M.S. Subbulakshmi's recording of the Venkatesa Suprabhatam, a Sanskrit dawn hymn traditionally sung to wake Lord Venkateswara (a form of Vishnu) at the Tirumala temple. The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam deputed a temple singer to teach her the verses, and All India Radio broadcast her rendering in 1958. Her full studio recording, released as an LP by the Gramophone Company of India in November 1963, went on to become the largest-selling non-film recording in Indian musical history, and remains the recording most Hindu households across South India and the diaspora wake to each morning.
Facts
Subject Matter
Religious Subject MatterSourced to the subject's own accountLord Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu worshipped at the Tirumala temple in Andhra Pradesh 1 Documented Liturgical UseSourced to the subject's own accountA dawn waking hymn (suprabhatam), sung in temple ritual to rouse the deity and, in this recording's wide household use, to open the devotional day 1 Scholarly ReceptionSourced to the subject's own accountDocumented as the largest-selling non-film recording in Indian musical history, still selling widely decades after its release, and commonly cited as the vehicle that made the Suprabhatam recitation a near-universal morning custom in South Indian Hindu households. 1 Production
Release YearSourced to the subject's own account Primary Artist / ComposerSourced to the subject's own account Place of OriginSourced to the subject's own account FormatSourced to the subject's own account Classification
Liturgical useSourced to the subject's own account Liturgical useSourced to the subject's own accountDevotional or Personal Use 1 Connections
Authored By
Source The Prayer Song Enterprise: The Curious History of the Suprabhatam (Outlook India)
Belongs to Tradition
Source The Prayer Song Enterprise: The Curious History of the Suprabhatam (Outlook India)
Performed By
Source The Prayer Song Enterprise: The Curious History of the Suprabhatam (Outlook India)
Related To
Source The Prayer Song Enterprise: The Curious History of the Suprabhatam (Outlook India)
Sources
1. The Prayer Song Enterprise: The Curious History of the Suprabhatam (Outlook India)
Outlook IndiaAuthored By: M.S. Subbulakshmi, Stored primary-artist property on this entity, cited to this source: M.S. SubbulakshmiView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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