Voleti Venkateswarulu

I heard him once at Ravindrabharati Hyderabad in the 80’s and it was during these years I saw him a few times on TV. The best memories of him are on AIR Vijayawada in the program i think was called ‘sangeethasudha’ in which he would teach; though a frequent listener I missed out on learning anything fully from those classes.

His sadasiva brahmendrar compositions are to die for and that tradition is being continued by Malladi brothers who do a fabulous job. And his meanderings into hindustani style as well the extended panchama-shadja-varjya prayogams in his alapanas are unmatched.

With Lalgudi Jayaraman and U K Sivaraman – Krishna Gana Sabha

Not frequently heard dhanyasi and Arabhi compositions. Slokam and sadasiva brahmendrar piece are so unique to his style

  • pranamAmyaham – gowLa
  • namasivAya – dhanyAsi
  • ambA sowrambA – Arabhi
  • lalitE – bhairavi
  • sri venkatEsa – suruTi
  • slOkam – rAgamAlika
  • various

With M S Gopalakrishnan and Tanjavur Upendran

  • vallabha nAyakasya – bEgaDA
  • ninnu joochi – saurAshtram
  • neekEla dayarAdu – sarasAngi
  • sogasugA – sriranjani
  • ETi janmamidi – varALi
  • lalitE – yadukula kAmbhOji
  • dAsaratE – tODi
  • rAma nee dAsudane – mALavi
  • AkaTi vELala – rEvati
  • various

Concert with M S Gopalakrishnan and ???

  • Unusually a scratchy MSG in a few places
  • Not sure whether the sound system was bad – mridangam comes thru poorly
  •  
  • sri venkatEsa – suruTi
  • idi samayamurA – chAyAnATa
  • RTP – tODi
  • various
  • some other concert with M Chandrasekaran:
    • varNam – bEgaDA
    • rArA mA inTi – asAvEri
    • EmAnaticcEdivO – sahAnA
    • paripoorNa – poorvikalyANi (incomplete)

With M S Gopalakrishnan and ??? – Krishna Gana Sabha

  • Few items at the beginning are missing
  • Fantastic pantuvarali
  • ninnE nera namminAnu – pantuvarALi
  • kadalE vADu gAdE – nArAyaNagowLa
  • sankalpamE – karaharpriyA
  • nenaruncinAnu – mALavi
  • deena rakshaka – Ahiri
  • sankari neevE – bEgaDA (lots of speed variations)
  • idi samayamurA – chAyAnATa
  • RTP – tODi
  • various

with M S Gopalakrishnan – incomplete, clean recording and very enjoyable concert

  • ambavANi – keeravANi
  • ninnE nera – pantuvarALi
  • E pApamu – aTANA
  • Alapana – mOhanam (incomplete)
  • RTP – shanmukapriya (incomplete)

With T Rukmini (guessing) – Love the Shanmukapriya RTP in spite of it being short

  • varNam – AbhOgi
  • pranamAmyaham – gowLa
  • sAdinchanE – Arabhi
  • entani nE varnintunu – mukhAri
  • parama pAvanA – ranjani
  • enduku peddalavalE – sankarAbaraNam
  • paTTi viduva rAdu – manjari
  • ADEnamma – paras
  • RTP – shanmukapriyA
  • various

With Annavarapu Ramaswamy (??) at Baroda

  • varNam – bEgaDA
  • ranganAtuDE – saurAshtram
  • gurulEka eTuvanTi – gowrimanOhari
  • sankari sankuru – sAvEri
  • mari vErE – Anandhbhairavi
  • vinarAdana – dEvagAndhAri
  • maragata maNivarNa – varALi
  • rAma nee dAsudane – mALavi
  • sujana jeevana – kamAs
  • various
  • Low volume recording
  • rArA inTidAkA – asAvEri
  • kanchadalAyadAkshi – kamalamanOhari
  • anudinamunu – bEgaDA

With ??? and Kamalakara Rao

  • sri sankara guruvaram – nAgaswarAvaLi
  • vidulaku mrOkEdA – mAyAmALavagowlA
  • entani nE – mukhAri
  • intakanTE – kannaDA
  • kOTi nADulu – tODi (incomplete)
  • rAma daivamA – suruTi
  • RTP – KalyANi
  • vanitaru ee – Anandabhairavi
  • bhaja gOvindam
  • various

with Lalgudi Jayarman

  • Ragam Tanam Pallavi – ShanmukapriyA

New Additions

No Accompaniments

  • bruhadeeswarAya namastE – sankarAbaraNam
  • ETi janmamidi – varALi
  • himagiri kumari – ravikriyA (raghupriyA)
  • nannu viDaci – reetigowLa

