Veteran carnatic vocalist Sangita Kalanidhi Nedunuri Krishnamurthy passed away around 2 a.m. on Monday in Visakhapatnam. He was 87. He was undergoing treatment for lung cancer.
Born on October 10, 1927, Nedunuri, as he was popularly known, underwent rigorous training in Carnatic music (vocal and violin) with Dwaram Narasinga Rao Naidu in the early 1940s and later with Sripada Pinakapani. He was Principal of the Government Music & Dance Colleges in Vijayawada, Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam.
Nedunuri's style was the epitome of elegance with an emphasis on aesthetics and subtle embellishments. His was a smooth and delicate voice that handled nuances with ease belying the practice and rigour that were behind it. His repertoire was extensive and covered not only the Carnatic Trinity, Tyagaraja, Muttuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri, but also composers such as Annamacharya and Bhadrachala Ramdas to name a few.
Nedunuri was considered as an artiste of substance by his peers and seniors and highly revered by the younger artistes. He was a very popular musician and had a large following across the globe.
Among Mr. Nedanuri's contributions to music, some notable ones include the setting to tune of 108 compositions of the 15th century saint-composer Annamacharya from Andhra Pradesh. An academician till the end, he strove to blend the art and science of music and present Carnatic music to the current generation with all the classical values intact. His students include known names such as the Malladi Brothers, Shobha Raju and Garimella Balakrishna Prasad.
He was conferred the prestigious Sangita Kalanidhi by the Music Academy, Chennai, in 1991.
