BENGALURU: Vidwan HS Nagaraj, a Carnatic vocalist, is a performer and music teacher. He feels that teaching is an important aspect than just performing on stage. Very few people are fond of learning and exploring music. Imparting knowledge of music and making them understand the rich culture behind classical music becomes a key factor, and only a teacher can impart it best.
Born in Shimoga to HN Shankar Bhat (Sanskrit scholar) and HS Saraswatamma, Nagaraj was first taught music from his mother. Though not a professional singer, she sang at her neighbours’ places during poojas and other ceremonies. After learning from his mother, he went to to Vid. H. Rama Jois for formal training, and later joined Vid. H. R. Prasanna Venkatesh for further lessons.
Having completed B.Sc and Vidwat in Carnatic vocal music, he rejected the opportunity of studying Ayurvedic medicine for music. “Ours is a rich culture with various art forms, and concentrating on one art form and pursuing it takes a life time. I wanted to concentrate and pursue music alone,” adds Nagaraj.
Vidwan Nagaraj runs a set of institutions under the ‘Groups of Guruguha. Presently called Shree Guruguha Sangeeta Mahavidyalaya, it was started 42 years ago under the name Shree Sangeetha Pathashala with the aim of teaching music to students in a guru-shishya traditional way. “Guru Shishya parampara is a traditional way of teaching a student, and it involves only one guru who concentrates on four students. Lately, students enroll themselves to universities where there are many teachers, and it gets confusing for a student to develop a particular style,” says Nagaraj.
Guruguha Ganasabha was started with the objective of providing uninterrupted music and encouraging local and young artists of Karnataka. Music concerts, workshops, exhibitions, music camps and Aaraadhana Mahotsavas of legendry music composers have been rendered jointly by Mahavidyala and Ganasabha. “Like Carnatic music, Hindustani also represents our Indian heritage and Shree Guruguha Sangeeta Bharathi was started to render both. If Hindola raga is rendered on the first day by a Carnatic musician, on the next day Malkauns raga, a raga equivalent to Hindola, will be rendered by a Hindustani musician,” says Nagaraj.
Talking about fusion music, he says that it requires a miracle to happen after enormous research rather than just entertainment. To perform two kinds of music at one time on a given stage, the music has to be thoroughly researched and then performed as a music programme and it would still not be fusion music. Performing them would be like drinking coffee and tea together in your left and right hands. You won’t get a taste of either. He feels voice culturing is an important aspect for a musician, and one has to be very sensitive towards his own singing. “He/she has to be keen on listening to his/her own music while singing. We culture our voice automatically when we speak to different kinds of people. Same way, different genres of music demand different tones. Voice is the most important and delicate part of the body and it has to be taken care of. Drinking very hot water or eating black pepper seeds decreases the ability of a fine voice,” he explains.
The best way to learn voice culturing is to observe a good singer. The different octaves a singer follows teaches a lot about voice culturing and control,” he says. Nagaraj, says biggest challenge faced by students now is their desperation to stage their performance as early as possible. A music student has to learn, get into the depth of it, understand the roots of it and practice music till he is capable of performing on stage.
He has composed a number of Sangeeta Roopakas (compositions), has several CDs to his credit and has performed extensively in Karnataka, across India and abroad.