U. Srinivas: Difference between revisions

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{{Cleanup|reason=The article is not well-organized and does not maintain a neutral tone.|date=January 2016}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2014}}
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{{Infobox musical artist
{{Infobox musical artist
|name            = U. Srinivas
|name            = U. Srinivas
|background      = non_vocal_instrumentalist
|background      = non_vocal_instrumentalist
|image          = U. Srinivas 2009.jpg
|image          = U. Srinivas (01).jpg
|image_size      =
|image_size      =
|caption        = Srinivas performing in Pune, January to December 2009
|caption        = U. Srinivas
|native_name    = ఉప్పలపు శ్రీనివాస్
|native_name    = ఉప్పలపు శ్రీనివాస్
|birth_name      = Uppalapu Srinivas
|birth_name      = Uppalapu Srinivas
Line 15: Line 18:
|genre          = [[Indian classical music]]
|genre          = [[Indian classical music]]
|occupation      = Musician ([[Mandolin]] Maestro)
|occupation      = Musician ([[Mandolin]] Maestro)
|instrument      = [[electric mandolin|Electric Mandolin]]
|instrument      = [[electric mandolin|Electric Mandolin]]<ref name=cnn/>
|years_active    = 1978–2014
|years_active    = 1978–2014
|label          = [[Real World Records]]<br>[[EMI Classics|Virgin Classics]]/[[EMI]]
|label          = [[Real World Records]]<br>[[EMI Classics|Virgin Classics]]/[[EMI]]
|associated_acts = [[Remember Shakti]]
|associated_acts = [[Remember Shakti]]<ref name="NYT"/>
|website        = [http://www.mandolinshrinivas.org/ Mandolin U Shrinivas]
|website        = [https://www.mandolinbrothers.in/ Mandolin U Shrinivas]
|current_members =
|current_members =
|past_members    =
|past_members    =
}}
}}
'''Uppalapu Shrinivas''' ({{Lang-te|ఉప్పలపు శ్రీనివాస్}}; 28 February 1969 &ndash; 19 September 2014), better known by his [[stage name]] '''U. Srinivas''', was an [[India]]n [[mandolin]]ist and music [[educator]]. He performed under the [[Carnatic music]]al tradition. He was given many awards including: [[Padma Shri]] (1998) and the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] (2010). He worked with [[musician]]s such as [[John McLaughlin (musician)|John McLaughlin]], [[Michael Nyman]], and [[Michael Brook]].


Srinivas was born in [[Palakol]], [[Andhra Pradesh]]. He was married to Sree from 1994 until their [[divorce]] in 2012. They had one son, [[Sai Krishna]] who is also known as [[Nani Krish]].
'''Uppalapu Srinivas''' (28 February 1969 – 19 September 2014) was an [[India]]n [[mandolin]] player in [[Carnatic classical music]] and composer. Because he was a [[child prodigy]], he was sometimes called the [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]] of classical Indian music.<ref>{{cite web |title= Uppalapu Srinivas – aka Mandolin Srinivas, The Mozart of Classical Carnatic Indian Music |url= https://www.beaninspirer.com/uppalapu-srinivas-aka-mandolin-srinivas-the-mozart-of-classical-carnatic-indian-music/ |website=Beaninspirer.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Mandolin U Srinivas – Mozart of Indian Classical Music |url= https://riyazapp.com/people/mandolin-u-srinivas-mozart-indian-classical-music/ |website= riyazapp.com|date= 20 October 2017 }}</ref><ref name="npr.org">{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2014/09/25/351492627/remembering-mandolin-hero-u-srinivas|title=Remembering Mandolin Hero U. Srinivas|website=NPR.org|access-date=2017-05-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ramamoorthy |first=Mangala |title='We move around like brothers' |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |location=Chennai |date=17 June 2006 |url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2006/06/17/stories/2006061702170400.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101030074619/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2006/06/17/stories/2006061702170400.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 October 2010 |access-date=2 June 2009}}</ref>


Srinivas died from [[liver failure]] on 19 September 2014 in [[Chennai]]. He was 45.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mandolin-U-Srinivas-popular-carnatic-musician-passes-away/articleshow/42877658.cms|title=Mandolin U Srinivas, popular Carnatic musician, passes away|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=19 September 2014|accessdate=19 September 2014|first=Janani|last=Sampath}}</ref>
He was awarded the [[Padma Shri]] in [[List of Padma Shri award recipients (1990–1999)|1998]], by the [[Government of India]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Padma Awards|publisher=Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (India)|url=http://india.gov.in/myindia/advsearch_awards.php?start=0&award_year=&state=&field=3&p_name=Srinivas&award=All|access-date=8 March 2009}}</ref> He was also awarded the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] in [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award#Instrumental 2|2009]] given by [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]], which is the National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama, in India.
 
