Lalgudi Jayaraman

His disciples included his two children Lalgudi G. Krishnan and Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi; Harikatha exponent Vishaka Hari; Carnatic vocalist Saketharaman; Vittal Ramamurthy; film music composer Girishh G; and Bombay Jayashri Ramnath.

• Name — Lalgudi Jayaraman • Born — 17 September 1930 • Birthplace — Edayathumangalam, Trichinopoly District, Madras Presidency, India (now Tiruchirappalli district, Tamil Nadu, India) • Died — 22 April 2013 • Place of death — Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India • Instrument — Violin • Genre — Indian classical music • Occupation — Violinist, composer, • Years Active — 1942–2013

Lalgudi Jayaraman is the fourth generation musician in the Shishya parampara of Sri Thyagaraja. Lalgudi Jayaraman's disciple lineage to Sri Thyagaraja traces back to his father Lalgudi Gopala Iyer, who learnt from Valadi Radhakrishna Iyer, who was a disciple of Lalgudi Rama Iyer, one of the direct disciples of Sri Thyagaraja. He was trained in Carnatic music by his father, V. R. Gopala Iyer, under whose guidance he studied the traditions and techniques of the art form.

At the age of 12, he started his musical career as an accompanying violinist to Carnatic musicians before rising as a prominent soloist. He expanded the style of violin playing by inventing a new technique that is designed to suit the needs of Indian Classical Music and establishing a unique style that came to be known as Lalgudi Bani. Jayaraman composed several 'kritis', 'tillanas' and 'varnams' and dance compositions, which are a blend of raga, bhava, rhythm and lyrical beauty. Lalgudi's instrumental talent comes to the fore in the form of lyrical excellence. He brought vocal style into violin, and his renditions exhibit knowledge of lyrical content of the compositions. Lalgudi actively and scientifically learned to self-critique his performances and dutifully wrote detailed reviews after each concert, a habit encouraged by his father and guru. He was loath to experiment on stage in his solo concerts and almost always planned to the last detail, leading a certain critic to tout them as being intellectual rather than emotional in spirit, but Lalgudi's spontaneity and innate musical genius were often seen when he accompanied leading vocalists. He was always in great demand for accompanying vocalists, and has accompanied vocal virtuosos including Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, M. D. Ramanathan, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, G. N. Balasubramaniam, Madurai Mani Iyer, Alathur brothers, Voleti Venkateswarulu, Nedunuri Krishnamurthy, K. V. Narayanaswamy, Maharajapuram Santhanam, D. K. Jayaraman, M.Balamuralikrishna, T. V. Sankaranarayanan, T. N. Seshagopalan and flute maestro N. Ramani. He was forbidden from accompanying female artistes by his father, a promise that he kept. He has given concerts extensively in India as well as abroad. The Government of India sent him to Russia as a member of the Indian Cultural Delegation. He was the first to bring international attention to the Carnatic style of violin playing. He also introduced a new concept of musical ensemble with violin, venu (flute) and veena in 1966. After inviting him to play the Edinburgh Festival in 1965, Yehudi Menuhin, the renowned violinist, impressed by Lalgudi's technique and performance, presented him with his Italian violin. Lalgudi presented Menuhin with an ivory dancing Nataraja when Menuhin visited India. He has also performed in Singapore, Malaysia, Manila and East European countries. His recordings submitted to the International Music Council, Baghdad, Asian Pacific Music Rostrum and Iraq Broadcasting Agency by AIR New Delhi have been adjudged as the best and accorded the first position out of 77 entries received from the various countries during 1979. He was invited to give concerts at Cologne, Belgium and France. The Government of India chose him to represent India at the Festival of India in USA, London and he gave solo and 'Jugalbandi' concerts in London and also in Germany and Italy that received rave reviews. Sri Lalgudi went on a tour in the year 1984 to Oman, UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, which was highly successful. He composed the lyrics and music for the operatic ballet Jaya Jaya Devi, which premiered in 1994 at Cleveland, Ohio (US) and was staged in many other cities in the United States. In October 1999, Lalgudi performed in the UK under the auspices of Sruthi Laya Sangham (Institute of fine arts). After the concert, a dance drama Pancheswaram, composed by Lalgudi, was staged. His biography, An Incurable Romantic, by Lakshmi Devnath, was released posthumously in 2013. It contains a foreword by sitarist Ravi Shankar, and charts his 70 years in the music industry.

Lalgudi Jayaraman was married to Smt Rajalakshmi and had two children, son G.J.R.Krishnan and daughter Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi. Both follow the footsteps of their father and are famous in their own right. Jayaraman had three sisters Padmavathy, a vainika, Rajalakshmi and Srimathi, both violinists. Srimathi learned violin from him as well. The renowned veena player Jayanthi Kumaresh is his sister Smt Rajalakshmi's daughter. Jayaraman died on 22 April 2013 after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home in Chennai.

• Compositions — Raga — Language • Chalamu séyanéla — Valaji — Telugu • Parama karuna — Garudadhvani — Telugu • Neevé gatiyani — Nalinakanthi — Telugu • Neevégaani — Mandari — Telugu • Vallabhai nayaka — Mohanakalyani — Tamil • Devi un paadamé — Devagandhari — Tamil • Ramanai Raghunathanai — Atana — Tamil • Thirumal Maruga — Andolika — Tamil • Unnai yandri — Kalyani — Tamil • Ento Premato — Bahudari — Telugu • Tarunam En Taye — Saama — Tamil • Jalajaksha Ni Padame — Asaveri — Telugu • Inta Tamasamela — Kanada — Telugu • Arunodayame Anbin Vadivame — Bowli — Tamil • Nambum Anbarkkarulum — Varamu — Tamil • Nadaswaroopini — Neelambari — Telugu • Engum Nirai Daivame — Hamsavinodini — Tamil

• Compositions — Raga — Language • Innam En Manam — Charukesi — Tamil • Senthil Nagar Mevum — Neelambari — Tamil • Devar Munivar Tozhum — Shanmukhapriya — Tamil • Angayarkanni Anandam Kondale — Ragamalika (Navarasa pada varnam) Ragas: Bilahari, Huseni, Valaji, Saranga, Sucharitra, Athana, Rasikapriya, Sahana, Nadanamakriya — Tamil

• Raga — Tala — Language • Vasanta — Adi — Telugu • Darbari Kanada — Adi — Tamil • Bageshree — Adi — Tamil • Desh — Adi — Tamil • Hameer kalyani — Adi — Telugu • Behag — Adi (Tisra Nada) — Tamil • Anandabhairavi — Adi — Telugu • Kapi — Adi (Tisra Nada) — Tamil • Tilang — Adi — Tamil • Dwijavanti — Adi — Sanskrit • Pahadi — Misra Chapu — Sanskrit • Kanada — Adi — Tamil • Kuntalavarali — Adi — Tamil • Brindavani — Adi — Tamil • Kadanakuthuhalam — Adi — Tamil • Mohanakalyani — Adi — Sanskrit • Raga — Tala — Language • Yamuna kalyani — Misra Chapu — Tamil • Sindhu Bhairavi — Adi — Tamil • Chenchurutti — Adi (Tisra Nada) — Tamil • Bhimplas — Adi — Tamil • Rageshree — Adi — Telugu • Revati — Misra Chapu — Tamil • Vaasanti — Misra Chapu — Tamil • Madhuvanti — Adi — Tamil • Khamas — Adi — Tamil • Misrasivaranjani — Adi — Tamil • Mand — Adi — Tamil • Hamsanandi — Adi — Tamil • Karnaranjani — Adi — Tamil • Nalinakanthi — Adi — Tamil • Bindumalini — Adi — Tamil • Durga — Adi — Sanskrit Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman also tuned the Swathi Thirunal thillana 'Gitu Dhunika Taka Dhim' in Raga Dhanashree and set the compositions in its current form, which then went on to become hugely popular

• Krithi — Raga — Language • Vinayakunnadeva — Dharmavati — Telugu • Kandan Seyalandro — Nattakurinji — Tamil • Ten Madurai Vazh — Hamsaroopini — Tamil • Kumara Guruguham — Shanmukhapriya — Sanskrit • Nee Dayai Seyyavidil — Begada — Tamil • Sri Jagadeeswari Durga — Ahir Bhairav — Sanskrit Apart from these compositions, Sri Lalgudi jayaraman has composed jathiswarams and swarajathis as well. The jathiswaram in Rasikapriya raga is popular among Bharatanatyam dancers. He has also composed a unique swarajathi which demonstrates the concept of Grahabhedam, using ragas Sindhu Bhairavi, Chenchurutti, Mohanakalyani, Behag and Tilang. He was a much sought after tunesmith who set tunes to numerous songs and compositions including several krithis of Ambujam Krishna.