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Sangeetha Kalanidhi

T. N. Krishnan
T. N. Krishnan FTII Pune 2010.jpg
Krishnan performing at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, on 19 January 2010
Background information
Born (1928-10-06)6 October 1928
Tripunithura, Cochin, British India
Died 2 November 2020(2020-11-02) (aged 92)
Chennai
Genres Carnatic music
Occupation(s) violinist
Instruments violin

Trippunithura Narayana Krishnan (born October 6, 1928 – died November 2, 2020) was a famous Indian Carnatic music violinist. Carnatic music is a type of classical music from South India.

He was known as one of the "violin trinity" of Carnatic music. The other two were Lalgudi Jayaraman and M. S. Gopalakrishnan. Krishnan received many important awards. These included the Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1980, which is a top honor in Carnatic music. He also got the Padma Shri in 1973 and the Padma Bhushan in 1992. These are two of India's highest awards for civilians.

Early Life and Musical Start

T. N. Krishnan was born on October 6, 1928. His birthplace was Tripunithura in Kerala, India. His parents were A. Narayana and Ammini Ammal.

Krishnan learned music from his father. He started playing the violin at a very young age. His first public violin concert was in 1939 in Thiruvananthapuram. He was only 11 years old then! His father taught him until he passed away.

Krishnan remembered playing the violin for over three hours at katcheris. These were classical music shows. They would play in temples, big houses, or at weddings.

Later, a famous Carnatic singer, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, became his mentor.

A Career in Carnatic Music

Krishnan began his career by playing the violin for other musicians. He played with many great artists. Some of them were Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar and Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar.

His first solo concert was in 1939 in Thiruvananthapuram. The royal family of Cochin supported him in his early years. This helped him a lot.

In 1942, Krishnan moved to Chennai. His teacher, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, placed him with R. Aiyadurai. Mr. Aiyadurai was a businessman who loved Carnatic music. He and his wife welcomed Krishnan into their home.

Krishnan was part of the "violin trinity" of Carnatic music. People praised his performances. They noted how he played with great control and feeling. Critics said his music brought back memories of an older time in music. He often performed at the Madras Music Academy. This was during the yearly Margazhi music season. He also traveled around the world to perform.

Teaching Music

T. N. Krishnan also loved teaching music. He taught in the traditional Parampara style. This is where knowledge is passed down from teacher to student. He also taught in colleges.

His own children, Viji Krishnan Natarajan and Sriram Krishnan, became his students. Charumathi Raghuraman was also one of his students.

He was a music professor at Chennai Music College. Later, he became the principal of the college. He also worked as the dean of the School of Music and Fine Arts at the University of Delhi. From 1991 to 1993, he was the vice-chairman of the Sangeet Natak Akademi.

Awards and Special Titles

T. N. Krishnan received many important awards for his music:

  • He got the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1974.
  • He also received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in 2006.
  • The Madras Music Academy gave him the Sangeetha Kalanidhi award in 1980. This is a very high honor.
  • In 1999, he received the Sangeetha Kalasikhamani award. This was from the Indian Fine Arts Society in Chennai.
  • He was also an Asthana Vidwan (Court Scholar) at the Tirupathi Devastanam.

He received high honors from the Indian government:

  • Padma Shri riband Padma Shri (1973) – India's fourth highest civilian honor.
  • Padma Bhushan riband Padma Bhushan (1992) – India's third highest civilian honor.

The Grammy Awards also honored him in March 2021. They mentioned him in their 'In Memoriam' section for international musicians.

Personal Life

Krishnan was married to Kamala Krishnan. They had two children, Viji Krishnan Natarajan and Sriram Krishnan. Both of his children are also well-known violinists.

His sister, N. Rajam, is a famous violin player too. She plays in the Hindustani tradition, which is another type of Indian classical music.

T. N. Krishnan passed away on November 2, 2020, at his home in Chennai.

Discography

  • Melodious Strings of the Indian Violin (1985)
  • Maestros Choice (1991)
  • Music is Music – Jugalbandi (with Ustad Amjad Ali Khan) (1991)
  • The Carnatic Violin (2002)
  • Parivaar (with N. Rajam) (2003)
  • Sruti Sandhya (with T S Nandakumar)
  • Sruti Sandhya 2 (with T S Nandakumar)
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