Channarayapatna Ashwath ( kn, ಸಿ. ಅಶ್ವತ್ಥ್ , lit=C. Ashwath; 29 December 1939 – 29 December 2009) was an Indian

music composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

and exponent of

Bhavageete ''Bhaavageete'' or ''Bhavageeth'' (literally 'emotion poetry') is a form of poetry and pop music in India. Most of the poetry sung in this genre pertain to subjects like love, nature and philosophy, and the genre itself is not much different from ...

("expressive poetry") in the

Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...

language. He was also a singer, and sang many of his own compositions. He was credited with singing Bhavageete songs and making sure that they reached the common man.

Early life and education

He was born on December 29, 1939, in Channarayapatna near Devanahalli. He was born into a family rich in traditional and cultural influences. He grew up in the Chamarajpete area of Bangalore. After completing his higher education in Acharaya Pathashala School of NR Colony, he graduated in Science from National College,

Basavanagudi Basavanagudi is a residential and commercial locality in the Indian city of Bangalore. It is located in South Bangalore, along the borders of Jayanagar. The name "Basavanagudi" refers to the Bull Temple, which contains a monolith statue of the ...

and later worked in Indian Telephone Industries for 27 years before retiring as an Executive Engineer in 1992. He started his musical career as a disciple of Devagiri Shankara Joshi in

Hindustani music Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...

Movies

Some of his notable compositions include the composition of music for Mysooru Mallige – a classic work of noted poet K.S. Narasimhaswamy and his compositions of Kannada saint Santa Shishunala Sharifa's works.

L. Vaidyanathan Lakshminarayana Vaidyanathan ( ta, லக்ஷ்மிநாராயண வைத்தியநாதன்; kn, ಎಲ್.ವೈದ್ಯನಾಥನ್; 9 April 1942 – 19 May 2007) was an acclaimed musicologist, music director and compo ...

met C. Ashwath during the recording of the film ''

Kakana Kote ''Kakana Kote'' ( kn, ಕಾಕನ ಕೋಟೆ) is a 1977 Indian Kannada biographical drama film adapted from Masti Venkatesh Iyengar's stage play of the same name. The film plot tells the story of Kaka Nayaka who was instrumental in stoppin ...

'' in 1976. This meeting led them on to a strong relationship of almost three decades. Vaidi provided the orchestra for many of Ashwath's compositions, but it was with the film ''Yene Barali Preeti Irali'' that the Ashwath-Vaidi duo became collaborators of great music. *Anupama (Olume Poojegende, Bartaale Bartaale, etc.) *

Aalemane ''Aalemane'' is a 1981 Kannada Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It ...

(Nammoora Mandaara Hoove) *Kaanchana Mruga (ee savidina endendu) *Baadada Hoovu (Hoova Nodu Aaaha Entha) *Bhoolokadalli Yamaraaja (Endoo kaanada belaka kande) * Naarada Vijaya (Idu entha lokavayya) The first film he independently scored music was

. Later followed

Chinnari Mutha ''Chinnari Mutta'' () is a 1993 Indian Kannada language children's film, directed by T. S. Nagabharana, starring H. G. Dattatreya and Master Vijay Raghavendra. At the 41st National Film Awards, the film was awarded the Best Feature Film i ...

, Santha Shishunala Sharief, Mysoora Mallige,

Kotreshi Kanasu ''Kotreshi Kanasu'' ( kn, ಕೊಟ್ರೇಶಿ ಕನಸು, ''Dream of Kotreshi'') is a 1994 Indian Kannada language film directed by Nagathihalli Chandrashekar starring Vijay Raghavendra and Karibasavaiah. The film won two National Film ...

Nagamandala Nagamandala (; ) is a 1997 Indian Kannada-language drama film, directed by T. S. Nagabharana based on a play of same name by Girish Karnad. It was produced by Srihari L. Khoday and the music was scored by C. Aswath. It is an adaptation of a ...

and few other films in Kannada.

Discography

Films

Style

A pioneer of Kannada "Sugama Sangeetha" (light music), the versatile singer had over 75 albums to his credit. C. Ashwath is a household name in Karnataka. He is, perhaps the only music director in Karnataka, to have carved a niche of his own in all three fields that demand music as an element of expression:

Theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

Sugama Sangeetha Sugama Sangeetha, a variety of Bhavageethe, is an Indian musical genre in which poetry in the Kannada language is set to music. It gained recognition with the work of P. Kalinga Rao in the mid -20th century. Mysore Ananthaswamy and C. Aswat ...

and movies. Ashwath has also brought out an album titled "Nesara Noodu" which consists of 21 drama songs of his direction. In the 1990s, Rajkumar had sung

Kuvempu Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa (29 December 1904 – 11 November 1994), popularly known by his pen name Kuvempu, was an Indian poet, playwright, novelist and critic. He is widely regarded as the greatest Kannada poet of the 20th century. He wa ...

's 'Elladaroo Iru Entadaroo Iru' under the music direction of C. Ashwath, which became very popular.

Awards

C. Ashwath was awarded the second highest award of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

state, the

Rajyotsava Award The Rajyotsava Prashasti or Rajyotsava Awards, the second highest civilian honor of the Karnataka state of India are conferred annually by the Karnataka Government on the occasion of the establishment of the state on 1 November celebrated as ...

, in the year 1986. As both a singer and composer, he was extremely popular in

and among

Kannadiga The Kannada people or Kannadigaru IAST">nowiki/>IAST:_Kannadadavaru_or_Kannadigas_(English_term).html" ;"title="IAST.html" ;"title="nowiki/>IAST">nowiki/>IAST: Kannadadavaru or Kannadigas (English term)">IAST.html" ;"title="nowiki/>IAST">nowik ...

s all over the world. His concert in

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

in 2005 was attended by a crowd of almost 100,000 people. He has also given concerts outside India,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

for Melanudi Kannada Sangha and few other places around UK. On his 70th birthday he was to celebrate with friends and well wishers in a special way. A function was to be held at

Ravindra Kalakshetra Ravindra Kalakshetra is a cultural centre in Bangalore which provides a home for musical and theatrical performances. Located in heart of Bangalore city, it was built to commemorate the birth centenary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Many ...

, Bangalore and Swamiji of Suttur and Virendra Hegde were to felicitate him on the occasion evening followed by singing his popular songs. The Kannadave Sathya live concert, which was held in Palace Grounds, Bengaluru on 23 April 2005, headed by Ashwath, was the great success which witnessed around a lakh audience for the show. This was the first time a Kannada Musical event was taken place here, while many western and other Indian language programs taken place in the past.

Death

He died on 29 December 2009 on his 70th birthday. He was suffering from

renal The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; bloo ...

and liver failures.Kannada composer C Ashwath dies
Rediff.com. Retrieved on 29 December 2009.

References

External links

One India
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashwath, C. 1939 births 2009 deaths Deaths from liver failure Deaths from kidney failure Kannada playback singers Kannada film score composers Indian male playback singers Film musicians from Karnataka Filmfare Awards South winners 20th-century Indian composers Bangalore University alumni Singers from Karnataka Male film score composers 20th-century Indian male singers 20th-century Indian singers