{"id":800,"date":"2011-12-05T16:54:30","date_gmt":"2011-12-06T00:54:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/?page_id=800"},"modified":"2020-08-16T16:17:54","modified_gmt":"2020-08-16T15:17:54","slug":"govindrao-tembe","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/?page_id=800","title":{"rendered":"Govindrao Tembe"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Govindrao

Govindrao Tembe
(1881-1955)
Photo credit: Makarand Tembe<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

\u266b Marathi natyageet in Raga Mand<\/strong><\/a> [Harmonium solo]<\/p>\n

\u266b Song from AYODHYACHA RAJA (1932)<\/strong><\/a>
\n[From the oldest surviving Indian talkie; song written, composed & sung by Tembe]<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

About Govindrao Tembe<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Govindrao Tembe<\/strong>
\nby
\nVaman Hari Deshpande
\n(Translation by Ram Deshmukh and B.R. Dekhney)<\/p>\n

Govindrao is dead and with him is gone the majesty of the mehfil. His
\narrival at a concert or at a theatre-gathering was indeed an event. The
\naudience would whisper “Govindrao is here … Govindrao is here,” and
\nwhen he left the mehfil would appear deserted. The only person whose mere
\narrival could light up a mehfil and who could almost extinguish it when
\nhe departed has now left us permanently!<\/p>\n

I had seen Govindrao at music recitals on several occasions before I
\nwas formally introduced to him. To watch him hear and appreciate classical
\nmusic at a concert was itself an aesthetic experience. I can recollect
\nan entrancing recital by Manji Khan with Govindrao in the forefront of the
\nselect audience. On such an occasion it used to be difficult to decide
\nwhether one should listen to Manji Khan’s singing or watch Govindrao’s
\nappreciative gestures and the charming responses reflected on his face.
\nI began to feel an irresistible desire to be introduced to this person and
\nget to know him well. This happened twenty-six years ago though its memory
\nis still as fresh in my mind as if it had happened yesterday. Govindrao is
\nno longer amidst us and his death has created a void which is not likely
\nto be filled in future.<\/p>\n

Govindrao’s death was unexpected. Of late, he had taken considerable
\ninterest in the work of the Central Audition Board of All India Radio.
\nHe had gone to Delhi in connection with the work of this Board and suffered
\na heart attack on 29th September, 1955. Dr. Sumati Mutatkar conveyed the
\nnews to the Minister in charge of Information and Broadcasting Dr. B.V. Keskar
\nand Shri P.M. Lad, I.C.S., who took keen personal interest and had Govindrao
\nremoved to Wellington Nursing Home. They also arranged for a thorough medical
\ncheck-up and treatment by expert doctors. It was felt that somebody from
\nGovindrao’s family should go over to Delhi and stay with him. Shri P.M. Lad,
\nSecretary to Government in the Department of Information and Broadcasting,
\nwrote to Govindrao’s eldest son, Pilunana and called him to Delhi. For the
\nfirst few days Govindrao was unable to move his hands and feet. But soon he
\nrallied round and was well enough to send a telegram home saying – “I am feeling
\nbetter. The A.I.R. officers have made excellent arrangements for my treatment.
\nThere is, therefore, no need for anybody from the family to come here. There
\nis absolutely no cause for anxiety.” In the meantime his youngest son, Bhaurao
\nand his eldest daughter-in-law, Indirabai, had left Kolhapur for Delhi; but
\nhaving seen (at Pune) the reassuring telegram from Govindrao they returned home.
\nFearing that the telegram might not have reached Kolhapur and that Bhaurao
\nmight have started for Delhi, Govindrao pressed Pilunana to go to the Delhi
\nRailway Station to fetch him. Pilunana left the Nursing Home for the station.
\nAt 5.35 p.m. Govindrao suffered a heart attack apparently caused by a coughing
\nfit which brought his life to an end in a matter of seconds. When Pilunana
\nreturned from the station at 7 p.m. he found that his father had passed away.
\nOfficers of the All India Radio rushed to the hospital on hearing the news.
\nDr. Keskar too came to pay his respects to the departed soul. He gave
\ninstructions to his officers in regard to the funeral. During this terminal
\nillness of Govindrao, Dr. Keskar, Shri P.M. Lad and Dr. Sumati Mutatkar had
\npaid personal attention to Govindrao’s treatment and made every effort
\nto make his stay at the hospital as comfortable as possible. They all
\nfelt a sense of guilt for the tragedy since it was in response to their
\ninvitation that Govindrao had gone to Delhi.<\/p>\n

It appears that Govindrao’s death was destined to take place in Delhi, the
\nCapital of India. In a sense it was both natural and inevitable. He had lived
\nlike a prince; so it was proper and fitting that he should breath his
\nlast in the Capital of India. Born in a middle class family and pursuing
\na career in music, theatre and literature, Govindrao went through events
\nand experiences which even a prince would have envied. He was on the most
\nintimate and cordial terms with Rajas and Maharajas. These latter at least
\nhad or seemed to have the responsibility of running the affairs of their
\nStates. Govindrao did not have any. He was fortunate enough to enjoy the
\nbeauty and fragrance of a rose without suffering the pricks of the thorns.
\nHe did not have to worry about running the affairs of his family or perhaps
\nhe was not habituated to bear the burden of family anxieties. As he was always
\nsurrounded by artists, the affluent and the powerful, his personal needs were
\nautomatically taken care of. He was, therefore, in a position to give undivided
\nattention to the pursuit of beauty in all its forms. He did not hanker after
\nthe impossible and did not, therefore, suffer the pangs of unfulfilled desires.
\nIt should also be said that he was extraordinarily adept at drawing the curtain
\nover tragic happenings.<\/p>\n

In this connection an incident in his life is worth recording. Some
\nsixteen years ago, while Govindrao was staying with me in Bombay, he lost
\nhis most intimate friend and patron, the Yuvaraj of Mysore. He returned from
\nthe funeral with a very heavy heart. I had never seen him so stricken with
\ngrief. I said to him, “Your life has been a shock-absorber. You have the
\ncapacity to neutralize the impact of any grief or calamity. Why are you so
\ndistressed today?” He immediately put a rein on his grief. It was not a
\nsurprise that he was so grief-stricken that day; the surprise was that he
\ncollected himself so quickly.<\/p>\n

This trait is probably shared by many great artists. Bhaskarbuwa
\nBakhale lost a dearly loved daughter. When he found that friends and
\nrelations around him showed no sign of coming out of their gloom, he asked
\nthem, “Why are you all so quiet? Why don’t you ask me to sing?” Govindrao had
\na similar quality of aloofness in things, which he maintained throughout
\nhis life; and it was because of this detachment and restraint that he was
\nable to become such a faithful worshipper of beauty and enrich it in so many
\ndifferent ways.<\/p>\n

This statement of mine may surprise many, but I am making it with a
\nfull sense of responsibility. I have reached this conclusion after observing
\nhim at close quarters as his disciple over a long period of twenty-five years.
\nGovindrao, however, always treated me as a close friend and allowed me privilege
\nof observing the innermost workings of his mind. Govindrao enjoyed the good
\nthings in life becoming their captive. He did not allow himself to be
\ncarried away.<\/p>\n

The purest among the classical artists used to take particular delight
\nin singing light Marathi compositions of Govindrao. By now there have been
\nnumerous successful Marathi sound-films but it was Govindrao who brought
\n‘sound’ to Marathi cinema by his dialogues and songs in the film
\nAyodhyecha Raja (The king of Ayodhya). It was he who set the style of
\nwriting on music in Marathi. In his celebrated book Maza Sangeet Vyasang
\nGovindrai has adopted a model for later writers on music.<\/p>\n

He traversed different spheres of life and thereby enriched his own
\nlife. He also established several high water-marks in his art career.
\nBoth these things are very important. Leaving aside his brief spells
\nas a clerk, as a pleader, and as a manager of a circus troupe, his playing
\ndiverse roles as a stage actor, as a playwright, as owner of drama company,
\ndirector, composer and director of stage and cinema music, shows the
\nextensiveness of his life and versatality of his interests. Similarly his
\nextraordinarily high reputation and popularity as a musicologist, song-writer
\nand composer show the depth of his interests.<\/p>\n

Although Govindrao pursued various interests and vocations in his life,
\nhis main preoccupation for nearly half a century was harmonium playing.
\nIf he was famous in Maharashtra and outside, it was because of his
\nuncommon skill as a harmonium-player. He revolutionized the art of
\nplaying on the harmonium. Harmonium is an instrument basically suited
\nto Western music. Govindrao brought Indian classical music within the
\nambit of this instrument and for nearly forty years he identified himself
\nwith it so completely that Govindrao and harmonium became almost
\nsynonymous terms.<\/p>\n

There had been harmonium players before Govindrao, many of his
\ncontemporaries played harmonium, and there is no dearth of such players
\neven today; but none could cast his spell on the audience as Govindrao did.
\nHe made the knowledgeable give their nod of approval and appreciation,
\nmesmerized the ignorant and the uninitiated, and induced the serious-minded
\nto store the music in their memory. His technique of fingering was so perfect
\nand entrancing that it was not observed in any other player except those few
\nwho were fortunate enough to have received training from him. Govindrao
\nin his prime displayed extraordinary virtuosity but he never allowed sheer
\nskill to mar the aesthetic charm of his performance. The compositions he
\nplayed on harmonium were rhythmic and of a caressing quality and utterly
\nfree from acrobatics. This needs to be emphasized because acrobatic exercises
\ndominate present day musical performances!<\/p>\n

Narayanrao Bal Gandharva’s music, naturally sweet and velvety in its
\nsmoothness, clothed with the discipline of conventional classical music,
\nis, broadly speaking, how one can describe Govindrao’s art. I was often
\nintrigued to find that Narayanrao often referred to Govindrao as Guruwarya
\nand Govindrao rated Narayanrao very highly. The mystery was cleared when
\nI heard Govindrao playing on the harmonium one day and attended Narayanrao’s
\nvocal recital on the following day. It became quite clear to me that these
\ntwo artists had an identical aesthetic conception. When I met Narayanrao at
\nNagpur on one occasion, he told me, “I have immensely benefited from
\nGovindrao’s help and guidance. You also should take full advantage of his
\nknowledge and direction.” Although Narayanrao developed his aesthetic
\nideology quite independently, there is no doubt that its origin and
\ninspiration is traceable to Govindrao.<\/p>\n

It cannot be said that Govindrao received training in harmonium-playing
\nfrom any particular teacher. His career in harmonium playing actually
\nstarted with Marathi stage-songs and it was further developed under the
\ninfluence of celebrated stage artists like Bhaurao Kolhatkar, Dattoba
\nHalyalkar and others whose company he sought and enjoyed. Later his
\nharmonium-playing became more brilliant and sophisticated through listening
\nconstantly to famous Vocalists like Bhaskarbuwa Bakhale, Mojuddin Khan,
\nMiyajan and Alladiya Khan. It acquired both a rare charm and a structural
\nintegrity. He had heard all the well-known vocalists and instrumentalists
\nof his period and had on occasion provided them accompaniment
\non the harmonium. He took immense pains to reproduce in his playing
\nevery nuance and improvisation employed by these artists with the same
\nunerring grace and neatness. He would not rest content with mere precision
\nof the notation unless he also reproduced the grace of the singer; and even
\nif he got the bandish right he was not happy if he did not reproduce it
\nwith the special caressing quality of his playing. Today the situation is
\nprecisely the reverse. Present day artists think they have not established
\ntheir expertise unless they eschew all feelings and emotions from their
\nperformance. How I wish Govindrao were here to show them the way in this
\ndistressing situation! It is indeed unfortunate that performers
\nwho are now lost in their acrobatics did not hear Govindrao when he
\nwas at the zenith of his career.<\/p>\n

One special feature of Govindrao’s art was the restraint he exercised
\nwhile performing. He always prepared an appropriate background for
\nexhibiting the pure beauty of a certain note (swara) or a group of notes.
\nIn doing so, he never did anything which would mar the beauty of what he
\nmeant to present. He appeared to adopt a certain plan or strategy in the
\npresentation and development of his art of playing. He made each rhythmic
\ncycle (avartan) serve as the background for the succeeding cycles and each
\nsucceeding series appeared to enhance the melodic quality of what he had
\nplayed earlier, till the whole pattern of notes reached a crescendo almost
\nlike a logical sequence. His tana patterns were also organized with the
\nsame objective in view and the internal structure of tana patterns
\nwas aimed to achieve similar artistic culmination. Uncommon success is
\nachieved in the field of music only if there is an integrated design
\nin expression.<\/p>\n

