Topic started by nandini (@ 1cust207.tnt9.charlotte.nc.da.uu.net) on Thu Mar 9 15:53:52 .
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Have you noticed, quite afew violinists these days refuse to accompany female vocalists? |
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- From: geetha ramanathan bennett (@ 67.ontario-01rs13-14rt.ca.dial-access.att.net)
on: Mon Mar 13 13:46:15 EST 2000
Dear Friends,
This is the niece of Tony Bennett-writing to you....Sorry....daughter of Dr. S.Ramanathan and wife of Dr. Frank Bennett... Frank plays veena very beautifully (student of Kalyanan Krishna Baghavathar and Dr.S.R.) and mrdangam/kanchira, student of Ramnad Raghavan. He orchestrates for hollywood films (his credits are a mile long..to name one or two: all City Slickers and First Wives Club..You can see his name at the end in the credits).
As far as female violinists are concerned...: I have problems getting a few mrdangam players to accompany me when i go to chennai. They refuse only for the fact that i am a woman (some only play outside india for women to keep their IMAGE!! in the madras circle.) I can understand for female vocalist since the sruti is high for mrdangam. But the veena is only 2 or 3 at the most. Asked a very top male musician about it and he said that WHEN A WOMAN IS ON THE STAGE, THE ATTEENTION IS ON HER AND MEN DONT LIKE THAT!!
geetha
- From: geetha ramanathan bennett (@ 67.ontario-01rs13-14rt.ca.dial-access.att.net)
on: Mon Mar 13 13:47:10 EST 2000
Also please visit www.geethabennett.com if you are interested...
- From: Isai Rasigai (@ dialup-209.244.122.177.boston1.level3.net)
on: Mon Mar 13 14:09:40 EST 2000
Hi Geetha:
What a pleasant surprise to see you here at the forum.... I have met you a couple of times in Madurai and my mom is a student of Dr. S.R. (Dont know if you remember her - Mrs. Kamala Ramamurthy). Dr. S.R. was an excellent judge when I went for my Govt of India junior scholarship test!!!! Have great regards for that greatest man!!!!!
That is a funny excuse that I have ever heard - do we call that inferiority complex or superiority complex!!!!!!!!!!
- From: Nadopasaka (@ afppp23.buffnet.net)
on: Mon Mar 13 15:25:47 EST 2000
Hello Geetha Bennett
Sorry if I got your genealogy mixed up. Both TonyB and SR have the best of credentials, so I hope you didn't mind. It is always a pleasure to welcome a practitioner of CM. I had a few questions that I hope you could shed some light on.
Why and how often do you sing during your veena recitals ? Why is this not common with other instrumentalists ? Is the vocalization you do of the kriti text or abstract phrases of the raga ?
I have read that MD was a vainika, are there historical references to MD or others doing this. Vainika-gayaka appears in some MD krities.
I am aware that the Lalgudi school places emphasis on saahityam, this might be enforced by the verbalization of the kriti by the instrumentalist.
Thanks for your comments.
- From: geetha bennett (@ 67.ontario-01rs15rt-02rs13rt.ca.dial-access.att.net)
on: Mon Mar 13 15:38:22 EST 2000
Dear Friend
Of course, flute, sax cant sing along(ha..ha)
I have heard Ganesh singing one or two songs with Kumaresh playing the violin. One time in the USA I heard Vijayalakshmi, Lalgudi's daughter singing one Bharathiar song in the middle of the trio when the other two played.
I also do only one or two songs and I do them in unison without stopping. It is a challenge also when i do songs like 'vedi padu manda' uzhikuthu by Bharathiar which has a lot of words and very fast or my father's Bhavani piece which is hard to play due to the interval.
From the audience point of view, I feel that by singing one or two songs that breaks the monotony of the instrument sound (sorry to say that i have heard comments from many south indians that they prefer vocal concerts rather than a veena one!!)
geetha
- From: Lakshman (@ ppp7760.on.bellglobal.com)
on: Mon Mar 13 16:12:14 EST 2000
Nadopasaka:
Vina players and violinists generally are taught to sing along with their instruments. So this practice is not confined to Lalgudi's school. Many do not sing on the concert stage because their voices may not be upto par.
