M. D. Ramanathan
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Manjapara Devesa Bhagavathar Ramanathan (20 May 1923 – 27 April 1984) was a
Biography
Manjapara Devesa Bhagavathar Ramanathan was born in Manjapra,
During the same time,
After his graduation, Ramanathan continued as an assistant to his guru and later became Professor of Music at Kalakshetra. He also served as the Principal of the College of Fine Arts at Kalakshetra.
Music career
Renderings
Ramanathan was known for his unique style of singing. In addition to having an extremely deep, booming voice, he rendered songs at an extremely slow pace, thereby allowing ample time for the listener to catch every phrase of a composition and gauge its meaning. He also sang with adequate bhava or expression. Ramanathan has sung in most Carnatic music
His style of rendering was very different from the rather brisk style of rendering that had become quite popular then. Due to this, he also received a fair share of criticism from some music critics. During the rendering of krithis, he sometimes made alterations and embellishments to the lyrics. One highlight that his rasikas would always remember is starting the krithi from the anupallavi and then going to the pallavi.
Compositions
Ramanathan composed more than 300 songs in carnatic music in Tamil, Telugu and Sanskrit. He used the word Varadadasa as his mudra, in respect for Tiger Varadachariar, his teacher. Some of his famous compositions are:
Krithi | Ragam | Talam | Language |
Anaimakhkattanai | Manirangu | Misra Chapu | Tamil |
Aparadhamulellanu | Gowrimanohari
|
Adi | Telugu |
Bhaja Bhaja Manuja | Behag | Adi | Sanskrit |
Bharatesanute | Arabhi | Misra Chapu | Sanskrit |
Brindavanaloka | Kalyani
|
Adi | Telugu |
Brochudaku Samayaide | Begada | Rupaka | Telugu |
Dandapani | Ramapriya | Rupaka | Telugu |
Dari Neevale | Begada | Rupaka | Telugu |
Dharmavati | Dharmavati | Rupaka | Telugu |
Durgadevi | Sri | Adi | Sanskrit |
Emdukichapalamu | Purvikalyani | Adi | Telugu |
Ennakutram cheideno | Huseni | Adi | Tamil |
Gajavadana | Hamsadhvani | Rupaka | Sanskrit |
Gurucharanam | Kannada | Adi | Sanskrit |
Guruvaram Bhaja Manasa | Dhanyasi | Rupakam | Sanskrit |
Hariyum Haranam | Atana | Rupakam | Tamil |
Janani Natajana paalini | Sankarabharanam | Roopakam | Sanskrit |
Sagara shayana vibho | Bagesri | Adi | Telugu |
Thillana | Kāpi
|
Misra Chaapu | Sanskrit |
Tyagaraja Gurum | Kedaram | Rupakam | Sanskrit |
Velavane unakku | Sahana | Adi | Tamil |
Vighnaraja nannu | Shreeranjani
|
Adi? | Telugu |
Awards
For his contributions to music, Ramanathan was awarded the
Death
Ramanathan died after a long illness on 27 April 1984 at the age of 61.
Legacy
Ramanathan's legacy has been kept alive through his albums and private recordings. M.D. Ramanathan, A Unique Octave in Music by Madhu Vasudevan, which was released in 2003, is a fitting tribute to the legend.
References
- ^ "Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award: Classical Music". Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- Unsung Genius Hindu May 2008
- A brief biography at carnaticcorner.com
- A tribute to M.D.Ramanathan at carnatica.net
- The divine music of M.D.Ramanathan at the Wayback Machine (archived 27 October 2009)
- The Hindu: 20 years after M.D.Ramanathan, A tribute to M.D.Ramanathan[usurped]
- Kuppuswamy, Gowri and Hariharan, M. (1981), Index of Songs in South Indian Music, B. R. Publishing Corporation, Delhi.
- Rajagopalan, N. (1991), A Garland, Bharitiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay.
- M.D.ramanathan songs MP3 download
- Clips of M.D.Ramanathan