Musiri Subramania Iyer’s House
28/2, Musiri Subramania Iyer (Oliver) Road, Mylapore
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Musiri Subramania Iyer (1899-1973) was one of the leading Carnatic music singers of the first half of the 20th Century.
Musiri, as he became popularly known, made emotion, or bhava, the bedrock of his music. His style of singing involved a slow gait with a number of subtle nuances that went a long way in making audiences understand the import of the lyrics. A successful recording artiste, Musiri, through the income from such assignments, bought property on Mylapore’s upmarket Oliver Road and built his home there. He was also one of the earliest musicians to act in a film – Tukaram – in 1935.
The residence, designed mainly on the lines of a town house, has a simple facade. Its first floor, used in Musiri’s time as the music room, is flat-roofed in the front and has a sloping roof at the rear. A large open area on the first floor adds to the sense of openness. Red-oxide flooring, a rarity these days, is used in most of the rooms.
Being fluent in English, Musiri made friends with a number of people outside the music community. These included business barons, government officials, lawyers and professionals. The house played host to all of them and many musicians as well.
Musiri’s life was one of many honours. He was Principal of the Central College of Karnatik Music from 1948 to 1965. At the instance of close friend Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Oliver Road was renamed Musiri Subramania Iyer Road. 28/2 continues to be a proud and well-maintained possession of Musiri’s descendants. (Courtesy: KalamKriya.)
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