Dr. Balamuralikrishna

🪔 About

Dr. Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna, born on July 6, 1930, in Sankaraguptam, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, was a legendary figure in Indian classical music. A child prodigy, he began giving musical concerts at the age of five and his first full-fledged concert took place at age eight in Vijayawada. He was given the prefix "Bala" (child) by Harikatha performer Musunuri Suryanarayana Murty Bhagavatar. His father, Mangalampalli Pattabhiramayya, was a musician, and his mother, Suryakanthamma, was a veena player. Balamuralikrishna received his Carnatic music training from Parupalli Ramakrishnayya Pantulu, a direct descendant of the Tyagaraja shishya parampara (lineage of disciples). By the age of fifteen, he had mastered all 72 melakarta ragas and composed krithis in each. A versatile multi-instrumentalist, he played the kanjira, mridangam, viola, violin, and veena. He was a prolific composer with over 400 compositions, including varnams, kritis, thillanas, and devotional songs. He is credited with creating new ragas such as Ganapathi, Sarvashri, Mahati, Lavangi, Sumukham, and talas like Trimukhi, Panchamukhi, Saptamukhi, and Navamukhi. Balamuralikrishna performed over 25,000 concerts worldwide, collaborating with renowned musicians like Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. Beyond music, he was also a playback singer and character actor. His compositions, such as the 'Brindavani Thillana,' are widely choreographed for Indian classical dance forms like Bharatanatyam. He also founded the "Academy of Performing Arts and Research" in Switzerland and established the MBK Trust, which includes "Vipanchee," a dance and music school. A government school in Guntur is named "Dr.Mangalampalli Balamurakrishna Govt.School of Music and Dance." Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna passed away on November 22, 2016, in Chennai. Awards & Honours: Padma Shri (1971), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1975), National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer (1976), Sangeetha Kalanidhi (1978), Raja-Lakshmi Award (1980), Doctor of Letters (1981), National Film Award for Best Music Direction (1987), Kerala State Film Award for Best Singer (1987), Padma Vibhushan (1991), Sangeetha Kalasikhamani (1991), Mahatma Gandhi Silver Medal (1995), Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2005), Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer (2009), Kerala State Film Award for Best Classical Music Singer (2010), Lifetime Achievement Award (2011).