an hour at a stretch due to a serious spinal problem. I did my best to dissuade him but he would not listen.
(Starting from venerable Pani Garu , Voleti to Suribabu, to Malladi brothers and the next generation too have rendered my kritis).

- Tribute to Dr Pinakapani by Spencer R Venugopal

Padmavathi Anantagopalan, the veena artist and sister of Lalgudi Jayaraman was another who took the trouble to record over 50 kritis sung by me and render notations for them ‌and teach them to her students.

I can go on reminiscing thus about the warmth and kindness received from several musicians young and old. I am not sure if I deserved all that but I am sure that I can never even hope to discharge my debt to all these gracious artists for their overgenerous gesture.”[1]

Additional Listening

• Playlist — Compositions of Spencer R Venugopal

References

1. 2024 — Excerpts from Spencer R Venugopal’s email responses to questions

2. 2023 — AN ANALYSIS OF A KṚITI OF R. VENUGOPAL (SPENCER) IN THE UNCOMMON RĀGA VITAPI by V. K. Arun Kumar and Dr. S. Subbu Lakshmi

3. 2010 — “Naadabrahmam — Interview with Spencer Venugopal” As told to V. V. Chellappa and Jayalakshmi Sekhar

4. 2002 — A Study of the compositions of Spencer R Venugopal by Research Scholar Kavitha Shivakami.R

5. Carnatic Corner — Partial List of Compositions by Spencer R Venugopal

6. 2024-Archives of Spencer Venugopal compiled by Research Scholar V K Arun Kumar