Tribute to Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer

Indo-Asian News Service Monday, August 4, 2008: (Chennai) : Lovers of Carnatic music here are marking the birth centenary of legendary musician Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer with a hundred-hour concert. The event, organised by the Global Carnatic Music Association, began on July 31 and ends Monday night, with nearly 40 artistes performing for the last four days. Srinivasa Iyer was born July 25, 1908, at Semmangudi village in Thanjavur district, and began his music training at the age of eight, under gurus like Gottuvadyam Sakharama Rao and Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer. He belonged to a family of musicians. Violin maestro Krishna Iyer was his maternal uncle. His first concert was in 1926 and he moved to Madras (as it was then called), the patron city of musicians, in 1927. In 1948, Srinivasa Iyer was given the Sangitha Kalanidhi... [read full story]