Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer with Palghat Mani Iyer | Palghat, 1963 | Rare Concert from the Golden Era

A rare and powerful Carnatic music concert featuring the legendary trio: Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, TN Krishnan, and Palghat Mani Iyer, performed in Palghat around 1963.

This timeless performance captures a glorious moment in Carnatic history, where mastery, instinct, and tradition converge. Semmangudi’s towering classicism, TN Krishnan’s silken bowing, and Palghat Mani Iyer’s electrifying presence on the mridangam come together in a riveting display of musical synergy.

What makes this concert exceptional is the dynamic dialogue between voice and percussion, a rare glimpse into a golden era where spontaneity, discipline, and creative fire coexisted effortlessly on stage. Palghat Mani Iyer’s rhythmic brilliance shines through every passage, perfectly complementing Semmangudi’s deeply meditative and authoritative style.

This is surely a living document of Carnatic music in its most powerful and uncompromising form.

Vocal - Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer
Vocal Support - PS Narayanaswamy & VR Krishnan
Violin - TN Krishnan
Mridangam - Palghat Mani Iyer

00:00:00 - Hamsadhwani - Vathapi Ganapathim - Adi - Muthuswamy Dikshitar
00:05:53 - Bhairavi - Kamakshi (Swarajathi) - Misra Chapu - Shyama Sastri
00:19:37 - Tani Avarthanam - Misra Chapu
00:26:08 - Kalyani - Alapana
00:35:01 - Kalyani - Birana Brova - Adi (Tisra Nadai) - Tarangampadi Panchanada Iyer
00:41:46 - Thodi - Alapana
00:47:27 - Thodi - Sri Krishnam Bhaja Manasa - Adi - Muthuswamy Dikshitar (Disputed)
00:54:32 - Saraswati Manohari - Entha Vedukondu - Deshadi - Tyagaraja
00:58:26 - Kannada - Sri Mathrubhootam - Misra Chapu - Muthuswamy Dikshitar
01:05:43 - Sriranjini - Alapana
01:11:43 - Sriranjini - Marubalka - Adi - Tyagaraja
01:16:18 - Shankarabharanam - Ragam
01:34:24 - Shankarabharanam - Thanam
01:40:44 - Shankarabharanam - Pallavi - Chakkagani Bhajana, Jesevariki Takkuva Galada Sri, Rama Dina Dinamu - Adi (2 Kalai)
01:54:23 - Tani Avarthanam - Adi (2 Kalai)
02:01:27 - Kapi - Parulanna Mata (Javali) - Rupakam - Dharmapuri Subbarayar
02:05:16 - Khamas - Marubari Talalenura (Javali) - Adi - Dharmapuri Subbarayar
02:09:07 - Ragamalika - Nadanamakriya, Sahana, Bilahari, Kanada & Shanmukhapriya - Moulau Ganga (Sloka) - Apaya Dikshitar
02:27:59 - Khamas - Idadhu Padam - Adi - Papanasam Sivan
02:31:34 - Ragamalika - Yamuna Kalyani, Bhairavi - Narayaneeyam (Sloka)
02:40:04 - Srita Kamala (Ashtapadi) - Bhairavi - Adi - Jayadeva
02:42:49 - Sindubhairavi - Kodanda Deeksha Gurum (Sloka from Valmiki Ramayanam)
02:45:07 - Jonpuri - Sapasya Kausalya - Adi - Panchapikesha Shastri
02:47:47 - Saindavi - Itu Sahasamulu (Javali) - Adi - Swati Tirunal
02:50:22 - Senchurutti - Thillana - Adi - Veena Seshanna
02:55:05 - Yadukula Kambhoji - Bhujagashayino (Mangalam) - Rupakam - Swati Tirunal

Note on Audio Restoration:
This historic concert has been carefully digitised from a heavily damaged spool tape. Due to the condition of the source material, which had suffered severe physical deterioration and fungal damage, the opening segment contains audible limitations. From the end of the first kriti, “Vatapi Ganapathim”, the audio clarity improves significantly.

Every effort has been made to preserve the authenticity and integrity of this priceless recording using the best possible restoration techniques, while remaining faithful to the original sound. We share this with deep respect for the music, the artists, and the era it represents. If anyone has access to the original master spool or a higher-quality copy of this complete concert, we warmly invite you to reach out.

🔔 If you enjoyed this concert, please like, comment, and subscribe to support our mission of preserving and sharing rare classical music archives.

#Semmangudi #TNKrishnan #PalghatManiIyer #CarnaticMusic #RareConcert #VintageCarnatic #Mridangam #IndianClassicalMusic

Through this initiative we aim to archive concerts by various artists and bring to our viewers the experience of listening to complete concerts. These concerts are carefully chosen from Vaak's archives and cleaned up for the best listening experience.

The purpose of this upload is to assist the students and the lifelong learners of India in their pursuit of an education so that they may better their status and their opportunities and to secure for themselves and for others justice, social, economic and political. This has been posted for non-commercial purposes and facilitates fair dealing usage of academic and research materials for private use including research, for criticism and review of the work or of other works and reproduction by teachers and students in the course of instruction. Many of these materials are either unavailable or inaccessible in libraries in India, especially in some of the poorer states and this collection seeks to fill a major gap that exists in access to knowledge.