Profile of a Maestro
Welcome to our website featuring Sri. H. Ramachandra Rao, Senior Karnatic Music Vidwan based in Bangalore. Here we present the profile of an artist whose career in music spans several decades. The audio section contains excerpts from his music concerts. A few video clippings of a private concert are also available, linked from YouTube. We will continue to update this website with more features & content - please do visit us again!
UPDATE: New Recordings Added [Smarasada-Raga:Bilahari] and [Nagumomu-Raga:Madhyamavati]
UPDATE: With great sadness, we announce that Sri Ramachandra Rao passed away peacefully on 10th January, 2020. We have set up a TRIBUTES page here, featuring words from his friends and associates in the music world. Please click "Tributes(New!)" on the left side menu.
Sri H. Ramachandra Rao is a senior Vidwan whose career in Karnatic Music has spanned many decades. He gave his first concert performance at the age of 16 at the Ganesha Festival at the Shankarapuram in Bangalore.
Endowed with a vibrant, rich and sonorous voice, Mr Rao quickly built his reputation as a performer with strict adherence to tradition. By 1970s he was a well established and much sought after artist, and performed in many sabhas in his home city of Bangalore and in many other places. He also became a popular voice in Karnatic Music on All India Radio (AIR).
Mr Rao was born in 1925 to Sri H. Suryanarayana and Smt. Rukminimma. His journey in Karnatic Music started at an early age, listening to his father rendering rare kritis of Sri. Patnam Subramania Iyer and Saint Thyagaraja. He had his training under Vidwan Sri Anoor Suryanarayana and Vidwan Sri Veena Subbaraya Shastry. He further received guidance from the renowned violinist Ganakalabhooshana Sri Anoor S Ramakrishna.
Even as he took up music with full fervour, Mr. Rao was also working in the State Vigilance Commission, Government of Karnataka. He has many interesting stories to tell about how he managed these two distinct tracks in his life! Eventually he retired as Office Superintendent in 1980 and was able to dedicate his full time to music.
Mr Rao’s concerts are marked by a great convergence of sruti, laya and bhava. His rendering of compositions are precise, with due attention to sahitya. His neravals and kalpanaswaras are systematic, and strictly founded on classical traditions.
His association with AIR continued for almost 35 years, and included lending his voice to Musical Operas and Geetharadhana Programmes apart form solo music concerts.
Sangeetha Kalanidhi Sri. R. K. Srikantan conferring the title “Kala Saraswati” to Sri Ramachandra Rao, under the aegis of Vagadeeshwari Kala Kendra (2008). Also seen on the dais: Dr.T.S.Sathyavati (center) and Vidwan Yashasvi (left)
Now in his 80s, Mr. Rao continues the tradition of music by imparting training to students. He has trained many students for music examinations conducted by Karnataka State Examination Board and the Bangalore University. He follows his own distinct teaching style, with great focus on the precise rendering of the kriti, yet encouraging the students to use creativity and imagination within the framework and context of the raga and kriti. His knowledge of many languages comes handy as he explains the meaning of the kriti so that the rendering is laced with appropriate bhava as well.
He continues to keep a busy schedule, transcribing kritis of Sri Muthuswamy Dikshitar, Patnam Subramania Iyer, Ramnad Sreenivasa Iyengar and Muthaiah Bhagavathar from Tamil to Kannada.
His rich voice has withstood the passage of time. When he rendered a concert a couple of years ago, Sri Bangalore K Venkataram, Senior Percussionist, who had listened to him over the years, commented: “Mr Ramachandra Rao has set the clock back by 35 years!” A loud applause followed.