Thanu Krishna Murthy (born 13 August 1924), better known as T. K. Murthy, is an Indian

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 ...

player. Murthy is a Padma Shri and

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 ...

awardee.

Personal life

Murthy was born on 13 August 1924, to Thanu Bhagavathar and Annapurni. Murthy started playing mridangam at the age of eight, without any formal training. When Thanjavur Vaidyanatha Iyer, a mridangam virtuoso and the founder of the Thanjavur style of mridangam, happened to listen to Murthy performing at a concert, he was impressed and decided to train Murthy. Vaidyanatha Iyer took Murthy to Tanjore, where

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 ...

and Thambuswami (brother of eminent Carnatic vocalist

T. M. Thiagarajan T. M. Thyagarajan ( ta, டி. எம். தியாகராஜன்) (28 May 1923 – 27 June 2007) fondly known as TMT was a Carnatic vocalist and musicologist from Tamil Nadu in Southern India. He was awarded the Madras Music Acade ...

), were also undergoing training. Murthy's family was full of court musicians and he is the fifth generation of musicians. The family has been in music continuously for 7 generations now. His son T.K. Jayaraman was a music composer at All India Radio and grandson Karthikeya Murthy is a film music composer.

Career

Murthy made his debut at the age of eleven, at Coimbatore, in a concert 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 ...

with Karur Chinnaswami Iyer on violin and Tanjore Vaidyanatha Iyer on mridangam. Murthy has performed in more than 15,000 concerts. In a career spanning over 80 years, Murthy has accompanied eminent artistes from several generations. Some of the notable artists with whom Murthy has performed include

Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar (15 November 1877 – 30 June 1945), commonly known as Muthiah Bhagavatar, is one of Carnatic classical music's famous twentieth-century composers. He also created about 20 ''ragas''. Early life Muthiah was bor ...

, Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Chembai Vaidhyanatha Bagavathar, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer,

M. S. Subbulakshmi Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi (16 September 1916 – 11 December 2004) was an Indian Carnatic singer from Madurai, Tamil Nadu. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. She is ...

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 ...

D. K. Jayaraman Damal Krishnaswamy Jayaraman (popularly known as DKJ), the renowned brother of D. K. Pattammal, was a professional Carnatic music singer. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1990. After learning music from his si ...

M. Balamuralikrishna Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna (6 July 1930 – 22 November 2016) was an Indian Carnatic vocalist, musician, multi-instrumentalist, playback singer, composer, and character actor. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in ...

, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, Lalgudi Jayaraman,

T. V. Sankaranarayanan T. V. Sankaranarayanan, (7 March 1945 – 2 September 2022) was an Indian Carnatic music, Carnatic vocalist (South Indian classical singer), known for his music that stems from the style of his guru and maternal-uncle, Madurai Mani Iyer. TVS ...

and

U. Srinivas Uppalapu Srinivas (28 February 1969 – 19 September 2014) was an Indian mandolin player in Carnatic classical music and composer. Because he was a child prodigy, he was sometimes called the Mozart of classical Indian music. He was awarded the ...

. Although Murthy is a staunch follower of the Thanjavur style of mridangam, he was highly influenced by the artistry of the legendary Palani Subramaniam Pillai of the Pudukottai school of mridangam playing. This blend of the Thanjavur and Pudukottai schools has become the hallmark of Murthy's special style. His style also incorporates highly calculative patterns delivered with clarity and suddenness.

Recognition

Murthy has received honors and awards including the following: * Laya Ratnakara from Sivananda Saraswati, Rishikesh, * Kalaimamani from the T.N. Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram, * Mridanga Bhoopathy from Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, * Mridanga Bhooshanam from Sri Sankaracharya of Kanchipuram, * Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 1987, *

Award by Percussive Arts Centre, Bangalore, * Tala Vilas Award by Sur Singar Samsad, Bombay, * Kerala Sangeet Nataka Academy Fellowship, *

of The Music Academy. * Sangeet Natak Academy Fellowship, 2010 (See * Padma Shri by the Government of India, 2017 He was the Asthana Vidwan in Trivandrum Palace. He is a graded "National Artiste" of Prasar Bharathi.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Murthy, T K 1924 births Living people Mridangam players Tamil musicians Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeetha Kalanidhi recipients Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship