Priya Sisters | |
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Origin | Amalapuram, Andhra Pradesh India |
Genres | Carnatic music |
Occupation(s) | Singers |
Shanmukhapriya and Haripriya, popularly known as the Priya Sisters, are Carnatic music singers. [1]
They hail originally from Amalapuram in East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh. They attended Little Flower School in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. They started learning Carnatic music from their father, Sri V.V.Subbaram, at an early age. In order to nurture their musical talent, their father shifted base to Chennai. Later they became the disciples of the renowned duo Radha and Jayalakshmi who were disciples of the legendary G. N. Balasubramaniam. They learnt many nuances and subtleties of music during the five-year tenure under Radha and Jayalakshmi including the advice that the singing should be so clear that the listener should be able to notate the entire kriti. [2]
Improving their repertoire was a major project and learning, a continuous process. Hence they joined Professor T.R.Subramaniam. They learnt many pallavis and kritis from him.
They are part of the trend of duo singing in Carnatic music, which started in the 1950s, with performers like Radha Jayalakshmi, Soolamangalam Sisters and later continued by Bombay Sisters [3] [4]
Damal Krishnaswamy Pattammal, popularly known as D. K. Pattammal or DKP, was an Indian Carnatic musician and a playback singer for film songs in Tamil. Pattammal, along with her contemporaries M. S. Subbulakshmi and M. L. Vasanthakumari, are popularly referred to as the female trinity of Carnatic Music. This trio initiated the entry of women into mainstream Carnatic Music. She has been appreciated all over the world by Carnatic music lovers.
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.
Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar, commonly known as Muthiah Bhagavatar, is one of Carnatic classical music's famous twentieth-century composers. He also created about 20 ragas.
Dr. Natesan Ramani, commonly known as N. Ramani or N. Flute Ramani, was an Indian Carnatic flautist. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1996. Ramani is also credited with introducing the long flute into Carnatic music.
Sikkil Kunjumani and Sikkil Neela were sisters who played the carnatic flute, called Venu flute. Together they are more famously known as the Sikkil Sisters. Their father Azhiyur Natesa Iyer was a mridangist. Kunjumani started learning music from her father initially and then learnt flute from her maternal uncle Azhiyur Narayanaswami Iyer. Neela learnt flute from her sister Kunjamani. Kunjamani, began giving concerts from the age of nine and Neela from the age of seven. Sikkil Sisters have been giving concerts together since 1962. They are top artistes of the All India Radio and they have been giving hundreds of performances at all the sabhas, television and elsewhere, both within India and abroad. The sisters blend the tone and play on their flutes and the merger is total and the effect remarkable. They are known for the chaste, orthodox style in rendering raga, kriti and swara.
Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar was an Indian Carnatic music singer from Kerala. He was born in Kozhikode, and moved to Palakkad along with him family during his childhood. He is popularly known as Chembai, or sometimes simply as Bhagavatar. Chembai was noted for his powerful voice and majestic style of singing. His first public performance was in 1904, when he was nine. A recipient of several titles and honours, he was known for his encouragement of upcoming musicians and ability to spot new talent. He was responsible for popularising compositions like Rakshamam Saranagatam and Pavana Guru, among others.
Mysore Vasudevacharya was an Indian musician and composer of Carnatic music compositions who belonged to the direct line of Thyagaraja's disciples. Vasudevachar's compositions were mostly in Telugu and Sanskrit. Some of his most popular kritis include Broche varevaru ra in Khamas raga, Devadideva in Sunadavinodini, Mamavatu Sri Saraswati in Hindolam, Shankari Ninne in Pantuvarali, Bhajare Re Manasa in Abheri and Ra Ra Rajeevalochana Rama in Mohanam. He presided over Madras Music Academy's annual conference in 1935, when the Sangeetha Kalanidhi award did not exist. But everybody who presided over the annual conference in the 1930s was later conferred the award. He was a recipient of the civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan.
Chittoor Subramanyam was an Indian carnatic musician. He received the Sangeeta Kalanidhi award in 1954, and the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 1964.
Sripada Pinakapani, was a medical doctor, administrator, professor in medicine, and carnatic musician. He received Sangeetha Kalanidhi award in 1983.
