Alathur Srinivasa Iyer (1911–1980), born in Tamil Nadu, was an Indian
vocalist
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
. Together with Alathur Sivasubramania Iyer, he formed the successful duo known as the
Alathur Brothers
Alathur Brothers Srinivasa Iyer (1911–1980) & Sivasubramania Iyer (1916–1965) were Carnatic vocalists. The world of Carnatic music knows them as the star duo of the twentieth century.
They learnt under Alathur Venkatesa Iyer, the father ...
(though the two were not in fact brothers). He was awarded the
Madras Music Academy
Madras Music Academy is one of the earliest established music academies in South India. Before the concept of infrastructure was introduced to India in the early 1920s, it was a gathering for elite musicians simply called (and is still more ...
's
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 ...
in 1965. A student of
Alathur Venkatesa Iyer, Srinivasa gave his first performances when he was ten years old. From 1944 to 1968, he was a court
musician
A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...
for the
Maharajah
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...
of
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
. He lived longer than his partner, Alathur Sivasubramania Iyer, and performed many solo concerts after the death of Sivasubramania Iyer.
See also
1911 births
1980 deaths
Male Carnatic singers
Carnatic singers
20th-century Indian male singers
20th-century Indian singers
Singers from Tamil Nadu
Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
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