D K Pattammal passes away

Another carnatic music doyen passes away. Heard the news in the evening. She passed away on July 16th Thursday noon.

Hailed as one of the “women trinity” – M.S. Subbulakshmi and M.L. Vasanthakumari were the other two — of Carnatic music, Smt. Pattammal carved a niche for herself, which was marked by an uncompromising adherence to tradition, deep engagement with technical nuances and emphasis on bhava and rakthi.

In the unique timbre of her voice and unmistakably clear diction, compositions of Subramanya Bharati and Papanasam Sivan reached the masses. She had the honour of performing at the foundation-laying ceremony of the Bharati Memorial at Ettayapuram.

Smt. Pattammal’s background that was steeped in orthodoxy, but her contributions were progressive — from being one of the earliest women to give vocal recitals on a concert platform, to becoming one of the first women artists to handle the ‘Ragam-Thanam-Pallavi,’ traditionally considered a male bastion.

Smt. Pattammal was also one of the earliest Carnatic musicians to sing in films, beginning with ‘Thyaga Bhoomi’ and later, for others, including ‘Naam Iruvar.’ As someone who popularised patriotic songs, she was invited by the All India Radio to sing on the eve of Independence. She was a recipient of several awards including the ‘Padma Vibhushan’ and the ‘Sangeeta Kalanidhi,’ which she received from The Music Academy in 1970.