No Accompaniments

  • kAmAkshi – bhairavi
  • EmAnaticcEdivO – sahAnA
  • ranganAtuDE – saurAshtram
  • deena rakshaka – Ahiri
  • nahi rE nahi Sanka – hindustani kalAvati – incomplete
  • neevErA kula – bEgaDA
  • ADEnamma – paras
  • rAma daivamA – suruTi
  • AkaTi vELala – rEvati
  • bhajan – dwijAvanti (incomplete)

with Lalgudi Jayaraman and Vellore Ramabhadran – AIR

  • ranganAtuDE – saurAshtram
  • tyAgarAja yOga vaibhavam – Anandhabhairavi
  • sankarAchAryam – sankarAbaraNam
  • ETi janmamidi – varALi

with Lalgudi Jayaraman

  • varNam – bEgaDA
  • ninnu jooci – saurAshtram
  • amba paradEvatE – rudrapriyA
  • nAdasudhArasa -Arabhi
  • nee pAdamulE – bhairavi
  • ADEnamma – paras
  • paramAtmuDu – vAgadeeswari
  • rAmA daivamu – suruTi
  • mathindEhi – kalyANi
  • chArumati – kAnaDA
  • various

with Lalgudi Jayaraman and Karaikudi Mani

  • varNam – Abhogi
  • pranamAmyaham – gowLa
  • sAdinchanE – Arabhi
  • entani nE varnintunu – mukhAri
  • parama pAvana – ranjani
  • enduku peddalavalE – sankarAbaraNam
  • paTTi viDuva rAdu – manjari
  • ADEnamma – paras
  • RTP – shanmukapriyA
  • various

with Lalgudi Jayaraman and Guruvayur Dorai

  • varNam – bEgaDA
  • ranganAtuDE – saurAshtram
  • gurulEka eTuvanTi – gowrimanOhari
  • sankari sankuru – sAvEri
  • marivErE – Anandhabhairavi
  • vinarAdana – dEvagAndhAri
  • maragadavallim – varALi
  • various

with Lalgudi Jayaraman and Vellore Ramabhadran

  • varNam – bEgaDA
  • saraseeruhAsanapriyE – nATTa
  • endarO mahAnubhAvulu – sri
  • sArasAksha – pantuvarALi

with Lalgudi Jayaraman and Tiruchi Sankaran – India Fine Arts Soceity, 1982

  • varNam – bEgaDA
  • ninnujooci – saurAshtram
  • O rAjeevAksha – Arabhi
  • satatam tAvaka – karaharapriyA
  • AkaTi vELala – rEvati
  • rAma daivamA – suruTi
  • RTP – kalyANi
  • various

with Lalgudi Jayaraman and Vellore Ramabhadran

  • lalitE mAmpAhi – yadukulakAmbhOji
  • marivErE – Anandabhairavi
  • parama pAvana – ranjani
  • vinarAdana – dEvamanOhari
  • koluvarmaragadA – tODi
  • venkaTasaila – hamirkalyANi
  • various

with M S Gopalakrishnan and U K Sivaraman

  • varNam – Abhogi
  • rArA mA inTi – aTANA
  • neekEla dayarAdu – sarasAngi
  • paTTi viDuva rAdu – manjari
  • sambhO mahAdEva – pantuvarALi
  • janani ninnuvinA – reetigowLa
  • vADE venkatAdri – vasantA
  • koluvamaragada – tODi
  • ADEnamma – paras
  • RTP – bEgaDA
  • hEy gOvinda (incomplete)

with M S Gopalakrishnan and Guruvayur Dorai

  • sogasugA mrudanga tALamu – sriranjani
  • daritApulEka – sAvEri
  • sri raguvara – kAmbhOji
  • various

with M S Gopalakrishnan – AIR

  • RTP – tODi

with Annavarapu Ramaswamy and Dandamudi Rammohan Rao – AIR

  • saraseeruhAsanapriyE – nATTa
  • ninnuvinAga mari – poorvikalyANi
  • nagumOmu – AbhEri
  • apaDooru – kamAs

