THE PAST - INSTRUMENTALISTS
'GOTUVADYAM' K S Narayana Iyengar
One of the greatest legends in the history of Carnatic music, Narayana Iyengar had his preliminary training under Kodaganallur Subbayya Bhagavatar. For advanced training, he went to the celebrated Gotuvadyam artiste, Sakharama Rao of Tiruvidaimarudur. Narayana Iyengar is responsible for the present design and string arrangement of the Gotuvadyam (now known as Chitravina). He used the gayaki (vocal) style, by which he could bring out all the shades and nuances of Carnatic music effortlessly, making it sound almost like the human voice. He was a favourite of the Maharaja of Mysore, who appointed him as a court-musician (Asthana Vidwan) in 1928. He died immediately after a radio recording on January 11,1959.