Govindrao devoted himself whole-heartedly to the study and practice of
\nharmonium-playing and vocal music and without allowing his art to
\nbecome sterile and dull he made beauty its sole aim. His entire life
\nwas full of grace and charm. The creator had showered on him all the
\nchoicest gifts. He was a good listener and appreciator of art, be it
\nvocal or instrumental music, dance or literature and his
\nface would glow with pleasure whenever he could discern even a
\nfragment of beauty in the presentation of art. Mogubai Kurdikar only
\nrecently said to me, “Govindrao alone could appreciate good music; he
\nalone knew when, where and how much appreciation to bestow on a performer.”
\nGovindrao’s heart appeared to have a number of chords, each reserved for
\na separate performer. If an artist could strike the proper chord he would
\nget immediate response from Govindrao and his face never failed to, register
\nthis appreciative response. This was the main reason why both artists and
\nlisteners cared so much and longed for his presence at concerts. One who
\naspires to become an eminent artist must have very sharp and sensitive
\nears and an exceedingly receptive heart. To lose this sensitivity
\nis to block the road to eminence.<\/p>\n

Although Govindrao had derived much knowledge in music from
\nBhaskarbuwa Bakhale and although he always remained beholden to him, his
\nultimate loyalty, so far as music was concerned, was to Khansaheb Alladiya
\nKhan. His devotion, his love for Khansaheb was boundless. He once said to
\na friend in my presence, “I regard even a dog at Khansaheb’s house as
\nsacred.” By way of self-defence he immediately added, “Khansaheb’s dog also
\nwould be such as would possess a dignity no other dog can have.” Since his
\ndevotion and loyalty to Khansaheb was so completely unadulterated it was
\nonly natural that the influence of Khansaheb should have been discernible
\nin his aesthetic ideology, harmonium-playing, temperament and even his
\ngestures. His harmonium playing was entirely based on Khansaheb’s
\ngayaki (style). He had not only searched for Khansaheb’s aesthetic
\nprinciple but had actually found and mastered it. The only difference
\n(and this was inevitable) was due to the technical changes made necessary
\nby the different media through which it was expressed – human voice and
\nthe harmonium.<\/p>\n

Perhaps because the harmonium could not fully absorb Govindrao’s
\nmusical virtuosity, the overflow was diverted to theatre. His achievements
\nin music had their origin in Marathi stage music; and now he dedicated to
\nthe same stage music what was not fully absorbed by the harmonium. The
\nmusic compositions which he contributed to the Marathi plays – Manapaman
\nand Vidyaharan – brought about a two-fold revolution in Marathi stage music.
\nThe tunes he gave to the stage music were based on pure classical Hindustani
\nmusic. But along with it he also provided semi-classical music of the
\nPurab (Eastern) variety. Since then, Marathi stage music has represented a
\nvery happy combination of highly classical and Purab style music
\nand the credit for blending these two variants of Hindustani music
\nmust go to Govindrao.<\/p>\n

Though music was Govindrao’s first love, his literary life was
\nequally rich. In him music and literature went hand in hand and
\nhis artistic life would not be fully revealed or understood unless
\nwe take into consideration this happy and rare blending of two
\nkinds of talents. His published literary output would amount to
\nnearly 2000 to 2500 printed pages (without counting his other
\nscattered published material numbering about 500-1000 pages of
\narticles on Bhaskarbuwa Bakhale, the famous singer Goharjan,
\netc.). These include Maza Sangeet Vyasang, his autobiography; a
\nwork on scientific analysis of music, his biography of Alladiya
\nKhansaheb, his several plays, his music compositions as well as operas.
\nHis literary contribution is thus variegated and rich, taking into
\nconsideration the variety of topics dealt with and the excellence of
\nexpression and style.<\/p>\n

