T.K. Rangachari

T.K. Rangachari was a famous and well known Carnatic musician. He was born on June 3, 1912, at Varahaneri, Tiruchirapalli, India. He passed away on December 1, 2012. He brought fresh and exciting tinge to his performances. His music is till date enjoyed by the old as well as the young in the music community, though only a few recordings remain till the date of his performances, they are one of the fine performances. His mother was his first teacher, who taught him his first music lessons.

His mother passed away when he was just 10-years-old. After his mother, his grandmother took care of him. He had his training under the traditional guru, in his unique aspects. His first concert was at the age of 10 at the Pattamadai high school near Tirunelveli when the audience was mesmerized by his singing. He joined the university Annamalai in Chidambaram, to join the Sangeeta Bhushan course offered there. It was a golden opportunity for him to train under the best music teachers. After he completed the course, he joined the university as a lecturer.

He served there from 1933-1942. He had a sharp voice with the perfect alignment. Most of his concerts were unplanned and were mainly dependent on the mood of the audience. His presentations and songs had a fresh feel, and his performance’s were considered ‘fashionable’ even at that time. He had such a vocal range that it covered two full octaves, and he used it very well as his advantage. He once said in one of his interviews that -‘Always Respect the Audience, Especially the Knowledgeable sections.’ He said a good musician should cultivate a good voice.