Thirumarugal Natesapillai Rajarathinam Pillai (27 August 1898 – 12 December 1956) or TNR[1] was an Indian Carnatic musician, nadaswaram maestro, vocalist and film actor.[2] He was popularly known as "Nadaswara Chakravarthi" (literally, the Emperor of Nadaswaram).
Carnatic music ( Karnaṭaka sangitam ) is a system of music commonly associated with Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Most Carnatic compositions are only in Telugu and Sanskrit. The main emphasis in Carnatic music is on vocal music; most compositions are written to be sung, and even when played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in gāyaki (singing) style.