with Akella Mallikarjuina Sarma and V Kamalakara Rao

  • varNam – AbhOgi
  • gajAnanayutam – chakravAham
  • gNana mosaga rAdA – poorvikalyANi
  • sri narasimha – palamanjari
  • vina rAdana – dEvagAndhAri
  • dAsaratE – tODi
  • entaTi gulukE – kalyANi
  • various

with Coimbatore Dakshinamurthy and Dandamudi Rammohan Rao

  • janani ninnuvinA – reetigowLa
  • vinarAdana – dEvamanOhari
  • dAsarati – tODi
  • hey gOvinda – dEsh

with M Chandrasekaran

  • paripoorNa – poorvikalyANi
  • dAsarati – tODi
  • parama pAvana – ranjani
  • RTP – kAmbhOji
  • various

with V Tyagarajan – AIR Vijayawada

  • bhAgAyanayyA – chandrjyOti
  • sAti evvarE – bhairavi – Spencer Venugopal
  • sundarEswaruni – sankarAbaraNam
  • kElati mamAhrudayE
  • varNam – bhairavi – aTa
  • ranganAtuDE – saurAshtram
  • kanchadalAyadAkshi – kamalamanOhari
  • mahAsuram kEtumaham – shanmukapriyA
  • ambA saurambhA – Arabhi (speed variations)
  • rAma bhANa – sAvEri
  • bhajarE bhaja mAnasa – kannaDA
  • idi samayamurA – chAyAnATa
  • RTP – bEgaDA
  • various
  • rArA inTidAkA – asAvEri
  • kanchadalAyadAkshi – kamalamanOhari
  • anudinamunu – bEgaDA
  • nee pAdamulE – bhairavi
  • chArumati – kAnaDA
  • vADE venkatAdri – vasantA
  • sankari neevE – bEgaDA
  • ninnE namminAnu – tODi
  • karuNa juDu – sri
  • mAyammA – Ahiri
  • ninnuvinA – kalyANi
  • various

Karnataka Sangeeta Sabha, Delhi – Oct 19, 1985

  • varNam – mOhanam
  • ninnu jooci – saurAshtram
  • gurulEka – gowrimanOhari
  • apparAma bakthi – pantuvarALi
  • munduvEnuka – darbAr
  • lalitE mAmpAhi – yadukulakAmbhOji
  • ne epAdamulE – bhairavi
  • vADE venkatAdri – vasanta
  • AkaTi vELala – rEvati
  • RTP – bEgaDA
  • varNam – bEgaDA
  • ninnu jooci – saurAshtram
  • anupama – aTANA
  • sambhO mahAdEva – pantuvarALi
  • antaranga – husEni
  • ninnE namminAnu – tODI

Assorted Set

  • mAmava paTTAbirAmA – maNirangu
  • sri venkata – suruTi
  • sri vEnugOpala – kurunji
  • neevanTi daivamu – tODi
  • nAmorAlakimpavEmi – dEvagAndhAri
  • nahirE nahi sankA – hindustani kalAvati
  • vanitaru ee – Anandabhairavi
  • vidulaku mrOkEdA – mAyAmALavagowla
  • sankari neevE – bEgaDA
  • karunAnidhim – kannaDagowla
  • tAraya – reetigowla
  • tulasammA – dEvagAndhAri
  • neemadi sallaga – Anandabhairavi
  • evari mATa – kAmbhOji
  • varNam – AbhOgi
  • ranganAtudE – saurAshtram
  • amba paradEvatE – rudrapriyA
  • apparAma bakthi – pantuvarALi
  • kshitijA ramaNam – dEvagAndhAri
  • vADE venkatAdri – vasanta
  • koluva maragada – tODI
  • ADEnammA – paras
  • RTP – bEgaDA
  • various

Telicherry, Kerela

  • rAma ninnE – husEni
  • rArA mA inTi – asAvEri
  • anupama guNambudi – aTANA
  • gnAna mosagarAdA – poorvikalyANi
  • nannu vidaci – reetigowla
  • dAsaratE – tODi
  • sujana jeevana – kamAs
  • various

with ??? and Vellore Ramabhadran

  • varNam – bEgaDA
  • ranganAtuDE – saurAshtram
  • gurulEka – gowrimanOhari
  • sankari sankuru – sAvEri
  • marivErE – Anandabhairavi
  • maragada – varALi
  • rAma nee dAsuDanE – mALavi
  • sujana jeevana – kamAs
  • vandEni samanam – hamsadwani
  • neemadi challaga – Anandabhairavi
  • paripoorNa – poorvikalyANi
  • munduvenuka – darbAr
  • nannu brOvu – lalitA
  • enduku peddalavalE – sankarAbaraNam
  • bhajare re – AbhEri
  • parama pAvana – ranjani
  • various

Could be repeats from the full concerts

  • RTP – bhairavi
  • RTP – reetigowla
  • RTP – kAmbhOji
  • RTP – shanmukapriyA

And elsewhere on the web

Hanuman Chalisa

Madhurashtakam

Jugalbandi on AIR

23 thoughts on “Voleti Venkateswarulu

  1. Vijayawada Radio Station gave him 15 minutes in the mornings for a serial program titled “Bhakti Ranjani”. He teamed up with another M.V. Ramanamurthy, and introduced the Sadasiv brahmendrar’s lyrics to his own tunes. Bhakti Ranjani became very popular due to his creative tuning.

    • Check this out for madhurashtskam by Sri Voleti.

      I too have done songs of his on my youtube channel for example

  2. This Madhurashtakam was played on AIR Vijayawada Bhakti Ranjani. Would like to listen to it. Unable to tune to AIR these days as the FM Radio waves are intercepting. Could someone give me a download of my favourite Bhajan of yester years which I am longing to hear again.

  3. Voleti’s voice was the first big carnatic musician’s voice I heard on radio when my dad had bought a quantly named brand ‘Atom’ (not the usual Murphy or Phillips radio receiver). Year 1963 perhaps. His AIR program ‘Sangeetha Sikshana’ was a unique program wherein he used to teach a disciple/student a song for several weeks and then move on to another song. N Ch Jaganndacharyulu was one such disciple. So was Srirangam Gopalaratnam on another occasion. The song he was teaching when we had our radio was Ksheenamai – Mukhari – Tyagaraja. I remember his teaching the popular Karharapriya composition Chakkani rajamargamu and also Bhajare manasa – Bhimplas – Mysore Vasudevachar.

    • https://archive.org/details/ShLOkaDharbAriKAnadaHaunmanChalisa

      The above link has Sri Voleti Venkateswarlu’s Hanuman Chalisa in darbari kanada ragam. I too had been searching for it for some time. His stotra renderings were a regular feature of the morning bouquet of devotional songs on All India Radio Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Hyderabad and Cudappah called Bhakti Ranjani. The hanuman chalisa was I think from the Cudappah radio and hence more difficult to find. I really thank those who uploaded the hanuman chalisa in the archives website.

      One example which I uploaded recently – Shivamangalashtakam (Bhavaaya Chandrachudaaya…) the link is given below

  4. Sir by any chance do you have a link for the Madhurashtakam composed to the tune of Voleti Sir and often relayed on AIR Vijayawada. I am desperately looking for it

  5. Pingback: Updates to Voleti Venkateswarulu page – Shankar Krish's Blog

  6. Hello sir. I’m Krishna and I’m a final year Student of MA music at Tamil Nadu music and fine arts university. My final semester project work is on Voleti Garu. Could you please email me if you have any sources on Garu?

    • I am sorry that I have no other sources on Voleti garu. You could contact with Malladi brothers or their father who have learnt from Voleti garu.

  7. With M S Gopalakrishnan and ??

    Could it be Karaikudi Mani on mridangam – need help from percussion folks

    vallabha nAyakasya – bEgaDA
    ninnu joochi – saurAshtram
    neekEla dayarAdu – sarasAngi
    sogasugA – sriranjani
    ETi janmamidi – varALi
    lalitE – yadukula kAmbhOji
    dAsaratE – tODi
    rAma nee dAsudane – mALavi
    AkaTi vELala – rEvati
    various

    I have this labeled as a Krishna Gana Sabha concert in the 80’s. Mrudangam is very clearly Thanjavur Upendran sir :).

  8. with Lalgudi Jayaraman

    varNam – Abhogi
    pranamAmyaham – gowLa
    sAdinchanE – Arabhi
    entani nE varnintunu – mukhAri
    parama pAvana – ranjani
    enduku peddalavalE – sankarAbaraNam
    paTTi viDuva rAdu – manjari
    ADEnamma – paras
    RTP – shanmukapriyA
    various

    Mridangam by Karaikudi Mani

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