Charukesi (pronounced Chārukēsi, Kannada: ಚಾರುಕೇಶಿ, Telugu చారుకేశి, Devanagari चारुकेशि, Tamil சாருகேசி, Malayalam ചാരുകേശി) is a rāga in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 26th Melakarta rāgam in the 72 melakarta rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Tarangini in Muthuswami Dikshitar school of Carnatic music.

Charukesi is known to incite feelings of pathos and devotion in the listener.

Structure and Lakshana[link]

Charukesi scale with Shadjam at C

It is the 2nd rāgam in the 5th chakra Bana. The mnemonic name is Bana-Sri. The mnemonic phrase is sa ri gu ma pa dha ni.^[1] Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure (ascending and descending scale) is as follows (see swaras in Carnatic music for details on below notation and terms):

• ārohaṇa: S R2 G3 M1 P D1 N2 S
• avarohaṇa: S N2 D1 P M1 G3 R2 S

(chathusruthi rishabham, anthara gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, shuddha dhaivatham, kaisiki nishadham)

It is a sampoorna rāgam - a rāgam that has all seven swaras (notes). It is the shuddha madhyamam equivalent of Rishabhapriya, which is the 62nd melakarta.

[edit] Janya rāgams

There are only a few minor janya rāgams (derived scales) associated with Charukesi. See full list of janya rāgams associated with it.

Popular compositions[link]

Adamodi Galade by Thyagaraja and Kripaya pālaya sowrae by Swati Tirunal are popular kritis (compositions) set in Charukesi. Lalgudi Jayaraman, the acclaimed violinist and composer, has composed a very popoular varnam in Charukesi called Innum En Manam. This varnam was a favorite of Maharajapuram Santhanam, who began a large chunk of his concerts with this song.

Many compositions exist amongst modern adaptations of Charukesi, especially in Indian movies, in the so-called film songs. An example is the song Ahista Ahista from the movie Swades, Vasanta mullai poalae from the Tamil movie Sarangadara, Edho Edho Ondru from the Tamil movie Enakku Iruvathu, Unakku Padhinettu', 'Aadal Kalaye' from Sri Raghavendra and Udaya Udaya from another Tamil movie Udhaya. Charukesi is also popular in Hindustani music.

In western music, charukesi like structures are encountered in Franz Schubert's famous Impromptu C Minor Allegro molto moderato and also in Russian Composer Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov's 'Procession of the Sardar' from his Orchestral Suite, Caucasian Sketches^[2]

Related rāgams[link]

This section covers the theoretical and scientific aspect of this rāgam.

Charukesi's notes when shifted using Graha bhedam, yields 3 other major melakarta rāgams, namely, Vachaspati, Natakapriya and Gourimanohari. Graha bhedam is the step taken in keeping the relative note frequencies same, while shifting the shadjam to the next note in the rāgam. For further details and an illustration, see Graha bhedam on Vachaspati.

References[link]

1. ^ Ragas in Carnatic music by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications
2. ^ http://aboutindianmusic.com/2011/12/raga-charukesi-2/

External links[link]

• Film Songs (Hindi) in Charukesi

Nithyasree Mahadevan
Background information
Born	(1973-08-25) August 25, 1973 (age 38)
Origin	Thiruvaiyaru, Tamil Nadu, India
Genres	Carnatic music - Indian Classical Music and Playback singing
Occupations	Singer
Years active	1987 - Present
Labels	HMV, EMI, RPG, AVM Audio, Inreco, Vani, Amutham Inc., Charsur Digital Workshop, Carnatica, Rajalakshmi Audio etc.

Nithyasree Mahadevan, (born August 25, 1973) also previously referred to as S. Nithyashri, is an eminent Carnatic musician and playback singer for film songs in many Indian languages. Nithyashree has performed in all major sabhas in India and has presented her concerts in many destinations around the world. She has received multiple awards and honours, and has released more than 100 commercial albums.