==Early life and background==
Srinivas was born 28 February 1969, in [[Palakollu]] in Andhra Pradesh.<ref name=Allmusic>{{cite web|last=Hunt|first=Ken|title=U. Srinivas – Biography|website=Allmusic|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p34614|pure_url=yes}}|access-date=2 June 2009}}</ref> At the age of five, he picked up his father U. Satyanarayana's mandolin, after he heard it being played at a concert he attended with his father.<ref name=first/> Upon realizing the talent of his son, his father, who had studied classical music, bought him a new mandolin,<ref name=first/> and started teaching him.  Guitarist Vasu Rao, introduced seven-year-old Srinivas to western music in 1976.<ref name=toi/> Soon, Satyanarayana's [[guru]], Rudraraju Subbaraju, (disciple of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar) who had also taught Srinivas' father and Vasu Rao, recognized the potential of the young Srinivas and started teaching him.<ref name=toi/> Since Rudraraju Subbaraju did not know how to play the mandolin, he would just sing pieces from the Carnatic classical repertoire, and U. Srinivas, all of six, would play them on the mandolin, thus developing a phenomenal style of playing entirely his own, and astonishingly, on an instrument that had never been played in the rigorous and difficult Carnatic style before. Soon, the family moved to Chennai, the hotspot of Carnatic music, where most Carnatic musicians live.<ref name=deccan>{{cite web | title = Disarming humility | url = http://www.deccanherald.com/content/116234/F |author=Aruna Chandraraju| access-date = 19 September 2014 }}</ref> When Srinivas gave his first performance it led to him being compared to the world's greatest prodigies: "Some of you have heard or read about exceptionally gifted children, our own Mandolin Srinivas, Sir Yehudi Menuhin, Beethoven, Sir Isaac Newton, Picasso, Madam Curie, the list is endless."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.herschelfreemanagency.com/mike_marshall/mike_marshall.html |title=Mike Marshall's Mandolin World - Global Mandolin Summit |website=Herschelfreemanagency.com|access-date=2020-04-23}}</ref>
 
At a young age he was internationally viewed as the successor to [[Pandit Ravi Shankar]].<ref name="NYT">{{cite news |title= U. Shrinivas, 45, Indian Mandolin Virtuoso With Global Reach, Dies |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/01/arts/music/u-shrinivas-indian-mandolin-virtuoso-dies-at-45-.html?_r=0 |newspaper= nytimes.com |date=30 September 2014 }}</ref>
 
==Career==
He made his debut public Carnatic concert performance in 1978 during the [[Thyagaraja Aradhana]] festival at [[Gudivada]] in Andhra Pradesh. Thereafter, at age eleven, in 1981, he gave his first public concert in Chennai at the Indian Fine Arts Society during the December Music Season, and never looked back.<ref name=cnn>{{cite web| title = Renowned musician Mandolin U Srinivas passes away at 45 |work=CNN-IBN| url = http://ibnlive.in.com/news/renowned-musician-mandolin-u-srinivas-passes-away-at-45/500198-45-75.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140921033535/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/renowned-musician-mandolin-u-srinivas-passes-away-at-45/500198-45-75.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 21 September 2014 |date=19 September 2014| access-date = 19 September 2014 }}</ref><ref name=toi>{{cite news | title = Mandolin U Srinivas, a rebel who silenced his critics with music| url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mandolin-U-Srinivas-a-rebel-who-silenced-his-critics-with-music/articleshow/42892114.cms |author=Kamini Mathai|date= 19 September 2014| access-date = 19 September 2014 | newspaper = The Times of India }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwAol7jQvBA |title=U. Srinivas BindumAlini 1984 |publisher=[[YouTube]] |date=2014-10-04 |access-date=2020-04-23}}</ref> He started off playing the [[Acoustic music|acoustic]] mandolin, but he later switched to the electric mandolin as he felt it allowed the playing of lengthy, sustained notes - the quintessential component in classical Indian music - in addition to making them clearly audible.<ref name=first>{{cite web | title = Carnatic world mourns as mandolin great U Srinivas passes away in Chennai |work=Firstpost| url = http://www.firstpost.com/living/carnatic-world-mourns-as-mandolin-great-u-srinivas-passes-away-in-chennai-1720051.html |date=19 September 2014 | access-date = 19 September 2014  }}</ref> [[George Harrison]]'s favorite piece of Indian music was [https://www.amazon.com/Mandolin-Ecstasy-U-Srinivas/dp/B000008UAA Mandolin Ecstasy]. "It was, like, my dad's favourite album of all time," says (Dhani) Harrison. "U Srinivas is 27 now and still making music. He plays an electric five-string mandolin, he's fantastic...."<ref>{{cite news|author=Will Hodgkinson |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2003/may/09/homeentertainment.features |title=Dhani Harrison &#124; Music |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=2020-04-23}}</ref>
 
Over his career, he toured across the world, and collaborated with John McLaughlin, [[Michael Nyman]], and [[Michael Brook]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Gautam|first=Savitha|title=The 'shakti' of sound |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |location=Chennai |date=27 March 2003|url=http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/03/27/stories/2003032700930100.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030624171239/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/03/27/stories/2003032700930100.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 June 2003|access-date=2 June 2009}}</ref>
 
