About the Book "The Secunderabad Karnataka Sangha ar ranged an exquisite music concert on Au gust 24, by Sri Vinjamuri Varadaraja lyengar, Principal. Central School of Music and Dance. A leading disciple of the late Tiger Varadachariar, he has completely assimi lated the three cardinal features of his mas ter, namely, rare kalpana Swaras Apoorva Sancharas and an inimitable technique of Tana singing. Vinjamuri has the gift of a powerful voice and in addition to imbibing Tiger's matchless imagination and tech nique, irrigates his music with the emotion and devotion of Music and Semmangudi. regulates it with the steadiness and method of Ariyakudi and punctuates with the Tala sense of Chittoor with all its rigour and vigour. His sahitya is flawless and he is equally at home in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada and Sanskrit. He rose to rare height and held the audience captivated for nearly three hours. He took them completely by surprise and one could hear them saying that it was the best performance of this place after Ariyakudi's concert two years ago. Those who have watched with dismay the passing away one by one pillars of Carnatic Music heaved a sigh of relief when they found a repository of Sampradaya
About the Author Dr. Vinjamuri Varadaraja lyengar was born in Guntur Town of Andhra Pradesh on 15th July, 1915. He passed away on 16th August 1991 at Hyderabad. He was the son of late Sri V. Bhavanchariar and Smt. Kanakavalli.
Sri Vinjamuri Varadaraja lyengar was the last of a family of 13 brothers and sisters. The entire family was musically talented. Sri V. Bha vanachariar was a great lover of music as well as a social activist. All the brothers and sisters were involved in the independence movement and served jail terms for their pro-independence activities. Eminent musicians of the time such as Veena Seshanna, Muthaiah Bhagavathar, Chittoor Subramanya Pillai, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Palghat Rama Bhagavathar, Sarojini Naidu, Veena Venkata Ramana Das, Adibhatla Narayana Das and several others stayed at Sri Bhavanachariar's residence during that period and spent considerable time discussing music.
Foreword Sri Vinjamuri Varadaraja Iyengar does not, in fact, need any special introduction for the lovers of classical carnatic music in the country or inparticular, those in Andhra Pradesh. His public performances in music which started at his seventh year spanned a period of nearly seventy years, during which period he had endeared himself to the community and came to be revered as one who had sound academic knowledge of the basics in carnatic music.
Preface Sriman Vinjamuri Varadaraja Iyengar (1915-1991), was a versatile person. He was an outstanding Musician, a respected Musicologist, a composer whose compositions won acclaim from many a Sangita Kalanidhi who also sang them, and he was a Music administrator-First Principal of the Music College, Hyderabad 1952-53, Producer of Music at All India Radio, Hyderabad (1956-64). He was associated with a number of Music organizations including the Thyagaraja Aradhana Mahotsava Sabha, Tiruvaiyyar (1948-1952). More biographical details about Vinjamuri are available in a sketch contained in the first volume of "Sangita Vahini". A number of articles and speeches of Vinjamuri on music were published in the first volume of 'Sangita Vahini', released in 1992.
Book's Contents and Sample Pages
