Kathakali music underwent its second wave of key reforms in the 1960s-70s, while young Madambi Subramanian Namboothiri stayed away from a surge of ornamentations his contemporaries infused into the vocals for the dance-theatre. Then in his 20s , Subramanian adhered to the conventional sensibilities of his gurus at Kalamandalam. This charted a quiet revolution against the grain. By this century, Subramanian had earned a wide reputation as a purist’s delight.

According to him, Kathakali vocals do not adhere to Kerala’s Sopana Sangeetham that relies largely on plain notes. This view negates the general perception that Kathakali music primarily evolved from the Kottippadi tradition, which flourished in the state’s temples during the feudal era. “I doubt if Sopanam is a genre,” says Subramanian, without being argumentative.

Subramanian cites instances of how Kathakali music, for the last 100 years, has been essentially built upon the Carnatic idiom. This substantiates certain scholarly observations that Kathakali music shares a fair degree of resemblance with the Sampradaya bhajan system of Tamil Nadu. It isn’t uncanny. After all, Subramanian’s chief tutor — Neelakantan Nambisan— pursued his advanced studies under a classical musician with ancestry in the Cauvery belt.

Venkitakrishna Bhagavatar (1881-1957), who lived in the riverine Mundaya village near Shoranur across Kalamandalam, traces his familial roots to Thanjavur. His forefathers were exponents of namasankirtana renditions.

Neelakantan had, as a teenager, learned under Venkitakrishnan (whose younger brother Palakkad Rama Bhagavatar was a renowned Carnatic vocalist). Soon, Carnatic music, with microtone-laden south-Indian classical loops, found their way into Kathakali music. Nambisan also trained many disciples, one of them being Madambi Subramanian, i who joined Kalamandalam as a 16-year-old in 1957. His batchmates and juniors were Sankaran Embranthiri, M. Hyderali and Venmani Haridas, who emerged as young Turks of Kathakali music, infusing a rush of romanticism that continues to define the art form’s basic spirit to this day.

None in that famed trio is alive today. Madambi Subramanian, known by the name of his house at Sreekrishnapuram in Palakkad district, heads the present-day Kathakali musicians wielding the handy gong. At 85, the patriarch occasionally appears on the stage. His beats on the metallic chengila imply an anchoring quality like none other. The laghu units of the rhythmic cycles find apt enunciation with light taps in contrast to the bold beats that herald the pure-dance passages along the songs. “ Musicians lead the show. It’s a delicate task to keep time,” he points out. “The vocalists aren’t subservient to the dancers. Even so, we shouldn’t be overbearing.”

“What’s more, stage conduct varies remarkably,” notes Subramanian, who has been trained in the northern (Kalluvazhi) style at Kalamandalam. “Even within schools, masters develop individualities. You must grasp their signature methods and tune in accordingly. It isn’t easy,” says the artiste, who lives in Cheruthuruthy, far from his alma mater, from where he retired as a tutor three decades ago.

Subramanian’s tryst with Carnatic began before he joined Kalamandalam. As a boy, he was initiated into the seven notes by the legendary Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar, during a ceremony held at the art-patronising Poomully mansion near Pattambi. He was subsequently trained by senior mridangist Kongorpilly Parameswaran in the foundational janta-varisai exercise. For a brief period, Subramanian also trained under Ramankutty Warrier, a frontline pupil of Nambisan. The drill which followed him at Kalamandalam was rigorous: pre-dawn hours till supper. Dotting this was singing under Kavungal Madhava Panikkar for cholliyattam at Kathakali classrooms.

The guru for the invocatory Thodayam and Purappad dances was Lakkidi Sivaraman Nair. “Here, at the start, is Gambhira Natta. Employing this raga most likely stems from Mallari,” he says, citing the customary nagaswaram-thavil number performed during processions in temples across Tamil Nadu.

The borrowings from Carnatic apart, Kathakali music has melodies endemic to it. Puraneera, Kanakurinji, Ghantaram and Indalam are instances. “We should never superimpose them with anything. Also, certain Carnatic ragas exist in Kathakali with local flavours. Such strains may be ‘unscientific’; let them be so,” insists the veteran, quoting the veteran musician M.D. Ramanathan.

Subramanian seldom experiments. No impulsive sangatis either. “Times have changed, but not me. I know my limitations,” says the maestro, who was the recipient of The Music Academy’s TTK award 2025.