He is not just another great musician and violinist of the 20th century, but perhaps the one primarily responsible for solo violin performances. He brought in a whole of lot western classical techniques into his playing and also believed in the concept that while playing true to the aesthetics of the composition, the instrumental aspects of the violin should also be brought to the fore front – rather an opposing view to the gayaki style or being true to the voice based style !!

I want to share one story that I heard about him which was later confirmed by his daughter.

In the early 60’s Yehudi Menuhin visited Madras/Chennai and there was a performance by him followed by reception and Dwaram Venkatasway Naidu was invited too. At the end of the performance, he wanted to have a look at the violin and possibly because he was not introduced properly or some mix up of sorts, Yehudi Menuhin flatly refused (not unusual because most violin players refuse to let others touch their instrument even today). Apparently the next day, DVN was performing and it happened that Yehudi Menuhin was brought into the concert and only then it dawned on him that the man on the stage whom he had met the previous day was a fellow violinist ! He sat through the concert and at the end apologized to him and had him play on his violin. I am not sure about the authenticity of the story, but when I asked DM about it she did not want to talk about it. Clearly there was something more than what I heard.

Sri Vijayaragavan from Los Angeles, a great fan of DVN and his daughter, arranged a concert of hers at LA in 2001. He had to jump thru lots of hoops in order get DM to be able to travel to LA for the concert. And it turned out to be a memorable concert. Ten or more years later I ran into him at the Cleveland Aradhana and we briefly talked about the concert. He maintained that the DM concert of 2001 was etched in his mind and believed that it was one of the best concerts he has heard/organized in LA to that date !!

He recalled his interactions with DVN when was a teenager that DVN allowed him to carry his instrument to the concert hall and had a conversation with him which was in contrast with every other musician whom he had encountered.

Dwaram Mangatayaru

She played with her father from a very young age all the way till his death and she has maintained the style of her father extremely well. If you see the Music Academy program pages in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, you will DVN performing every single year and my understanding that once she started playing she played in every single concert. She was the stock accompanist for Mali (T R Mahalingam) – perhaps she put up with his idiosyncrasies better than anything one else. I was fortunate to learn from her for a couple of years during her visits to the US.

Though this page is dedicated to DVN, I want to start of with the concert of DM at LA on 9/22/2001 (this was a few days after the 9/11 attacks and the travel was pretty chaotic). Poovalur Srinivasan on mridangam and Shankar Krish (violin support).

• subhapantuvarali and kapi are fabulous
• her expression in the alapanas in many ways reflected the mood of country after the 9/11 tragedy
• the ‘jo achtunanda’ is a perfect rendition in Mali’s style; I have a recording of Mali playing this piece in which he plays the first line one time and it is DM all thru – it was although he wanted her to play it.

with Jayant Balasubramanian and Ravi Balasubramanian – S V Temple, Pittsburgh Aug 2001

Now to DVN’s concerts

• varNam – vasantA
• brOchEvArevarE – sriranjani
• mErusamAna – mAyAmALavagowLa
• varNam – Arabhi
• anurAgamulE – saraswati
• paramAtmuDu – vAgadeeswari
• saraguNa – kEdAragowLa
• RTP – sAvEri (rAgamAilka tAnam) – incomplete

• teliyaleru rAma – dhEnukA
• sarasa sAma dAna – umAbharaNam
• mOkshamu galadA – sAramati
• raghuvamsa – kadanakuthoohalam
• intasowkyamaninE – kApi (alapana cut off towards the end)
• bhajana parula – suruTi
• RTP – vardhani (rAgamAlika tAnam)
• various to the end of concert
• brOchEvArevarE – sriranjani
• natajana – simhendramadyamam
• rAmA ika nannu – sahAnA
• anAtudani gAnu – jingalA
• sAmaja varagamana – hinDOLam

• vAtApi gaNapatim – hamsadwani
• janani ninnuvina – reetigowLa
• brOva bAramA – bahudAri
• durmAgacharA – ranjani
• ksheerasAgara – dEvagAndhAri
• RTP – hinDOLam
• some random section of a Mali concert !

• varNam -bEgaDA
• brOchEvArevarE – sriranjani
• raghuvamsasuda – kadanakuthoohalam
• sAmaja varagamana – hinDOLam
• seetamma mAyammA – vasantA
• rAgam & pallavi – subhapantuvaRALi
• sree satyanArayanam – subhapantuvaRALi

• varNam – vasantA
• brOchEvArevarE – sriranjani
• mEru samAna – mAyAmALavagowLa
• maguDi

• varNam – sahAnA
• manasA manasA – vardhani
• mArubalga – sriranjani (incomplete)
• chakkani rAja mArgamu – karaharapriyA

Documentary on Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu – mostly his music interspersed with commentary about him by narrator and musicians (Nedunuri Krishnamurthy, M S Gopalakrishnan, T V Gopalakrishnan etc)

• vAtApi gaNapatim – hamsadwani
• Narration
• brOva bArama – bahudAri
• Narration by Nedunuri Krishnamurthy
• paramAtmudu – vAgadeeswari
• Narration by M S Gopalakrishnan
• RTP – sAvEri
• Narration by T V Gopalakrishnan
• durmargacharA – ranjani
• Narration by his son
• thillanA – kAnaDA
• Narration
• suraTi

New Additions

• enta bhAgyamu – sArangA
• manasA eTulO – malayamArutam
• RTP – hindOLam

• paridAnamicchidE – bilahari
• parama pAvanA – poorvikalyANi
• mArubalka – sriranjani
• manasa manasA – vardhani
• ?? – kApi
• thillAnA – kAnaDA

• varNam – nATakurunji
• durmArgacharA – ranjani
• natajana paripAla – simhendramadyamam
• Emana (?) – mukhAri
• raghuvamsa – kadanakuthoohalam
• Ragam, Tanam – various rAgams
• jAvaLi – senjuruTi

• vAtApi – hamsadwani
• varamulo – keeravANi
• gnAnamosagarAdA – poorvikalyANi
• sri rAma pAdamA – amrutavAhini
• raghuvamsa – kadanakuthoolam
• rAmA nee samAnamevaru – karaharapriyA
• ?? – bilahari
• banTureetikOlu – hamsAnAdam
• more to be documented

with Dwaram Mangatayaru and Madras Kannan – AIR

• varNam – sri
• entabhAgyamu – sArangA
• mOkshamu galadA – sAramati
• tulasi daLamulacE – mAyAmALavagowLa

with Dwaram Mangatayaru and Vellore Ramabhadran – AIR National Program

• teliyalEru rAma – dhEnukA
• paramAtmuDu – vAgadeeswari
• mAnasa guruguha – Anandhabhairavi
• RTP – nATakurunji
• jAvaLi – kApi

• rAmA neepai – kEdAram
• mOkshamu galadA – sAramati
• RTP – kalyANi
• raghuvamsa – kadanakuthoohalam
• rAgamAlika

• varNam – kAnaDA
• sri gaNapatini – saurAshtram
• sarasa sAma dAna – kApinArAyaNi
• meenAkshi mEmudham – poorvikalyANi
• manasu swAdeenamai – sankarAbaraNam
• RTP – shanmukapriyA
• thillAna – kApi

• rAgasudhArasa – AndOLikA
• paralOka bhaya – mandhAri
• bhajarE gOpAlam – hindOLam
• rAmA nee samAnamevaru – karaharapriyA

All the individual compositions combined into a single track, compositions are alphabetcally sorted !!

All the RTP recordings combined into a single track.