Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma: Difference between revisions
>Ser Amantio di Nicolao (recategorize) |
WikiDwarfBOT (talk | contribs) (Cleanup:) |
||
| (One intermediate revision by one other user not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{for|other people with the same name|Rama Varma (disambiguation)}} | |||
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2017}} | {{Use Indian English|date=June 2017}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}} | {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}} | ||
| Line 4: | Line 5: | ||
| name = Prince Rama Varma | | name = Prince Rama Varma | ||
| image = Prince Ashwathi Thirunal Rama Varma.jpg | | image = Prince Ashwathi Thirunal Rama Varma.jpg | ||
| caption = | | caption = Prince Rama Varma playing the [[Saraswati veena|Veena]] | ||
| image_size = | | image_size = | ||
| birth_name = Sree Padmanabhadasa Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma | | birth_name = Sree Padmanabhadasa Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma | ||
| Line 17: | Line 18: | ||
| website = [http://ramavarma.yolasite.com/ ramavarma] | | website = [http://ramavarma.yolasite.com/ ramavarma] | ||
}} | }} | ||
''' Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma''', | '''Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma''' (born 13 August 1968), known colloquially as '''Prince Rama Varma''', is an [[Indian classical music]]ian and a member of the erstwhile [[Travancore Royal Family|Royal Family of Travancore]].<ref name="hindu200502262">{{cite news |last=Ramakrishnan |first=Deepa H. |date=26 February 2005 |title=Royalty's humble face |work=[[The Hindu]] |url=http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/02/26/stories/2005022600190100.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=4 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050529224649/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/02/26/stories/2005022600190100.htm |archive-date=29 May 2005}}</ref> He is a [[Carnatic music|Carnatic]] vocalist as well as an exponent of the [[Saraswati veena|Saraswati Veena]]. He is also recognized as a music teacher, musicologist, writer and orator. He has performed at concerts and conducted music workshops all over [[India]] and in several other countries including United States, [[UK]], [[Netherlands]], [[France]], [[UAE]], [[Malaysia]] and [[Singapore]]. YouTube videos of his concerts, classes and lecture-demonstrations are popular among music lovers, music students and professional musicians alike, and have exceeded 20 million views<ref>{{Cite web |title=musiquebox - YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/user/musiquebox |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=www.youtube.com}}</ref> as of July 2022. | ||
==Early life== | ==Early life== | ||
Rama Varma was born on 13 August 1968 and is a member of the [[Travancore Royal Family|Royal Family of Travancore]]. | Rama Varma was born on 13 August 1968 and is a member of the [[Travancore Royal Family|Royal Family of Travancore]]. He is a direct descendant of [[Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma|Maharaja Swathi Thirunal]].<ref name="hindu20020502" /> | ||
He started formal vocal music lessons in 1982 under Prof. Vechoor Harihara Subramania Iyer, a senior disciple of [[Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer|Dr. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer]], who continued to be his Guru until his demise in 1994. Later, Varma went on to become a senior disciple of [[M. Balamuralikrishna|Dr. Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna]].<ref name="hindu20020502">{{cite news |title=Jamming at a jugalbandi |url=http://hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/05/02/stories/2002050200420200.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030704023219/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/05/02/stories/2002050200420200.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 July 2003 |date=2 May 2002 |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=4 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="hindu20050408">{{cite news|title=A new experience|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2005/04/08/stories/2005040801860200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206052029/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2005/04/08/stories/2005040801860200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 December 2007|date=8 August 2005|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=27 March 2014}}</ref> He also studied the Saraswathi Veena under [[Trivandrum R. Venkataraman|Sri Trivandrum R. Venkataraman]] and [[K. S. Narayanaswamy|Prof.K. S. Narayanaswamy]]. | He started formal vocal music lessons in 1982 under Prof. Vechoor Harihara Subramania Iyer, a senior disciple of [[Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer|Dr. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer]], who continued to be his Guru until his demise in 1994. Later, Varma went on to become a senior disciple of [[M. Balamuralikrishna|Dr. Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna]].<ref name="hindu20020502">{{cite news |title=Jamming at a jugalbandi |url=http://hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/05/02/stories/2002050200420200.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030704023219/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2002/05/02/stories/2002050200420200.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 July 2003 |date=2 May 2002 |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=4 December 2013}}</ref><ref name="hindu20050408">{{cite news|title=A new experience|url=http://www.hindu.com/fr/2005/04/08/stories/2005040801860200.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071206052029/http://www.hindu.com/fr/2005/04/08/stories/2005040801860200.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 December 2007|date=8 August 2005|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=27 March 2014}}</ref> He also studied the Saraswathi Veena under [[Trivandrum R. Venkataraman|Sri Trivandrum R. Venkataraman]] and [[K. S. Narayanaswamy|Prof.K. S. Narayanaswamy]]. | ||
| Line 28: | Line 29: | ||
Prince Rama Varma gave his maiden public performance in 1990, and released his first CD at the [[Queen Elizabeth Hall]] in [[London]]. Since then, he has given concerts and talks in several notable venues across the globe including [[Arsenal de Metz]], France; Zuiderpershuis, Belgium; the [[Royal Tropical Institute]] and The [[Waag]], Amsterdam; the Korzo Theatre in The Hague; The Hindu Lit for Life Literary festival; Alliance Francaise and the Madras Music Academy. He was invited to perform at the Rashtrapati Bhavan by the then president of India, Dr. [[A. P. J. Abdul Kalam]].<ref name="web123">{{cite web |url=http://webindia123.com/personal/music/princerama.htm |title=Prince Rama Varma |publisher=Webindia123 |access-date=4 December 2013}}</ref> | Prince Rama Varma gave his maiden public performance in 1990, and released his first CD at the [[Queen Elizabeth Hall]] in [[London]]. Since then, he has given concerts and talks in several notable venues across the globe including [[Arsenal de Metz]], France; Zuiderpershuis, Belgium; the [[Royal Tropical Institute]] and The [[Waag]], Amsterdam; the Korzo Theatre in The Hague; The Hindu Lit for Life Literary festival; Alliance Francaise and the Madras Music Academy. He was invited to perform at the Rashtrapati Bhavan by the then president of India, Dr. [[A. P. J. Abdul Kalam]].<ref name="web123">{{cite web |url=http://webindia123.com/personal/music/princerama.htm |title=Prince Rama Varma |publisher=Webindia123 |access-date=4 December 2013}}</ref> | ||
Varma is recognized for his pioneering efforts to make classical music in its purest form appealing to the masses, by explaining the lyrics and background of every song during his concerts. His renditions are marked by purity of notes and clarity in enunciation of lyrics in any language. Through his concerts, he propagates rare compositions of well-known composers such as the Trinity, Maharaja Swati | Varma is recognized for his pioneering efforts to make classical music in its purest form appealing to the masses, by explaining the lyrics and background of every song during his concerts. His renditions are marked by purity of notes and clarity in enunciation of lyrics in any language. Through his concerts, he propagates rare compositions of well-known composers such as the Trinity ([[Tyagaraja|Saint Tyagaraja]], [[Muthuswami Dikshitar]], [[Shyama Shastri|Syama Shastri]]), Maharaja Swati Thirunal, [[Annamacharya]] and Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, as well as compositions of lesser-known composers such as Etla Ramadasa, Kaiwara Amara Nareyana, Prayaga Rangadasa and Mallekonda Ramadasa. [http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/the-forgotten-composers/article3527789.ece] | ||
A fan of world music, Varma is inspired by Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, [[Kishore Kumar]], K.L. Saigal, M.D. Ramanathan, Madurai Mani Iyer, [[Jacques Brel]] and Eartha Kitt among others. | |||
He is the subject of a [[festschrift]], ''Prince Rama Varma: Breaking Barriers, Building Bonds'' written by Lakshmy Menon on the occasion of his 50th birthday.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42849436-prince-rama-varma|title = Prince Rama Varma: Breaking Barriers, Building Bonds}}</ref> | |||
==Teaching== | ==Teaching== | ||
