T. K. Murthy
Encyclopedia
T. K. Murthy is an India
n mridangam player.
and Thambuswami, brother of T. M. Thiagarajan, were also undergoing training. Murthy, was more than a biological son, to his Guru Vaidyanatha Iyer and his wife. They showered love and care on him. Thus, Murthy found his mentor in Vaidyanatha Iyer, to whom he still offers ceremonial oblations and rites as a true son.
with Karur Chinnaswami Iyer on violin and Tanjore Vaidyanatha Iyer on mridangam. That was the start of an illustrious career in which he accompanied in more than 15,000 concerts so far. He has accompanied eminent artists over five generations, including Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar
, Chembai Vaidhyanatha Bagavathar
, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
, M. S. Subbulakshmi
, Madurai Somasundaram, D. K. Jayaraman
, M. Balamuralikrishna, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan
, Lalgudi Jayaraman
, T. V. Sankaranarayanan, Mandolin U. Srinivas
and others.
. He has the unique achievement of accompanying five generations of guru-sishya parampara, in Muthiah Bhagavatar, Sankara Sivam, T. N. Seshagopalan, Neyveli Santhana Gopalan and Sriram Parthasarathy. He also has the distinction of having given accompaniment to Smt M.S.Subbulakshmi for more than forty years including the concerts at United Nations and Edinburgh Festival.
Plenty of Honours and awards were bestowed on him including:- Laya Ratnakara from Sivananda Saraswati, Rishikesh, Kalaimamani from the T.N. Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram, Mridanga Bhoopathy from Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, Mridanga Bhooshanam from Sri Sankaracharya of Kanchipuram, Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 1987, Palghat Mani Iyer Award by Percussive Arts Centre, Bangalore, Tala Vilas Award by Sur Singar Samsad, Bombay, Kerala Sangeet Nataka Academy Fellowship, Sangeetha Kalanidhi
of The Music Academy
.
He was also conferred with Honorary Doctorate from Arizona University, USA. He was the Asthana Vidwan in Trivandrum Palace. He is a graded “National Artiste” of Prasar Bharathi.
“MRUDANGA CHAKRAVARTHY DR. T. K. MURTHY SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND TRUST” celebrated the LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AND THE PLATINUM JUBILEE OF DR.T.K.MURTHY on 7.7.2009, 8.7.2009 and 9.7.2009 at the Music Academy, Chennai. The function was presided over by Shri.N.Murali (President, Music Academy) and Ustad Zakir Hussain and Shri. Vinayakaram (Ghatam) were the chief guests for the function. Also the function was followed by a concert with all these rhythm stalwarts starring in the show.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n mridangam player.
Early life
Murthy was born on 13 August 1924 to Thanu Bhagavathar and Annapoorani. At the age of eight, he was guided to Tanjore Vaidyanatha Iyer. Vaidyanatha Iyer, took Murthy to Tanjore, where Palghat Mani IyerPalghat Mani Iyer
Palghat T.S. Mani Iyer was one of the leading mridangists in the field of Carnatic music and the first mridangist to win the Sangeetha Kalanidhi andPadmabhushan awards....
and Thambuswami, brother of T. M. Thiagarajan, were also undergoing training. Murthy, was more than a biological son, to his Guru Vaidyanatha Iyer and his wife. They showered love and care on him. Thus, Murthy found his mentor in Vaidyanatha Iyer, to whom he still offers ceremonial oblations and rites as a true son.
Career
Murthy made his debut at the age of eleven, at Coimbatore in a concert of Musiri Subramania IyerMusiri Subramania Iyer
Musiri Subramania Iyer was a Carnatic vocalist who's stage performing career spanned the 1920s to the 1940s. After retirement from the stage, he remained an iconic figure in Carnatic music as a dedicated teacher and leader in the Carnatic community...
with Karur Chinnaswami Iyer on violin and Tanjore Vaidyanatha Iyer on mridangam. That was the start of an illustrious career in which he accompanied in more than 15,000 concerts so far. He has accompanied eminent artists over five generations, including Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar
Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar
Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar or more popularly simply called as Ariyakudi was born in Ariyakudi a town in the Karaikudi district of Tamil Nadu, South India in the year 1890. Ariyakudi was a Carnatic Music vocalist and is known for his unique style. He made his debut at Tyagaraja Aradhana in 1918...
, Chembai Vaidhyanatha Bagavathar
Chembai
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar was a Carnatic music singer from Palakkad . Known by his village name Chembai, or simply as Bhagavatar, he was born to Anantha Bhagavatar and Parvati Ammal in 1896, at Kottayi near Palakkad on Janmashtami day, with Bharani star in the month of Chingam...
, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer is considered to be one of the greatest Carnatic vocalists of the twentieth century...
, M. S. Subbulakshmi
M. S. Subbulakshmi
Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi , also known as M.S., was a renowned Carnatic vocalist. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor. She is the first Indian musician to receive...
, Madurai Somasundaram, D. K. Jayaraman
D. K. Jayaraman
D. K. Jayaraman , the renowned brother of D. K. Pattammal, was a Carnatic music singer.After learning music from his sister, he furthered his musical skills under many known masters in the field, including Muthiah Bhagavathar and Papanasam Sivan. Like his sister, Jayaraman was known for his moving...
, M. Balamuralikrishna, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan was an Indian classical music violinist.-Early life:He was born to Sri Ramaswamy Sastri and Smt. Meenakshi at Kunnakudi, a temple town of Lord Murugan in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.His father was a scholar in Sanskrit and Tamil, and a composer and exponent of...
, Lalgudi Jayaraman
Lalgudi Jayaraman
Lalgudi Jayarama Iyer is a well-known Carnatic violinist, vocalist and composer.-Early life and background:...
, T. V. Sankaranarayanan, Mandolin U. Srinivas
U. Srinivas
Uppalapu Shrinivas , is an Indian mandolin player of the Carnatic musical tradition of Southern India. Shrinivas plays an electric mandolin and has collaborated with John McLaughlin, Michael Nyman, and Michael Brook...
and others.
Contribution and recognition
He shared the dias with Palghat Mani Iyer and Palani Subramaniam PillaiPalani Subramaniam Pillai
Palani Subramaniam Pillai was a well known Carnatic music percussionist. He was adept in playing the mridangam and kanjira. He was the sishya of the celebrated Malikkottai Panchapakesa Pillai .-Early life:Subramaniam Pillai was born on April 20, 1908...
. He has the unique achievement of accompanying five generations of guru-sishya parampara, in Muthiah Bhagavatar, Sankara Sivam, T. N. Seshagopalan, Neyveli Santhana Gopalan and Sriram Parthasarathy. He also has the distinction of having given accompaniment to Smt M.S.Subbulakshmi for more than forty years including the concerts at United Nations and Edinburgh Festival.
Plenty of Honours and awards were bestowed on him including:- Laya Ratnakara from Sivananda Saraswati, Rishikesh, Kalaimamani from the T.N. Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram, Mridanga Bhoopathy from Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, Mridanga Bhooshanam from Sri Sankaracharya of Kanchipuram, Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 1987, Palghat Mani Iyer Award by Percussive Arts Centre, Bangalore, Tala Vilas Award by Sur Singar Samsad, Bombay, Kerala Sangeet Nataka Academy Fellowship, Sangeetha Kalanidhi
Sangeetha Kalanidhi
Sangeetha Kalanidhi or Sangita Kalanidhi is the title awarded yearly to an expert Carnatic Musician by the Madras Music Academy. This honour is considered one of the highest awards in Carnatic music.-----Sangeetha Kalanidhis:-External links:*...
of The Music Academy
Madras Music Academy
Madras Music Academy, or simply Music Academy, is one of the premier and early Music Academies in the South Indian city of Madras, now Chennai. It plays an important role in encouraging and promoting primarily the Carnatic Music south Indian art form. It also played an important role in revival of...
.
He was also conferred with Honorary Doctorate from Arizona University, USA. He was the Asthana Vidwan in Trivandrum Palace. He is a graded “National Artiste” of Prasar Bharathi.
Tours
His class and mastery reverberated in many countries around the world, such as Sri Lanka, Edinburgh, Rome, United Nations, USA, Germany, Paris, Geneva, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, London etc. His versatility is such that he played for street drama, puppet show, Barathanatyam, etc., sings well in Carnatic and Hindustani styles, plays Ghatam, Kanjira and other percussion instruments with ease. He is a master in Konnakol as well. He is the only Artiste in the world to have composed and played Mohra and Korvai for 35 Talas, 72 Melakartha Talas and also for 108 Talas.“MRUDANGA CHAKRAVARTHY DR. T. K. MURTHY SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND TRUST” celebrated the LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AND THE PLATINUM JUBILEE OF DR.T.K.MURTHY on 7.7.2009, 8.7.2009 and 9.7.2009 at the Music Academy, Chennai. The function was presided over by Shri.N.Murali (President, Music Academy) and Ustad Zakir Hussain and Shri. Vinayakaram (Ghatam) were the chief guests for the function. Also the function was followed by a concert with all these rhythm stalwarts starring in the show.