In news- National award-winning singer Shivamogga Subbanna from Karnataka has passed away recently.
A brief note on him-
- Subbanna was the first playback singer from Karnataka to win a National Award (1978)for singing the song ‘Kaadu Kudure Odi Banditta’ in the film Kaadu Kudure.
- He became a household name in Karnataka after he sang ‘Baarisu Kannada Dindimava’, written by Rashtrakavi Kuvempu.
- Known for his work in the field of ‘Sugama Sangeetha’, a genre in which poetry in Kannada is set to music, Subbanna has worked on and sung poetries of famous poets such as Kuvempu and Da Ra Bendre, and got several awards and honours.
- He was also a singer with Akashvani and Doordarshan and had worked as an advocate.
What is Sugama Sangeetha?
- Sugama Sangeetha, a variety of Bhavageethe, is an Indian musical genre in which poetry in the Kannada language is set to music.
- It gained recognition with the work of P. Kalinga Rao in the mid -20th century. Mysore Ananthaswamy and C. Aswath developed the form further in the 1960s and 1970s.
- It is unclear when exactly Bhavageethe started but in 1920s and 30s there were many attempts to set tunes to poetry.
- By the 1950s it started taking a more defined shape and a highly talented musician – P. Kalinga Rao – was instrumental in spreading this art form.
- He set tunes to the poems of many famous Navodaya poets, and gave performances on All India Radio as well as public gatherings.
- The art form started gaining popularity through his rendering of Udayavaagali Namma Cheluvu Kannada Naadu, Yaaru Hitavaru Ninage, Anathadim Digantadim, Baarayya Beladingale, Brahma Ninge Jodistheeni etc.
- He laid the foundation of Sugama Sangeetha and hence is considered to be the father of this form.
Source: The Hindu
