Birthdays & Anniversaries
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| 14.2.1901 - 23.10.1973 |
Professor P. Sambamoorthy was the musicologist of the century", said Professor S.R. Janakiraman, himself a musicologist. Sambamoorthy was the author of more than fifty books and as many articles on music and musicology and a legend in his own lifetime. He was a teacher of music, a pioneer in introducing music teaching in educational institutions, an organiser of sabha-s, one of the founding fathers of the Music Academy, a composer of various musical forms, and a conductor of an orchestra of Carnatic music. He travelled widely and was recognized as an ambassador of South Indian music.
Sambamoorthy was born on 14th February 1901 to Pitchu Iyer and Parvati Ammal. He was the youngest of five children. His ancestors were originally from Varahur in Tanjavur District. According to his horoscope, however, his date of birth was 21st February 1900. Varahur, of course, is the place associated with Narayana Teertha, the author of Krishna Leela Tarangini. He lost his father when he was only four
years old. Thereafter, he and his mother came to Madras and settled down at No. 205 Thambu Chetty Street. His mother used to narrate to him stories from the Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Peria Puranam and also taught him a number of songs. He had his elementary school education in Arya Pathasala (now defunct) in Thambu Chetty Street. He joined the St. Gabriel's High school in 1910 and passed out of it in the year 1916, during which period he was the recipient of a Government scholarship.
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