George,” said Paul, explaining the role that Baluswamy’s patron, Manali Muthukrishna Mudaliar, played in arranging the interaction with the East India Company. “He is said to have learnt to play the violin from a band in Fort St. He went to pass on the art to Vadivelu Pillai, who became the ‘Asthana Vidwan’ in the court of renowned Carnatic composer Raja Svati Tirunal of Travancore.īaluswamy Dikshitar, brother of Muthuswamy Dikshitar, one of the Carnatic trinity, is known to have been the first person to infuse the violin into Carnatic compositions using the ‘Sa Pa Sa Pa’ string tuning which is still followed today.But like Vedanayagam Sastriar, Baluswamy Dikshitar also learnt the violin from European Christians.
Vedanayagam Sastriar, a Christian, who is known to have composed hundreds of Carnatic keerthanas, learnt to play the instrument as a 12-year-old from German missionary Friedrich Schwarz in 1786. This stringed instrument, which is an integral part of any Carnatic concert today entered the fray through Christian proponents. “We were very disturbed after the controversy and decided to do some research,” said Paul, also a musician.One of the most obvious yet unspoken contributions of Christianity to Carnatic music is the violin. Nithyasree even offered an apology through an FB post ‘for inadvertently hurting your sentiments if any’.Īccording to Paul Wilson, Head of the Department of Chemistry in a private college near the city and his wife Jasmine Wilson, who has an MFA in Indian Music from the Tamil University in Thanjavur, these threats stem from the false notion that Carnatic music has no Christian heritage. Ramanathan confirmed to The Wire that it was indeed his voice.While Krishna has come out strongly against the attempt to make Carnatic music exclusive to one religion, Arun and Nithyasree seemed to have succumbed to the threats. Ramanathan also targeted Magsaysay award winner T M Krishna and singer Nithyasree Mahadevan.
The controversy began when Arun allegedly received a phone call from Ramanathan Seetharaman, founder of a Hindu fundamentalist group on August 6, demanding that he refrain from taking part in the concert. Singer Kalpana Raghavendar filled in for OS Arun, who backed out following threats and criticism from fundamental groups, who alleged he was being used to spread Christianity. CHENNAI:Despite threats from Hindu fundamentalist groups, ‘Yesuvin Sangama Sangeetham’, a concert envisioned by renowned Carnatic artist T Samuel Joseph (Shyaam) went on as planned in the city on Saturday.
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