Early life[link]

Nithyasree was born to Lalitha Sivakumar and I. Sivakumar. Her paternal grandmother, D. K. Pattammal, ^[1] and her granduncle, D. K. Jayaraman, ^[2] were prominent Carnatic vocalists who were established disciples of Ambi Dikshithar, Papanasam Sivan, Muthiah Bhagavathar, and others. Her maternal grandfather was the mridangam maestro, Palghat Mani Iyer.

Her mother, Lalitha Sivakumar, was her first guru (teacher).^[2] Like her mother, Nithyashree was also the disciple of D. K. Pattammal, and would accompany her in concert. Nithyashree's father, an accomplished mridangist and disciple of Palghat Mani Iyer, would constantly show his support and accompany Nithyashree when she performed.^[3]

Music career[link]

Touring[link]

Nithyashree has performed in all major sabhas all over India and has presented her concerts in the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Germany, France, Singapore, Malaysia and various other destinations throughout the world.^[3]

Titles and Awards[link]

Nithyashree's maiden performance was titled 'best concert of the series'. She is an A.I.R. Prize Winner (1990) and has been an 'A' grade artist. She has been awarded the "Yuva Kala Bharathi" title by Bharath Kalachar in 1994, "Innisai Maamani" by Tamil Nadu Welfare Association, "Kalaimamani" by Hamsadhwani in 2000,^[4] "Isai Paeroli" by Kartik Fine Arts in 2001,^[5] and various other prestigious awards such as ", "Padma Sadhana" (2004), and "Naada Kovida" (2006).^[6][7] She has received "Best Concert Award" from The Music Academy during the music festivals a couple of times and has also performed for the "Sangeeth Natak Academy" twice in their International Music Festivals in Bombay and Hyderabad. She has also received the "Best Promising Artiste" from "Mohanam" Music Club, and made a thematic album of compositions popularising the raga Mohanam. She was awarded a doctorate degree from Sathyabama university of Jeppiar in Chennai in late 2007.

Performances[link]

Nithyashree's first Carnatic performance was for the Youth Association For Classical Music on 10 August 1987. The concert lasted 1 hour, and was scheduled between 6:00pm and 7:00pm. Prominent Carnatic musicians that were present at the concert, included D. K. Pattammal, D. K. Jayaraman, Vijay Siva, R. K. Sriramkumar, as well as the chief guest at that concert, K. V. Narayanaswamy.^[8]

She has given numerous concerts consisting of only patriotic songs to commemorate the 50th year of Indian Independence, a few with D. K. Pattammal before her grandmother stopped performing in public.

D. K. Jayaraman and D. K. Pattammal were known for singing and popularising the compositions of Papanasam Sivan, having learnt them directly from the composer himself. Nithyashree has continued this tradition. She has also given a lecture demonstration in Coimbatore for Manoranjitham on "Papanasam Sivan - A Legend", and made two special thematic albums that solely contained his compositions.

Like D. K. Pattammal, Nithyashree has also popularised compositions of Gopalakrishna Bharathi. She presented a paper on the Life and Contribution of Gopalakrishna Bharathi for the Music Department of PSG College, Coimbatore. Her two thematic albums that solely consisted of his compositions have been very popular, both online and offline.

Nithyashree's commanding, high-pitched voice is well suited to various genres of music including Carnatic music, devotional music, as well as patriotic and popular songs.

Playback singing[link]

Nithyashree's introduction to Tamil playback singing came when A.R. Rahman called her to Panchathan Recording Inn, in Chennai, for a voice test sometime in the 1990s. The output from her visit was used for the song "Kannodu Kanbadellam" in the movie Jeans starring Aishwarya Rai and Prashanth. This became particularly popular which resulted in many songs in the same combination like "Minsara Kanna" from Padayappa, "Sowkiyama Kannae" from Sangamam, and "Manmatha Maasam" from Parthale Paravasam.^[9]

Some of her other songs include "Kumbakonam Sandhayile" from New, "Oru Nadhi Oru Pournami" from Samurai, "Kana Kaangiren" from Ananda Thandavam as well as "Thaai Thindra Mannae" from the film Aayirathil Oruvan.^[9]

She also successfully branched out to Telugu and Kannada playback singing, with songs such as "Ra Ra..." from Apthamitra.

