Carnatic Music Tv

LEGENDS

MUSIC COMPOSER Thyagaraja

Thyagaraja(1767–1847 Pancharatna Kritis) Born on the 4th of May 1767 to Rama Brahman & Sitamma, he is known for his soul stirring compositions full of Raga Bhava. He inherited his musical talents from his maternal grandfather, veena Kalahasthi Ayyar. He was a born composer. He learnt music under Sonti Venkataramanna. By his thirteenth year he had scribbled some of his compostitions on the walls of his house. His compositions are known for their beautiful swara sangathis & are apt for kalpana swaras & niraval.

Thyagaraja is known for his bhakthi towards Sri Rama & it is this bhakthi aspect that stands highlighted in his compositions. They are a popular choice for concerts. Thyagaraja had a number of disciples who have presrved & prpogated his compositions. His Pancharatna kirthanaigal are being sung by musicians even today uniformly, as a group, on hid death anniversary at his Samadhi. Thyagaraja has composed three operas Nauka Charithram, Prahalada Baktha Vijayam & Sitarama Vijayam. His mudra is Thyagaraja.

MUSIC COMPOSER Muthuswami Dikshitar

Muthuswami Dikshitar(1775–1835 Nottuswara, Navagraha Kritis) Muthuswami Dikshitar was born in a family of intellectuals, well versed in Sastra. His father gave him a full course in music in Purandaradasar's pattern. Dikshitar had a mastery over veena. He was blessed by Lord Muruga of Thiruthani & he composed his first kriti - Sri Nadhathi Guruguho there. He spent five years at Benares & was well versed in the North Indian form of music.

His compositions are known for their originality of the structure. He had deep reverence for classical tradition. He has composed in all the 72 melakartha ragas. He is considered the architect of raga forms. Some of his famous compositions are the Kamalamba Navavarnam, Navagraha kriti, Chaturdasa Ragamalika. He has composed songs in sanskrit & also set songs to western tunes. His compositions are a combination of rich diction, melody & laya in majestic flow. His mudra was Guruguha.

MUSIC COMPOSER Syama Sastri

Syama Shastri(1762–1827 Complex Talas, Swarajati) He was born on April 26 1762 at Thiruvarur. His original name was Venkatakrishna. He hailed from a family who were performing pooja to Goddess Kamakshi. Most of his kritis are a reflection of his reverence to Goddess Kamakshi. He was initiated into music by Sangeetha Swami.

His songs are known for their laya pattern. He has composed over three hundered songs in sanskrit, Telugu & Tamil. He has handled rare ragas efficiently. His mudra was Syama Krishna.

MUSIC COMPOSER Annamacharya:

Annamacharya [1408-1503] is probably the most prolific Carnatic composer with nearly 32,000 songs to his credit. Most of these were inscribed on copper plates and preserved in the precincts of the Venkateshvara temple in Tirupati, where he spent much of his life. His compositions are mainly in Telugu and Sanskrit. He is believed to have been the first to use the krti format, with the sections, pallavi, anupallavi and charanam. The original tunes for these songs are not available, and consequently, his compositions have been (and continue to be), re-tuned by present day musicians. He used the mudra (signature), Venkatagiri, with slight variations.

MUSIC COMPOSER Purandara Dasa

Purandara Dasa [1484-1564] is revered as the father of Carnatic music. He was a moneylender. A lifetransofrming resulted in his becoming a philosopher, master musician and composer. His works are remarkable for their varied themes that included social critique, sublime devotion and lyrical excellence. He composed predominantly in Kannada and also in Sanskrit and signed his works as Purandara Vithala. He systematised the basics like sarali and jantai varishais and standardised the procedures for teaching music that are followed even today. Nearly a thousand of his compositions are available now but since most of the original tunes are lost, they have been re-tuned by latter day artistes.

MUSIC COMPOSER Kshetragnya

Kshetragnya [17th century] is respected as the foremost composer of the musical form, padam. His compositions are noteworthy for their multi-dimensional portrayal of romantic sentiments. A scholar-poet, he visited several shrines and composed on the presiding deities there.

MUSIC COMPOSER Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi:

Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi [1700-1765] One of the greatest composers in Indian music, Venkata Kavi spent much of his life in Oottukkadu, whose chief landmark is the temple of Krshna performing the Kalinga nartana dance (on a snake’s head). It is believed that the poet was gifted his knowledge directly by the Lord here. Venkata Kavi’s musicianship is a combination of devotion, emotion and intellect. His compositions reveal his colossal knowledge of and command over the intricacies of melody, rhythm and dance as well as mythological and cultural personalities and rare incidents in major epics. Endowed with great creativity, he composed in Sanskrit and Tamil (and occasionally in Marathi) and handled well-known and rare ragas and talas with equal élan.

Venkata Kavi employed musical forms like krti, tillana, Javali, Shloka and chindu (folk tunes) and often innovated spontaneously within their framework. He composed special sets of krtis like the saptaratnas and navavaranams and operas based on the lives of Krshna, Rama and Shiva. Most of his compositions contain reference to the Kalinga nartana of Krshna, but only four pieces have been found so far, with the specific signature, Venkata Kavi.

