M.S. Gopalakrishnan, popularly known as MSG, was born on June 10th 1931. MSG learnt from his father, late Professor Parur Sundaram Iyer, the famous violinist who was an authority on the two systems of Indian Classical Music, i.e., North Indian (Hindustani) and South Indian (Carnatic) systems. MSG learnt both systems from his father and gave his first performance along with his father at the age of eight. A top ranking violinist, outstanding soloist and accompanist, MSG has been in the music arena for over fifty years playing both Hindustani and Carnatic Music. MSG has done vast research on violin-playing techniques. He has developed a new unique style called the "Parur style". He is a versatile violin artiste famous for playing melodies, speed, special fingering technique, and bowing technique. His violin tonal quality is clear, and the audience can clearly hear the swarams thus making it more melodious. He has won numerous awards including the Padma Sri, Kalaimamani, Sangeetha Kalanidhi and the Sangeet Natak Akademi award.
M.S.Gopalakrishnan is a legendary artiste who extends the frontiers of his acumen and acclaims beyond the confines of Carnatic music to wider acceptance by audiences all over the country and has won international recognition for themselves. As for M.S.Gopalakrishnan, he gave early evidence of making his bow as a violinist and thus had the benefit of expert guidance from his father who was the Professor of Music at the University of Bombay. This in itself proved a providential circumstance as it helped to build a bridge of understanding between Carnatic and Hindustani sangeet paddhatis during his impressionable years from six to sixteen.
When young M.S.Gopalakrishnan blazed upon the musical horizon like a meteor, his brilliance dazzled even maestros of Hindustani music like Pt. Onkarnath Thakur and Pt. Paluskar who readily accepted the young virtuoso as an accompanist. With a baptism such as this, M.S.G has never looked back. With the crystal-clear tonal purity of his Carnatic lineage and the emotional impact of the 'Shruti-Bhaav' insight of the Hindustani gayaki mode, he has evolved a unique style of his own which imparts more depth and dimension to ragas than hitherto expressed through instrumental music. Through relentless researches and riyaaz, M.S.G has innovated newer techniques on his violin such as one-finger playing, thematic development on single-string octaves to make his violin a more expressive medium.
With artistry such as this at his fingertips, no less a violin virtuoso than the internationally acclaimed Yehudi Menuhin exclaimed, 'I have not heard such violin in all my travels!'. How superbly this young Indian is playing our instrument?'. Coming from Yehudi Menuhin, this should be construed as the highest compliment. Whether he is playing a 'Kriti' of Shree Thyagaraja for the rasikas of Carnatic music or a Masitkhani gat for lovers of Hindustani music, M.S.Gopalakrishnan and his audiences share a rapport which is the key of his popularity the world over. Recently he astounded an audience in Holland by playing a small piece of Beethoven. To an artiste of such boundless genius, all the world is a stage - and the sky is not the limit. Once Yehudi Menuhin heard M.S.G play the Kalyani ata varnam using only one string with so much fervour and impressed by it, mentioned everywhere about "a man who played in the G string '(with one finger)', whose name also starts with the letter G".
M.S.Gopalakrishnan has toured all over the world including countries like USA, UK, Holland, South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hongkong. US organisations should well consider inviting M.S.Gopalakrishnan for a concert tour in the near future which will benefit rasikas in the US. Narmada, daughter of M.S.G, has a Ph.D in music from the Delhi University. Her doctoral thesis was aptly a comparison on North & South Indian music styles. Apart from her duet concerts with her father, she is a sought after accompanist to many leading Carnatic vocalists. She had her training from her grandfather Parur A. Sundaram Iyer and continues with her training form her father. She has toured all over the world including countries like USA, UK, Holland, South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hongkong. She has been awarded the Best Violinist award by the Music Academy, Madras, consecutively eight times. She had won her doctoral degree from Delhi University as a U. G. C. fellow under able guidance from Sitar Vituoso Prof. Renu Chauwdhari and Dr. K. G. Ginde, renowned musicologist. She had command over and flair for a number of language like English, Sanskrit and French. Her articles on Music have been widely published in journals from all over the world. She is also giving vocal concerts being trained by her mother and Shri. T. M. Thyagarajan. Her aim is to propagate the Parur-MSG style in the Violin, playing all over the world.
Year Title 1960 Violin Vadhya Samrat - Bombay Sivananda Ashram, India. 1975 Padmashri - Govt. of India 1976 Violin Vadhya Chakravarthy - New York, U.S.A. 1978 Kalaimamani - Govt. of Tamilnadu, India. 1979 Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy award, India. 1980 T.Chowdiah award - Karnataka, India. 1982 Central Sangeetha Nataka Academy award, India. 1997 Sapathagiri Sangeetha Vidwanmani - Thirupathi Devasthanam, India. 1998 Sangeetha Kalanidhi - Music Academy, Madras, India.
TVG was complete master, a little maestro at the of six when he gave his maiden concert before the last viceroy of India, Lord Linlithgow. By virtue of the long association of over three decades with his guru the Doyen of Carnatic Music, Padmabhushan late Shri. Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, TVG learnt to see and grasp the very soul of the system and not only become his premier disciple but one of the foremost masters. In TVG, the musical system tradition of the family flows full and rich.
Gifted with a mellow, bass voice capable of panoramic range, TVG has trained it with infinite patience and practice and moulded it into a voice that weaves a magic spell of sonic beauty. With complete discipline and concentration, he maintains the purity of Carnatic and Hindustani Systems and an uncompromising adherence to the tradition of both.
TVG has worked hard to bring Carnatic Classical Music and Hindustani music to Europe, United states and other Western countries for nearly two decades by participation in festivals, concerts and workshop cum lecture demonstrations.
As is well known in music circle s, TVG has been unique in having spotted talent and prodigies in music and brought them to lime light in the past 25 years He has introduced the largest number of performing young artistes to the world of music like Ilayaraja, Kadri Gopalnath, T.V.Vaasan, Vidyabhushana, Rajkumar Bharathy, Bhupinder Singh, Sankaran Nambudiri, V.Suresh, Devi, Rajasekhar, Pavan, Madhu Balakrishnan, A.K.Devi, Seigfried Kutterer, Andre Fertier, Herbert Lang, and many others who are being groomed to illuminate the performing arena!
The World is his audience –and he has thrilled listeners the world over! His duets or jugal bhandhis with the great tabla masters like late Pandit Chaturlal, Ustad Alla Rakha, Pandit Shamta prasad and others, have taken the world by storm. He has dazzled thousands of listeners by his performances in the illustrious company of the musicians - George Harrison (Beatles) in USA, solo now of West Germany and Pierre Favre of Paris etc. Amidst his multifarious activities like Performing teaching, organising festivals to propogate Indian cultural heritage. Prof.TVG is also the associate Professor for Music in Birla Institute of Technology (Bits) Pilani. He is intensely engaged in the Practice of Nada Yoga and doing extensive research in the areas of voice culture, frequency analysis in the realm of music therapy.
Prof.TVG's contribution to the art of percurssion especially the Mridangam is unique in this century.He is an integration of the various styles of the era of the old stalwarts like Dakshanamurthi Pillai, Vaikom Krishna Iyer, Palghat Subba Iyer, Palghat Mani Iyer, Palani Subramania Pillai and the other contemporary artistes from other states. He has done extensive research on the instrument, its evolution and development. He has done many innovations to it and made the instrument futuristic.
He has evolved a unique style of accompaniment to suit individual styles of music - mainly song and melody oriented. He is the original exponent of the jugalbandhi having played with Pandit Chatanlal (1955), Pandit Samta Prasad, Pandit Krishnan, Maharaj Ustad Alla Rakha and most of the leading young stars. He has evolved a unique mridangam teaching course, integrating the good from all styles. His book on mridangam due for publication will be a curtainraiser for many more research oriented projects.