Thavil (photo by Otrajesh on Wikipedia)
* Kalaimamani Thiruvalaputhur T A Kaliyamurthy (October 22, 1948 – February 19, 2020) was a noted Thavil musical artist providing ‘special’ Thavil accompaniment (‘Special’ in percussion circles denotes selection-grade status and seniority) to the Nagaswaram maestros.
The Cauvery delta region has produced several musicians who have been upholding the rich tradition of Carnatic music. Several hamlets in and around Kumbakonam and Mayiladuthurai (erstwhile Mayavaram) have had a major share in the proliferation of Nagaswaram and Thavil vidwans since time immemorial. Thiruvalaputhur is one such hamlet from where Thavil vidwan T.A. Kaliyamurthy hailed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiruvalaputhur_T_A_Kaliyamurthy
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Thavil is a traditional musical instrument of the ancient city of Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. It is an integral part of the Carnatic music in Thanjavur. It is mostly made in Thanjavur and Valayapatti.
The thavil consists of a cylindrical shell hollowed out of a solid block of jackfruit wood. Layers of animal skin (water buffalo on the right, goat on the left) are stretched across the two sides of the shell using hemp hoops attached to the shell. The right face of the instrument has a larger diameter than the left side, and the right drum head is stretched very tightly, while the left drum head is kept loose to allow pitch bending. The larger face is higher in pitch than the smaller face.
The modern Thavil has a corpus that is bordered by a steel ring coated in plastic on which the two skins are fixed by metal straps. Both skins can be separately tuned.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thavil
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Other Notable Musicians’ Deaths…
February
26: Sergei Dorensky, 88, Russian pianist.
25: David Roback, 61, American guitarist (Mazzy Star, Rain Parade, Opal) and songwriter.
24: Jahn Teigen, 70, Norwegian musician (Popol Ace).
23: Zoran Modli, 71, Serbian journalist, radio disc jockey (Modulacije) and aviator.
21: John S. Corcoran, 72, American folk singer, stuntman (A Stranger Is Watching, The Protector, Arthur 2: On the Rocks) and actor.
20: Mohammed Abaamran, 87, Moroccan actor and singer; Zoe Gail, 100, South African-born British singer and actress (No Orchids for Miss Blandish).
19: Bob Cobert, 95, American composer (The Winds of War, War and Remembrance, The Night Stalker), pneumonia; Hector, 73, French singer; *Thiruvalaputhur T A Kaliyamurthy, 71, Indian musical Thavil artist, heart attack; Germaine Poliakov, 101, Turkish-born French music teacher and Holocaust survivor; Pop Smoke, 20, American rapper (“Welcome to the Party”), shot.