The dexterity and subtlety with which he played the violin, he catered not only to the music scholars, but also to the layman.
With music as his life and violin his forte, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, was arguably the best player of violin in India, if not the world. A big vermilion dot, smeared prominently on his forehead below vibhuti, was his trademark symbol, not to mention his queer robes and jewelery. He always wore a large necklace.
The first time I was hearing him was in a cassette I bought, soon after I started learning violin. And immediately, I became his admirer and devotee. The dexterity and subtlety with which he played the violin, he catered not only to the music scholars, but also to the layman. After that I started collecting his cassettes and CD's and became a frequent audience to his music. Some of his masterpieces, which are still fresh and playing on my mind are - 'Vathapi Ganapathim' in Hamsadhwani, 'Bhavayami Raghuramam(ragamalika)', 'Alaipayuthe' in Kanada, 'Magudi' - a snake tune etc. His 'Raghuvamsa sudha' in Kadhanakuthuhalam is a Connoisseur's delight.
And my dream of seeing him perform live, came true when I got tickets for his show at Nishagandhi Auditorium, Trivandrum. And he looked as he is portrayed. A churidhar-type robe, myriad ornaments on his neck and chest, lots of vibhuti and the trademark Vermilion dot. The concert began with elan, starting off with the simplest of varnams - 'Ninnukori' in Mohanam. He followed it up with the 'pancharatna kriti' in Aarabhi. The main song for the concert was 'Thaye Yashoda' in Thodi. The rag-aalap was excellent and the kirtanam, a master-piece. But for me the kalpana swaram stood out. After the usual swarams, he made famous cinematic songs as his kalpana swarams. This included the suprabatham song, 'Kausalya Supraja', the song 'Kannodu' from the movie 'Jeans', and the song 'Snehidhane' from the movie 'Alaipayuthe'. And he ended the concert with 'Harivarasanam' in praise of Lord Ayyappa, which even included the shouts ' Swamiye Sharanamayyappa'.
And I recently got one of his very early works, done in 1991. The Album is titled 'Colours'. It has Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan as the violinist, Zakir Hussain with his tabla and A.R.Rahman with the keyboard. A unique combination and a rare collection. And the songs in this album are way too good as has to be expected from this trio.
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan was awarded the prestigious Padmashri title by the Govt. of India, the Kalaimamani award and the 'Sangeet Natak Akademi Award' by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1993. As the secretary of the Thyagabramha sabha, in Thiruvayyar, Thanjavur, he conducted the 'Thiagaraja aaradhana' for several years. He was also the president of the Raga Research Centre.
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan passed away on September 8, 2008. He was a true magician with the violin being his wand. May his soul rest in peace.
The first time I was hearing him was in a cassette I bought, soon after I started learning violin. And immediately, I became his admirer and devotee. The dexterity and subtlety with which he played the violin, he catered not only to the music scholars, but also to the layman. After that I started collecting his cassettes and CD's and became a frequent audience to his music. Some of his masterpieces, which are still fresh and playing on my mind are - 'Vathapi Ganapathim' in Hamsadhwani, 'Bhavayami Raghuramam(ragamalika)', 'Alaipayuthe' in Kanada, 'Magudi' - a snake tune etc. His 'Raghuvamsa sudha' in Kadhanakuthuhalam is a Connoisseur's delight.
And my dream of seeing him perform live, came true when I got tickets for his show at Nishagandhi Auditorium, Trivandrum. And he looked as he is portrayed. A churidhar-type robe, myriad ornaments on his neck and chest, lots of vibhuti and the trademark Vermilion dot. The concert began with elan, starting off with the simplest of varnams - 'Ninnukori' in Mohanam. He followed it up with the 'pancharatna kriti' in Aarabhi. The main song for the concert was 'Thaye Yashoda' in Thodi. The rag-aalap was excellent and the kirtanam, a master-piece. But for me the kalpana swaram stood out. After the usual swarams, he made famous cinematic songs as his kalpana swarams. This included the suprabatham song, 'Kausalya Supraja', the song 'Kannodu' from the movie 'Jeans', and the song 'Snehidhane' from the movie 'Alaipayuthe'. And he ended the concert with 'Harivarasanam' in praise of Lord Ayyappa, which even included the shouts ' Swamiye Sharanamayyappa'.
And I recently got one of his very early works, done in 1991. The Album is titled 'Colours'. It has Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan as the violinist, Zakir Hussain with his tabla and A.R.Rahman with the keyboard. A unique combination and a rare collection. And the songs in this album are way too good as has to be expected from this trio.
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan was awarded the prestigious Padmashri title by the Govt. of India, the Kalaimamani award and the 'Sangeet Natak Akademi Award' by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1993. As the secretary of the Thyagabramha sabha, in Thiruvayyar, Thanjavur, he conducted the 'Thiagaraja aaradhana' for several years. He was also the president of the Raga Research Centre.
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan passed away on September 8, 2008. He was a true magician with the violin being his wand. May his soul rest in peace.
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