M S Subbulakshmi-Sublime Singer

In general, classical music has only a niche following. Indian classical music requires a highly evolved sense of listening for one to appreciate it; and Carnatic music is doubly rich in terms of melody and lyrics. The ideals expressed are deeply philosophical, religious and emotional. It requires rigorous training on the part of the artiste to learn, practice and present this with its multifarious hues. The melody and rhythm combine in a heady manner to transport you to the greatest heights
imaginable.



Many people are inhibited in their listening because they fear language as a barrier. But absolute music transcends all these barriers and can appeal to just about anyone with an open mind and an ear for music.

To make a mark worldwide as a classical singer is a mammoth task. But M S Subbulakshmi - known popularly as MS - has ruled the music world for over five decades with her melody, talent and beauty. She has captured the imagination of generations of music lovers. She has been a trailblazer:
Undaunted by the male-dominated music society of her times, she took the music world by storm - and the rest is history.

Born on September 16, 1916, to Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Ammal and Subramania Iyer, MS showed promise of her talent from a very young age. Her mother was already a well-known musician and her maternal grandmother was a talented violinist. Endowed with a captivating, quicksilver voice, MS could reproduce any nuance with amazing clarity. She cut her first record for HMV at the age of 10!

Her mother recognized MS's exceptional talent and shifted from Madurai to Chennai (then Madras) to launch MS on her own. When her mother performed at concerts, MS was the vocal accompanist - she was only 13. She gave her first performance at the prestigious Madras Music Academy at the age of 17. And soon, the young and beautiful MS had a major cult following.

With a charming face framed by curly hair, she soon became a 'star'. In fact, MS also starred in four movies - 'Seva Sadan', 'Shakuntalatai', 'Savitri' and Meera'. It was in and as 'Meera' that the masses totally identified with her. Her absolute devotion in her concerts, her stress on 'bhakti' (worship) -soaked compositions and her very presence on stage made people think of her as a real-life Meera. Later in life, MS lent reality to this image with her rendition of bhajans, slokas and devotional hymns.

In fact, she later acted in the Hindi film version of Meera and her songs captured the hearts of the entire nation.

M S Subbulakshmi's marriage in 1940 to T Sadasivam, a veteran nationalist, was a major turning point in her life. The fact that MS belonged to the Devadasi (temple dancers) clan did not deter this young idealist from marrying her. He gave up his job as the advertising manager of 'Ananda Vikatan', a leading Tamil magazine, and concentrated on guiding MS's musical journey. When the title of Sangita Kalanidhi was conferred on her in 1968, she thanked Sadasivam in her speech at the Madras Music Academy and described him as her "friend, philosopher and guide". Sadasivam guided and moulded MS's music and concerts to perfection. Her concerts are always recalled as being thoroughly rehearsed and flawless. A perfectionist, MS always took great pains to ensure the right pronunciation of the words, the accent and specific emphasis for proper understanding of the lyrics. Her voice enticed listeners and held them spellbound as she took them through the intricacies of Carnatic music.

C Rajagopalachari (Rajaji), the great nationalist leader, was a friend of Sadasivam and through him, MS became known to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi. Her rendition of 'Vaishnava Janato' was a favorite of Mahatma Gandhi. Jawaharlal Nehru was so taken with her singing that he reportedly said, "Who am I, a mere prime minister, before you - the queen of song?"

By the 1950s, MS was a household name and a rage. Aspiring vocalists would dress like her and attempt to emulate her singing. The colour - 'MS blue' - became famous in Kanjeevaram silk sarees.

Charitable causes were close to both husband and wife's hearts. They gave unflinchingly to charity and MS sang innumerable concerts for such causes. The influence of the late Paramacharya of the Kanchi Muth, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, one of the most venerated figures in the Hindu religious hierarchy, strengthened this attitude; all the earnings from her concerts and even commercial recordings went towards notable causes.

MS's rendition of the songs of Annamacharya (the 15th century Telugu composer who remained unknown till the early 20th century) is evidence of her commitment to values and her efforts to preserve our rich heritage.

MS always maintained a very low profile, content to let her husband do the talking for her. Hers has also been a life of sacrifice: she brought up Sadasivam's children as hers and did not have any of her own. But she has always come across as the committed mother and wife, happy and contented,
and has seldom been involved in any controversies. She has carried fame very naturally on her dignified shoulders. A smiling figure dressed traditionally in silk Kanjeevarams, with diamond studs glittering in her ears and on her nose, she is the epitome of charm and feminine grace.