Mahamahopadhyaya Dr. Nookala Chinna Satyanarayana was a Carnatic musician, a classical vocalist, musicologist, author and teacher, a great administrator and motivator. He was a performer on All India Radio and Doordarshan who participated in Sangeeta Sammelans, outdoor broadcasts and national programmes innumerable times. His radio lessons and Bhakti Ranjanis were very popular. He was awarded Padma Bhushan award by the Government of India in 2010.
Paapanaasam Raamayya Sivan was an Indian composer of Carnatic music and a singer. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1971. He was also a film score composer in Kannada cinema as well as Tamil cinema in the 1930s and 1940s.
Garimella Balakrishna Prasad is an Indian classical devotional singer, composer, Sangeet Natak Akademi for year 2020, T.T.D Asthana Vidwaan and Ahobhilamatam Asthana Vidwaan. He served Tirumala Tirupati Devastanam's Annamacharya Project as Special Grade Vocal Artiste from 1978 to 2006.
Soolamangalam Jayalakshmi and Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi, popularly known as Soolamangalam Sisters were Carnatic music sister-pair vocalists and musicians known for their devotional songs in Tamil. They were early singers in the trend of duo singing in Carnatic music, which started in the 1950s, with performers like Radha Jayalakshmi, and later continued by Bombay Sisters, Ranjani-Gayatri, Mambalam Sisters, Bangalore Sisters and Priya Sisters. The Soolamangalam Sisters are best known for singing the Kanda Shasti Kavasam, a hymn on the Hindu god Muruga.
The Bombay Sisters, C. Saroja and C. Lalitha (26 August 1938 – 31 January 2023), were an Indian Carnatic music singing duo. They received the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour, in 2020.
Radha and Jayalakshmi, popularly known as Radha Jayalakshmi, were an Indian Carnatic music vocalist duo as well as playback singers in films in the 1940s and 1950s. They later became teachers and trained notable Carnatic music singers. Jayalakshmi was the playback singer of the duo, but was credited as Radha Jayalakshmi in the cine field. Radha was her cousin and singing partner on stage performances. They were early vocalists in the duo singing trend in Carnatic music which started in the 1950s and includes performers like Bombay Sisters and Soolamangalam Sisters. In recent times, the trend has been continued by popular Carnatic music singers like Priya Sisters, their disciples, Ranjani Gayatri, Akkarai sisters, and others.
Vijayalakshmy Subramaniam is a Carnatic music vocalist. As a student and performer of classical music for over three decades, she has performed in India and abroad since the age of twelve. She has conducted many workshops and lecture demonstrations on the various aspects of Carnatic music. She has presented papers at international conferences in many countries over the last decade. In June 2007, she brought out a book "Apoorva Kriti Manjari" – a collection of twenty rare compositions of the Trinity of Carnatic Music. The book has notations in English and Tamil by musicologist S. Balachander and the audio has been rendered by Vijayalakshmy. Vijayalakshmy was awarded the Fulbright Visiting Lecturer Fellowship in 2010. As part of the programme, she taught the subject 'An Introduction to Indian Music' at the Duke University, North Carolina, USA, as a visiting Fulbright fellow.
Priya R. Pai is a Carnatic vocalist, composer and playback singer. She is the host of musical TV show Layatharang on Kairali we channel. She is famous for Karnatic-western fusion music and has released five albums. On the album Harshamo Dukhamo she sang poems by former minister Binoy Viswam. She also sings and composes devotional and Classical songs.
The Hyderabad Brothers, D. Raghavachari and D. Seshachari (1956-2024), were a Carnatic music singing duo. They were one among the most popular duo vocalists in Indian Classical Carnatic music. D Seshachary passed away on 24 February 2024, at the age of 67, while receiving treatment for cancer. They are popularly known as Hyderabad brothers because of their long association with the city.
Balasubramaniam Rajam Iyer was a Carnatic singer from South India. He was awarded the Madras Music Academy's Sangeetha Kalanidhi in 1987.
Malladi Suribabu is an Indian Carnatic vocalist and musician from Vijayawada, India. He was conferred with Kala Ratna, a civilian honor by the Government of Andhra Pradesh in 2013 and TTK Award by Madras Music Academy in 2014. He is a disciple of Voleti Venkateshwarulu, Sripada Pinakapani and Nedunuri Krishnamurthy.