Carnatic vocalist, playback singer and composer Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna, who arrived in the world of music as a child prodigy, died here on Tuesday. He was 86 and is survived by his wife, three sons and three daughters.
A musician who appealed to both connoisseurs and laymen alike, he used classical music to give life to the lyrics in his songs.
Part of his film oeuvre are Oru Naal Pothuma , set to ragamalika in Thiruvilayadal , Chinna Kannan Azhaikiran , a reetigowla-based song in the film Kavikuil , and the saama raga base for Mounathil Vilayadum Manasatchiye in Noolveli besides an abohi raga song, Thanga Ratham Vanthathu in Kalai Koil, which have enchanted generations of music lovers.
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, an ardent fan, urged the Centre to confer the Bharat Ratna on him while participating in his 75th birthday celebrations. When he composed a new raga, Jaya Jaya Lalithe, and dedicated it to her, she expressed a wish to become his disciple.
Hailing from East Godavari district of erstwhile Madras Presidency, Balamuralikrishna’s father Pattabiramaiah was a musician and his mother Sooryakanthamma, a veena player. His mother played the veena for hours when she was pregnant, ignoring her relatives who disapproved, and died 15 days after his birth.
The young aspirant took lessons in music from his father and from his teacher, Parupalli Ramakrishnayya Pantulu. Balamuralikrishna gave his first concert when he was nine and All India Radio (AIR) Chennai included him in the list of A-grade artists when he was just 14.
“He had a magical voice. He is to Telugu kirthanas what M.M. Dhandapani Desikar was to Tamil music. Since Telugu was his mother tongue, he knew the meaning of Tyagaraja’s kirthanas and would not maul them. He set the standard for us,” said clarinet maestro A.K.C. Natarajan, who learnt many kirthanas from him.