MUSIC COMPOSER Pachimiriam Adiappaiyer

Pachimiriam Adiappaiyer [18th century] Adiappaiyer was among the earliest to employ the musical form, varnam. One of his few surviving pieces, the majestic varnam in Bhairavi, Viriboni, has enthralled and influenced musicians and composers for nearly 300 years. His students include Shyama Shastri, Ghanam Krishna Iyer and Pallavi Gopala Iyer.

MUSIC COMPOSER Sadashiva Brahmendra

Sadashiva Brahmendra [18th century] Among the pre–Trinity composers in Carnatic music, Sadashiva Brahmendra occupies a special place. Only a handful of his compositions are in use today, and the ragas in which they were originally composed are not known. His songs usually contain a pallavi and several charanams and are signed as paramahamsa or hamsa.

MUSIC COMPOSER Paidala Gurumoorti Shastri

Paidala Gurumoorti Shastri [18th century] Gurumoorti Shastri is said to have composed over a thousand geetams, including lakshana geetams (pieces that describe the technical details of the raga they are composed in). A few of his compositions have been published in Perfecting Carnatic Music – Level 1.

MUSIC COMPOSER Swathi Tirunal

Swathi Tirunal [1813-47] A very versatile royal composer, who was also a great patron of arts, Swathi Tirunal has over 400 compositions including krtis, varnams and javalis to his credit in several languages like Sanskrit, Telugu and Hindi. He used Padmanabha, Jalajanabha, Sarojanabha, Pankajanabha, Sarasijanabha etc (all synonymous epithets of Vishnu) as his signature.

MUSIC COMPOSER Veenai Kuppaiyer

Veenai Kuppaiyer [1798-1860] One of the most illustrious of Tyagaraja’s disciples, Kuppaiyer spent many years with his guru, learning the art of music and composing. His proficiency with the veena gave him his title. He composed many krtis and varnams, but the latter are more popular and extensively used by all musicians. He composed in Telugu and used the signature Gopaladasa.

MUSIC COMPOSER Manambuchavadi Venkatasubbaiyer

Manambuchavadi Venkatasubbaiyer[19th Century] A direct disciple and relative of Tyagaraja, Venkatasubbaiyer was a scholar of Telugu and Sanskrit and also a competent violinist. A composer himself, he also trained prominent musician-composers like Maha Vaidyanatha Iyer and Patnam Subramanya Iyer.

MUSIC COMPOSER Tacchoor Singaracharyulu

Tacchoor Singaracharyulu [1834-92] Singaracharyulu was a highly respected musician and composer. He is credited with having popularised the ragas in the treatise Sangraha Choodamani. He is also believed to have been the author of the first printed book featuring compositions with notations.

MUSIC COMPOSER Patnam Subramanya Iyer

Patnam Subramanya Iyer [1845-1902] One of the most popular post-Trinity composers, Patnam Subramanya Iyer was the disciple of Manambuchavadi Venkatasubbaiyer. Most of his compositions are in Telugu. He is credited with about 100 compositions that include varnams, krtis, javalis and tillanas, some of which have become preferred choices of musicians and listeners. He used the signature, Venkatesha.

MUSIC COMPOSER Tiruvotriyoor Tyagaiyer

Tiruvotriyoor Tyagaiyer [1845-1917] A magnificent composer of varnams, Tyagaiyer, son of Veenai Kuppaiyer, published the book Pallavi Svara Kalpavalli that contains select works of his father as well as his own. His compositions are usually signed as Venugopala or Tyagesha.

MUSIC COMPOSER Shatkala Narasaiya

Shatkala Narasaiya [19th century] Hailing from Salem in Tamil Nadu, Narasaiya composed several varnams and krtis. A master of rhythm, he earned the prefix shatkala due to his considerable command over the six basic speeds in Carnatic music. He trained several disciples in Bangalore.

MUSIC COMPOSER Tanjore Quartet [early 19th century]

Tanjore Quartet [early 19th century] Contemporaries of the Trinity, the Quartet comprised 4 brothers Chinnaiya, Ponnaiya, Vadivelu and Sivanandam, who, besides being master musicians and composers, were equally accomplished in dance. In fact, Ponnaiya systematized the dance repertoire, and together they created an expansive store of pada varnams, jati svarams and tillanas that are used by numerous dancers till date. Vadivelu, who was one of the earliest to use the violin in Carnatic music, was appointed the court musician of Travancore by Maharaja Svati Tirunal. The brothers also later became disciples of Muttusvami Dikshitar and signed their compositions as Guruguha dasa.

MUSIC COMPOSER Karoor Brothers

Karoor Brothers [19th century] The brothers of Karoor were famous as Pedda Devudu and Chinna Devudu. They belonged to the lineage of Tyagaraja’s disciples. Also expert violinists, they composed varnams and krtis, using the mudra ‘Garbhapuri’.

MUSIC COMPOSER Papanasam Sivan

Papanasam Sivan [1890-1973] A prolific composer of the 20th century, Papanasam Sivan created hundreds of songs in Tamil, Sanskrit and Telugu, many of which find a place in concerts today. While most are devotional in nature, some of his songs dwell on social themes, while a few others are on great personalities. He also composed for and acted in theatrical productions and films. He used the signature Ramadasa in a few of his pieces.