Palghat T. S. Mani Iyer (1912–1981), born Thiruvilvamalai Ramaswamy was one of the leading
mridangists in the field of
Carnatic music
Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, an ...
. He, along with his contemporaries
Palani Subramaniam Pillai
Pazhani Subramania Pillai (1909–1962) was a well known Carnatic music percussionist. He, along with his contemporaries Palghat Mani Iyer and Ramanathapuram C. S. Murugabhoopathy, are revered as the "Holy Trinity of Mridanga". He was adept i ...
and
Ramanathapuram C. S. Murugabhoopathy, are revered as the "Holy Trinity of Mrudangam". Mani Iyer was the first mridangist to be awarded the
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 ...
(1966) presented by the
Music Academy
The Music Academy is a classical music training program in Montecito in Santa Barbara County, California.
Overview
The academy hosts an annual eight-week summer music festival, highlighted by concerts and workshops directed by famous composer ...
of Madras, the
Padma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...
(1971) and the
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...
s(1956) presented by the
Government of India
The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...
.
Early life and background
He was born in a
Palakkad
Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...
brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru ...
family on 12 June 1912 at Pazhayanur, then in Tiruvilvamala Taluk, in Palghat District, Kerala (now located in Thrissur District) to Sesham Bhagavatar and Aanandaambaal as their second son. Mani was named Ramaswami at birth— after his grandfather who was a school teacher besides being a good singer. Mani Iyer learnt his music from his parents in his native Pazhayyanur. His maiden public performance was at the age of 10 at a ''harikatha'' discourses by Sivaramakrishna Bhagavathar. The mridangam player who was supposed to play had failed to turn up and Mani Iyer substituted. Later he caught the eye of Thanjavur Vaidyanatha Iyer who taught him the intricacies that invested his recitals with remarkable purity. Mani Iyer came into prominence in 1924, after accompanying
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhaagavathar in a music concert at
Jagannatha Bhaktha Sabha in
Madras
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
(now called
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
).
Career
Mani Iyer accompanied all the leading vocal artists of his era. He was also the
guru
Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...
for later mridangam players such as Late
Palghat R. Raghu
Palghat R. Raghu (9 January 1928 – 2 June 2009) was a Carnatic musician and percussionist. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 2007.
Early life
Palghat Ramaswamy Raghu was born in Rangoon, Burma (now Myanma ...
, Late
Mavelikkara Velukkutty Nair
Mavelikkara Velukutty Nair (Malayalam: മാവേലിക്കര വേലുക്കുട്ടി നായർ) was an Indian mridangam player.
Life
Mavelikkara Velukkutty Nair was born on 2 October 1926 in Chettikulangara (near Mavel ...
,
Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman
Umayalpuram Kasiviswanatha Sivaraman (born 17 December 1935) is an Indian musician and exponent of the Carnatic percussion instrument, the mridangam. He is a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan as well as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
Earl ...
,
Thanjavur R.Ramadas, Kamalakar Rao, Late
G. Harishankar (
kanjira), etc.
Before Mani Iyer's arrival in the music scene, the three mridangists
Nagercoil S.Ganesa Iyer,
Alaganambi Pillai and
Dakshinamurthy Pillai
Dhakshinamoorthy Pillai (1875–1936), was a leading mridangam and kanjira artist who accompanied musicians in Carnatic music
Carnatic music, known as or in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with Sout ...
(who played the
kanjira also), dominated the percussion scene. The way in which Mani Iyer played changed the style of mridangam playing from just keeping beat for the main artist's music to being an instrument in its own right. A comment from Y. G. Doraisamy: "It was Mani Iyer who started the now prevalent trend of the mridangam, not just keeping the time with tekkas and moras, but actively accompanying the
musical phrasing
Musical phrasing is the method by which a musician shapes a sequence of notes in a passage of music to allow expression, much like when speaking English a phrase may be written identically but may be spoken differently, and is named for the in ...
, so as to be a rhythmic running commentary, reproducing on the drum all the subtleties and rhythmic complexities of the musical composition."
Palghat R. Raghu
Palghat R. Raghu (9 January 1928 – 2 June 2009) was a Carnatic musician and percussionist. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 2007.
Early life
Palghat Ramaswamy Raghu was born in Rangoon, Burma (now Myanma ...
, a disciple of Mani Iyer, describes his guru as a genius in that he showed music followers the manner of blending with the music of the main artist in handling the kritis of every conceivable mood and tempo. By his consistent excellence he could raise the concert to thrilling heights.
He had his eccentricities, and he refused to accompany women artists for a long time. But after his daughter married D K Pattammal's son, he accompanied Pattamal (पट्टमाळ), considered one of the three singers who make up Trinity of Women Carnatic Music singers in the 20th C. Afterwards he also accompanied M L Vasanthakumari.
When
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
Semmangudi Radhakrishna Srinivasa Iyer (25 July 1908 – 31 October 2003) was an Indian Carnatic vocalist. He was the youngest recipient of the Sangeetha Kalanidhi awarded by the Music Academy in 1947, a distinction he holds to this day ...
was asked to pick geniuses of Carnatic music, he came up with only three names --
T.R. Mahalingam,
T.N. Rajarathnam Pillai and Palghat Mani Iyer.
Personal life
Born on 12 June 1912, in Pazhayannur village near Palghat, Mani Iyer lived a full 70 years and died on 30 May 1981.
He was the father of the noted artists Mridangist T. R. Rajamani, vocalist
Lalitha Sivakumar, violinist T.R. Rajaram, Smt. Lakshmi Vaidhyanathan and Sri. Thyagarajan. He was also the grandfather of the noted singer
Nithyasree Mahadevan and Carnatic vocalist Palghat Ramprasad.
References
External links
South Indian Percussionist pagePalghat Mani Iyer websiteAn article in The Hindu - The Genius of Sound and SilenceMusings of a Mridangam Maestro* accompanying
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar a.k.a. Vaidyanatha Iyer (1 September 1896 – 16 October 1974) was a Carnatic music singer from Palakkad (state of Kerala, India). Known by his village name ''Chembai'', or simply as ''Bhagavatar'', he was born to ...
on the
Mridangam
The mridangam is a percussion instrument of ancient origin. It is the primary rhythmic accompaniment in a Carnatic music ensemble. In Dhrupad, a modified version, the pakhawaj, is the primary percussion instrument. A related instrument is the ...
with
Chowdiah
Tirumakudalu Chowdiah ( kn, ಸಂಗೀತ ರತ್ನ ತಿರುಮಕೂಡಲು ಚೌಡಯ್ಯ) (1895 – 19 January 1967) was a violin maestro from India in the Carnatic classical tradition.
Early years
Chowdiah, was born in ...
on the violin.
Mani Iyer Centenary at Kalpathy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mani Iyer, Palghat
1912 births
1981 deaths
Indian percussionists
Mridangam players
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts
Sangeetha Kalanidhi recipients
20th-century Indian musicians
Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
People from Palakkad district
20th-century drummers