Career
Often criticized for producing extremely fast gamakam laden sangathis with strength and weight and with wide imagination, a voice as his, running at so fast a speed through the effects of Brighas, twists and turns would come in quick succession that he became an instant hit with both the lay audience as well as those initiated to the arts and science of carnatic music.
In the first half of the 20th century, nobody could sing ragas with an intellectual bend of mind like GNB, for he was the first concert musician to approach the concept of raga alapana in a step-by-step approach. His approach soon inspired the great masters of the day including his arch rival Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer. Semmangudi, overwhelmed by GNB's overpowering musical genius, and the respect GNB had for Semmangudi's style was noteworthy. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer though engaged in "black politics" to bring down G.N.B fame, regretted in the last years of G. N. Balasubramaniam of the sins he committed against a great human being as G.N.B. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer arranged a felicitation function by himself in 1964 to honour G.N.B. & primarily to make amends with the greatest legend Carnatic music has produced in the dawn of the performing era, that is G.N.B. As described in the autobiography of Sri G.N.B, "Ghandarva Ghanam", G.N.B. as moral & dignified as he was, did not insinuate any musician in his life neither did he allowed anyone to comment negatively on any musician in his presence. Apart from his phenomenal music, this alone earned him the praise from his embarrassed rivals & critics. He also raised the need to set a standard for critics to criticize a performing artiste.
Film offers flocked to GNB for his charismatic looks and musical talent. He acted in films, including Bhama Vijayam ( Sathi Anusuya),Sakunthala (Udayanan Vasavadatta (with Vasundhara Devi, mother of Vijayanthimala),and Rukmangada. In "Sakunthalai", he appeared as Dushyantha, alongside the vocalist M.S. Subbulakshmi. M.S. Subbulakshmi was fascinated by his music and embraced his style completely in her early years as mentioned in the book M S - A Life in Music by TJS George. After a short stint in the film industry, GNB returned to the Carnatic music fraternity, due to the overwhelming demand for his performances till his passing in 1965.
Read more about this topic: G. N. Balasubramaniam
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