Personal life[link]

Nithyashree and her husband, Mahadevan, have two daughters, Tanujasree and Tejasree.^[10]

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Musical Nirvana biography

Dr.Mysore Manjunath performing in Nijmegen, The Netherlands

Dr. Mysore Manjunath(Kannada: ಡಾ ಮೈಸೂರು ಎಂ ಮಂಜುನಾಥ್) is an Indian violinist.

Child prodigy[link]

An amazingly gifted violin maestro, Dr. Mysore Manjunath plays Carnatic classical music, one of the main branches of Indian music. He was born in the city of Mysore, a centre for music, in South India. He trained on the violin under his father, Prof. Mahadevappa, a veteran musician belonging to the Bidaram Krishnappa school in the lineage of Sri Thyagaraja, one of the great composers of South Indian classical music. Manjunath gave his first violin concert when he was just 8 years-old. A player exhibiting outstanding creativity and technical virtuosity, Manjunath was soon acknowledged as one of the brilliant exponents of Carnatic music in India.He has performed all over the world, enthralling music lovers with his remarkable musicianship. From child prodigy to trail blazer, captivating audiences and critics, violinist par excellence Dr.Manjunath has performed in prestigious venues around the world. He is one of the youngest musicians to be awarded an A-Top status by All India Radio. Manjunath and his equally talented elder brother Mysore Nagaraj make a formidable violin duet.

Academic excellence[link]

Dr.Mysore Manjunath was awarded a PhD in music by the University of Mysore. He was awarded gold medals while pursuing his music degree, and gained the first rank in music exams. He is on the faculty at the University of Mysore and guiding scholars and students for PhD programme at the department of music. Dr. Manjunath has collaborated with many reputed musicians including Mark O'Connor, Jai Uttal, Mark Wood, Joe Cravin, Fabrizio Cassol, Ned Mcgowan, Fred Hamilton, Riccardo Nova,Todd Haaby and Priyo. The fusion concerts in which he has participated with renowned music groups such as Akamoon, Spenifex and Ictus have been well received in Europe. His jugalbandhi concerts with Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Ronu Majumdar, Rafik khan, Purbayan Chatterji and Tejendra Majumdar have been well-received all over the world. Dr. Manjunath was one of the first Indian violinists to be invited to perform at the International violin conference held in San Diego.

Awards and honours[link]

Manjunath received many laurels and accolades in his childhood. He is one of the youngest recipients of the Rajyotsava Award by the Government of Karnataka. He has been honoured with many titles and awards that include Aryabhata, Sangeeth Samrat, Sathyashri, Sangitha Vidwanmani, Gana Varidhi, Samskruthi Sinchana Award, Rotary Namana Award, Best Violinist Awards from Madras Music Academy,Indian Fine Arts Society, Excellence Award from the American Institute of World CultureUSA, The American Arts Council Award, Y.T.Tatachari National Award, The Meritorious Award from the University of Central OklahomaUSA,Special Award 'Tantri Vadya Shiromani' from Kanchi Kamakoti peetham

Some of the Important Concerts[link]

Manjunath has performed all over the world at innumerable important concert stages, including

• Concert at the world famous Sydney Opera House, Australia
• Royal Charity concert in Kuala Lumpur before the King of Malaysia
• SAARC Summit
• World Music Festival in Chicago
• Common Thread Festival in Oregon
• European Cultural Festival in the UK
• International Violin Conference in the US
• Festival of India in London
• Delhi International Arts Festival
• Santa Fe Music Festival in New Mexico
• Concert at Federation Square in Melbourne
• Bozar Music festival-Brussels
• Federation Square- Melbourne
• Theatre de Lille-France
• Singapore Fine Arts
• Concert at Maribor- the cultural Capitol of Europe,2012
• Special concert before the President of the Republic of Namibia
• Putra World Trade Centre – Kaula Lampur
• Jazzaar Festival in Switzerland
• Theatre da la ville in Paris
• Milano music festival in Italy
• Esplanade Theatre in Singapor
• Congregational church at Portland, Oregon
• German Radio live concert from Baden church
• Brussels Town Hall in Belgium
• BBC and Australian Broadcasting Corporation

He has conducted workshops and presented papers and demonstrations at many reputed universities including the University of Delaware, Wesleyan University, University of Iowa, Utrecht University in the Netherlands, University of Chicago, University of Iowa, University of North Texas, University of Osaka in Japan, MIT, Texas A&M University, Griffith University - Australia, and the University of North Carolina.

