Thyagaraja Bhagavathar - The Golden Voice - Tamil "Filmi" Songs
EMI Odeon - 3AE CX 5509 - P.1965
Side A
A1 Swappana Vazhvil - Sivakavi [1943] 5'45
A2 Krishna Mukunda Murare - Haridas [1944] 6'40 movieclip
A3 Manmatha Leelaya - Haridas [1944] 6'40
A4 Rajan Maharajan - Shyamala [1953] 5'30
A5 Unknown track 6'40
A6 Sathvaguna Bodhan - Ashok Kumar [1941] 6'20
Side B
B1 Dheena Kurunakarane - Thiruneelakantar [1939] 6'00
B2 Unaikkandu - Ashok Kumar [1941] 5'35
B3 Amba Manamkaninthu - Sivakavi [1943] 6'40
B4 Maraival Pudhaitha - Thiruneelakantar [1939] 5'35
B5 Gnanakkan Onru - Chintamani [1937] 6'10
B6 Nattiyakkalaye - Sivakavi [1943] 5'40
Mayavaram Krishnamurthy Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
(Tamil: மாயவரம் கிருஷ்ணமூர்த்தி தியாகராஜ பாகவதர்)
(1 March 1910 – 1 November 1959)
His name is really a mouthful, but as is the tradition, forming acronyms of names of famous people to shorten them, he was also known as M.K.T., and he was not only a Tamil film actor and producer but also a wonderful Carnatic music singer. He is considered to be one of the most successful Tamil film actors ever and I think of him as the K.L. Saigal of the south.
Bhagavathar was born in the town of Mayiladuthurai in then Tanjore district of the Madras Presidency, British India. He started his career as a classical singer and stage artist in the late 1920s. In 1934, he made his début in films with the movie Pavalakkodi which turned out to be a hit. From 1934 to 1959, Bhagavathar acted in 14 films of whom 6 were box-office hits.
Bhagavathar's 1944 film Haridas, ran for three consecutive years at Broadway Theatre, Madras and created the record for the longest continuous run at a single theatre.
Bhagavathar was arrested in 1944 as one of the main suspects in the Lakshmikanthan Murder Case and spent three years in prison before being released in 1947 after a re-trial found him innocent. Bhagavathar's career declined after his arrest and though he did continue to act in Tamil films after his release from prison, none of them did well. Bhagavathar died of diabetes at the age of 49 on 1 November 1959.
Bhagavathar was acclaimed for his powerful, melodious voice and the ease with which he could sing high pitch notes. Critics and film historians acknowledge Bhagavathar as the "first superstar of Tamil cinema".
Bhagavathar was a philanthropist and contributed for important social and religious causes. He was awarded a "Diwan Bahadur" title by the Governor of Madras for his contribution to the British war efforts during the Second World War but he turned it down.
M.K.T. made his début in the 1934 film Pavalakodi; in all, he appeared in 14 movies before he died. Most of his films were record-breakers. Thiruneelakandar, Ambikapathi, Chintamani were among the first highly successful Tamil films. Haridas, released in 1944, was possibly his biggest success as its ran continuously for three years at the same Theatre.
Papanasam Sivan (Tamil: பாபநாசம் சிவன்)
September 26, 1890 - October 10, 1973
A prominent composer of Carnatic music and a singer, also known as Tamil Thyagayya. Using Classical South Indian as a base, Sivan created numerous hits popularised by M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar and M. S. Subbulakshmi. I will post several more of his compositions as you will see from future posts. In his old age he was approached by a journalist who asked him why he was not composing anymore, the answer was laconic "There are no more Thyagaraja Bhagavathars ....
Some of the filmposters
And still some more to read here:
