M S Subbulakshmi and her music - Part 4 : Tyagaraja - Emi Neramu

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We have looked at MS's handling of great krithis in two major ragas, Todi and Khambhoji. In this part, we will look at MS's handling of a Tyagaraja krithi in the raga Shankarabaranam. The krithi is the excellent 'emi neramu," which we unfortunately don't hear much. (It is not a recent phenomenon. I have not heard it in concerts over the last couple of decades, at least.)

Once again, the choice of the kalapramanam is in keeping with the majestic structure of the song and the raga, Sankarabharanam, that shines when sung at a slow pace. The words are wonderful, and I want you to observe how she phrases the sentences. The phrasings in this song are a delight, both in the anupallavi and the charanam. 

The way Tyagaraja sets up the charnam shows us what a great 'vaggeyakara' he was. The 'vaak' (words) and the 'geya' (music) merge perfectly. The words fit perfectly into the rhythm, and the way they are phrased makes life for the singer and the percussionist easy. MS makes uses of both the words and the phrasing effectively to make this a memorable rendition. Her clear articulation of the words helps her immensely in this krithi, for the krithi depends on the stresed syllables and the unstressed syllables. (I think it is called hasva and deerga). MS's voice and articulation brings out this aspect of the krithi brilliantly. 

Once again, a great Tyagaraja krithi coupled with MS's aesthetic sense gives us a great rendition. Shankarabaranam sounds both majestic and also has the 'karuna rasa' bhavan, a paradox we can live with and which we enjoy. 

The recording available is not a great one, with some people talking in the background. (If someone claims the youngsters of nowadays don't concentrate in concerts, play them this recording to show how even when MS sang such a lovely song, someone was more interested in their own 'vambu'.) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbuEAucvD18

Here is another excellent rendition of this krithi, this time by T. Brinda.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbzRm4En0JI&t=7s

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