Thanjavur K.P. Sivanandam (1917–2003) was a Carnatic

veena The ''veena'', also spelled ''vina'' ( IAST: vīṇā), is any of various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps.

player and also a descendant of the

Tanjore Quartet ''Thanjavur Quartet'' were four brothers, Chinnayya, Ponnayya (1804-1864),https://www.karnatik.com/co1375.shtml Sivanandam and Vadivelu, who lived during the early 19th century and contributed to the development of Bharatanatyam and Carnatic mu ...

Early life

Sivanandam was born into a musical family as the second son of Thanjavur K. Ponniah Pillai, a scholar and musician. He received training in

vocal music Vocal music is a type of singing performed by one or more singers, either with instrumental accompaniment, or without instrumental accompaniment (a cappella), in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but ...

and

Bharatanatyam ''Bharatanatyam'' is a Indian classical dance form that came from Tamil Nadu, India. It is a classical dance form recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas of Hinduism and Jainism.< ...

from his grandfather, Pandanallur Meenakshisundaram Pillai, and his father. He studied veena under Vidwans Desamangalam Subrahmanya Iyer and Gomati Sankara Iyer. Sivanandam earned the Sangita Bhushanam degree from

Annamalai University The Annamalai University (AU) is a public state university in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India. The sprawling campus offers courses of higher education in arts, science, engineering, management, humanities, agriculture, and physical education. ...

Musical career

At 21, Sivanandam began his career as a lecturer in music at

, where he taught for 11 years. He later joined the

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

Government's Department of Music as a professor for two decades. In 1980, he founded the Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies in

Batticaloa Batticaloa (, ''Maṭṭakkaḷappu'', ; , ''Maḍakalapuwa'', ) is a major city in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, and its former capital. It is the administrative capital of the Batticaloa District. The city is the seat of the Eastern Univers ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

, where he was Honorary Principal.

Contributions and works

Sivanandam played a pivotal role in preserving traditional musical compositions. He wrote several influential works, including ''Natya Isai Karuvoolam'', ''Thanjai Peruvudaiyan Perisai'', and ''Adi Bharata Kala Manjari'', which have become essential resources for students and practitioners of Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam.

Awards

Sivanandam received several awards: *

Sangita Kalanidhi Sangita Kalanidhi () is the title awarded annually to a Carnatic musician by the Madras Music Academy. From 1929 to 1941, the award did not exist. The award was conceived in 1942 by Academy President K. V. Krishnaswami Iyer and on 1 January ...

(1992) from the Madras Music Academy. *

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IAST: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

(1980) from India's National Academy for Music, Dance, and Drama. *

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 ...

Award from the Tamil Nadu government.

Personal life

He was married to Sarada Sivanandam, who was also a veena artist, and they have performed together. Sivanandam passed away on July 30, 2003. http://www.kutcheribuzz.com/news/general/2525-obit-k-p-sivanandam

References