Sri Karunya roopini - Punnagavarali - M Balamuralikrishna : An unique composer par excellence

Dr Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna’s towering fame as a performer par excellence was instantly accepted, by some grudgingly and by many readily. So enchanted were the listeners by his silken voice that Balamuralikrishna (BMK) the composer was only incidentally accepted, by many grudgingly and by only some readily. This is understandable to some extent, for to be enchanted by listening to a song is far easy and less demanding than to be taken in by the power of lyrics of a song and the nuances of musical composition behind it. The latter requires not merely keen listening with a sharp ear and musical sense to feel but also an equally powerful compositional acumen and musical brain to understand a composition in totality—musical, lyrical and compositional, not to mention presentational. Put another way, the performer Balamuralikrishna overshadowed the composer Balamuralikrishna that the latter was recognised and acknowledged less frequently. BMK’s abilities as a composer spanned a great breadth that it manifested in a variety of musical forms. And his innovative and creative dimensions, part of his exceptionally strong compositional brain, often stood out seemingly confined to only the novel rāgas that he created and the compositions in them. That his compositional acumen was much more and unparalleled is what Prince Rama Varma alluded to during his presentation on the genius of the music of Balamuralikrishna at Bangalore earlier. As a proof of this, we present in this offering, a composition in the classical rāga cc. Punnāgavarāli is a nishādantya rāga (starts and ends in a single octave, nishāda to nishāda – a janya of Tódi) and is usually presented in Madhyama shruti. In the ascent, chatushruti rishabha also occurs, occasionally though. The rāga is best enjoyed when presented in slow phrases. The rāga is presented in all its rightful and rich glory, with flute as an accompaniment in addition to the usual violin and mridangam. The testimony to the unparalleled compositional acumen of Balamuralikrishna emerges in the composition that follows the rAga, The composition is in celebration of the presiding deity of Vijayawada, goddess Kanakadurga. The aspect that stands out is the stunning charm of the composition in the truly classical rāga Punnāgavarāli. The charming rendition of the rAga, the powerful lyrics, the enchantingly profound musical underpinning that is profound in its simplicity but amazing in its melody. Repeated listening to this composition reveals the composer Balamuralikrishna as an unique composer par excellence in addition to his well known stature as a performer par excellence. We believe this offering will ring in our ears vividly and movingly as the curtains come down on yet another eventful year. Bid adieu to 2018 with an enchanting composition of BMK, the composer par excellence, in the rāga Punnāgavarāli. Acknowledgements: My sincere thanks and appreciation to Sri. T K Ramkumar for his narration and support in bringing out this recording of Punnāgavarāli.