bala@CS-Arthur (Bala Krishnamurthy) (02/11/85)
>Subject: About John Higgins -- Is that true? >Message-ID: <369@cavell.UUCP> Yes, it is my sad duty to confirm that Bhagavathar Higgins did indeed pass away around thanksgiving time. He died in a car accident in his home town in Connecticut. A westerner who mastered Carnatic music, Higgins even performed at the Tiruvaiyaru Aradhana. During the course of an informal chat with Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer, the doyen of Carnatic music, (last summer) he bemoaned the waning interest in this classical field. Srinivasa Iyer has greatly reduced his performances and ruled out any question of travel abroad. It was a rare opportunity to meet this maestro. His disciple Narayanaswami Iyer toured US last year and gave a rousing concert here (Purdue). Of late, there seems to have been a resurgence. A new magazine called "Sruti" (Rupees Five per copy) is available. I do not have one handy to give subscription details - anyone out there with more info on this? "Sruti" is dedicated to Carnatic music and has some wonderful columns by the giants of Carnatic music. Also reviews on new cassettes etc. At Purdue, we have a weekly music program on Indian music on the local station (WBAA - NPR) and once a month we feature Carnatic music. I would like to know how much interest is there in Carnatica music elsewhere on USENET. Also, I would like to know about the availability of records of: (1) Madurai Mani Iyer (2) G.N.B (3) Semmangudi Any catalogues out there ? Cheers, bala Balachander Krishnamurthy bala@purdue (ever reliable ARPA) Dept. of Computer Science bala.purdue@csnet-relay (reliable CSNET) Purdue University decvax!purdue!bala (semi reliable usenet) W. Lafayette IN 47907 317-494-7765 (um.., well.. er GTE)