How it all began, 77 years ago
SRIRAM VENKATKRISHNAN
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The Reception Committee met on January 22, 1928, and resolved that "An Academy of Music be started at Madras."
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MUSEUM THEATRE: The first music conference was held here. Photo: S. Thanthoni.
In 1927, Madras hosted the 42nd All India Congress Session. For years it had been customary in the North to conduct a Music Conference in tandem with the Congress sessions and it was S. Sathyamurthy's desire that a similar one be held in Madras as well.
A committee with Dr. U. Rama Rao, well-known physician and member of the Legislative Assembly, as president, was put together for organising such a conference. His residence, Sudarshan Building, which still stands on Thambu Chetty Street, was the Conference Secretariat.
On December 15, a tentative schedule for the Conference was published in The Hindu, which stated that the Conference would begin on December 24 with performances at the Museum Theatre and also at a specially erected pandal at the Spur Tank where a large colony of tents had sprung up to host the Congress session.
Inauguration
Diwan Bahadur K. Suryanarayanamurti Naidu of Coconada, a great patron of music, was expected to inaugurate the proceedings. Pt. Vishnu Digambar, who was then touring South India, was to preside over the deliberations regarding North Indian music and Mr. C. R. Srinivasa Iyengar over the portions on South Indian music.
CR, who was known as `Keertanacharya,' was a respected scholar in music and a prolific writer and critic on the subject. The news item also stated that "a large number of prominent scholars and musicians will form an expert committee to discuss the various problems concerning our music and its development."
Admission to the Conference was priced at Rs 5, general seating Rs 15, reserved seats Rs 50 and the same price for donors who wanted seats near the dais.
Sale of tickets began at Sudarshan Building, the Mahajana Sabha Hall, Mount Road, and at the Congress Office, Spur Tank from December 18 onwards.
Seven prominent citizens became donors — Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar, the Raja of Parlakimedi, the Zamindar of Seithur, K. Nageswara Rao Pantulu, K. Suryanarayana Murthi Naidu, K. S. Jayarama Iyer and T.R. Venkatarama Sastriar.
The Conference had the crème de la crème of Carnatic music performing. By December 21, the programmes had been put together and were reported in The Hindu.
Hindustani performances were scheduled from 10 a.m. to 12 noon on all days of the Conference. A list of papers to be presented was also published. Among these, most significantly was `The Need for An Academy of Music' by Mr Ramachandran of Nungambakkam.
An Exhibition of musical instruments was to be simultaneously held. Items of interest included an autographed manuscript of Syama Sastry's Talaprasthara, Tyagaraja's Pancharatnams in manuscript, the ivory violin presented by Swati Tirunal to Vadivelu, the veena of Kuppayyar, the flute of Sarabha Sastrigal and the jalra used by Thanjavur Krishna Bhagavatar. Admission to the exhibition was priced at 2 annas.
A revised concert schedule was published on the same day in The Hindu dated December 24 that carried a detailed report on the inauguration of the Conference which commenced with the singing of national songs by Kamaladevi Chattopadyaya.
Dr Rama Rao in his address, it would appear, spoke entirely from a medical point of view for he listed out the benefits that accrue to the body from listening to music and also practising it.
Objectives
Mr Suryanarayanamurthy Naidu declared the Conference open. Pt. Vishnu Digambar addressed the gathering in Hindi and then CR Srinivasa Iyengar spoke on the objectives of the Conference. At 3 p.m. that day, Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer inaugurated the exhibition. His speech was covered at length by The Hindu dated December 25. Papers were presented and concerts performed during the week-long Conference. One of the earliest resolutions adopted was the `banning of the staff notation and adopting the Indian form of notation,' which was hailed by musicologist M. S. Ramaswami Iyer in a letter to The Hindu on December 28. The Conference concluded on December 31 and on January 1, 1928, those who took part in it received certificates and medals.
Among the various resolutions passed was one that read "This Conference requests the Reception Committee of the All India Music Conference, 1927, to organise a Music Academy in Madras for the purpose of improving and encouraging Indian Music and to consider the various problems concerning the theory and practice of Indian Music."
The Reception Committee met on January 22, 1928, and resolved that "An Academy of Music be started at Madras" and "that the balance of funds remaining at the hands of the executive of the Reception Committee be vested in trustees for the benefit of the said Academy".
The rest is history.
(The author can be contacted at sangeetham@sangeetham.com )
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