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Bidaram Krishnappa
ಬಿದರಾಮ ಕೃಷ್ಣಪ್ಪ
The court singer of Mysore — the voice that crowned the great dynasty's music
Years
1866 – 1931
Known as
Bidaram Krishnappa — the asthana vidwan of Mysore
Birthplace
Mysore, Karnataka
Field
Artists & Performers
“The song is the soul of the tradition — sing the master's word as the master sang it.”
— The spirit of Bidaram Krishnappa
The Story
Born in Mysore in 1866, Bidaram Krishnappa grew up in the richest musical atmosphere of South Bhārat — the court of the Wodeyar maharajas, which gathered the greatest musicians of the age and patronized the music of Tyagaraja and his tradition with royal generosity.
He rose to become the asthana vidwan, the court singer, of Mysore — a position of the highest honour — and his concerts, his disciples, and his recordings carried the Mysore style of Carnatic music across the south. His singing of the kritis, with the precise diction and the deep bhava of the tradition, was the model for a generation of musicians.
He also served the tradition as a teacher, training some of the finest vocalists of the next generation, and as a composer and scholar of the Mysore style. He died in 1931, leaving the Mysore court's music in the safekeeping of his disciples — and his name still honours the annual festival of music that Mysore holds in memory of its great singers.
Core Ideas
The Court Singer
The asthana vidwan of the great Mysore court.
The Kriti Master
His singing of the masters' kritis was the age's standard.
The Mysore Style
He carried the royal style to the concert halls.
The Teacher
He trained the next generation of Carnatic voices.
The Festival
Mysore's music festival honours his memory.
Why it matters today
Bidaram Krishnappa is honoured as one of the pillars of the Mysore musical tradition, and his name lives in the concerts and the festival of the city he sang for. He is remembered as the proof that the royal courts of Bhārat were the nurseries of its greatest music.