Prof.R.Visweswaran

A glimpse

Renowned Veena Maestro Prof.R.Visweswaran of Mysore is a front rank artiste of India-highly respected for his individualistic style, all his own, the vocal style. He developed his own techniques on the veena with the strong conviction that the vocal style is the ideal for the veena as he is alos a vocalist. Graded as a top ranking artiste by the All India Radio and the Doordharshan of Government of India, the veteran musician has been featured in all types of national programmes of music of the Radia and TV centres, as also many times over the National and overseas channels, also of the AIR.

The BBC, London, Cambridge Radio, Dublin radio, ITV of Burmingham, Belfast TV have all broadcast Visweswaran's Veena as also his interview with them in their "Eminent Artiste's Interview" programmes.

Visweswaran has enthralled his audiences in several of the International Music Festivals such as - International Music Conference and Festival in London, Edinburg Music Festival, Aberdeen Music festival, Queen's festival at Belfast etc. during many of his concert tours abroad, two of which were by deputation by the Government of India, and was chosen once as the leader of the team of Indian musicians. UK Universities have invited him for lecture demonstrations and workshops in Indian Music, in addition to his concerts.

Visweswaran is a musicologist with a difference and is well known in India for his practice oriented lectures in Musicology. He is a musical composer with over a hundred compositions to his credit in Sanskrit, Telugu and a few in Kannada, professionally acclaimed for special features in Dhaatu as well as Maatu. His compositional style takes after Dikshitar's. His special study of Dikshitar's musical style and material gets him frequent invitations for the presentation of several aspects of Dikshitar's music. He is a staunch purist and traditionalist.

Visweswaran has created a few new ragas such as Enakshi, Smriti, Antarakaisiki, Rajarajeshwari and has contributed his own compositions in them also.

He received a national award for his special musical feature conceived and produced for the All India Radio to commemmorate the World Music Day in 1991.

Among the countless honours and felicitations Visweswaran has received in the country and abroad, the 'Sangeeta Sarvabhouma' , 'Ganakalaabhooshana' and the 'Layakalaanipuna' are of special significance.

The First National Veena Festival and Conference in Bhopal, India, chose and featured the artiste Visweswaran as the representative of the South Indian Saraswathi Veena in its inaugural concert and the musicologist in him as the inaugural lecture on the Antiquity of the Veena.

Visweswaran has many disciples in and out of India including a few outstanding performers.
An M.A. in indology, Visweswaran served the University of Mysore as the Professor and Head of Music with a long and distinguished record of service.

A documentary film on Prof. Visweswaran by Theodore Thomas of Californai, USA earned much prestige for both.