Ms Subbulakshmi Instrument
Jenn Smotherman
It used to be a side instrument. I got a big chance to play Ghatam with Shakti, that plays western Jazz music, during my stint at All India Radio. Ghatam replaced Mridhangam at that point. I left my radio job and was with them for few years. My son, Selva Ganesh plays for Remember Shakti now.
Right now, Ghatam is one of the most important instruments and there are a lot of solo artist performances. One of my female students Sukkanya Ramgopal, plays kirthana with Ghatam along with accompaniments.
Right now, there is so much development. Audiences these days are more focused on the food (Laughs) and this is more like an entertainment. Sincerity lacks in this generation and time unlike older times.
Earlier, very few students used to learn music in the form of a Gurukul if they did not show interest in studies. In the current scene, more people are interested to come forward and learn music. There are so many colleges for music and also learning through Skype, etc.
I started out playing for MS Subbulakshmi ji, then later Shakti Group and left there abruptly due to family issues. Later, I started working with North Indian artists like Amjad Ali Khan, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Zakir Hussain, Pandit Jasraj and many more since I played for the Western Jazz Music.
In the International scene, I have played with Planet Drum by Mickey Hart and we got Grammy Award for the same. I got the award to my place here in India as I was not able to go. It was a melody group with artists from seven different countries.
We did a tour for the same through different costs of America. I would like to quote an incident here. When we reached the airport, I was caught and asked what the Ghatam was. I tried to explain in different ways but they did not understand. So I decided to play a small tune and they were extremely happy and thrilled to see how much sound a mere pot can make.
During those times, it was believed that the metallic sound of the ghatam was more suited for female voices than male voices. Sulamangalam sisters, P. Leela, U.R Jeevarathnam, T. V Ratnam, to name a few, offered Vikku ji chances in their carnatic and light music concerts. He later became a permanent artist in the concerts of M.L Vasanathakumari, Radha Jayalakshmi, K.B Sundrambal and later D.K Pattamal.
Since his dad believed that his career would go up the notch if he played for male singers, through his close friend Sattur Subramaniam Iyer and also violin maestro Sri T.N Krishnan, got him maximum chances.
In the year 1966, he performed his first American UN concert tour which was attended by the representatives of all the countries and was arranged by Sri C.V Narasimhan. He accompanied the nightingale of India M.S Subbulakshmi and Sri T.K Muthy on the mridangam. He has also taught Ghatam at Berkley Center of World Music.
Later, his career was enhanced where he performed with renowned artists like L Shankar(Violin), Zakir Hussain(Tabla), Hariprasad Chaurasia, Shivakumar Sharma, Briju Maharaj, Sultan Khan and Pandit Durgalal and they took the world by storm.
Every genre of Indian music has been enriched by legendary artistes who have added a new dimension to their art, leaving an indelible mark for generations to come. The IME Museum has in its collection many instruments and objects that have been owned and played by legendary musicians - a selection of these is displayed here.
Bismillah Khan
Bismillah Khan (1916-2006) was a legendary Hindustani classical musician who played the shehnai.
Hailing from Benares, he took the shehnai to prestigious concert platforms in India and around the world, and collaborated extensively with other musicians.
Bismillah Khan's Shehnai
The shehnai is a wind instrument of North India made of wood, with a double reed at one end for blowing, and a flared bell at the other.
Originally a folk instrument that was used in processional music during weddings and funerals, it was given a special place on the Hindustani classical concert platform, in large part due to the efforts of Bismillah Khan.
Courtesy: Zamin Hussain (Son of Bismillah Khan)
Ravi Shankar's Sitar
The sitar is a long-necked string instrument (tat vadya or chordophone), which is played by plucking its strings. While the 13th century poet and musician Amir Khusro is frequently credited with having invented the sitar, the instrument rose to prominence in the Delhi court of the early 18th century.
The sitar shares features with older Indian instruments as well as similar instruments of Persian origin. The Ravi Shankar-style sitar usually has two thumba-s (chamber resonators), 6 main and 13 sympathetic strings, and rich ornamentation.
Courtesy: The Ravi Shankar Foundation
Ravi Shankar's Modified Sitar
Towards the end of his life, Ravi Shankar played a sitar, whose build was modified to suit his frail frame. It had only one thumba and was smaller in size.
