“Music is what feelings sound like” is a famous saying. Here at the Music Academy, those feelings have resonated for nearly a century. It stands as one of South India’s earliest established music academies. Before infrastructure was common in India during the early 1920s it served as a gathering for elite musicians. It was simply called Music Academy.
The Music Academy plays a vital role. It encourages and promotes the Carnatic Music Indian art form. It also revived the Indian classical dance form of Bharatnatyam in the 1930s. This dance form faced near extinction due to societal standards.
Let’s step back in time to 1927. The Indian National Congress held the All India Music Conference in Madras. E. Krishna Iyer played a vital role in reviving Bharatanatyam. At the conference’s end, attendees decided to form an organization. This organization would champion the cause of music. The Music Academy was formally inaugurated on August 18, 1928. C. P. Ramaswami Iyer did the honors at the Y.M.I.A. Auditorium.
For a decade, E. Krishna Iyer served as the Secretary. The first Music Festival occurred in December 1927 before the Academy’s inauguration. Since then, the Madras Music Academy has conducted expositions and concerts on Carnatic Music every December. Enthusiasts refer to this as the Margazhi Season or the Madras Music Season. The Music Academy set the trend for this music festival. Other sabhas in Madras then followed suit.
Dr. U. Rama Rao was the founder President. Basheer Ahmed Sayeed served as the founder vice-president. N. Murali is the present President. The academy conducts annual music conferences every December. They collect information, maintain the library and publish a journal. They also help aspiring musicians and scholars gain public attention. They achieve this by holding competitions and presentations.
During its early years, the Music Academy operated in George Town. Later, it moved to Mylapore. Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone for the present building in 1955. It stands on TTK Road in Mylapore. Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, the governor of Madras, inaugurated it on December 20, 1962.
The Music Academy comprises two main buildings. There is the T. T. Krishnamachari Hall and the Kasturi Srinivasan Hall. The T. T. Krishnamachari Hall was built first in 1955. It can seat 1600 people. The Kasturi Srinivasan Hall was built in 1982. It houses a small auditorium. It is for conferences and concerts. It also holds a library, a committee room and a recording and demonstration room.
The Music Academy recognizes contributors to Carnatic music. Since 1929, it has honored them with the title Sangita Kalanidhi. M. S. Subbulakshmi was the first woman to receive this honor in 1968. In 1993, the academy began awarding the Sangita Kala Acharya title. It awards this to two or three senior musicians annually. Since 2012, the academy has recognized dancers with the Nritya Kalanidhi title. The academy also hosts an annual dance festival following the music season since 2008.
The Music Academy’s library has rare books and manuscripts. It also holds tape recordings of Expert Committee sessions. S. Visvanathan donated to the academy in memory of K. R. Sundaram Iyer. The library is now named the K. R. Sundaram Iyer Memorial Library.
The Music Academy stands as a testament. It embodies the dedication to preserving and promoting Carnatic music and dance. It continues to inspire generations of artists and enthusiasts alike.