Kalpakam Swaminathan
Encyclopedia
Kalpakam Swaminathan was a vainika (veena
player) of Carnatic music
.
district of Tamil Nadu
, India
. Her mother Abhayambal initiated her into the world of Carnatic music
when she was eight years of age. Her tutelage continued under such as Kallidaikuruchi Ananthakrishna Iyer, TL Venkatarama Iyer, Musiri Subramania Iyer
, Budalur Krishnamurthy Shastrigal, Tiger Varadachariar
and Mysore Vasudevachar.
Her veena
technique follows the Thanjavur baani or style which is characterized by its strong commitment to producing musical graces (gamakas) in the manner they would be rendered vocally. She has a vast repertoire of Muthuswami Dikshitar
's compositions, including those from the Abhayamba, Kamalamba, Neelotpalamba and Tyagaraja
vibhakti series, Vara kritis and Panchalinga series. She is considered an authority in her renditions of this composer's work. She has also performed together with Gottuvadyam doyen Budalur Krishnamurthy Shastrigal on many occasions.
She was brought into the teaching profession by 'Tiger' Varadachariar. He inducted her into the teaching faculty at Kalakshetra
, where she spent many years in the 1940s and 1950s. From 1964 she taught at the Tamil Nadu Government Music College (formerly Central College of Carnatic Music). She retired as a full professor in 1980.
title from the Government of Tamil Nadu, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
from the President of India, Sangeetha Kala Acharya title of the Madras Music Academy, Sangeetha Seva Nirata awarded by Sree Thyagaraja Vidwat Samajam, Acharya Choodamani from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha in August 2005 and the Veene Sheshanna
Award in July 2008.
Veena
Veena may refer to one of several Indian plucked instruments:With frets*Rudra veena, plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music*Saraswati veena, plucked string instrument used in Carnatic musicFretless...
player) of Carnatic music
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
.
Profile
Kalpakam was born in Sethalapathi village in the TiruvarurTiruvarur
Tiruvarur is a town and a municipality in Tiruvarur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Tiruvarur is the administrative headquarters of Tiruvarur district. Tiruvarur is one of the oldest towns which has been popular as cultural head quarters for many centuries...
district of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
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...
. Her mother Abhayambal initiated her into the world of Carnatic music
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
when she was eight years of age. Her tutelage continued under such as Kallidaikuruchi Ananthakrishna Iyer, TL Venkatarama Iyer, Musiri Subramania Iyer
Musiri 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...
, Budalur Krishnamurthy Shastrigal, Tiger Varadachariar
Tiger Varadachariar
Tiger Varadachariar was a famous Carnatic music vocalist who hailed from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. M. D. Ramanathan was his student.-Early life:...
and Mysore Vasudevachar.
Her veena
Veena
Veena may refer to one of several Indian plucked instruments:With frets*Rudra veena, plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music*Saraswati veena, plucked string instrument used in Carnatic musicFretless...
technique follows the Thanjavur baani or style which is characterized by its strong commitment to producing musical graces (gamakas) in the manner they would be rendered vocally. She has a vast repertoire of Muthuswami Dikshitar
Muthuswami Dikshitar
Muthuswami Dikshitar is a South Indian poet and composer and is one of the Musical Trinity of Carnatic music...
's compositions, including those from the Abhayamba, Kamalamba, Neelotpalamba and Tyagaraja
Tyagaraja
Kakarla Tyagabrahmam , colloquially known as Tyāgarājar and Tyagayya was one of the greatest composers of Carnatic music or classical South Indian music. He, along with his contemporaries Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastry, forms the Trinity of Carnatic music...
vibhakti series, Vara kritis and Panchalinga series. She is considered an authority in her renditions of this composer's work. She has also performed together with Gottuvadyam doyen Budalur Krishnamurthy Shastrigal on many occasions.
She was brought into the teaching profession by 'Tiger' Varadachariar. He inducted her into the teaching faculty at Kalakshetra
Kalakshetra
Kalakshetra is a cultural academy dedicated to the preservation of traditional values in Indian art, especially in the field of Bharatanatyam dance and Gandharvaveda music. The academy was founded in January 1936 by Rukmini Devi Arundale. Under Arundale's guidance the institution achieved national...
, where she spent many years in the 1940s and 1950s. From 1964 she taught at the Tamil Nadu Government Music College (formerly Central College of Carnatic Music). She retired as a full professor in 1980.
Awards
Notable awards include the KalaimamaniKalaimamani
The Kalaimamani is an award in Tamil Nadu state, India. These awards are given by the Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Manram for excellence in the field of art and literature....
title from the Government of Tamil Nadu, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...
from the President of India, Sangeetha Kala Acharya title of the Madras Music Academy, Sangeetha Seva Nirata awarded by Sree Thyagaraja Vidwat Samajam, Acharya Choodamani from Sri Krishna Gana Sabha in August 2005 and the Veene Sheshanna
Veene Sheshanna
Veene Sheshanna was an exponent of the Veena, an Indian string instrument, which he played in the classical Carnatic music style. He was a concert musician at the court of the princely state of Mysore in south India.-Family:...
Award in July 2008.
External links
- Veena exponent passes away, The HinduThe HinduThe Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
, April 7, 2011 - Audio link to the song SiddhIshwarAya namastE, rAga nIlambari, recorded Aug 5, 2004
- Video link to the song hastivadanAya namastubhyam, rAga navarOj, recorded Sept 15, 2007