[[File:Remember Shakti Shrinivas McLaughlin Selvaganesh.JPG|left|thumb|[[Remember Shakti]] Concert, [[Munich]], [[Germany]] (2001)<br>(left to right) U. Srinivas, John McLaughlin, [[V. Selvaganesh]]]]
{{quote box|align=right|width=246px|quote="Collaborating with him ''(U.Srinivas)'' was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I have played with the greatest" <br>|source=—[[John McLaughlin (musician)|John McLaughlin]], speaking with [[The Times of India]]<ref name="NYT"/>}}
He was the first musician to use the electric mandolin in Carnatic music: he modified the electric western instrument, using five single strings instead of the traditional four doubled strings to suit the Carnatic pitch, [[raga]] system, and especially [[Gamaka (music)|gamakas]], or nuanced oscillations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.carnatica.net/sangeet/mandolin2.htm |title=Stringed Instruments In Carnatic Music |website=Carnatica.net |access-date=2020-04-23}}</ref> Starting in 1982, he performed regularly during the December season of the prestigious [[Madras Music Academy]], performing there every year except in 2002 - December 23 of each year was a reserved slot for U. Srinivas - the highest accolade.<ref name=toi/><ref name=mint>{{cite web | title = U. Srinivas, who made the mandolin his own, and many others', passes |work=Mint| url = http://www.livemint.com/Consumer/fArVJ7FRw0fXgyCocGBCSN/U-Srinivas-who-made-the-mandolin-his-own-and-of-many-other.html# |author=Samanth Subramanian|date=19 September 2014|access-date = 19 September 2014  }}</ref><ref name=hindu10>{{cite news| title = Mandolin magic|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]| url = http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/mandolin-magic/article598029.ece |date=27 August 2010| access-date = 19 September 2014| first = Prema | last = Manmadhan }}</ref> Srinivas performed at age thirteen at the [[Berlin Jazz Festival]]. Initially booked to play a half-hour concert after [[Miles Davis]], Srinivas won a standing ovation, and had to play for another hour.<ref>{{cite web|author=G.C. Shekhar |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140920/jsp/nation/story_18854469.jsp#.VE6_YFfuzFw |title=Mandolin master leaves behind huge void |website=Telegraphindia.com |date=2017-10-30 |access-date=2020-04-23}}</ref> "He's got it in him. He's fantastic,"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://womad.org/artists/u-shrinivas/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-10-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141027220551/http://womad.org/artists/u-shrinivas/ |archive-date=27 October 2014 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> said the legendary [[Don Cherry (trumpeter)|Don Cherry]] at the time. Guitarist John McLaughlin first heard a tape of this concert by the thirteen-year-old prodigy, and was left very impressed.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/stoi/all-that-matters/Shrinivas-was-the-spirit-of-Shakti-who-can-replace-him-John-McLaughlin/articleshow/43045691.cms |title=Shrinivas was the spirit of Shakti, who can replace him |author=John McLaughlin |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=2014-09-21 |access-date=2020-04-23}}</ref> He played at the Olympic Arts Festival, Barcelona in 1992<ref name=mint/> and in 1995 recorded a successful fusion album with [[Michael Brook]].{{sfn|Ellingham|2000|p=85}} When John McLaughlin revived his group Shakti, and renamed it [[Remember Shakti]], in 1997, he asked Srinivas to join the group and tour the world with it, along with other Indian musicians Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, and V. Selvaganesh. Srinivaswas a leaqding player of the group.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/stoi/all-that-matters/Srinivas-was-the-spirit-of-Shakti-who-can-replace-him-John-McLaughlin/articleshow/43045691.cms |title=Shrinivas was the spirit of Shakti, who can replace him |author=John McLaughlin |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=2014-09-21 |access-date=2020-04-23}}</ref>{{sfn|Lavezzoli|2006|p=116-117}}<ref name=mint/> Srinivas toured extensively across the world, in his own right - he played in Australia, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, and extensively and frequently across the United States and Canada.<ref name=cnn/>
 
[[File:U. Srinivas 2009.jpg|right|thumb|Srinivas performing in Pune, January to December 2009]]
[[File:Tatvameruga - U.Srinivas (Raga Garudahwani) Tyagaraja Carnatic classical music.ogg|right|thumb|Tatvameruga tarama, performed by U. Srinivas]]
 
His gifted younger brother, [[U. Rajesh]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/mandolin-and-u/article3811999.ece |title=Mandolin and U |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=2020-04-23}}</ref> has studied with Srinivas for some twenty-seven years, and is also an accomplished mandolin player, who has often accompanied him at concerts over the last twenty years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJRNX4fM6jI |title=Indian Mandolin by U Srinivas |publisher=[[YouTube]] |date=2008-08-28 |access-date=2020-04-23}}</ref>{{sfn|Ellingham|2000|p=85}} He also plays jazz and western music, and played the mandolin in the John Mclaughlin album 'Floating Point' which received a Grammy nomination in the Best Contemporary Jazz Album Category in 2008.<ref name=hindu10/> Srinivas and Rajesh have together composed music as well, and, besides Carnatic music, they have extensively worked on the fusion of Carnatic and western music. They also played with the [[Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra]], with French electric bass player [[Dominique Di Piazza]], pianist [[Anil Srinivasan]] and [[Stephen Devassy]], a pianist from Kerala. In 2008, they collaborated again with John Mclaughlin for the album ''Samjanitha'', which also featured Zakir Hussain, [[Sivamani]], and [[George Brooks (musician)|George Brook]].<ref name=hindu10/> Srinivas compared Carnatic music to the Sanskrit language, "It's the basis, from which spring so many other languages. Carnatic music is here to stay with us and all other music that we play is based on that."<ref name=hindu10/>
 
