Rare gems of Trinity
LALITHAA KRISHNAN
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In print like hand writing the late Sundaresan has notated the songs.
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Vidwan A. Sundaresan was a musician par excellence, whose immensely valuable yet quiet, unassuming presence graced the sphere of Carnatic music for over seven decades. An artist who gave his all to a lifetime’s pursuit of musical knowledge and perfection, he was both a lakshana and lakshya vidwan of the highest order who received unstinting encouragement and support from none other than Palghat Mani Iyer.
Acharya Choodamani, Gayaka Praveen, Nadha Kanal, Asthana Vidwan Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam and Sangeetha Seva Niratha were among the prestigious titles conferred on him. However, it was as a dedicated guru who set lofty standards, that Sundaresan found his raison d’etre. Declining to bow to the dictates of kutcheri politics and popularity ratings, he chose to distance himself from the spotlight, instead taking it upon himself to nurture in eager minds, a quest for musical excellence tempered by artistic integrity.
In this endeavour, he began bringing to light, right from his early years, many rare compositions of the Trinity and other composers, teaching these to numerous disciples who sought his guidance both during and after his tenure as Professor at the Madras Music Academy. With typical generosity of spirit, he wished the fruit of his labour to benefit all rasikas and practitioners of Carnatic music.
In a fitting tribute to his memory, his sishyas with the help of his family members, have released a book titled, ‘Rare Krithis of Trinity’ which contains more than 40 rare gems of Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, Syama Sastri, Subbaraya Shastri and Annaswami Shastri, handwritten and personally notated by Sundaresan, in impeccable print-like script in two languages – Tamil and English. The publication carries a foreward by V.V. Sundaram, Secretary, Cleveland Aradhana Committee, highlighting the unique aspects of Sundaresan’s musical expression and approach.
Sundaresan’s close association with vidwans P.S. Narayanaswami and T.M. Thiagarajan was a mutually enriching bond that PSN dwells upon in his introduction. The book is divided into three sections, each prefaced by a tastefully coloured illustration of the composer featured, facilitating easy location of compositions.
Dedicated to Syama Sastri
The first section dedicated to Syama Sastri’s oeuvres features 12 compositions including three varnams (Anandabhairavi, Saurashtram and Kalyani), the exacting Kamakshi swarajati in Yadukula Khambodi laden with the subtlest of anuswaras and kritis such as Nannu Brovarada (Janaranjani) and Akhilandeswari (Karnataka Kapi). The same section also includes two kritis of Annaswami Sastri and one kriti of Subbaraya Sastri.
The second section contains 14 Tyagaraja krithis such as Nee Dayaraavale (Thodi), Daasarathe (Kokilapriya), Etula Kapadutuvo (Ahiri) and Bhava Sannutha (Varali), bound to delight the seeking connoisseur. The third section carries 17 Muthuswami Dikshitar compositions including Kodandarama (Kokilaravam), Sooryamurthe (Saurashtram) and Maararathipriyam (Rathipriya). Touched by the clarity of Sundaresan’s interpretative vision, the notations emphasise the value of patanthara by capturing the essence of oft and seldom heard kritis as well as rare compositions. With an easy to read script and meticulous compilation, this book comes as a boon to all music lovers, music institutions, teachers and students of music.
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