His famous book Maza Sangeet Vyasang will remain an immortal
\nachievement not only in the field of fine arts but also as a priceless
\npiece of Marathi literature. This publication has given a new turn to
\nliterature on music. It has also opened a new vista in Marathi
\nliterature while giving an appreciative account of the contribution of
\nfamous musicians he had heard. The book, while drawing attention also to
\nthe abiding values in music, in a sense, established a new tradition of
\nappreciative writing on musical performances. Govindrao must be considered
\nthe high priest of this literary genre. His recent book Kalpana Sangeet
\nhas again made a new and valuable contribution to scientific literature
\non music. His novel interpretation of the evolution and development of
\nthe various notes of the octave, his novel method of written notation
\nbased on western staff notation, his new classification of ragas (Jati
\nvyavastha) which is essentially akin to that of Bharata and which is
\ndistinctly different from Pandit Bhatkhande’s Thaat system and his
\nselection of about a hundred ragas to portray their structural beauty are
\nsome of the main features of this work. This book is indeed a fine blending
\nof science and artistic experience.<\/p>\n

One more important facet of Govindrao’s career is his contribution to
\nmusical compositions, an activity in which he concentrated the quintessence
\nof his musical career. He also wrote and staged his plays, e.g., Tulasidas,
\nPatwardhan, Varavanchana etc. He himself wrote the lyrics for these plays and
\nset them to music. These songs soon attained the status of highly classical
\nkhayal compositions. It is indeed rare to come across a person who combines
\nin himself the qualities of a musicologist, first-rate music composer and
\na man of letters. In ancient Sanskrit lore such a gifted person was
\ndesignated – Vaggeyakar. Govindrao was the Vaggeyakar of modern times.
\nYet one more outstanding achievement of his career as musician, actor
\nand playwright were the operas which he composed, directed and staged.
\nJayadev and Mahashveta, which were only recently broadcast on All India
\nRadio, are two examples of the operas he wrote. Mahashveta was also put
\non the stage. Swaranatikas (operas) were an entirely new addition to
\nMarathi literature and Marathi stage critics have expressed many
\ndifferent views on them. Are these operas essentially a form of music
\nor a form of literature ? Do they lend themselves easily and appropriately
\nto the employment of high class music or, alternatively, folk music? Does
\nclassical music obstruct the natural flow of an opera ? Would the staging
\nof operas necessitate changes in stage-craft ? These are some of the
\ntechnical issues which have arisen in this context. To employ high
\nclassical music so as to make a play fully musical and to run it on the
\nstage for two hours and a half, smoothly and in a manner which would
\nsustain public interest, needs considerable imagination, tremendous
\neffort and skill of a very high order. These operas are the culmination
\nor end-product of Govindrao’s experience as an actor (the principal roles
\nplayed by him were Dhairyadhar, Kach, Dushyant, Arjun, Pundarik, Charudatta
\netc), as a playwright and as a music composer. They also provide irrefutable
\nevidence that Govindrao, even at the ripe age of seventy-four, still
\nretained his freshness of outlook, his zest for novelty and his
\nreadiness to experiment.<\/p>\n

I went to Pune towards the end of August 1954 and I found Govindrao
\npreparing to stage an abridged version of Soubhadra for the All India
\nRadio. When I called on him he was asking the man who played the role of
\nNarad to sing the song Radhadhar Madhu Milind. I had previously heard the
\nman sing but on this occasion his performance was absolutely entrancing.
\nIt was a clear demonstration of how an ordinary artiste’s performance
\ncould be transformed into great art under Govindrao’s magic touch.
\nHow can one do full justice to Govindrao’s artistry ? I have learned
\nfrom him many cheejs during the last twenty-five years. I had yet to
\nlearn from him many more. I had to discuss with him innumerable subjects
\nand I had to explore the mainsprings of his artistic life. I used to find
\nmy discussions with him completely absorbing. We had spent long hours
\ntogether and I was looking forward to spending even more
\ntime in his company. But it proved to be a dream. He went away without
\na word of farewell. He has departed leaving the art of music orphaned!
\nWhen he left for Delhi be had promised to return in about a month. But
\nhe was to go to that place from which no traveller returns!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u266b Marathi natyageet in Raga Mand [Harmonium solo] \u266b Song from AYODHYACHA RAJA (1932) [From the oldest surviving Indian talkie; song written, composed & sung by Tembe]   About Govindrao Tembe Govindrao Tembe by Vaman Hari Deshpande (Translation by Ram Deshmukh and B.R. Dekhney) Govindrao is dead and with him is gone the majesty of...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":6,"menu_order":1150,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"pp_embeds":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/800"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=800"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2184,"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/800\/revisions\/2184"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.parrikar.org\/vpl\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}