This sitar was played by the maestro at his last concert in India, at Bengaluru in 2012.
Tuning Pegs
The sitar has tuning pegs, each corresponding to a string. The tuning pegs of the sitar serve to increase and decrease the pitch of each string by varying the tension.
This sitar features stainless steel tuning pegs in place of the usual wooden ones.
Ravi Shankar's Tanpura
The tanpura is a long-necked stringed instrument, used in both Hindustani and Karnatik classical music, whose strings are generally tuned to the tonic note (aadhara shadja) and its fifth (pancham). The strumming of the tanpura provides the drone and the aesthetic canvas upon which music is performed by the vocalist or instrument player.
The tanpura helps to set much of the meditative mood that is characteristic of Indian classical music. While more portable electronic and digital variants of the tanpura have been in vogue for a few decades now, Ravi Shankar always had the acoustic version accompany him in concerts.
Courtesy: The Ravi Shankar Foundation
Ravi Shankar's Surbahar
The surbahar is a long-necked plucked stringed instrument, closely related to the sitar. It is usually larger than a sitar and has a lower tone, and is sometimes referred to as a bass sitar.
Ravi Shankar initially played the surbahar before changing over to the sitar, which was more amenable to up tempo renditions. He however retained some of the surbahar aesthetic, reveling in the lower octaves while exploring the raga.
Courtesy: The Ravi Shankar Foundation
M S Subbulakshmi's Tambura
The playing of the tanpura provides the drone and sets the ambience upon which the music is played or sung.
Displayed at Indian Music Experience Museum is a Thanjavur-style tambura belonging to M S Subbulakshmi.
Bhimsen Joshi
Bhimsen Joshi (1922-2011) was one of the greatest vocalists of the Hindustani classical tradition. Belonging to the Kirana gharana, and a disciple of Sawai Gandharv, his music was characterized by robust and powerful singing, expansive creativity, as well as emotional intensity. Most present-day vocalists have been influenced to varying degrees by his music.
Bhimsen Joshi received the Bharat Ratna in 2009.
Bhimsen Joshi's Concert Attire
Bhimsen Joshi was a simple dresser, usually seen in simple cotton or silk kurta (long shirt) and cotton pyjama. On some formal occasions, he would wear an additional waistcoat on his kurta. As he grew older, he would drape a shawl over his shoulders, and received innumerable shawls by way of honours from concert presenters and admirers.
Courtesy: Laxmi Joshi (Daughter-in-law of Bhimsen Joshi)
Zakir Hussain
Zakir Hussain (b.1951) is a percussion maestro of India, and a master of the tabla. Son and disciple of the legendary Alla Rakha, Hussain has been part of pathbreaking world music collaborations such as Shakti, Maestros of Percussion and Global Drum Project with Mickey Hart.
A GRAMMY Award winner, he is the recipient of the Padma Bhushan from the Government of India.
Zakir Hussain's Tabla
The origins of the tabla are shrouded in mystery. The instrument could have emerged from any of the various twin drums of local origin, or those that came to India with conquering armies.
The tabla surfaced around the 15th century in response to the need for a softer and more agile rhythmic accompaniment than the older pakhawaj.
Keys of the Harmonium
The discrete keys of the harmonium are at odds with the microtonal nature of Indian classical music. Skilled harmonium players overcome this paradox by playing at a speed fast enough to make the notes seem continuous and flowing.
Bellows
To facilitate playing while seated on the ground, the Indian harmonium has bellows at the back that can be operated with the left hand instead of foot pedals.
Bellows aid in pumping air into the harmonium. These can be opened to the top or to the side, however, side-opening bellows require lesser force to be exerted while pumping compared to the top opened ones.
M.S. Subbulakshmi was born to sing. Her unchallenged position in the realm of Carnatic music was the result of great talent combined with hours of practice and utter devotion. Subbulakshmi began her formal training in music when she was five. Her first stage performance was at the age of eight. It is said that the young Subbulakshmi would practice her ragas even between household chores, keeping time to the most intricate and complex beats of Carnatic music. M.S. Subbulakshmi used music as an instrument to motivate people, especially during the freedom movement. Her music inspired all those who heard it and she was celebrated and acclaimed wherever she went. In this graphic biography, Amar Chitra Katha pays tribute to the legend and her invaluable contribution to the world of music.
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