S.V.K

Each musician strikes a characteristic path to performing eminence, steadfastly clinging to a sampradaya drawing its inspiration from Patnam Subramanya Iyer through the genius of Tiger Varadachariar. M.D.Ramanathan's understanding of the purpose of music was that the dimensions of sangita include not only sastra and creativity, but its essential emphasis was the core of spirituality. Those who have been fortunate to hear Tiger in his heyday have said that his technique was not confined to vilambakala alone, as was the forte of Ramanathan. But M.D.Ramanathan was humble enough to realize and to give expression to it among his friends and admirers that no musician could absorb all that the Tiger treasure house had to offer. Ramanathan's greatness rests in the fact that his musical equipment was admirable suited for vilambakala exposition and he stuck to it right through. It is true that the painfully slow pace of Ramanathan's singing and the low sruti left the accompanists pretty much to fend for themselves, but he could not help it.

Any assessment of Ramanathan's contribution to Carnatic music has to be in the light of the essential feature of our musical heritage expounded by the songs of the Trinity. The springs of Tyagaraja's songs are intuited in the inspired depths of Ramabakthi. So are the kirtanas of Dikshitar and Syama Sastri, M.D.Ramanathan was blessed to comprehend that the soul of the compositions of the Trinity ought to be reached not by an effort of the intellect but by the heart as ineffable visions of the divine revealed through Nada.

A true Sadhaka that he was never mistook of Sastra for Sangita. If lofty music invites the listeners to reflect upon Nada and leads them to hear its echo in the deep recess of the heart, M.D.Ramanathan recitals discharged that true function of a gayaka. Through his concerts he made it clear that such an interpretation of classical music was the summit of his aspiration. In its final reaches, a sensitive musician's conscious efforts are to the realization of the divine nature of music. Sublime music is an experience both to the performer and the listener.

Vilambakala exposition necessarily means the pursuit of enduring values and the restless meandering of ascents and descents in a scale go out of the picture. The lovingly lingering way Ramanathan savored the beauties of melody and sahitya of the great composers provided the listener the Bhakthi face of Carnatic music. With his purity of tone, admirable vilambakala pacing and spacing his concerts were noble and dignified and beguilingly musical and aesthetic. The sweetness seeped into the listener's heart without forcing it through brazenness. He sang the kirtanas - Giripai. Akshayalinga Vibho, Ninuvina Gamari, Kshenamai, Janani Ninuvina to mention a few - from commanding heights of aesthetic perception, the music moving in massive chords. All the delicate details were cherished and chewed with relish. He never handled a song without heightening its emotional content. It was inspiring and elevating to be seated in the auditorium to share M.D.Ramanathan's exposition, to witness the translation of his thinking into music amazingly deep-toned. The mosaic of sound was always enthralling in resonance and amplitude.

M.D.Ramanathan's ideal was to present to the listener an experience quite as much spiritual as musical through his ravishing tonal depth. His music was directed to soothe rather than seduce.