Over the years, Srinivas recorded over 137 albums, in diverse genres from Carnatic music solos to [[jugalbandi]]s with Hindustani musicians, and world music.<ref name=deccan/> He performed with Western artists such as John McLaughlin, [[Michael Brook]], [[Trey Gunn]], [[Nigel Kennedy]], [[Nana Vasconcelos]], and [[Michael Nyman]], as well as with [[Hindustani music]] artists such as [[Hariprasad Chaurasia]] and [[Zakir Hussain (musician)|Zakir Hussain]], besides Carnatic artists like [[Vikku Vinayakram]] and [[V. Selvaganesh]].<ref name=toi/><ref name=hindu>{{cite news| title = Mandolin Shrinivas passes away |work=The Hindu| url = http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/mandolin-shrinivas-passes-away/article6425892.ece |date=19 September 2014|access-date = 19 September 2014 }}</ref> U. Srinivas started a music school called the Srinivas Institute of World Music (SIOWM) in Chennai,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/mandolin-magic/article598029.ece |title=Mandolin magic |newspaper=[[The Hindu]] |date=2010-08-27 |access-date=2020-04-23}}</ref> where, since he was barely eighteen, he taught a number of students gratis.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Shrinivas-gave-away-music-as-a-gift-with-free-lessons-to-all-students-at-his-institute/articleshow/42946071.cms |title=Shrinivas gave away music as a gift with free lessons to all students at his institute |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |date=2014-09-20 |access-date=2020-04-23}}</ref> Srinivas has trained almost a hundred students worldwide, many of whom have studied with him and U. Rajesh for as long as ten years. U. Rajesh continues teaching their students at the SIOWM.<ref name=first/><ref name=hindu10/>
 
==Instrument==
Srinivas' first mandolin belonged to his father, a clarinetist. That instrument was a 'standard' Western mandolin; however, he made modifications to suit his playing style over the course of his musical career.
 
Srinivas started out on the acoustic mandolin, but neither the size nor plucking required of the acoustic mandolin was suited for long, sustained notes. He then switched to the electric mandolin, which was better suited for sustained notes and musical ornamentations.
 
Unlike a typical mandolin's eight strings, tuned to GG-DD-AA-EE, Srinivas generally used only five strings tuned to CGCGC. Copies of this style of mandolin are available in India, and several other Indian mandolin players have used instruments just like it (including Suresh Kumar, Raghavendra, and his brother, U.Rajesh).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.emando.com/players/U_Srinivas.htm |title=U Srinivas |website=Emando.com |access-date=2020-04-23}}</ref>
 
==Personal life==
Srinivas married U. Sree, daughter of a vigilance officer from Andhra Pradesh, and veena player, in 1994.<ref name="npr.org"/> The couple had a son, Sai Krishna (also known as Naani Krissh, a director who made his directorial debut with Opperah in 2017), and were divorced in 2012.<ref name=toi/> After their divorce U. Sree received custody of their son.<ref name="npr.org"/>
 
U.Srinivas was an ardent devotee of the [[Paramacharya]] of [[Kanchi]]. He was also a follower and devotee of [[Sri Sathya Sai Baba]] and had performed before him on several occasions.<ref>{{cite web | title = Beautiful Mandolin Concert by U. Srinivas and U. Rajesh|work= Prasanthi Diary| url = http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Portal/pd-articles/PD-05_08_2010.htm |date=5 August 2010| access-date = 19 September 2014 }}</ref><ref name=toi/>
 
==Illness and death==
Srinivas was undergoing treatment for severe liver problems <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-u-srinivas-and-the-mandolin-falls-silent-2020025 |title=U Srinivas: And the mandolin falls silent |website=Dnaindia.com |date=2014-09-20 |access-date=2020-04-23}}</ref> and had undergone a liver transplant on 11 September 2014. While recovering, he died at [[Apollo Hospital]] at 9:30 AM on 19 September 2014 after experiencing complications.<ref>{{cite news | title = Mandolin U Srinivas, popular Carnatic musician, passes away
| url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mandolin-U-Srinivas-popular-carnatic-musician-passes-away/articleshow/42877658.cms
|author=Janani Sampath |date= 19 September 2014| access-date = 19 September 2014 | newspaper = The Times of India}}</ref>
 
