Ramanathapuram C. S. Murugabhoopathy (14 February 1914 – 21 March 1998), popularly referred to as CSM, was one of the most distinguished
Mridanga
The khol is a terracotta two-sided drum used in northern and eastern India for accompaniment with devotional music (''bhakti''). It is also known as a mridanga (<
Palghat Mani Iyer
Palghat T. S. Mani Iyer (1912–1981), born Thiruvilvamalai Ramaswamy was one of the leading mridangists in the field of Carnatic music. He, along with his contemporaries Palani Subramaniam Pillai and Ramanathapuram C. S. Murugabhoopathy, are ...
(1912–1981) and Palani Subramania Pillai (1908–1962). The three legends are revered as the "Holy Trinity of Mridanga".''Ramanathapuram C S Murugabhoopathy: The Last of the Titans, an Obituary by K S Kalidas'', May 1998. Shruti, 164: 15-16.
Early life
Born in the town of
Ramanathapuram
Ramanathapuram (), also known as Ramnad, is a town and a municipality in Ramanathapuram district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of Ramanathapuram district and the second largest town (by population) in ...
(also known as Ramnad) in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
, Murugabhoopathy obtained his early lessons in Mridanga from his father Chitsabai Servai (also Sirchabai Servai) and later on from Palani Muttiah Pillai (the father of Palani Subramania Pillai), both of whom were students of the great Pudukottai Manpoondia Pillai (read as Maamudia Pillai). Murugabhoopathy’s elder brother C. S. Sankarasivam Bhagavatar was a strong influence in the development of Murugabhoopathy's musical style. A young CSM picked up many tips from legendary percussionists including Kumbhakonam Azhaganambi Pillai, who taught him some intricate techniques of playing with his left hand.
Major performances
Murugabhoopathy accompanied many carnatic stalwarts such as
Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar
Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar (19 May 1890 – 23 January 1967), popularly known as ''Ariyakudi'', was a Carnatic music vocalist, born in Ariyakudi, a town in the present-day Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu. Ariyakudi developed a unique style of ...
Musiri Subramania Iyer
Musiri Subramania Iyer (9 April 1899 – 25 March 1975) was a Carnatic vocalist whose 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 teache ...
, and Dandapani Desikar. CSM benefited a lot from the generous promotion and support given by
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar
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 ...
and
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 ...
.''An interview of Ramathapuram C S Murugabhoopathy'' published in the music magazine ''Shruti'', July 1985 (issue 17 S, page 6)A radio interview of Ramanathapuram C S Murugabhoopathy conducted by Mr Subramanya Deshikar (AIR Madras) He later on played alongside G. N. Balasubramaniam,
Madurai Mani Iyer
Madurai Mani Iyer ( ta, மதுரை மணி ஐயர்; 25 October 1912 – 8 June 1968) was an Indian Carnatic music singer, who was famous for his unique style. He was one of the most highly celebrated carnatic vocalists during the fi ...
Ramnad Krishnan
Ramnad Krishnan (14 September 1918 – 29 January 1973) was a vocalist in the Carnatic music, Carnatic tradition. Krishnan did his schooling in Ramnad in Madras Presidency. His elder brother Prof. V Lakshminarayana took him to C. S. Sankarasivam ...
Maharajapuram Santhanam
Maharajapuram Santhanam, (20 May 1928-24 June 1992) was an Indian Carnatic music vocalist. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1989. He was born in Sirunangur, a village in the state of Tamil Nadu. He followed the fo ...
,
Madurai Somasundaram
Madurai S. Somasundaram, popularly also called Madurai Somu (born S. Paramasivam; 9 February 1919 – 9 December 1989) was a Carnatic music vocalist. He learnt music from Sesha Bhagavatar, Abhirama Sastri and Chittoor Subramanyam Pillai. He sta ...
Mysore V. Doreswamy Iyengar
Mysore Venkatesha Doreswamy Iyengar (1920-1997) was a Carnatic musician and one of the greatest exponents of the veena in modern Indian history.
Early life
He was a son of Venkatesha Iyengar, a learned vainika and royal musician at the court ...
(veena),
Tirumakudalu 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 ...
(violin),
T. N. Krishnan
Trippunithura Narayana Krishnan (6 October 19282 November 2020) was an Indian Carnatic music violinist. Along with Lalgudi Jayaraman and M. S. Gopalakrishnan he was considered part of the violin-trinity of Carnatic music. He was awarded the Mad ...
(violin),
Lalgudi Jayaraman
Lalgudi Gopala Iyer Jayaraman (17 September 1930 – 22 April 2013) was an Indian Carnatic violinist, vocalist and composer. He is commonly grouped with M.S. Gopalakrishnan and T.N.Krishnan as part of the violin-trinity of Carnatic Mu ...
(violin) and other leading musicians in many concerts.
Awards and recognition
*
Kalaimamani
The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of ...
(1963)
*
Padma Shri
Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...
(1973)
* Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award (1975)
*State Artist of Tamil Nadu (1979)
*Palghat Mani Iyer Award (1985)Publication of the Percussive Arts Centre, Bangalore
Legacy
CSM improvised the left hand playing technique with innovative movements of split fingers. He was renowned for his unmatched sense of pitch, tonal purity and meaningful silent pauses while following the main artiste. Clarity even during very high speed renditions was one of the hallmarks of his ''thani aavarthanes'' (solos). CSM also developed many unique patterns and lessons and established a new playing style.
Some of his notable students include Mavilekkara Shankarakutty Nair, Karaikudi Krishnamurthy (Singapore & London), Kumbakonam Premkumar (AIR Delhi), and B. Druvaraj (Bangalore). His most famous student was the Khanjira wizard G. Harishankar (AIR Madras).
The Mridanga trinity influenced one another and drew inspiration by listening to one another. It is a fact that Palani Subramania Pillia, who rarely played the Khanjira in live concerts (although he was extremely good at it), played on a Khanjira only with two Mridangists. One of course was Palghat Mani Iyer and the other was C S Murugabhoopathy.A radio interview of
Trichy Sankaran
Trichy Sankaran (born 27 July 1942) is an Indian percussionist, composer, scholar, and educator. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 2011. As a mridangam ''vidwan'', he has been called a "doyen among the percussionis ...