References[link]

• http://www.csus.edu/music/bravo/worldmusic.htm
• http://www.hindu.com/2007/10/04/stories/2007100453850700.htm
• http://cdbaby.com/cd/tnmm
• http://www.mysoresamachar.com/raj_awards_03.htm
• http://www.timeoutbangalore.com/music/music_details.asp?code=148&source=1
• http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-08-14/mysore/28305072_1_violinist-award-maestros
• http://yeglive.ca/artists/6u9s1943/mysore-manjunath
• http://www.indianexpress.com/news/realm-of-rhythms/764582/
• http://www.edmontonragamala.ab.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=75%3Amysore-manjunath-&catid=37&Itemid=60
• http://www.tsweekly.com/sound/on-stage/liner-notes-violin-india-style.html
• http://www.mysooru.com/mysorebrothers.html

External links[link]

• Official Website

Shanmukhapriya and Haripriya (Telugu: షణ్ముఖప్రియ, హరిప్రియ), popularly known as the Priya Sisters, are eminent Carnatic music singers.^[1]

Early life[link]

They hail originally from Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh.They started learning Carnatic music from their father Sri V.V.Subba Ram 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 them including the advice that the singing should be so clear that the listener should be able to notate the entire kriti.^[2]

Career[link]

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.Currently, Shanmukhapriya and Haripriya are under the guidance of T. R. Subramaniam.

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]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Artist Profiles : Shanmukha Priya and Hari Priya
• [1]
• [2]
• [3]
• [4]
• [5]
• [6]
• [7]
• [8]
• [9]
• [10]

Embar S. Kannan is an award-winning and pioneering violinist in the fields of Carnatic Music and Tamil Film Music. Trained in Carnatic as well as Western Classical methods, he is a Grade 'A-' artist of the All India Radio and is universally acclaimed as a soloist and an accompanist.

Carnatic Music Career[link]

Born in a family of great musicians to Sangeetha Bhooshanam Sri Embar Sadagopan, Kannan took to playing the violin at the age of six. His initial training in Carnatic music was with Sri Subbanna Bhagavathar and Sri Vittal Ramamurthy. In 1986 he received a talent scholarship from the Government of India and earned a place under the mentorship of Kum.A. Kanyakumari.^[2] Shortly thereafter he received the Yuva Kala Bharathi from Bharat Kalachar and the ‘Best Violinist Award’ from the Madras Music Academy for eight consecutive years.^[3] Over the course of his Carnatic career he has accompanied many leading artists such as T. V. Sankaranarayanan, Trichur Ramachandran, T. N. Seshagopalan, Sudha Raghunathan, Kadri Gopalnath, P. Unnikrishnan, and S. Sowmya. One of Kannan’s prodigal accomplishments was the introduction of the silent violin to Carnatic Music in 2001. In August 2006, he played the silent violin at Puttaparthi in the presence of Bhagawan Sri Satya Sai Baba with the musicians of the HeArtBeat Ensemble.^[4]

On July 14, 2011, He played at a concert that was organised to raise funds for the Sankalp Trust, the open school and learning centre for special children, at the Mutha Venkata Subba Rao Concert Hall.^[5]

Film Music Career[link]

Kannan received his Western Classical training from acclaimed music director, Diwaker master. Under him, Kannan entered the film industry with the movie Puli Pettra Pillai. Subsequently, he made himself an integral part of Maestro Ilaiyaraja's orchestra and with them, has played in numerous films and concerts around the world. In addition, he has played for other music directors; notably, Karthik Raja, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Vidyasagar, Sharath, A. R. Rahman and Deva.

External links[link]

• Embar Kannan's official website
• Spicmacay artist profile

References[link]