MS slowly withdrew from public concerts from the 1980s onwards, performing only for exceptional causes. She has stopped singing totally after the demise of her husband last year. She spends most of her time indoors, at home in Kotturpuram in Chennai, and meets the occasional visitor with her
customary graciousness. She is surrounded by people who love her and care for her. Now 86, her health is fragile and requires frequent care.

It is inspiring to see the great heights that talent and determination can achieve. To MS, music is life. Can such dedication and single-mindedness fail to bring harmony in life? There are many aspiring musicians to whom MS is a 'manasika' guru, a role model. Her humility in the midst of such enormous talent and recognition is salutary.

Laurels and honors came looking for MS. She was among the earliest to receive the Padma Bhushan in 1954, before many other stalwarts. She had the honor of singing at the United Nations Day celebrations in October 1966.

In 1968, she was the first woman to be honored with the title of Sangita Kalanidhi by the Madras Music Academy. She was elected a Fellow of the Sangeet Natak Academy in 1974. MS has also been awarded honorary Doctorates from the Rabindra Bharati University, Sri Venkateswara University and Delhi University.

The Ramon Magsaysay Award (1974), the Padma Vibhushan (1975) and the Bharat Ratna (2000) - India's highest national civilian honor - have been notable achievements in her lifetime.

But the highest position MS occupies is in the hearts of music lovers. For them, M S Subbulakshmi is a legend who transcends time and whose golden voice brings joy and serenity whenever it is heard lifted in song.

Article Credit - Arun

For the full article, you can visit - http://www.chembur.com/anecdotes/carnatic/ms.htm

Another MS achievement was that, virtually for the first time, she astonished the Westerner into an appreciation of Carnatic music. In the 1960s, the few Indian musicians known outside the country were Hindustani instrumentalists. In the Western world, hardly anyone knew of the complex Carnatic system, which was deemed inexportable. Why, even North Indians found it indigestible. In a conversation with Jawaharlal Nehru, Sadasivam remarked that the West might prefer instrumental to vocal music. "Yes," said Panditji, tapping his fingers. Then looking straight at MS he broke into a smile, "But not in YOUR case!" MS always adds, "By God's grace, what he said came true when I sang at the Edinburgh Festival, at the United Nations and at Carnegie Hall."

On the eve of a public concert in New York, U.N. Chef de Cabinet and Carnatic music expert C.V. Narasimhan was disquieted at the prospect of rejection by the redoubtable critic of the New York Times. He was to call ecstatically the next morning. "You have won. The press overflows with praise." So it did after everyone of the string of concerts that MS gave in the US and in some parts of Europe before all-white audiences, most of whom were strangers to any music from India.

The New York Times said: "Subbulakshmi's vocal communication trancends words. The cliche of 'the voice used as an instrument' never seemed more appropriate. It could fly flutteringly or carry on a lively dialogue with the accompanists. Subbulakshmi and her ensemble are a revelation to Western ears. Their return can be awaited with only eagerness." Dr. W. Adriaansz, Professor of Music, University of Washington, wrote: "For many, the concert by Mrs. Subbulakshmi meant their first encounter with the music of South India and it was extremely gratifying that in her the necessary factors for the basis of a successful contact between her music and a new audience - highly developed artistry as well as stage presence - were so convincingly present...without any doubt (she) belongs to the best representants of this music."

This writer witnessed that kind of wondrous rapture in Moscow when MS performed before a select group of Russian musicians and musicologists in 1988. Midway through the singing a woman came up with flowers. She touched her eyes first and then her heart to communicate her bursting feelings. That this was a shared experience became evident when the applause and the audience followed MS as she left the hall, down the staircase, to the car on the street, until she drove away.

Article Credit - Punjini

Finally one post to give credit to the singer par excellence MS Subbalakshmi fondly referred to as MS!
No south indian home starts their day without listening to her! Her Venkateswara suprabhatam or her Bhaja Govindam and Vishnusahsranama!
I personally grew up by listening to this divine rendition called Bhajagovindam where Shri Rajagoplachari narrates a commentary to a lay man on this very powerful text of AdiShankaracharya! Rajaji in his commentary says
Sri AdiSankara has packed into the Bhajagovindam song the substance of all Vedanta, and set the oneness of Jnana and Bhakti to melodious music.”

MS singing 'Sriman narayana' and 'Kurai ondrum illai' Brings back so so many fond memories
http://www.ecse.rpi.edu/Homepages/shivk ... -illai.htm

here's Kurai ondrum illai ... hope the link's working ... cant check at work ...

Here is some more info on the legend

M.S Subbulakshmi acted in three Tamil films. Her film 'Meera(1945) was a great hit and even the songs were hot chartbusters in those days. Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru fell in love with M.S 's character played in that movie and appreciated her a lot for her performance and her songs in the movie.She also played the role of Lord Narada in one film.





