T.R. Subramanyam – A musician’s Musician

My first exposure to the music of T.R.Subramanyam (affectionately called TRS by music lovers) was a private concert in New Delhi in 1975. While I initially felt that his swara prastaras were closer to subtle mathematical permutations, I quickly realized that his students were in the audience and as a teacher he was using it also as a platform, a serious classroom trying to communicate the key notes and like vadi-samvadi notes. Besides his students,the audience included lay listeners who were attentively picking up the salient glides of the raga through the emphasized notes. His scholarly concert ended with a beautiful Tillana in raga Brindavani. The portion of the Tillana ” Kanna nin kazhal charanam , Kaarmugil vanna” is still ringing in my ears. The concert was held in the house of a music lover perhaps one Mr. Glaxo Subramaniam of Greater Kailash, if my memory is correct. The concert lasted virtually for four hours. I felt that he should have been greatly inspired by the music of GNB. Later I came to know that he was a direct disciple of Musiri and was a professor at Delhi University.

His first performance in Chicago for the Chicago Tyagaraja Utsavam was held in 1988. Unlike many other musicians who loved to sing for audience and build up language networking through kritis and titbits and popular ragamalikas in all languages, he, like veteran musician Sri R.K.Srikantan, had a deep sense of respect for the purpose and goal of the utsavam and was very keen on strictly adhering to Tyagaraja Kritis at the Utsavam. He tried to bring out the genius composer’s own creation, raga Karaharapriya, a true gift to Carnatic music. He was virtually in great emotions when he rendered the kriti Chakkani raja . Later he mentioned that Pakkala Nilapaḍi, Mitri Bhāgyame, Rāmā nī samāna, Naḍaci Naḍaci and Rama nīyata are all gems of Saint Tyagaraja with different colors and luster. It is a strange feeling that while so many compositions were composed by the saint, in this raga, we don’t find even one composition from Deekshitar or Shyama Sastri on the same raga who were indeed his contemporaries. My last meeting of TRS was at a condolence meeting for violinist M.S. Gopalakrishnan.

While many on the dais were taking advantage of the condolence meeting, people like TRS, Prince Rama Verma, and violinist Ganesh, to name a few were in a pensive mood , perhaps thinking about the great loss to Carnatic music.

His serious attempt to bring out the historical perspectives of the strength and weaknesses of both great composers and their sishya paramparas were achieved through a remarkable, though controversial thesis by one Dr. Radha Venkatachalam under his able guidance. Through her, he was able to indirectly spell out his observations on great composers, and great performers of bygone days. The other person who ventured boldly was Sri Rangaramanuja Iyengar, though his magnum opus works in Tamil (Krutimanimaalai in four volumes) and in his books, The History of South Indian Music and in the book, The Musings of a Musician.

Over the years I have met a few Delhi based students of TRS who have so much respect for him as a teacher. Apparently, knowing fully the musical limitations of students will not give up his efforts to impart higher musical skills and ghamaka subtleties that are special to certain kritis. Many music lovers and his students will feel the loss of such a great musician, teacher, and a critical scholar.

T.E.S.Raghavan
President