==Awards and achievements==
Some of the awards that Mandolin U. Srinivas received:
* ''[[Padma Shri]]'' in 1998, given by Government of India<ref>{{cite web|title=Padma Awards Directory (1954–2013) |publisher=[[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Ministry of Home Affairs]] |url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015 }}</ref>
* ''[[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]'' in 2010, given by [[Sangeet Natak Akademi]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/awardeeslist.htm |title=SNA: List of Akademi Awardees |publisher=[[Sangeet Natak Akademi]] Official website |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530204253/http://sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/awardeeslist.htm |archive-date=30 May 2015 }}</ref>
* ''Sangeet Ratna''
* ''Sanatan Sangeet Puraskar'' from ''Sangeet Sanskriti''
* Titled ''′Asthana Vidwan′'' (at age 15), of the [[Tamil Nadu]] in July 1984, [[Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam]] on 1 October 1990, at [[Sringeri]], at [[Kalahasti temple]], at [[Mantralayam]] [[Raghavendra Swami|Raghavendra]] [[Mutt (hinduism)|Matha]] in 2006, [[Pillayarpatti]] Temple on 27 August 1995
* ''[[Raja-Lakshmi Award]]'' for the year 1985 from [[Sri Raja-Lakshmi Foundation]], Chennai
* ''[[Chowdiah Memorial Hall|T. Chowdiah Memorial National Award]]'', [[Mysore]], [[Karnataka]] in 1992
* ''Sangeetha Bala Bhaskara'' by [[Sangeetha Kalanidhi]] [[M.S. Subbulakshmi]] in 1995
* ''Sangeetha Choodamani Award'' in 1985
* ''[[Indian honours system|National Citizen's Award]]'', 1991 by [[President of India]]
* ''Special TTK Award'' and ''Best Artist Award'' by the [[Madras Music Academy]] in 1983 and 1993 respectively
* ''Rajiv Gandhi National Integration Award''
* Madhya Pradesh Government Award, in 2004 by the Government of Madhya Pradesh
* Maharajapuram Santhanam Award, in 2010
* Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2014 by [[Mahindra Finance]] on January 17, 2015
 
==Discography==
He recorded a CD of Carnatic compositions by [[Ilaiyaraaja]] called ''Ilaiyaraaja's Classics in Mandolin''. In 2008, U Srinivas released ''Samjanitha'' featuring Debashish Bhattacharya (Lap Steel Guitar), [[John McLaughlin (musician)|John McLaughlin]], [[Zakir Hussain (musician)|Zakir Hussain]], [[Sivamani]], [[T. H. Vinayakram|Vikku Vinaykram]], [[Dominique Piazza]] [[Michael Brook]], U Rajesh and others.
 
Partial discography:
{{div col}}
*Mandolin - Master U. Srinivas (Magnasound, 1986)
*Mandolin Ecstasy (Oriental, 1986)
*Magic Mandolin (Chhanda Dhara, 1989)
*Music on Mandolin (Super Cassette, 1990)
*Double Mandolin (The Master Company, 1991)
*Modern Mandolin Maestro (GlobeStyle, 1991)
*Trio Mandolin (Koel, 1992)
*Mandolin Duets (EMI, 1994)
*Prodigy (Koel, 1994)
*Rama Sreerama ([[Real World Records]], 1994)
*Dream, with [[Michael Brook]] (Real World/Virgin/EMI, 1995)
*Dawn Raga (Womad, 1996)
*Marvels on Mandolin (Magnasound, 1996)
*Mandolin (Geethanjali, 1998)
*Mystic Raptures (Music Today, 2000)
*[[Remember Shakti]]: The Believer (Verve/Universal, 2000)
*Mandolin Magic (Dunya, 2001)
*Gamanashrama (Charsur, 2003)
*Sangam: [[Michael Nyman]] Meets Indian Masters (WEA, 2003)
*Om Nama Shivaya (Sea, 2004)
*Five Star (Saregama 2004)
*Mandolin Melodies: South Indian Classical Music (Felmay, 2005)
*Ragasangamam (Music Today, 2006)
*Sahavaadhan (Living 2006)
*Samjanitha (Dreyfus Records, 2008)
*Chinnanchiru Kiliye (Music Today, 2011)
*Sangeet Santaj Vol. 1 & 2 (Music Today, 2011)
*Ru-Ba-Ru: A Unique Confluence of Sarangi & Mandolin (Music Today, 2011)
*Dikshitar Masterpieces (Music Today, 2011)
{{div col end}}
 
For the Sangeetha Music label, U. Srinivas recorded the following albums:
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*Mokshamugalada
*Nadasudharasa
*Double Mandolin
*Meenakshi Memudam
*Pancharatna Kritis –Trio Mandolin
*Magnetic Mandolin
*Naada Brahmaanandam (Double Mandolin)
*Naanu Palimpa
*Vaathapi on Mandolin
*Endaro Mahanubhavulu
*Enduko Dayaradura
*Gaana Sampoornam
*Mandolin Ganamrutham
{{div col end}}
 
==Bibliography==
*{{cite book|last=Lavezzoli|first=Peter|title=The Dawn of Indian Music in the West|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OSZKCXtx-wEC&pg=PA116|date=2006|publisher=A&C Black|isbn=978-0-8264-1815-9}}
*{{cite book|last1=Broughton|first1=Simon|last2=Ellingham|first2=Mark|title=World Music: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QzX8THIgRjUC&pg=PA85|year=2000|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=978-1-85828-636-5}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist|2|refs = IN MEMORY OF MANDOLIN U.SRINIVAS BY HIS SON SAI KRISHNA(Nani Krish)
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycQu8XwR83M}}
== External links ==


==External links==
{{Commons category|U. Shrinivas}}
{{Commons category|U. Shrinivas}}
* {{Official|http://www.mandolinshrinivas.org/}}
*{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p34614|label=U. Srinivas}}
* {{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p34614|label=U. Srinivas}}


{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Art}}
{{Authority control}}


