Chittoor Subramaniam Pillai
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Chittoor Subramaniam Pillai was a renowned carnatic singer. A distinguished votary of laya, he had his initial training under his father, who was a violinist. By the age of seven, Subramanyam was well-versed in music. Later he came under the tutelage of Kanchipuram Naina Pillai. He had a bass voice, rich, resonant, that compelled attention. Pillai was versatile both as a performer and as a teacher. Among his hits are Ranidi (Manirangu), Kadalevadu (Narayanagowla) etc.
When the Music Academy conferred the birudu of Sangeetha Kalanidhi on Chittoor Subramania Pillai, T.T. Krishnamachari presided over the function. He said Chittoor Subramaniam was the last representative of the guru-sishya parampara. Chittoor was a replica of Naina Pillai both in physical form and style of rendition. The citation stated "gambheeryam" was the characteristic of Chittoor's style. Gambheeryam means grandeur. Chittoor's music was like a colossal structure with splendorous ornamentation.
Some time in 1955, Chittoor gave a performance at Vijayawada under the auspices of the local Kanaka Durga Kalasamithi. He was accompanied on the violin by M. Balamuralikrishna and the mridanga by Ram Mohan Rao. Because Balamurali was accompanying on the violin the atmosphere was tense from the beginning. Chittoor's music was also marked by tremendous vigour and velocity, not easy to cope with sometimes. That day Chittoor elaborated Nalinakanti and Ahiri as though they were Todi and Sankarabharanam. Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu who was present was stunned. Balamurali played with absolute abandon. It was a marathon performance. A great moment in the life of a music lover.
