A Reimagining : How Lalgudi Jayaraman Taught the Violin to Sing

In the early 20th century Carnatic tradition, the violin was a shadow instrument. It stayed close to the vocal line, mirroring the singer, never leading. Though it had entered the Carnatic stage in the 19th century through Baluswamy Dikshitar, by the mid-1900s, it remained a background voice.

If you were a violinist, your job was to follow. Then came Lalgudi Jayaraman.

Raised in a direct musical lineage from Tyagaraja’s disciples and trained with near-monastic discipline by his father, V.R. Gopala Iyer, Jayaraman knew the canon. But he also knew its limitations. He believed that for the violin to matter on the Carnatic stage, it had to sing.

This became the foundation of the Lalgudi Bani - a style of playing built on lyrical phrasing, voice-like gamakas, and melodic clarity. He took the nasal breath of Bhairavi, the clipped sway of Mohanam, the depth of Kambhoji, and folded them into the bow. He turned varnams into intimate conversations and tillanas into architecture.

He moved the violinist from the margins of the stage to its very center.

Beyond breaking ground as a performer, Jayaraman composed hundreds of varnams, kritis, and tillanas that became instant standards. His collaborations with Bharatanatyam dancers like Alarmel Valli and Chitra Visweswaran led to full-scale productions like Jaya Jaya Devi, bringing Carnatic music back into temples, sabhas, and stages with fresh relevance.

Jayaraman was also Carnatic music’s most powerful diplomat. After Yehudi Menuhin heard him play at the 1965 Edinburgh Festival, he gifted his own Italian violin to Jayaraman. This wasn’t some exotic token of East-meets-West. It was one of the greatest Western classical violinists in history acknowledging that a different; and equally rigorous musical tradition had just spoken to him, note for note.

His children G.J.R. Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi continue to preserve the bani. His compositions are performed at Arangetrams, concerts, and festivals. Today, every Carnatic violinist you hear is playing in his shadow. They may not imitate him; but they live in a world he made possible: one where the violin is not a tool, not a substitute, not support; but a language.

Heritage Rooted in Tyagaraja’s Lineage
Adamodi Galada in Charukesi; Performed by Lalgudi G. Jayaraman, Composed by Tyagaraja

Born on 17 September 1930 in Lalgudi, Tamil Nadu, Jayaraman belonged to a musical family tracing back to Tyagaraja’s disciples. His father, V.R. Gopala Iyer, instilled rigorous training from early childhood. This deep-rooted tradition shaped not just his notes, but his philosophy.

Nagumomu Ganaleni in Abheri
Performed by Lalgudi G. Jayaraman, Composed by Tyagaraja

Young Jayaraman’s practice regimen was strict: even sharpening pencils was forbidden to guard his fingers. His training was as much about mindfulness as musical technique. The result: a player with surgical control and boundless expression.

Double Mridangam Concert
Vocals: Sri Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar; Violin: Sri Lalgudi G. Jayaraman; Mridangam: Sri Palghat T.S. Mani Iyer & Sri Palghat T.R. Rajamani

By age twelve, he was accompanying masters like Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar and Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar. In those early years, he absorbed phrasing, sahitya, and stylistic nuance from stage giants.

Lalgudi Jayaraman and Amjadh Ali Khan in Jugalbandhi
Mridangam: Sri Vellore G. Ramabhadran; Tabla: Ustad Shafaat Ahmed Khan

As accompanist, Jayaraman honed uncanny sensitivity, responding to minute vocal inflections and rhythmic cues. His listening was active, shaping a future style rooted in emulation before innovation. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan himself recalled that during their extensive collaborations, they performed many duets between 1976 and 1985, both in southern India and internationally.

Claiming the Solo Stage

 In the late 1950s and early 60s, Lalgudi Jayaraman began stepping beyond the accompanist’s role, a space violinists had traditionally occupied. His growing reputation as a soloist was matched by two other contemporaries – T.N. Krishnan and M.S. Gopalakrishnan, forming what came to be known as the Carnatic violin trinity.

Birth of the Lalgudi Bani

 What set Lalgudi Jayaraman apart wasn’t just mastery; it was invention. He developed the Lalgudi Bani, a distinct style rooted in the belief that instrumental music should carry the same emotional and lyrical weight as voice. His playing mimicked the bhava and sahitya of vocal music. Unlike many instrumentalists who prioritized speed or virtuosity, Jayaraman emphasized melodic fidelity, subtle modulation, and emotional contour. His bani brought vocal aesthetics into the bow, and transformed the violin into an expressive, singing instrument that could convey poetry without words.