Rama Varma's music classes and workshops are popular among music students ranging from beginners to professional musicians in India and abroad. He taught Indian music at the [[Codarts|Rotterdam Conservatory, Codarts]] for many years. The Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel (SVBC) telecast over 200 episodes of his music lessons held at Hyderabad and at Perla, a small village in North Kerala. Varma attempts to transcend language barriers in music through his workshops by teaching, for instance, Rabindra Sangeet to Kannada-speaking students and Malayalam compositions to students in Andhra Pradesh | Rama Varma's music classes and workshops are popular among music students ranging from beginners to professional musicians in India and abroad. He taught Indian music at the [[Codarts|Rotterdam Conservatory, Codarts]] for many years. The [[Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel]] (SVBC) telecast over 200 episodes of his music lessons held at [[Hyderabad]] and at [[Perla, Kasaragod|Perla]], a small village in North [[Kerala]]. Varma attempts to transcend language barriers in music through his workshops by teaching, for instance, [[Rabindra Sangeet]] to [[Kannada]]-speaking students and Malayalam compositions to students in [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Telangana]] | ||
==Music festivals== | ==Music festivals== | ||
[[File:Rama Varma performing at Swathi Sangeethotsavam.jpg|thumb|right|Rama Varma performing at Swathi Sangeethotsavam]] | [[File:Rama Varma performing at Swathi Sangeethotsavam.jpg|thumb|right|Rama Varma performing at Swathi Sangeethotsavam]] | ||
Prince Rama Varma organises the [[Swathi Sangeethotsavam]], a 10-day annual festival held at the [[Kuthira Malika]] in [[Thiruvananthapuram]] from 4–13 January. The festival, dedicated exclusively to the compositions of [[Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma|Maharaja Swathi Thirunal]], features maestros of Carnatic and Hindustani music, and attracts music aficionados from all over the globe. | Prince Rama Varma organises the [[Swathi Sangeethotsavam]], a 10-day annual festival held at the [[Kuthira Malika]] Palace in [[Thiruvananthapuram]] from 4–13 January. The festival, dedicated exclusively to the compositions of [[Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma|Maharaja Swathi Thirunal]], features maestros of Carnatic and [[Hindustani classical music|Hindustani]] music, and attracts music aficionados from all over the globe. | ||
Varma also organises the annual Navarathri Mandapam concerts held in Trivandrum in connection with the | Varma also organises the annual Navarathri Mandapam concerts held in Trivandrum in connection with the [[Navaratri]] festival. In 2006, he got veteran vocalist [[Parassala B. Ponnammal|Parassala Ponnammal]] to perform there, and permitted women to attend the concerts, thus breaking a 300-year-old tradition of not allowing women inside the [[Mandapa]]m. [http://www.deccanherald.com/content/224569/royal-musician.html] | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
| Line 43: | Line 48: | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
* [http://video.webindia123.com/interviews/singers/ramavarma/index.htm Video interview from webindia123.com] | * [http://video.webindia123.com/interviews/singers/ramavarma/index.htm Video interview from webindia123.com] | ||
* [http://video.webindia123.com/music/veena/ramavarma/perf1/index.htm Veena Concert Videos] | * [http://video.webindia123.com/music/veena/ramavarma/perf1/index.htm Veena Concert Videos] | ||
| Line 53: | Line 58: | ||
[[Category:Carnatic instrumentalists]] | [[Category:Carnatic instrumentalists]] | ||
[[Category:Male Carnatic singers]] | [[Category:Male Carnatic singers]] | ||
[[Category:Carnatic singers]] | |||
[[Category:Living people]] | [[Category:Living people]] | ||
[[Category:People from Thiruvananthapuram]] | [[Category:People from Thiruvananthapuram]] | ||
| Line 59: | Line 65: | ||
[[Category:Saraswati veena players]] | [[Category:Saraswati veena players]] | ||
[[Category:Musicians from Kerala]] | [[Category:Musicians from Kerala]] | ||
[[Category:20th-century Indian | [[Category:20th-century Indian male classical singers]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:21st-century Indian male classical singers]] | ||
Latest revision as of 10:02, 22 July 2023
Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma (born 13 August 1968), known colloquially as Prince Rama Varma, is an Indian classical musician and a member of the erstwhile Royal Family of Travancore.[1] He is a Carnatic vocalist as well as an exponent of the Saraswati Veena. He is also recognized as a music teacher, musicologist, writer and orator. He has performed at concerts and conducted music workshops all over India and in several other countries including United States, UK, Netherlands, France, UAE, Malaysia and Singapore. YouTube videos of his concerts, classes and lecture-demonstrations are popular among music lovers, music students and professional musicians alike, and have exceeded 20 million views[2] as of July 2022.
