Veene Sheshanna
Encyclopedia
Veena
Veena may refer to one of several Indian plucked instruments:With frets*Rudra veena, plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music*Saraswati veena, plucked string instrument used in Carnatic musicFretless...
, an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n string instrument, which he played in the classical Carnatic music
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
style. He was a concert musician at the court of the princely state of Mysore
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...
in south India.
Family
Veene Sheshanna was born in Mysore in 1852 in a family of musicians. His father, Chikkaramappa, was a Vainika (player of the veena) in the court of the MaharajaMaharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
of Mysore. The musical history of the family goes far back and Sheshanna was the descendant of Pachchimeeriyam Aadi Appayya, a noted composer of Carnatic music. According to contemporary practise in Mysore, Sheshanna was married at the age of twelve. His father died soon afterwards.
Training and career
Sheshanna displayed precocious musical talent as a young boy of five. At an early age, he caught the eye of the Maharaja and received expensive gifts from him. He learnt music from Mysore Sadashiva Rao and Veene Venkatasubbayya. He was a diligent student and practised music for several hours each day. The story goes that he would have a heap of a hundred tamarind seeds and each time he played a composition, he transferred a seed to another heap. He did this under the watchful eyes of his elder sister who herself had an excellent knowledge of music and was a demanding tutor. He initially learnt vocal music but then switched to playing the veena, in which he soon gained proficiency.He toured South India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and gave performances at various places. These performances were at the homes of rich patrons of the arts and in the courts of the Rajas as public performances as we know today were practically non-existent in those days. On his return from his tour, he was appointed as the court musician in the court of the Maharaja of Mysore.
His musical talent was prodigious and is reputed to have a mastered many instruments other than the Veene, like the Violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, Piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and Swarabat (a lute like instrument also known as Swaragat). Once, a musician from North India played the jal tarang
Jal tarang
The Jal Tarang , Jaltarang, Jal-tarang, Jal-yantra, Jalatarangam or Jalatharangam, is an Indian melodic percussion instrument. It consists of a set of ceramic bowls tuned with water...
(a tuned percussion instrument made of porcelain cups tuned with varying amounts of water) in the court and the Maharaja was very much impressed by it. Sheshanna requested the artist to leave the instrument with him overnight and the next evening gave a concert of Carnatic music
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
on that instrument in the Maharaja’s presence.
Musical style
In those days many Vainikas played Veene holding it vertically, not unlike the SitarSitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, with the gourd kept in the lap of the player sitting cross-legged. Sheshanna played it holding it in the horizontal position, which is the way it is now played. He was perhaps the originator of what is now the known as the Mysore style of playing. This style is characterised by the two fingers being used alternately to press the string to the frets. They are kept separated from each other most of the time.
Contributions
Sheshanna composed 53 compositions, including Swarajatis, Padas, Javalis and many Tillanas. He had a deep understanding of Hindstani music. His Tillanas in the ragaRaga
A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...
s Behag and Darbari Kanada are proof of this.
The composers Mysore Vasudevacharya and Rallapalli Ananthakrishna Sarma, among others, have showered liberal praise on Sheshanna's technical virtuosity. His fame spread far and wide, yet he always retained his humility. He is reputed to have often exclaimed, "One can play the Veene according to his own abilities. Where can you find the musician who can play it to its full potential?"
Sheshanna used to give public music concerts during the annual Ramanavami and Krishnashthami festivals. These concerts were organised on the roof of his own house and all were welcome to attend them. They were held for ten days each at the time of these two festivals. This brought music from the king’s court and the rich man’s mansion to the doorstep of the common man. Visitors can see a Veena played by Sheshanna at the historical artefacts museum at Dharmasthala,Karnataka.
External links
- Veene Sheshanna (1852-1926) at musicalnirvana.com