Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer
Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer (Tamil: மகாராஜபுரம் விசுவநாதையர்) (1896–1970) was one of the great Indian Carnatic vocalists.[1] He won several awards including Sangeetha Kalanidhi and Sangeetha Bhupathy.
Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1896 |
| Origin | Chennai, India |
| Died | 1970 (aged 74) |
| Genres | Indian Classical Music |
| Occupation(s) | Classical Vocalist |
| Years active | 1911–1966 |
Early life and background
Viswanatha Iyer was born in Maharajapuram to Rama Iyer, a singer.
He was trained initially by Umayalpuram Swaminatha Iyer, a direct disciple of Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer. Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer had learnt from a direct disciple of Tyagaraja and thus Viswanatha Iyer represents the fifth generation of the Tyagaraja School.
Singing career
A unique feature about his music was his great success in raga elaboration in great detail. The raga alapana of Mohanam was one of his specialties. His has been hailed as the success of 'kalpana sangeetha', music rich with imagination in raga elaboration and swara singing, a specialty of his.
His prominent disciples include Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, Mannargudi Sambasiva Bhagavatar, and his own son Maharajapuram Santhanam.[2]
Film career
He acted in a Tamil movie "Bhaktha Nandhanar" released on 1 January 1935 as the landlord Vedhiyar. K.B. Sundarambal acted as Nandhanar in this movie.
References
- Subrahmaniam, V. Music Season / Music : Of Style and Stalwarts. The Hindu, 1 December 2007.
- Like the Singing Wind from the Ghat. The Hindu - Kerala News, 13 November 2005.