Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer: Life and Music (With CD)

Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer’s life spanned almost a century and he spent most of it in the forefront of the Carnatic music world, as a top-ranking performer and an outstanding professional. The success that he enjoyed alone would make a study of his life worthwhile, for it offers several aspects worthy of emulation.This book, a centenary tribute, attempts to analyse what went into the making of Semmangudi, the man and the musician. The biography covers the key events in his life–his tutelage under various gurus, his struggles to tame a recalcitrant voice and his ultimate success in this endeavour, his tenure in Travancore where he worked on the resuscitation of the songs of Swati Tirunal, his career at the AIR, his years as a top-ranking musician and the colourful controversies and events that marked his life. In many ways, Semmangudi’s life was a mirror to the progress of Carnatic music through the 20 century. And he was gamely involved in every aspect of it–be it the initial patronage by royalty which gave way to the egalitarian Sabhas after 1947, the explosion of technology which began with the gramophones and the radio and marched on to cassettes, CDs and DVDs and the rise of women in the art form–a trend that he encouraged by teaching many lady artistes including MS Subbulakshmi.The music section analyses Semmangudi’s art which made him the star that he was. His emphasis on perfection when it came to music, be it his own or that of his disciples ensured that each concert of his was an outstanding success, a phenomenon that was vouched for by none less than Palghat Mani Iyer, the mridangam maestro.The free CD enclosed carries selections from Semmangudi’s concerts over the years, to enhance the experience of journeying back in time with one of the greatest artists of India.