Birthdays & Anniversaries
 |
| 10.10.1927 - 8.12.2014 |
Nedunuri Krishnamurthy was an outstanding exponent of Carnatic music, a musicologist, guru and tunesmith. His performances provided a rich listening experience. He was one of the few vocalists from Andhra who had attained national stature.
Krishnamurthy was born on 10 October 1927 in a poor family in Kothapalli, Pithapuram Taluka, East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. His father, Ramamurthy, held a minor job at the estate of Pithapuram. He brought up his son in the traditional Brahminical way, and taught him the customary Sanskrit and religious practices.
Krishnamurthy was initiated to music by his mother and he continued his learning with two local musicians. In 1940 he secured admission in the Maharaja’s Music College, Vizianagaram, of which Dwaram Venkataswamy Naidu, the violin virtuoso, was the principal. He completed the course in 1940. He gave his first concert before a small audience in his native place. Before long he got a good break to perform in the well-known Saraswati Gana Sabha in Kakinada. It happened under fortuitous circumstances. The sabha had scheduled a performance of T.R. Mahalingam, the flute wizard. He could not reach in time and Krishnamurthy, who was in the audience, was asked to fill the gap. The concert was well-received.
Krishnamurthy’s coming into contact with Dr. Sripada Pinakapani, eminent musician and musicologist, was a turning point in his career. His training under Pinakapani, in the gurukula system, started in 1949. The intensive training deepened his knowledge and widened his repertoire.
To read full story, visit sruti.com and buy Sruti 90