Prince Rama Varma | |
|---|---|
 Prince Rama Varma playing the Veena | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sree Padmanabhadasa Aswathi Thirunal Rama Varma |
| Born | 13 August 1968 Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
| Genres | Carnatic classical music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, veena player, writer. |
| Years active | 1990 – present |
| Website | ramavarma |
Early lifeEdit
Rama Varma was born on 13 August 1968 and is a member of the Royal Family of Travancore. He is a direct descendant of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal.[3]
He started formal vocal music lessons in 1982 under Prof. Vechoor Harihara Subramania Iyer, a senior disciple of Dr. Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, who continued to be his Guru until his demise in 1994. Later, Varma went on to become a senior disciple of Dr. Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna.[3][4] He also studied the Saraswathi Veena under Sri Trivandrum R. Venkataraman and Prof.K. S. Narayanaswamy.
Music careerEdit
Prince Rama Varma gave his maiden public performance in 1990, and released his first CD at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Since then, he has given concerts and talks in several notable venues across the globe including Arsenal de Metz, France; Zuiderpershuis, Belgium; the Royal Tropical Institute and The Waag, Amsterdam; the Korzo Theatre in The Hague; The Hindu Lit for Life Literary festival; Alliance Francaise and the Madras Music Academy. He was invited to perform at the Rashtrapati Bhavan by the then president of India, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.[5]
Varma is recognized for his pioneering efforts to make classical music in its purest form appealing to the masses, by explaining the lyrics and background of every song during his concerts. His renditions are marked by purity of notes and clarity in enunciation of lyrics in any language. Through his concerts, he propagates rare compositions of well-known composers such as the Trinity (Saint Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, Syama Shastri), Maharaja Swati Thirunal, Annamacharya and Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna, as well as compositions of lesser-known composers such as Etla Ramadasa, Kaiwara Amara Nareyana, Prayaga Rangadasa and Mallekonda Ramadasa. [1]
A fan of world music, Varma is inspired by Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Kishore Kumar, K.L. Saigal, M.D. Ramanathan, Madurai Mani Iyer, Jacques Brel and Eartha Kitt among others.
He is the subject of a festschrift, Prince Rama Varma: Breaking Barriers, Building Bonds written by Lakshmy Menon on the occasion of his 50th birthday.[6]
TeachingEdit
Rama Varma's music classes and workshops are popular among music students ranging from beginners to professional musicians in India and abroad. He taught Indian music at the Rotterdam Conservatory, Codarts for many years. The Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel (SVBC) telecast over 200 episodes of his music lessons held at Hyderabad and at Perla, a small village in North Kerala. Varma attempts to transcend language barriers in music through his workshops by teaching, for instance, Rabindra Sangeet to Kannada-speaking students and Malayalam compositions to students in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
Music festivalsEdit
Prince Rama Varma organises the Swathi Sangeethotsavam, a 10-day annual festival held at the Kuthira Malika Palace in Thiruvananthapuram from 4–13 January. The festival, dedicated exclusively to the compositions of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal, features maestros of Carnatic and Hindustani music, and attracts music aficionados from all over the globe.
Varma also organises the annual Navarathri Mandapam concerts held in Trivandrum in connection with the Navaratri festival. In 2006, he got veteran vocalist Parassala Ponnammal to perform there, and permitted women to attend the concerts, thus breaking a 300-year-old tradition of not allowing women inside the Mandapam. [2]
ReferencesEdit
- ↑ Ramakrishnan, Deepa H. (26 February 2005). "Royalty's humble face". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 May 2005. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
- ↑ "musiquebox - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Jamming at a jugalbandi". The Hindu. 2 May 2002. Archived from the original on 4 July 2003. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
- ↑ "A new experience". The Hindu. 8 August 2005. Archived from the original on 6 December 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ↑ "Prince Rama Varma". Webindia123. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
- ↑ "Prince Rama Varma: Breaking Barriers, Building Bonds".