Menuhin, Edinburgh & a Gifted Violin

In 1965, Lalgudi Jayaraman performed at the Edinburgh Festival, one of the world’s most prestigious classical music gatherings. After Jayaraman’s performance, which included ragas like Mohanam and Sankarabharanam, Menuhin was stunned by the tonal precision, phrasing, and emotional depth of Lalgudi’s playing. He invited Jayaraman backstage and handed him his own Italian violin as a gesture of admiration. It marked a rare instance of mutual recognition between Western classical tradition and Carnatic artistry.

Kadanakuthuhalam
From ‘The Dance of Sound’

Lalgudi Jayaraman wasn’t just a performer—he was a prolific composer whose tillanas and varnams are now cornerstones of Carnatic and Bharatanatyam repertoires. His tillanas in ragas like Kadanakuthuhalam, Mohanakalyani, Revathi, and Khamas are celebrated for their rhythmic brilliance, melodic charm, and lyrical clarity.

Mohana Kalyani
From ‘The Dance of Sound’

Among Lalgudi Jayaraman’s most beloved compositions, the tillana in raga Mohanakalyani stands out as a defining example of his compositional genius. Set in Adi talam, the piece is a masterclass in how to balance rhythmic vitality with melodic grace. Mohanakalyani itself – a raga that blends the joy of Mohanam with the lyrical depth of Kalyani – offers a wide emotional canvas.

Dance Opera: Jaya Jaya Devi

In the early 1990s, Lalgudi Jayaraman composed Jaya Jaya Devi, a landmark dance opera that blended Carnatic music, Sanskrit poetry, and Bharatanatyam choreography into a seamless narrative experience. Conceived as a musical homage to the goddess Devi, the work marked one of the earliest attempts by a Carnatic composer to create a full-length, multi-act production for the stage.

Alathur Srinivasa Iyer, Lalgudi Jayaraman and Palghat Mani Iyer (Rare Recording)

Thillana in Mand
Lalgudi Jayaraman

This tillana in raga Mand is one of Lalgudi Jayaraman’s most charming and accessible compositions. Mand, a raga borrowed from Rajasthani folk tradition, carries a light, lilting quality—making it perfect for closing a Bharatanatyam recital or light classical concert. Lalgudi blends the folkish sweetness of the raga with tight rhythmic structure, melodic clarity, and a brief sahitya section that often praises Lord Krishna.

Chinnanjiru Kiliye
Lalgudi G. Jayaraman; Poem by Subramania Bharathi

In this rare instrumental interpretation of Bharathi’s “Chinnanjiru Kiliye”, Lalgudi Jayaraman sets the beloved Tamil poem to a Ragamalika (a medley of ragas) and Tisra gati (a 3-beat rhythmic cycle). Though originally a lullaby, in Jayaraman’s hands it becomes a deeply expressive, lyrical meditation—each raga revealing a new layer of tenderness and musical color.

Brova Barama in Bahudari
Lalgudi G. Jayaraman

During a cultural tour of Russia, Lalgudi Jayaraman led this stellar ensemble in a moving rendition of Tyagaraja’s “Brova Barama” set in raga Bahudari. With his children—G.J.R. Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi—by his side, this performance showcases the Lalgudi bani in full flow. Supported by the seasoned percussion of Vellore Ramabhadran and V. Nagaraj, the concert was a powerful demonstration of how Carnatic music could travel across borders without losing its emotional resonance.

Lalgudi Jayaraman Live at Indian art Festival
San Francisco California; Organized by Consulate General of India (1985)

On October 6, 1985, Lalgudi Jayaraman performed at the Indian Art Festival in San Francisco, a major cultural event organized by the Consulate General of India. The performance was part of a broader initiative to promote Indian classical arts on an international stage during the 1980s.

Lalgudi GJR Krishnan & Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi
at Darbar Festival 2018

Lalgudi Jayaraman’s children—G.J.R. Krishnan and Vijayalakshmi—are not just performers, but torchbearers of the Lalgudi Bani. Trained directly by their father, they embody his signature style: lyrical phrasing, rhythmic sophistication, and emotional clarity. Whether in duet performances or solo concerts, their music maintains the rigour of tradition while continuing to evolve. Together, they ensure that the voice Lalgudi gave the violin continues to resonate across generations and geographies.