{{Bio-stub}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Srinivas, U}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Srinivas, U.}}
[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths from liver failure]]
[[Category:Carnatic instrumentalists]]
[[Category:Disease-related deaths in India]]
[[Category:Indian male classical musicians]]
[[Category:Indian educators]]
[[Category:Indian mandolinists]]
[[Category:Indian musicians]]
[[Category:People from West Godavari district]]
[[Category:Mandolinists]]
[[Category:Real World Records artists]]
 
[[Category:Telugu people]]
 
[[Category:EMI Classics and Virgin Classics artists]]
{{simple-Wikipedia}}
[[Category:Deaths from organ failure]]
[[Category:Indian music educators]]
[[Category:World music musicians]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian musicians]]
[[Category:Musicians from Andhra Pradesh]]
[[Category:Liver transplant recipients]]
[[Category:People from Palakollu]]
[[Category:Followers of Sathya Sai Baba]]
[[Category:Remember Shakti members]]

Revision as of 01:49, 21 August 2021

U. Srinivas
ఉప్పలపు శ్రీనివాస్
U. Srinivas
U. Srinivas
Background information
Birth nameUppalapu Srinivas
Also known asU. Srinivas, Mandolin Srinivas
Born(1969-02-28)28 February 1969
Palakollu, West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, India
OriginAndhra Pradesh, India
Died19 September 2014(2014-09-19) (aged 45)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
GenresIndian classical music
Occupation(s)Musician (Mandolin Maestro)
InstrumentsElectric Mandolin[1]
Years active1978–2014
LabelsReal World Records
Virgin Classics/EMI
Associated actsRemember Shakti[2]
WebsiteMandolin U Shrinivas

Uppalapu Srinivas (28 February 1969 – 19 September 2014) was an Indian mandolin player in Carnatic classical music and composer. Because he was a child prodigy, he was sometimes called the Mozart of classical Indian music.[3][4][5][6]

He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1998, by the Government of India.[7] He was also awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2009 given by Sangeet Natak Akademi, which is the National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama, in India.

Early life and background

Srinivas was born 28 February 1969, in Palakollu in Andhra Pradesh.[8] At the age of five, he picked up his father U. Satyanarayana's mandolin, after he heard it being played at a concert he attended with his father.[9] Upon realizing the talent of his son, his father, who had studied classical music, bought him a new mandolin,[9] and started teaching him. Guitarist Vasu Rao, introduced seven-year-old Srinivas to western music in 1976.[10] Soon, Satyanarayana's guru, Rudraraju Subbaraju, (disciple of Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar) who had also taught Srinivas' father and Vasu Rao, recognized the potential of the young Srinivas and started teaching him.[10] Since Rudraraju Subbaraju did not know how to play the mandolin, he would just sing pieces from the Carnatic classical repertoire, and U. Srinivas, all of six, would play them on the mandolin, thus developing a phenomenal style of playing entirely his own, and astonishingly, on an instrument that had never been played in the rigorous and difficult Carnatic style before. Soon, the family moved to Chennai, the hotspot of Carnatic music, where most Carnatic musicians live.[11] When Srinivas gave his first performance it led to him being compared to the world's greatest prodigies: "Some of you have heard or read about exceptionally gifted children, our own Mandolin Srinivas, Sir Yehudi Menuhin, Beethoven, Sir Isaac Newton, Picasso, Madam Curie, the list is endless."[12]

At a young age he was internationally viewed as the successor to Pandit Ravi Shankar.[2]

Career

He made his debut public Carnatic concert performance in 1978 during the Thyagaraja Aradhana festival at Gudivada in Andhra Pradesh. Thereafter, at age eleven, in 1981, he gave his first public concert in Chennai at the Indian Fine Arts Society during the December Music Season, and never looked back.[1][10][13] He started off playing the acoustic mandolin, but he later switched to the electric mandolin as he felt it allowed the playing of lengthy, sustained notes - the quintessential component in classical Indian music - in addition to making them clearly audible.[9] George Harrison's favorite piece of Indian music was Mandolin Ecstasy. "It was, like, my dad's favourite album of all time," says (Dhani) Harrison. "U Srinivas is 27 now and still making music. He plays an electric five-string mandolin, he's fantastic...."[14]

Over his career, he toured across the world, and collaborated with John McLaughlin, Michael Nyman, and Michael Brook.[15]

Remember Shakti Concert, Munich, Germany (2001)
(left to right) U. Srinivas, John McLaughlin, V. Selvaganesh
"Collaborating with him (U.Srinivas) was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I have played with the greatest"

—John McLaughlin, speaking with The Times of India[2]

He was the first musician to use the electric mandolin in Carnatic music: he modified the electric western instrument, using five single strings instead of the traditional four doubled strings to suit the Carnatic pitch, raga system, and especially gamakas, or nuanced oscillations.[16] Starting in 1982, he performed regularly during the December season of the prestigious Madras Music Academy, performing there every year except in 2002 - December 23 of each year was a reserved slot for U. Srinivas - the highest accolade.[10][17][18] Srinivas performed at age thirteen at the Berlin Jazz Festival. Initially booked to play a half-hour concert after Miles Davis, Srinivas won a standing ovation, and had to play for another hour.[19] "He's got it in him. He's fantastic,"[20] said the legendary Don Cherry at the time. Guitarist John McLaughlin first heard a tape of this concert by the thirteen-year-old prodigy, and was left very impressed.[21] He played at the Olympic Arts Festival, Barcelona in 1992[17] and in 1995 recorded a successful fusion album with Michael Brook.[22] When John McLaughlin revived his group Shakti, and renamed it Remember Shakti, in 1997, he asked Srinivas to join the group and tour the world with it, along with other Indian musicians Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, and V. Selvaganesh. Srinivaswas a leaqding player of the group.[23][24][17] Srinivas toured extensively across the world, in his own right - he played in Australia, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, and extensively and frequently across the United States and Canada.[1]

