Thanu Krishna Murthy (born 13 August 1924), better known as T. K. Murthy, is an

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

mridangam The mridangam is a percussion instrument of ancient origin. It is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic music ensemble. In Dhrupad, a modified version, the pakhawaj, is the primary percussion instrument. A related instrument is th ...

player. Murthy is a

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

and

Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sangeetha Kalanidhi or Sangeeta Kalanidhi (Tamil: சங்கீத கலாநிதி, Sanskrit : संगीत-कला-निधि) (''sangeetha'' = music, ''kala'' = art, ''nidhi'' = treasure or ocean) is the title awarded yearly to ...

awardee.

Personal life

Murthy was born on 13 August 1924, to Thanu Bhagavathar and Annapurni. Murthy started playing mridangam at the age of eight, without any formal training. When Thanjavur Vaidyanatha Iyer, a mridangam virtuoso and the founder of the Thanjavur style of mridangam, happened to listen to Murthy performing at a concert, he was impressed and decided to train Murthy. Vaidyanatha Iyer took Murthy to

Tanjore Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the ...

, where Palghat Mani Iyer and Thambuswami (brother of eminent Carnatic vocalist T. M. Thiagarajan), were also undergoing training. Murthy's family was full of court musicians and he is the fifth generation of musicians. The family has been in music continuously for 7 generations now. His son T.K. Jayaraman was a music composer at

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All ...

and grandson

Karthikeya Murthy Karthikeya Murthy is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter and music producer. A BAFTA Breakthrough India Talent. He made his debut in Tamil/Telugu bilingual movie Moone Moonu Varthai/ Moodu Mukkallo Cheppalante (2015). He is known for his sc ...

is a film music composer.

Career

Murthy made his debut at the age of eleven, at Coimbatore, in a concert of

Musiri Subramania Iyer Musiri Subramania Iyer (9 April 1899 – 25 March 1975) was a Carnatic vocalist whose 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 teache ...

with Karur Chinnaswami Iyer on violin and Tanjore Vaidyanatha Iyer on mridangam. Murthy has performed in more than 15,000 concerts. In a career spanning over 80 years, Murthy has accompanied eminent artistes from several generations. Some of the notable artists with whom Murthy has performed include

Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar (15 November 1877 – 30 June 1945), commonly known as Muthiah Bhagavatar, is one of Carnatic classical music's famous twentieth-century composers. He also created about 20 ''ragas''. Early life Muthiah was bor ...

Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar (19 May 1890 – 23 January 1967), popularly known as ''Ariyakudi'', was a Carnatic music vocalist, born in Ariyakudi, a town in the present-day Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu. Ariyakudi developed a unique style of ...

, Chembai Vaidhyanatha Bagavathar,

Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer Semmangudi Radhakrishna Srinivasa Iyer (25 July 1908 – 31 October 2003) was an Indian Carnatic vocalist. He was the youngest recipient of the Sangeetha Kalanidhi awarded by the Music Academy in 1947, a distinction he holds to this day a ...

, M. S. Subbulakshmi, Madurai Somasundaram, D. K. Jayaraman,

M. Balamuralikrishna Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna (6 July 1930 – 22 November 2016) was an Indian Carnatic vocalist, musician, multi-instrumentalist, playback singer, composer, and character actor. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in ...

, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan,

Lalgudi Jayaraman Lalgudi Gopala Iyer Jayaraman (17 September 1930 – 22 April 2013) was an Indian Carnatic violinist, vocalist and composer. He is commonly grouped with M.S. Gopalakrishnan and T.N.Krishnan as part of the violin-trinity of Carnatic Mus ...

T. V. Sankaranarayanan T. V. Sankaranarayanan, (7 March 1945 – 2 September 2022) was an Indian Carnatic vocalist (South Indian classical singer), known for his music that stems from the style of his guru and maternal-uncle, Madurai Mani Iyer. TVS was awarded the ...

and U. Srinivas. Although Murthy is a staunch follower of the Thanjavur style of mridangam, he was highly influenced by the artistry of the legendary

Palani Subramaniam Pillai Pazhani Subramania Pillai (1909–1962) was a well known Carnatic music percussionist. He, along with his contemporaries Palghat Mani Iyer and Ramanathapuram C. S. Murugabhoopathy, are revered as the "Holy Trinity of Mridanga". He was adept i ...

of the Pudukottai school of mridangam playing. This blend of the Thanjavur and Pudukottai schools has become the hallmark of Murthy's special style. His style also incorporates highly calculative patterns delivered with clarity and suddenness.

Recognition

Murthy has received honors and awards including the following: * Laya Ratnakara from Sivananda Saraswati, Rishikesh, *

Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government o ...

from the T.N. Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram, * Mridanga Bhoopathy from Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, * Mridanga Bhooshanam from Sri Sankaracharya of Kanchipuram, *

Sangeet Natak Academy Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. History It was set up by the Indian education ministry on 31 May 1952 and be ...

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, *

of The Music Academy. *

Fellowship, 2010 (See *

by the Government of India, 2017 He was the Asthana Vidwan in Trivandrum Palace. He is a graded "National Artiste" of Prasar Bharathi.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Murthy, T K 1924 births Living people Mridangam players Tamil musicians Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeetha Kalanidhi recipients Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship