The Pancharatna kritis are a set of five kritis (songs) in Carnatic classical music, composed by the 18th-century Indian composer Tyagaraja. All the kritis, as is the case with almost all of Tyagaraja's compositions, are penned in Telugu, except the first one, which is composed in Sanskrit. The songs are: "Jagadananda karaka", "Dudukugala Nanne", "Sadhinchene", "Kanakana Ruchira" and "Endaro Mahanubhavulu".
T. V. Sankaranarayanan, was an Indian Carnatic vocalist, known for his music that stems from the style of his guru and maternal-uncle, Madurai Mani Iyer. TVS was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 2003.
Semmangudi Radhakrishna Srinivasa Iyer was an Indian Carnatic vocalist. He was the youngest recipient of the Sangeetha Kalanidhi awarded by the Music Academy in 1947, a distinction he holds to this day as of 2023, probably the only musician to receive that honour before reaching 40. He had received many other awards as well, including Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan from the Government of India, Rajyasevanirata title from Travancore's erstwhile ruling family, Sangeet Natak Academy award (1953), Isai Perarignar from Government of Tamil Nadu and Kalidas Samman from Government of Madhya Pradesh. He was affectionately addressed as "Semmangudi Maama" by his disciples. He was also considered the "Pitamaha" or the grand sire of modern Carnatic Music. He was conferred with an honorary doctorate by University of Kerala in 1979.
Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, popularly known as Ariyakudi, was a Carnatic music vocalist, born in Ariyakudi, a town in the present-day Sivaganga district of Tamil Nadu. Ariyakudi developed a unique style of singing which came to be known as The Ariyakudi Tradition and is followed by his students. He is credited with establishing the modern katcheri (concert) traditions in Carnatic music.
Manodharma is a form of improvised South Indian classical Carnatic music. It is created on the spot during the performance, while remaining within the confines of musical grammar, as codified in the raga and/or the tala. Every Carnatic concert has one or many music pieces that showcases the singer's prowess and intellect in the form of Manodharma sangeetham. Often the centerpiece of a Carnatic concert will explore all the five types of manodharma. It serves as an important and integral aspect of Carnatic music.
Vaidyanatha Sivan was a composer and vocalist of Carnatic music. He was a great exponent of extemporaneous singing. He also composed a ragamalika with all the 72 melakartha ragas.
Madurai Mani Iyer was an Indian Carnatic music singer, who was famous for his unique style. He was one of the most highly celebrated carnatic vocalists during the first half of the 20th century. He was renowned for his adept skills at singing kalpana swarams, neraval, and raga alapana. His music continues to be highly regarded today.
Thetakudi Harihara Vinayakram, also known as Vikku Vinayakram, is an Indian percussionist. He is also known as the God of ghatam. He plays Carnatic music with the ghatam, an earthen pot, and is credited with popularising the ghatam.
Pazhani Subramania Pillai (1909–1962) was a well known Carnatic music percussionist. He, along with his contemporaries Palghat Mani Iyer and Ramanathapuram C. S. Murugabhoopathy, are revered as the "Holy Trinity of Mridanga". He was adept in playing the mridangam and kanjira. He was the sishya (disciple) of the celebrated Palani Muthaiah Pillai.
Neyveli Santhanagopalan is an Indian Carnatic vocalist and teacher. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi for the year 2020. He has learned from masters such as Shri Thanjavur Sankara Iyer, Shri Maharajapuram Santhanam, and Shri TN Seshagopalan.
Thanu Krishna Murthy, better known as T. K. Murthy, is an Indian mridangam player. Murthy is a Padma Shri and Sangeetha Kalanidhi awardee.
Nagai Muralidharan is a Carnatic violinist from India. He was awarded Kalaimamani by the State Government of Tamil Nadu in 2003.
Mohanan Chandrasekaran is a Carnatic classical violinist from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. He was born in Calcutta, on 11 December 1937 as the younger of the two sons of T.N. Mohanan and Charubala Mohanan, a violinist herself. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 2005. Chandrasekharan began playing the violin at the age of 11, after which he went on to accompany many musicians in the field of Carnatic music. Having lost his eyesight at the age of two, he overcame his difficulty by music. He is also considered an expert in the laya (tempo) aspects, recognizing and adapting to intricate rhythmic patterns. Sri Chandrasekharan also presents vocal concerts, and sometimes sings along during his solo violin recitals. He has composed various musical forms in different languages, and has travelled the world performing. He often performs violin duet concerts with his daughter Smt. G. Bharathi. He has accompanied several masters of Carnatic music including Maharajapuram Santhanam, G. N. Balasubramaniam, Madurai Mani Iyer, Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, flute N. Ramani, K. V. Narayanaswamy, T. N. Seshagopalan, D. K. Jayaraman, and T. K. GovindaRao.
Mannargudi Sambasiva Bhagavathar (1912–2004) was a Carnatic musician, musicologist, Harikatha exponent and composer.
R. Suryaprakash is a Carnatic vocalist, composer, and lyricist. An 'A Grade' artist of All India Radio, he has travelled extensively and received accolades for his performances.
Vellore G. Ramabhadran was a Mridangam artiste from Tamil Nadu, India. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 2004.
Mayavaram V. R. Govindaraja Pillai was a Carnatic violinist from Tamil Nadu, Southern India.
Rajam Pushpavanam (1918–1991), was the daughter of the music vidwan Madurai Pushpavanam Iyer, who was a notable carnatic musician. Rajam Pushpavanam, a cousin of musician Madurai Mani Iyer, was a singer and music director.
Sangeetha Surendra Nagercoil S Harihara Iyer (NSH) (1916-1994) was an Indian Carnatic singer and violinist.
