Lesson 5

d06135 Musicians

    Literary works such as ‘Perumpaanattruppadai’,
‘Sirupaanattruppadai’,     ‘Porunarattruppadai’     and
‘Kootharaattruppadai’, celebrate the life of these
ancient musicians.

    Works such as ‘Silappathigaaram’ and
‘Pathinenkeezhkanakku Noolgal’ which appeared after
the Sangam period offer glimpses into the life of the
musicians during the middle ages. The protagonists of
“Perungathai” are described as experts in the art of
dance and music. Likewise, a character called Gunavathi
in ‘Yasodra Kaaviyam’ is a skilled musician.
‘Seevagasinthamani’ and ‘Periyapuraanam’ also speak of
characters adept at singing and wielding musical instruments.

    Today musicians enjoy a special place in society.
They are venerated and held in great esteem by both
people and the government. Contemporary musicians
can be broadly classified as vocalists and
instrumentalists. The lesson offers thumbnail sketches
of the life and art of Chitoor Subramanya Pillai,Madurai
S. Somasundaram, Seerkaazhi Govindarajan, and a few
more celebrated vocalists. Among the instrumentalists,
the lesson sketches the biographies of Venugaana
Sarabasaastrigal, and Konnakkol Pakiriya Pillai. The
lesson also draws a list of famous exponents of the
flute, gottu vaadiyam, muharsing, gatam, kanjira,
harmonium, violin, mridangam, veena, tavil, nagaswaram,
clarinet and jalatharangam. Singers of devotional hymns
are regarded with great importance in Tamilnadu.
Noteworthy     among them is Thiru Muruga
Kripanandavaariyaar. The lesson includes a brief
biography of Vaariyaar and his contributions to the
propagation of devotional music. It speaks of renowned
women vocalists like M.S. Subbalakshmi who have
enriched Tamil music with their mellifluous voices. The
lesson also very briefly touches on film music and folk
music.