Chowdiah
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Tirumakudalu Chowdiah | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 1895 |
| Origin | Tirumakudalu Narasipura, Kingdom of Mysore, British India |
| Died | 19 January 1967 (aged 71–72) |
| Genres | Carnatic music |
| Occupation | Violinist |
| Website | Website |
Tirumakudalu Chowdiah (1895 – 19 January 1967) was a violinist from India in the Carnatic classical tradition.
Early years
[edit]Chowdiah, was born in Tirumakudalu Narsipur village on the banks of the river Kaveri near Mysore in a Vokkaliga family.[1] He became a disciple of Mysore Royal Court musician, Ganavisharadha Bidaram Krishnappa in 1910 and underwent a very rigorous and disciplined training until 1918 in the gurukula system.
Career
[edit]His playing of the seven-stringed violin was seen by many critics and performers as an attempt at self-promotion. GNB mocked him as 'Soundiah', though the two reconciled later and performed together. C S Iyer, brother of Nobel Physics Laureate C V Raman, was a performer and critic who said in 1942 that the seven-stringed violin should be consigned to the depths of the Bay of Bengal. An enraged Chowdiah got up and ran towards the dais brandishing his violin bow. He was restrained from bodily harming C. S. Iyer. In 1947 Chowdiah came with a 12 stringed violin to play but he was prevailed upon by Semmangudi who was that year's conference president not to go ahead with the demonstration.[2] All major practitioners continue to use the traditional four stringed violin only. V Sethuramiah, Chowdiah's disciple, mostly used seven-stringed violin; and Sethuramaih's solo playing and accompaniment samples are available on the net.[3]
Filmography
[edit]- Vani (1943) (producer, actor, music director)
Death
[edit] |
Chowdiah died on 19 January 1967 at the age of 72. The violin shaped Chowdiah Memorial Hall in Bangalore, India was built in memory of Chowdiah.
Legacy
[edit]- Chowdiah Memorial Hall at Bangalore, built in his memory in 1980, resembles a violin in shape and structure.
- Sangeetha Rathna Mysore T. Chowdiah Memorial Award for musicians.
- T. Chowdiah Road in Bangalore is named after him.
- Actor and politician Ambareesh (originally Amaranath Gowda) is Chowdiah's grandson.
References
[edit]- ^ Gowda, H.H.Annaiah (5 September 1971). "Vokkaligas". The Illustrated Weekly Of India Vol.92, No.27-39(july-sept)1971. Bombay: Times of India Press. pp. 11–13.
- ^ "Deserving personalities to whom SK was not awarded & reasons - Page 4 - rasikas.org". www.rasikas.org.
- ^ "Violin accompaniment - An analysis of the best - Page 3 - rasikas.org".
External links
[edit]- Brief Biography of T. Chowdaiah
- Chowdaiah's compositions (in Kannada)
- Biographic sketch of Chowdiah
- Another biographic sketch at the Wayback Machine (archived 23 May 2006)
- An article about Chowdiah Memorial Hall
- A movie clip showing Chowdaiah on YouTube accompanying Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar with Palghat Mani Iyer on the Mridangam
- A website that is dedicated to the legacy of Chowdiah and a digital archive of his compositions
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