On the third floor of the Music Studio in the Center for the Arts, an enormous black and white photograph of an Indian family hangs on the door of room 313. This is the door to the office of Wesleyan’s Adjunct Instructor of South Indian Music, Balu Balasubrahmaniyan, who will be directing and performing in the Spring Faculty Music Concert at the World Music Hall on April 7.
This year, the concert will focus on classical South Indian music, featuring several compositions in different Indian languages. Balasubrahmaniyan himself will sing several classical South Indian pieces accompanied by Anantha Krishnan on the violin and David Nelson, the Artist in Residence at Wesleyan, who will be playing mridangam, a classical South Indian drum.
Balasubrahmaniyan has had a lifetime of experience performing South Indian music. His first teacher was his father, who began his musical education in their hometown of Madras, India. Balasubrahmaniyan went on to study music at Madras University where he received his BMA and Masters in Philosophy. In 1985 he joined an organization for Indian musicians and began performing in concert halls in cities all over India, including Bombay and Deli.
It was in the mid-90s that he first met a man who would become a major influence in his life: friend and teacher T. Viswanathan. Balasubrahmaniyan and Viswanathan worked frequently together over the next several years and in 2002, Balasubrahmaniyan was invited to perform a solo concert at the International South Indian Music Festival in Cleveland, Ohio.
“I had been working in the Madras University music department when I got the chance to come to Cleveland,” Balasubrahmaniyan said. “At the time I visited the United States, T. Viswanathan was the Artist in Residence at Wesleyan University.”
In 2002, Viswanathan passed away. Balasubrahmaniyan applied for the post and this past fall began teaching as Adjunct Instructor. He was soon asked to take charge of this year’s Spring Faculty Concert. In addition to vocals, Balu will be playing an instrument called the tambura.
Talking about the tambura causes an instant change in Balasubrahmaniyan’s demeanor. He relaxes and smiles; this is clearly his favorite subject. His prized instruments line the wall in multi-colored casings. As he opened the pastel packaging to reveal the tambura, his face lit up, and suddenly he was a child with his new favorite toy. From one of the tubes he extracted what looked like a large wooden object, which resembles a stringed lollipop more than a guitar.
Balasubrahmaniyan sat on the floor to play. He became relaxed and jovial. Laying the tambura across his lap, he struck a few notes, and chuckled. The strings vibrated in a bizarre pulse. The strings hummed like static from a radio and their throbbing vibrations filled the room as his thick fingers danced across the wooden surface.
“They take a few minutes to tune,” he said.
The tambura is used to keep a steady drone throughout the piece of music, a constant tone upon which the musicians build.
“There is no set melody,” he said.
To demonstrate, he began to sing along with the pulse. His melody is a lilting strain that seems to climb the scale like a nimble spider. This music is something intensely personal for Balasubrahmaniyan , and seated on the floor of his office, he gave an intimate performance.
A cultural and social barrier tends to separate Balasubrahmaniyan from his adopted nation. However, the very music that brought him to this country, a sound his students find so strange and beautiful, allows him to transcend two vastly different cultures. Something in the air puts him immediately in touch with those around him. This is music at its finest.
The Spring Faculty Concert will be held at 8 p.m. in the World Music Hall, this Wednesday, April 7.
Leave a Reply