Mahatma Gandhi was so charmed of her Meera bhajans that he requested her to sing the song Hari Tum haro Jan ki bheer (Lord, please dispel the fear in mankind). A message had been sent to Madras that Gandhiji wished M.S. to render his favourite bhajan, "Hari tum haro", and a response had gone from husband Sadasivam to the effect that since she did not know how to sing this particular bhajan, somebody else could sing "Hari tum haro", and she could sing another bhajan. A reply had promptly come back on behalf of the Mahatma: "I should prefer to hear it spoken by Subbulakshmi than sung by others."

In the late 1950s, as she sang at the Ramakrishna Ashram in Delhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, was among the audience. At the end of the recital he was so moved that he bowed, and said, "What am I, a mere prime minister before a queen of music (he was to repeat it in every speech of his, praising her)."

Not unexpectedly, "she talks, sings and lives music twenty-four hours a day," and is deeply religious. The puja (prayer) room in her house has three life-size portraits of Sri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati Sankaracharya, the saint whom she calls "divinity in flesh and blood," and who has "been instrumental in restoring the faith and religious temperament of the people of Madras and reclaiming many to the path of God" in recent years. As her guru, he selected the verses for the highly popular record she made in 1970 of the Bhajagovindam (some 30 verses composed by the poet-philosopher Sankara in praise of Lord Krishna, which are both musical and of much philosophical content) and Vishnu Sahasranamam (a musical chant of the 1,000 names of Vishnu, one of the three main gods of the Hindu pantheon).

While Lata Mangeshkar called her Tapaswini (the Renunciate), Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan termed her Suswaralakshmi (the goddess of musical notes), and Kishori Amonkar labeled her the ultimate eighth note or Aathuvaan Sur, which is above the seven notes basic to all music. Her many famous renditions of bhajans include the chanting of Bhaja Govindam, Vishnu sahasranama (1000 names of Vishnu) and the Venkateswara Suprabhatam (musical hymns to awaken Lord Balaji early in the morning).

An EMI record of MS SubbulakshmiShe was widely honored, praised and awarded. Some of them more popular ones include Padma Bhushan in 1954, Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1968 (literally, Treasure Chest of Music. She was the first woman recipient of the title), Ramon Magsaysay award in 1974, the Padma Vibhushan in 1975, the Kalidasa Sanman in 1988, the Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration in 1990, and the Bharat Ratna in 1998. She was also honored as the court-singer of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.

Although she was bestowed with enormous prize moneys on these awards, she donated most of them to charity.

She was an ardent devotee of Kanchi Mahaswamigal and she rendered his composition Maithreem Bhajatha (O World! Cultivate peace) in her concert at the UN in 1966. She donated many of the royalties on several best sold records to many charity organizations.

With the death of her husband Sadasivam in 1997, she stopped all her public performances. M.S.Subbulakshmi died on December 11, 2004 after a brief illness, due to complications relating to pneumonia and cardiac irregularities.

for full article: http://musioinn.blogspot.com/2007/08/ms ... egend.html

thanks for the article...I simply love Venkateswara Suprabhatam..It brings you closer to God.I was not finding the right words to describe the feeling and found the words written below..(It just says everything that I wanted to)-

Nothing is more auspicious sounding than the opening strains - Om...kaushalya supraja...MS through her vocals showers loving praises on the Lord. You do not need to know Sanskrit to understand the lyrics. The suprabhatham is our loving "wake-up" call to God. MS effortlessly glides through tongue -twisting stanzas with amazing ease. You can immediately picture the golden Gopurams of Thirupathi, the shining Surya Bhagawan, the blue skies, all the saints, and all the rivers awaiting dawn and celebrating the glory of Venkatesa.

There is a beautiful stanza in the suprabatham - "your devotees come to your earthly dwelling (Tirupathi) in order to pray for attaining moksha; but when they see the beauty of your temple's gopuram, they become content simply with living in this mortal world, just for experiencing the joy of devotion to God and worshipping you"

@ Mini: thanks for Avatar pic

back to topic:

It is not just the Suprabhatam , but MS's rendition of the innumerable vedantic and religious texts have immortalised them.

Have you heard her rendition of Lakshmanachar's the NAMA RAMAYANAM? the entire Ramayan from the Bala Kaanda to Uttara Kaanda is so vividly portrayed here !! I never ever tire of listening to this ! It transports me into another world all together!

http://www.musicindiaonline.com/music/d ... album.430/


@ kirti, Admin ammas, ID ji and all Music lovers your feed back too on this pls!!