T. Ranganathan

🪔 About

Tanjore Ranganathan (March 13, 1925 – December 22, 1987) was a distinguished Indian American Carnatic musician, renowned for his mastery of percussion instruments, particularly the mridangam. Born in Chennai, India, he hailed from a prominent devadasi family with a rich lineage of hereditary musicians and dancers. His grandmother was the respected Veena Dhanammal, and his elder sister was the world-famous Bharatanatyam dancer T. Balasaraswati. His younger brother was the Carnatic flautist and vocalist T. Viswanathan. Ranganathan commenced his professional performing career in 1938. He received his mridangam training from the legendary master Palani Subramaniam Pillai. Ranganathan played a pivotal role in establishing Carnatic music in the United States alongside his brother, T. Viswanathan. He began his teaching career at Wesleyan University in 1963, where he became the university's first Artist in Residence in Music. He also taught at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). Ranganathan dedicated his career to imparting Carnatic music knowledge to non-Indian students. His contributions to Indian classical dance were significant, as he developed his unique approach to Bharatanatyam accompaniment, drawing inspiration from Balasaraswati's drummer, M. Kuppuswami Pillai. He regularly performed with his sister's dance troupe. In 1976, he and his brother recorded the music for Satyajit Ray's documentary film "Bala," which chronicled their sister Balasaraswati's life. The American composer Henry Cowell specifically composed the mridangam part in his Madras Symphony for T. Ranganathan. He was married to Edwina and had two sons, Suddhama and Arun. Ranganathan passed away in Middletown, Connecticut, USA, at the age of 62.