- From: Isai rasigai (@ dialup-63.210.142.177.boston1.level3.net)
on: Mon Mar 13 16:18:31 EST 2000
Geetha: Thanks for your mail. Most welcome to our place and would talk to Shantha....
Lakshman is right - violin and veena teachers usually prefer to teach the students to sing so they understand the saahithyam and in veena where you place the meettu (pluck) matters and for that you need to know the song;
- From: Nadopasaka (@ aippp31.buffnet.net)
on: Mon Mar 13 20:46:47 EST 2000
Although this may seem like a digression, I am hoping you will indulge me, since I feel there is, on this thread, a good amount of experience on these matters.
What are the rudra veena and gayatri veenas ?
Can a veena player adapt to the Gottuvadyam or vice versa ? Are there other Gottuvadyam players in addition to RaviKiran ? How does the veena compare with the violin in the representation of gamakas ? What are the sensitivities of the 'contact mike' in veena playing ?
Many, many years ago I attended an S.Balachandar concert where he fussed a great deal over this 'contact mike'. His forceful style necessitated constant adjustment. Was Mys.D.Iyengar's plucking style radically different ?
Thanks sincerely.
- From: aruLaracan (@ vengu.umsl.edu)
on: Tue Mar 14 12:24:09 EST 2000
nAdhOpAsakA,
thanks for asking that question. i too would like to know the differences. thanks.
hi geetha bennett,
just heard "cherry town" (with trilok gurtu). good one :-)
- From: nick haynes (@ host.sumitomomarine.co.uk)
on: Thu Mar 16 08:32:25 EST 2000
I know that the founder of my teacher's mridangam school (Palani Subramaniam Pillai) was renowned for refusing to accompany women. But I thought that the story was only told because this was relatively unusual. I am sad to hear that it is not unusual in present times.
I will ask my teacher what is his experience of this attitude among his colleagues.
- From: RAM (@ )
on: Tue May 23 12:52:33
To Isairasikai
I just noticed that your mother's name is Kamala Ramamurthy. Is she an All India Radio artist (Trichy?) and is your father Principal of American/Madurai college?
I am curious. Please respond.
RAM
- From: IR (@ w250.z208037130.sjc-ca.dsl.cnc.net)
on: Tue May 23 13:09:38 EDT 2000
RAM:
Absolutely right... now curiosity kills me! Do I know you?
IR
- From: RAM (@ 149.123.110.57)
on: Wed May 24 12:49:08 EDT 2000
To IR
Sorry, I don't know you or your parents. But I know somebody very close to me who know your father. But I have heard your mother in the radio.
RAM
- From: IR (@ w250.z208037130.sjc-ca.dsl.cnc.net)
on: Wed May 24 17:57:13 EDT 2000
hmmm... ok RAM :))
- From: Saumya (@ unknown-167-83-101.baxter.com)
on: Tue May 6 18:01:34
Hi! I just saw this thread. It is interesting. My Guru Smt. Rajalakshmi Krishnan is herself a student of the legendary Late Shri
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bagavathar and Late Sri Chowdiah. I have also heard that in the earlier part of the last century, women were not allowed to do Ragam thaanam.... ????
I went for Smt. Geetha Bennett's recital in MD last year and the raagam thaanam that she did in several Varalis was astounding.... ( all this is from a novice follower, completely smitten by the Carnatic bug... so if there is a error in the correct musical terminlogy.. kindly excuse me) She is one of the few Vainikas today who sing and play the veena akin I believe to the Late and Legendary Veena Dhannammal.
In the few concerts I have been to in the recent past, I have found male mrindangists and Kanjira vidwans accompanying female musicians and of course female mridangists accompanying vocalists.. male or otherwise..... I always believed that mrindangam was more of a "male domain", but it is surprising and extremely pleasing to find that it is not so...
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