Srinivas performing in Pune, January to December 2009
Tatvameruga tarama, performed by U. Srinivas

His gifted younger brother, U. Rajesh,[25] has studied with Srinivas for some twenty-seven years, and is also an accomplished mandolin player, who has often accompanied him at concerts over the last twenty years.[26][22] He also plays jazz and western music, and played the mandolin in the John Mclaughlin album 'Floating Point' which received a Grammy nomination in the Best Contemporary Jazz Album Category in 2008.[18] Srinivas and Rajesh have together composed music as well, and, besides Carnatic music, they have extensively worked on the fusion of Carnatic and western music. They also played with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, with French electric bass player Dominique Di Piazza, pianist Anil Srinivasan and Stephen Devassy, a pianist from Kerala. In 2008, they collaborated again with John Mclaughlin for the album Samjanitha, which also featured Zakir Hussain, Sivamani, and George Brook.[18] Srinivas compared Carnatic music to the Sanskrit language, "It's the basis, from which spring so many other languages. Carnatic music is here to stay with us and all other music that we play is based on that."[18]

Over the years, Srinivas recorded over 137 albums, in diverse genres from Carnatic music solos to jugalbandis with Hindustani musicians, and world music.[11] He performed with Western artists such as John McLaughlin, Michael Brook, Trey Gunn, Nigel Kennedy, Nana Vasconcelos, and Michael Nyman, as well as with Hindustani music artists such as Hariprasad Chaurasia and Zakir Hussain, besides Carnatic artists like Vikku Vinayakram and V. Selvaganesh.[10][27] U. Srinivas started a music school called the Srinivas Institute of World Music (SIOWM) in Chennai,[28] where, since he was barely eighteen, he taught a number of students gratis.[29] Srinivas has trained almost a hundred students worldwide, many of whom have studied with him and U. Rajesh for as long as ten years. U. Rajesh continues teaching their students at the SIOWM.[9][18]

Instrument

Srinivas' first mandolin belonged to his father, a clarinetist. That instrument was a 'standard' Western mandolin; however, he made modifications to suit his playing style over the course of his musical career.

Srinivas started out on the acoustic mandolin, but neither the size nor plucking required of the acoustic mandolin was suited for long, sustained notes. He then switched to the electric mandolin, which was better suited for sustained notes and musical ornamentations.

Unlike a typical mandolin's eight strings, tuned to GG-DD-AA-EE, Srinivas generally used only five strings tuned to CGCGC. Copies of this style of mandolin are available in India, and several other Indian mandolin players have used instruments just like it (including Suresh Kumar, Raghavendra, and his brother, U.Rajesh).[30]

Personal life

Srinivas married U. Sree, daughter of a vigilance officer from Andhra Pradesh, and veena player, in 1994.[5] The couple had a son, Sai Krishna (also known as Naani Krissh, a director who made his directorial debut with Opperah in 2017), and were divorced in 2012.[10] After their divorce U. Sree received custody of their son.[5]

U.Srinivas was an ardent devotee of the Paramacharya of Kanchi. He was also a follower and devotee of Sri Sathya Sai Baba and had performed before him on several occasions.[31][10]

Illness and death

Srinivas was undergoing treatment for severe liver problems [32] and had undergone a liver transplant on 11 September 2014. While recovering, he died at Apollo Hospital at 9:30 AM on 19 September 2014 after experiencing complications.[33]

Awards and achievements

Some of the awards that Mandolin U. Srinivas received:

Discography

He recorded a CD of Carnatic compositions by Ilaiyaraaja called Ilaiyaraaja's Classics in Mandolin. In 2008, U Srinivas released Samjanitha featuring Debashish Bhattacharya (Lap Steel Guitar), John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, Sivamani, Vikku Vinaykram, Dominique Piazza Michael Brook, U Rajesh and others.

Partial discography:

  • Mandolin - Master U. Srinivas (Magnasound, 1986)
  • Mandolin Ecstasy (Oriental, 1986)
  • Magic Mandolin (Chhanda Dhara, 1989)
  • Music on Mandolin (Super Cassette, 1990)
  • Double Mandolin (The Master Company, 1991)
  • Modern Mandolin Maestro (GlobeStyle, 1991)
  • Trio Mandolin (Koel, 1992)
  • Mandolin Duets (EMI, 1994)
  • Prodigy (Koel, 1994)
  • Rama Sreerama (Real World Records, 1994)
  • Dream, with Michael Brook (Real World/Virgin/EMI, 1995)
  • Dawn Raga (Womad, 1996)
  • Marvels on Mandolin (Magnasound, 1996)
  • Mandolin (Geethanjali, 1998)
  • Mystic Raptures (Music Today, 2000)
  • Remember Shakti: The Believer (Verve/Universal, 2000)
  • Mandolin Magic (Dunya, 2001)
  • Gamanashrama (Charsur, 2003)
  • Sangam: Michael Nyman Meets Indian Masters (WEA, 2003)
  • Om Nama Shivaya (Sea, 2004)
  • Five Star (Saregama 2004)
  • Mandolin Melodies: South Indian Classical Music (Felmay, 2005)
  • Ragasangamam (Music Today, 2006)
  • Sahavaadhan (Living 2006)
  • Samjanitha (Dreyfus Records, 2008)
  • Chinnanchiru Kiliye (Music Today, 2011)
  • Sangeet Santaj Vol. 1 & 2 (Music Today, 2011)
  • Ru-Ba-Ru: A Unique Confluence of Sarangi & Mandolin (Music Today, 2011)
  • Dikshitar Masterpieces (Music Today, 2011)

For the Sangeetha Music label, U. Srinivas recorded the following albums:

  • Mokshamugalada
  • Nadasudharasa
  • Double Mandolin
  • Meenakshi Memudam
  • Pancharatna Kritis –Trio Mandolin
  • Magnetic Mandolin
  • Naada Brahmaanandam (Double Mandolin)
  • Naanu Palimpa
  • Vaathapi on Mandolin
  • Endaro Mahanubhavulu
  • Enduko Dayaradura
  • Gaana Sampoornam
  • Mandolin Ganamrutham

Bibliography

  • Lavezzoli, Peter (2006). The Dawn of Indian Music in the West. A&C Black. ISBN 978-0-8264-1815-9.
  • Broughton, Simon; Ellingham, Mark (2000). World Music: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific. Rough Guides. ISBN 978-1-85828-636-5.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Renowned musician Mandolin U Srinivas passes away at 45". CNN-IBN. 19 September 2014. Archived from the original on 21 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "U. Shrinivas, 45, Indian Mandolin Virtuoso With Global Reach, Dies". nytimes.com. 30 September 2014.
  3. ↑ "Uppalapu Srinivas – aka Mandolin Srinivas, The Mozart of Classical Carnatic Indian Music". Beaninspirer.com.
  4. ↑ "Mandolin U Srinivas – Mozart of Indian Classical Music". riyazapp.com. 20 October 2017.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Remembering Mandolin Hero U. Srinivas". NPR.org. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  6. ↑ Ramamoorthy, Mangala (17 June 2006). "'We move around like brothers'". The Hindu. Chennai. Archived from the original on 30 October 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
  7. ↑ "Padma Awards". Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (India). Retrieved 8 March 2009.
  8. ↑ Hunt, Ken. "U. Srinivas – Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 "Carnatic world mourns as mandolin great U Srinivas passes away in Chennai". Firstpost. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 Kamini Mathai (19 September 2014). "Mandolin U Srinivas, a rebel who silenced his critics with music". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Aruna Chandraraju. "Disarming humility". Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  12. ↑ "Mike Marshall's Mandolin World - Global Mandolin Summit". Herschelfreemanagency.com. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  13. ↑ "U. Srinivas BindumAlini 1984". YouTube. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  14. ↑ Will Hodgkinson. "Dhani Harrison | Music". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  15. ↑ Gautam, Savitha (27 March 2003). "The 'shakti' of sound". The Hindu. Chennai. Archived from the original on 24 June 2003. Retrieved 2 June 2009.
  16. ↑ "Stringed Instruments In Carnatic Music". Carnatica.net. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Samanth Subramanian (19 September 2014). "U. Srinivas, who made the mandolin his own, and many others', passes". Mint. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 Manmadhan, Prema (27 August 2010). "Mandolin magic". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  19. ↑ G.C. Shekhar (30 October 2017). "Mandolin master leaves behind huge void". Telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  20. ↑ "Archived copy". Retrieved 27 October 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  21. ↑ John McLaughlin (21 September 2014). "Shrinivas was the spirit of Shakti, who can replace him". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Ellingham 2000, p. 85.
  23. ↑ John McLaughlin (21 September 2014). "Shrinivas was the spirit of Shakti, who can replace him". The Times of India. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  24. ↑ Lavezzoli 2006, p. 116-117.
  25. ↑ "Mandolin and U". The Hindu. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  26. ↑ "Indian Mandolin by U Srinivas". YouTube. 28 August 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  27. ↑ "Mandolin Shrinivas passes away". The Hindu. 19 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  28. ↑ "Mandolin magic". The Hindu. 27 August 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  29. ↑ "Shrinivas gave away music as a gift with free lessons to all students at his institute". The Times of India. 20 September 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  30. ↑ "U Srinivas". Emando.com. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  31. ↑ "Beautiful Mandolin Concert by U. Srinivas and U. Rajesh". Prasanthi Diary. 5 August 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  32. ↑ "U Srinivas: And the mandolin falls silent". Dnaindia.com. 20 September 2014. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  33. ↑ Janani Sampath (19 September 2014). "Mandolin U Srinivas, popular Carnatic musician, passes away". The Times of India. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  34. ↑ "Padma Awards Directory (1954–2013)" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015.
  35. ↑ "SNA: List of Akademi Awardees". Sangeet Natak Akademi Official website. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015.

External links

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