Sambandamurthy Achari: An unsung music scholar

Delving deep into music

Music scholar T.A. Sambandamurthy Achari’s (1913-1977) father Appadurai Achari was an authority on Tiruppugazh, and sang at Naina Pillai’s annual Thiruppugazh festival. “My father acquired a lot of knowledge by listening to my grandfather and through research,” says Sambandamurthy’s son Sahasranamam.

Whenever T.N. Rajaratnam Pillai (TNR) visited Madras, he met Sambandamurthy to discuss apoorva ragas. When Sambandamurthy gave a concert in TNR’s house, the latter asked him to expatiate on some rare ragas. He even once requested Sambandamurthy to compose a song in Kharaharapriya, with a Sampoorna arohana, but using only sa pa ma in the descent. Sambandamurthy tuned the Tiruppugazh ‘Semakomala’, according to TNR’s specifications. TNR and later Kuzhikkarai Pichaiyappa Pillai included it in many concerts. In Trichy All India Radio, TNR and his brother-in -law Thiruvengadu Subramania Pillai played the Tiruppugazh ‘Amudamooru’, which Sambandamurthy had set to tune in Sindhubhairavi.

Sambandamurthy even composed a varnam in praise of TNR. Sambandamurthy argued that there were only 32 melakartha ragas, and that vivadi melas should be excluded. He said that vidwans should take into consideration the inherent rhythm of Tiruppugazh.

Sambandamurthy explained that ‘Kaithala nirai kani’ was in misram. But vidwans sang it in Adi talam, which was against the metre of the verse. He pointed out that there were many verses in Tiruppugazh in which the five jatis of talas could be identified. For instance, ‘Thimira udati’ — Tisram; Kadalai Poriyavarai - Chatusram; niraamaya puraatana - Khanda: and Sinathavar Mudikkum - Sankeernam. D.K.Pattammal learnt Tiruppugazh from Sambandamurthy and his father.

TNR suggested that if anyone had any questions about sruti bheda, they should consult Sambandamurthy, who had done extensive research on the subject.

In 1927, when Sambandamurthy visited Thoothukkudi, he set some Thevaram verses to tune. He set Thirugnanasambandar’s ‘Mandiramaavadu neeru’ in raga Abheri. It became very popular in Thoothukkudi Siva temple, and was sung by Thevaram singers in Pazhani, Madurai, Tiruvarur, Tiruchendur and other temples.

In 1947, nagaswara vidwan Karukurichi Arunachalam learnt the mettu from Sambandamurthy and began playing it in his concerts. The verse was included in Sambandamurthy’s book Isai Varidhi, published in 1956. Naturally, Sambandamurthy was dismayed when the tune was used for the song ‘Singaravelane’ (film Konjum Salangai, 1962), without acknowledging him. He contemplated going to court. But his friends persuaded him to let the matter rest. He wrote that since Karukurichi Arunachalam, Ponnuthayi, Kripanandavariar, Madurai Mariappa Swamigal, T.K. Shanmugam and many others had acknowledged it as his tune, he was not going to look for further recognition.