PRE-TRINITY COMPOSERS

PURANDARADASA (1484 - 1564)

Musical Background : Although Purandaradasa did not have any musical tutelage in his early years, by the grace of God, he started singing and composing songs. He is acclaimed as the Sangita Pitamaha (Great Father) of Carnatic music, owing to his unparalleled contributions.

Region : Purandaragada, Karnataka.

Contribution : He formulated the basic lessons of Carnatic music by structuring Swaravalis (graded exercises), Alankaras (exercises based on the Sapta talas), apart from composing Gitas. He introduced Mayamalavagowla as the first scale to be learnt by a beginner. However, the original tunes of his compositions are unavailable. He was the one of the most prolific composers of Carnatic music. Though he wanted to compose 5,00,000 songs in his lifetime, he could compose only 4,75,000. This has been referred to in one of his own compositions.

Signature : The mudra he used was Purandara Vittala.

Languages used : Kannada and Sanskrit.

Theme : His devotional songs called Devarnamas, contain the essence of the Puranas and Upanishads. His songs have simple language, lofty ideas and sublime thoughts. His favourite deity seems to have been Krishna, also known as Panduranga. However, he has sung in praise of other Gods, as well.

Popular Compositions: Jagadoddharana (Kapi), Jaya Jaya (Nata), Innudaya barade (Kalyanavasantam), Venkatachala nilayam (Sindhubhairavi), and so on.

ANNAMACHARYA (1424 - 1503)

Musical Background : He was the eldest member of a family of composers. A great devotee of Lord Venkateswara, he started composing at the age of 16.

Region : He was from Tallapakkam, Andhra Pradesh and is said to have composed many songs while at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh.

Contribution : He was one of the earliest to compose in the kriti format with three sections, Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charanam. He was a versatile composer who is believed to have composed about 30,000 songs, of which only a few hundreds are available. Sadly, the original tunes for these too have been lost. However, they’re now being reset to other tunes and rendered. He was the earliest composer of the Keertana and Sringara Padas in Telugu. It is believed that the latter were the inspiration for Kshetragna’s Padams. Annamacharya was given the title of “Pada Kavita Pitamaha” (the Great Father of Pada poetry). His songs, which sprang forth from his great devotion, were beautiful both in musical and lyrical content.

Theme : His compositions are in praise of Lord Venkateswara of Tirupati. Some of them are also philosophical in nature while certain others are based on Sringara rasa (romanticism).

Languages used : Sanskrit and Telugu.

Signature : He used the mudra Venkateswara with slight variations depending upon the context.

Popular Compositions : Nanatibratuku (Revati), Sriman Narayana (Bowli), Bhavamulona (Suddhadhanyasi), and so on.

Remarks : The songs of Annamacharya which were inscribed on copper plates, were stored in a cellar in the Tirupati temple and discovered recently. They are now housed in the Research Institute at Tirupati.

BHADRACHALA RAMADAS (1620 - 1688)

Background : Named Gopanna by his parents Linganna and Kamalamba, he became known as Ramadas (Das meaning servant or slave), because of his deep devotion to Lord Rama.

Region : He belonged to Nalakondapalli, a small village in Andhra Pradesh.

Contribution : He composed in the keertana form (the precursor to the Kriti form) and his songs contain multiple Charanams. Tyagaraja seems to have been a great admirer of Ramadasa’s devotion to Rama and praises him in a few of his compositions. His language is very simple and music very pleasing. His works include Manache Sloka, Dasabodha and Sundara Kandam of Ramayana.

Theme : The theme was predominantly devotion.

Languages used : Mostly Telugu and occasionally Sanskrit.

Signature : He used several mudras like Bhadrachala, Bhadradri or Bhadragiri.

Popular Compositions: Emayyarama (Kambhoji), Rama dayajudave (Dhanyasi), Paluke bangara mayena (Anandabhairavi), Nannubrovu (Kalyani), etc.

TRINITY AND CONTEMPORARIES

TYAGARAJA (1767 - 1847)

Musical Background : Tyagaraja was born to Ramabrahmam and Seetamma, who were responsible for his interest in music. Sonti Venkataramana Das, a court musician of Tanjavur, was his Guru (teacher).

Region : He hailed from Tiruvarur in Tanjavur district but lived in Tiruvayyar. To this day, one finds a memorial erected in his honour, where music lovers and musicians gather in large numbers to sing his compositions and the Pancharatna kritis, in particular.

Contribution

• Musical concepts : Apart from the 2,000 plus compositions that he has composed, he is credited with developing and perfecting the kriti form. The concept of Sangati (melodic variations on a line in the composition to beautify it) is also his brainchild.
• Rhythmic concepts : Though Tyagaraja composed mostly in Adi tala, he has used other talas like, Roopaka, Misra Chapu, Khanda Chapu, Desadi and Madhyadi talas also. He was the first composer to popularise songs with an anagata eduppu or compositions starting after the first beat, i.e., with a starting point of ¼ , ½, ¾ and 1½ beats after the sama.
• Compositions : He composed in uncommon and unusual ragas, including some of the lesser-used Melakartas. His Pancharatna kritis (Pancha means five and Ratna means gem), based on the five Ghana ragas, Nata, Gowla, Arabhi, Varali and Sri, are a class by themselves. Besides numerous kritis, he also wrote two major musical operas, Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam and Nowka Charitram. He has also composed special kritis under the categories, Utsava Sampradaya and Divyanama.

Theme : Devotion in various moods and forms, especially to Lord Rama and also philosophy.
Language used : Telugu and Sanskrit.

