Voice
Semmangudi was well known for his uncharacteristically nasal voice in an era when practically every prominent Carnatic singer had an impeccable voice. In his youth, famous kanjira performer, Dhakshinamurti Pillai commented to his brother and teacher, "His voice is as melodious as the noise created when a coconut shell is scraped on a rock. Don't bother to give him vocal training. Let him learn to play the violin." Despite such criticism, Semmangudi worked hard to improve his voice through practice and rigorous training. In the end, his natural talent for music emerged victorious over his deficient voice and he became a phenomenon in the Carnatic world.
His singing style has been widely followed, and his prominent disciples include Sangeetha Kalanidhis, M. S. Subbulakshmi and her stepdaughter Radha Viswanathan, T. M. Thyagarajan and violinist, Prof. T. N. Krishnan. His senior disciples include Palai C. K. Ramachandran, Smt. Seetha Rajan, Prof. Kumara Kerala Varma, P. S. Narayanaswami, V. Subramaniam, K. R. Kedaranathan, Kadayanallur Venkataraman, V. R. Krishnan, Smt. Seethalakshmi Venkatesan, Smt. Radha Namboodri, Smt. Visalakshi Ramachandran. T. M. Krishna, a leading vocalist of the present day, has also taken advanced training from him.
Read more about this topic: Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
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