Sukumar prasad
Encyclopedia
Sukumar Prasad is a South Indian guitarist who was the first Carnatic
musician to play the south Indian musical art form of Carnatic music
on the electric guitar
. He not only played Carnatic music on guitar but was a skilled mridangam artist who accompanied stalwarts including Alathur Srinivasa Iyer
, M. Balamuralikrishna and T. R. Subramanyam.
and mridangam with Trichy Sri. Raghavan Iyer. In 1970 he gave his mridangam arangetram. In the early 1970s he began playing Carnatic music on the guitar and in 1981 he was honored by the Music Academy, Madras for having adapted the western instrument guitar to Carnatic. A cassette exists of him from 1985 playing several Carnatic standards, including one of the compositions for which he became renowned, "Brova Barama." It is currently out of print.
postulated that, "One reason, I think, is he was too trendy for the 1970's conservative audience. Institutions like the Academy won't (sic) give him stage as he was not [as] 'traditional' as Emani Sankara Sastry
and Chitti Babu
were since they used contact microphones....I have accompanied him in many concerts, most of them wedding events."
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
musician to play the south Indian musical art form of Carnatic music
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
on the electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
. He not only played Carnatic music on guitar but was a skilled mridangam artist who accompanied stalwarts including Alathur Srinivasa Iyer
Alathur Srinivasa Iyer
Alathur Srinivasa Iyer , born in a Brahmin family in Tamil Nadu, was an Indian vocalist. Together with Sivasubramania Iyer he formed the successful duo known as the Alathur Brothers, though the two were not in fact brothers. A student of Alathur Venkatesa Iyer, Srinivasa gave his first...
, M. Balamuralikrishna and T. R. Subramanyam.
Early Years
Prasad began learning Carnatic music from a very young age from his uncle M. ChandrasekaranM. Chandrasekaran
M. Chandrasekaran is an eminent Carnatic classical violinist from Chennai , Tamil Nadu. He the recipient of the 2005 Sangita Kalanidhi award from the Madras Music Academy.- References :...
and mridangam with Trichy Sri. Raghavan Iyer. In 1970 he gave his mridangam arangetram. In the early 1970s he began playing Carnatic music on the guitar and in 1981 he was honored by the Music Academy, Madras for having adapted the western instrument guitar to Carnatic. A cassette exists of him from 1985 playing several Carnatic standards, including one of the compositions for which he became renowned, "Brova Barama." It is currently out of print.
Disappearance
The details of Prasad's disappearance from the Carnatic music scene are hazy at best, and many famed artists and scholars are unfamiliar with his contribution to Carnatic music. He toured the U.S. in 1988 and in Australia in 1989, but sometime shortly after he disappeared from the music scene. Poovalur Sriji, mridangam artist and professor at the University of North TexasUniversity of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
postulated that, "One reason, I think, is he was too trendy for the 1970's conservative audience. Institutions like the Academy won't (sic) give him stage as he was not [as] 'traditional' as Emani Sankara Sastry
Emani sankara sastry
Emani Sankara Sastry , was a renowned Veena player of Carnatic music.-Life sketch:Sankara Sastry was born on September 23, 1922 in Draksharama, Andhra Pradesh. He came from a family of celebrated classical musicians...
and Chitti Babu
Chitti Babu
Chitti Babu is a Indian comedian, presenter and actor who prominently plays supporting roles in Tamil cinema. He was also one of the judges in the comedy show Asathapovathu Yaaru on Sun TV.Filmography=Television=* Hari Giri Assembly...
were since they used contact microphones....I have accompanied him in many concerts, most of them wedding events."