Signature : He used his own name, Tyagaraja, as his mudra.

Popular compositions : Nagumomu (Abheri), Samajavaragamana (Hindolam), Bantureeti (Hamsanadam) and so on.

MUTHUSWAMI DIKSHITAR (1775 - 1835)

Musical Background : Muthuswami Dikshitar came from a family of distinguished musicians. His father, Ramaswami Dikshitar, was a great scholar and composer, who created the popular raga Hamsadhwani. His brother, Baluswami Dikshitar, is believed to be the first learn the Violin and adapt it to Indian music. Muthuswami Dikshitar learnt music and different languages from his father. He was spiritually inspired by Chidambara Yogi who took him to Varanasi, where he learnt Tantric Yoga, Sastras and the Dhrupad style of singing.

Region : Muthuswami Dikshitar was born in Tiruvarur, Tanjavur district in Tamilnadu. He composed his first song in Tiruttani, near Madras. He travelled all over the country.

Contribution : Muthuswami Dikshitar, it is said, composed his first kriti after having a vision of Lord Subramanya, his favourite deity. He composed the Vara kritis, which are seven in number, one for each day of the week. These are set to the Sooladi Sapta talas. Drawing inspiration from Oothukadu Venkata Kavi, he also composed the Navavarana kritis in praise of Devi (Kamalamba), one for each of the nine days of the Navaratri festival. Being a widely travelled man, he composed several songs in many Hindustani ragas. His songs are normally slow in tempo and bring out the depth and beauty of the raga using ornamentation (gamakas). He also used what is known as Madhyamakala (medium tempo) Sahitya very effectively in his compositions.

Theme : That he was a much-travelled man is reflected in his compositions. Most of them contain descriptions about famous temples and their chief deities. There are also several others based on Vedas, Upanishads, Tantra, etc.

Languages used : Mostly Sanskrit and a few in Telugu. He has also composed Manipravala kritis, which is a mixture of two or more languages.

Signature: His signature or mudra is Guruguha, which is another name for Lord Subramanya.

Popular kritis : Vatapi Ganapatim (Hamsadhwani), Annapoorne (Sama), Kanjadalayatakshi (Kamalamanohari) and so on.

SYAMA SASTRI (1762-1827)

Musical Background : Syama Sastri did not come from a family of musicians, but was taught some music by his uncle. Despite being groomed to be a priest, he had plenty of interest and talent in music. He was taught by an ascetic, Sangeeta Swami, about the intricacies of raga and tala.

Region : Syama Sastri was born in Tiruvarur, Tanjavur district, but lived in Tanjavur. He did not travel much.

Contribution

• Compositions : Syama Sastri is credited with about 300 songs, of which only about 60-70 are available today. He composed a group of nine kritis known as Navaratnamalika (garland of nine gems) in praise of Goddess Meenakshi of Madurai temple. He has composed three peerless Swarajatis, collectively known as the Ratnatrayam. He has also composed a few Varnams, not to mention other compositions in rare ragas, like Chintamani (his own discovery), Kalagada, etc. His favourite raga seems to be Anandabhairavi, in which he has excelled himself.

• Rhythmic aspects : Some of Syama Sastri’s songs are very rich in rhythmic conception. Though he composed in talas like Adi, Triputa, Roopaka, etc., he specialised in Misra Chapu, where he not only used the normal pattern (3+4), but also the reverse (4+3), called the Viloma Chapu. His use of different gatis like Tisra and Misra in his compositions show his prowess in Laya.
  There is an interesting incident, which is a testimony to his strength in Laya. He was once challenged by Bobbili Kesavayya to sing a Pallavi in Simhanandana tala (the longest tala with 128 beats per cycle). To everyone’s amazement, he not only sang it but also composed a new Pallavi in Sarabhanandana tala (79 beats per cycle).

Theme : His compositions were totally devotional in nature, mostly in praise of Goddess Kamakshi of Kanchipuram.

Languages used : Predominantly Telugu; a few in Sanskrit and Tamil.

Signature : Syama Sastri used the mudra, Syamakrishna.

Popular kritis : Kamakshi (Bhairavi), Himadrisute (Kalyani), Sankari Sankuru (Saveri) etc.

SWATI TIRUNAL (1813 - 1847)

Musical Background : Swati Tirunal was groomed to be a king and he was trained in various areas in which a king was expected to be proficient. He was fluent in 13 languages and was able to write poems and songs. He was also well-versed in other arts like painting and sculpture and was himself a great patron of these arts.

Region : He was born in Travancore, Kerala.

Contribution : He is believed to have composed around 500 songs. Besides Varnams, Kritis, Swarajatis, Padams and Javalis, he authored two musical plays. Besides these, he also composed Dhrupads, Khyal, Tappas, Thumris and Bhajans in the Hindustani style. Like Dikshitar, he composed a set of Navaratri kritis, one for each day of the Navaratri festival, in praise of Goddess Devi.

Theme: Mainly devotional and occasionally romantic. Most of his compositions are on Lord Padmanabha but as mentioned earlier, he has also composed on Goddess Devi (Parvati).

Languages used: His compositions were mainly in Sanskrit, but he has also composed in Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi.

Signature : He used the mudra Padmanabha and its variations, Jalajanabha, Pankajanabha and Sarasijanabha.

Popular compositions : Bhavayami (Ragamalika), Bogindra sayinam (Kuntalavarali), Deva deva (Mayamalavagowla), Kripaya palaya (Charukesi) and so on.