Does the great musician and Vidwan Maharajapuram Santhanam’s rendition of Carnatic music make your heart melt?
I look forward to your feedback via our website here as comments after listening to his music, which is designed to last less than an hour.
ABOUT MAHARAJAPURAM SANTHANAM:
He belongs to a rare breed of Carnatic musicians who have withstood the test of time and whose music is still wonderful to hear and relish even after their passing. One such great Carnatic vocal exponent was Maharajapuram Santhanam (MSM), son and disciple of Maharajapuram Vishwanatha Iyer, who was a highly regarded master in the traditional music world during the 1940s and 50s.
MSM rendered great service to music, and his performances are still highly acclaimed among learners and followers. He was the recipient of many awards, including the Music Academy’s Sangeetha Kalanidhi, Padma Shri, and more. In Chennai’s T. Nagar, a road leading to Krishna Gana Sabha is named after him.
A unique aspect of his music was his deep, resonant voice, along with a good amount of Alapana and Swaram, which even drew youngsters to listen to his concerts. The best part was the Bhakti Bhavam (devotional emotion) that pulled listeners into his renditions every single time. He left a lasting impression among Carnatic music learners and rasikas (connoisseurs).
All young learners should emulate his style and cultivate his uniqueness in keeping the audience in rapt attention until he completes his Sahityam, which could continue for more than 40 minutes, starting from Alapana, Swaram, and Thaniyavarthanam.
It is a curse that God has taken such great people, who rendered yeoman service to Carnatic music with bhakti and devotion, too early. However, his legacy will live as long as Carnatic music exists, and it will melt anyone’s heart.
Before this becomes too lengthy to read, I would like to provide a link to his Wikipedia page for more details, with a few excerpts below:
His renditions were full of Bhakti. Also Maharajapuram Santhanam Day is celebrated on 3rd December every year.