udhata anudhata swarita - inflibnetshodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/35224/6/06_chapter...
TRANSCRIPT
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There is no dispute anywhere about the fact that Indian music
is the most ancient among all the systems of the world known to
man kind. The vedas are acknowledged as the most ancient
manifestation of the literature. A section of vedas called sama veda
was recited in a particular music that caught the imaginations of
Indians of the vedic age. In that period of primordial stage the
evolution of music and singing were not much different from prose
and speech. The vedas are said to have been recited with just three
notes – ‘Udhata’, ‘Anudhata’ and ‘Swarita’ with which a sort of
primitiveness can be said to have strived to evolve with the
inevitable growth of civilization. Three notes of music gave way to
seven notes. The mysterious evoulution of seven notes has been a
Universal phenomenon and as it by a divine coordination. Western
music too was built up on a scale of seven notes (do re mi fa so la
si). The seven notes called saptaswaras continues to be the basis
for oceanic articulations for various millennia so far. A human being
of the 21st century is used to such a huge sophistication that he will
find the vedic music of three notes, too primitive and unartistic. Not
much is known about chronological progress of music century after
century. But the growth of the art in the comparatively recent
centuries since 12th is many hundreds times more than what had
developed in the earlier millennia.
The composers of eminence like Jayadeva of 12th
century,whose immortal compositions with the structure pallavi,
and multiple charanas (which were usually eight) known as
‘Ashtapadi’, having common music, i.e, the dhatu portion was
same. And after every charana, pallavi was the repeating section.
Also the sequential meaning was related to pallavi.
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Example :
Anila tarala.
Ragam : Punnagavarali Talam : Adi.
Pallavi
Anila tarala kuvalaya nayanena tapati na saa kisalaya
shayanena
Charanam
yaa ramitaa vanamaalinaa sakhi
1. Vikasita sarasija lalita mukhena sphutati na saa
manasija vishikhena
2. Amruta madhura mridutara vachanena jvalati na saa
malayaja pavanena
3. Sthala jalaruha ruchikara charanena luthati na saa
hima kiranikavalena
4. Sajala jalada samudaya ruchirena dalati na saa hrudi
viraha bharena
5. Kanaka nikasa ruchi shuchi vasanena shvasiti na saa
parijana hasanena
6. Sakala bhuvana jana vara tarunena vahati na saa
rujamati karunena
7. Shri jayadeva bhanita vachannna pravishatu harirapi
Hrudayamanena
That was the first ever musical composition in which some
grammar was identifiable. Ashtapadi continues to enjoy a pride
place in our repertoire even today.
During the period from 1424 - 1503, the ancient shrine of
Venkateshwara, the Lord of seven hills became the focal point of
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devotion and fervour among hindus all over the country.
Annamacharya, a native of Talapakkam, a village in Andhra
Pradesh has composed more than 30,000 songs, most of which
were engraved on copper plates and are still preserved and 14,000
of them have been traced and many printed. His outstanding
pioneer contribution to the Karnatic music is the modern kriti.
Annamacharya first introduced the pattern of songs with a Pallavi,
Anupallavi and a Charana. The ‘Udgraha’, ‘Melapaka’, ‘Dhruva’
and ‘Abhoga’ have been transmuted into ‘Pallavi’, ‘Anupallavi’
and ‘Charana’ of a modern kriti. The parts of prabandha assigned
to different rhythmic measures provided the basis for the suladi
compositions of the 16th century. Repetition specified for certain
parts of the prabandha are similar to the anupallavi and charana of
a kriti going back to the pallavi.
Material for the research of ancient millenia is not available
and Bharatha’s Natya Shastra and Silapadikaram in Tamil, both of
them attributed to the period just before the advent of the 2nd
century A.D seem to have been earliest attempts by human beings
to record that particular state of development of the great art of
music. Music has been made familiar to the common man from the
days of Sri Purandara dasa and his premissors. Purandara dasa is
celebrated as the “Pitamaha” (grand sire) of Karnatic music
because he was responsible in making Karnatic music intelligible to
the common man. He is further said to have evolved the
methodology for initiating children into music.
Studies from the view point of development of music since
vedic period, Purandara dasa can be said to belong to the recent
past. He lived in 15th and 16th century A.D. The kirtana gained the
popularity through the labour of the veteran Purandara dasa (1484
– 1564). He was the greatest figure in the momentuous interlude.
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Purandara dasa was the first composer to introduce the
‘Swaravali’, ‘Alankaram’, ‘Geetham’, ‘Suladi’ and other steps
that have formed the bed rock of all musical learning in the whole of
South India for four centuries now. Thus, was born the marvelous
system of “Karnataka Sangita Parampara” and he came to be
known as “Karnataka Sangita Pitamaha”.
The growth of Karnatic music to today’s height of
sophistication is again many hundreds of times more than what
happened to music in all the earlier centuries. Purandara dasa did
the magic of capturing and enshrining musical sounds into his
compositions, which were outpourings of his bhakti to the Lord.
Because of his God given gift of music, the outpouring of his bhakti
flowed out in the form of organized sounds of music, which came to
be called songs and compositions later. He must have had first hand
experience of the bliss of music and he must have helped their need
of making the nectar available to more and more fellow human
beings. This urge should have prompted him to create a
methodology for fundamental lessons in music. If Karnatic music is
a subject studied and enjoyed by the trillions of human beings it is
because of the seed sown by visionary decisively celebrated as
“Sangitha Pitamaha”.
We are now 500 years apart from Purandara dasa, and
human civilization has undergone revolutionary changes in this span
of 5 centuries. There have been growth and deterioration in the
various walks of life. But music has luckily been one subject that
has only progressed and more human beings are aware of the
divinity of our music. About the growth of music in these 500 years,
we are able to speak with confidence because of the wealth of the
research material available. Man has since learnt the necessity for
documentation of the happenings not only for his times but the
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previous and later times too. It is because of such a human urge
that we have today amongst us the outpourings of Purandara dasa
and other minstrel. Without much of the modern sophistication
these compositions do have their magically musical effect upon us
and these compositions have served another great purpose of
inspiring more composers to come out with compositions of
contemporary grandeur. The great hallmark in this the growth of
Karnatic music has been Tyagaraja’s whose lifestyle has been very
much like that of Purandara Dasa.
The later part of the 18th century has been considered as the
most important period in the history of Indian music. The period
was the golden period for Karnatic music. It was during this period
that the three great composers “Musical Trinity” – Shyama
Shastri (1762-1827), Tyagaraja (1767-1847) and Muthuswamy
Dikshitar (1776-1835) illuminated the musical horizon by their
Kritis. South India witnesses a wealth of musical genius at that
time. Every branch of musical repertoire got enriched. Beautiful
compositions belonging to the sphere of art music, sacred music
and dance music were composed. Musical compositon with greater
weightage on the dhatu came to be composed in profusion.
It was during this period that the compositional form called
kriti got consolidated. Kriti has many advantages over the other
types of compositions. It is one composition in which the proportion
between the sangita and sahithya is balanced. The Kriti started
occupying the central place in a music concert. The history of
musicconcerts can also be said to have originated at this time.
Tyagaraja’s Rama bhakti found an outlet in music. His inspired
outpourings began to flow unbidden, emerging as full bloom,
perfectly structured compositions in the classical idiom. He chose
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his mother tongue Telugu as his medium, though there are few
songs in Sanskrit as well. Tyagaraja used moreover, the colloquial
Telugu, which everyone could follow, just as the bhakti saints had
used the spoken Tamil to reach out to the people; and through this
deceptively simple language he managed to articulate many an
abstract philosophical thoughts.
In the music of Tyagaraja, tradition and invention found a
unique balance. He studied with loving reverence, the work of the
great masters – composers who had laid the foundations of Karnatic
music like Purandara Dasa, Kshetragna, Margadarsi Sesha Iyengar
and Narayana Thirtha. The three part kriti, which had appeared in a
rudimentary form in the works of Annamacharya and Bhadrachala
Ramadass, at the hands of Tyagaraja it got crystallized into a well
knit highly, sophisticated melodic structure.
Tyagaraja did not compose any Varnams, Swarajathis, Javalis,
Ragamalikas and the like, but made the Kriti the sole vehicle for all
other forms in his time. He was the first composer in Karnatic music
to have employed a set of ‘sangatis’ or ‘variations’ in each kriti to
unfold, in their logical sequence, the possibilities of the raga
employed. He would take up old melodies, including folk tunes, and
turn them into modes of classical purity. To those of Tyagaraja’s
contemporaries who might have regarded his talent as mainly lyrical
and devotional, the majestic sweep of the epic style displayed in the
“Pancharatna kirtanas” must have come as blinding revelation.
Tyagaraja is stated to have composed thousands of kritis and
three music plays (operas) but only about seven hundred kritis and
two plays are available now. These may be broadly classified under
the following heads :
1. Kritis in praise of Narasimha, Rama, Lakshmana, Sita,
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2. Hanuman, Siva, Devi, Ganapathy, Subrahmanya, Tulasi etc.
3. The Pancharathna group in five Ghana ragas – Naata, Gaula,
Arabhi, Varali and Sriragam.
4. Divyanama kirtanas.
5. Utsava Sampradaya kirtanas.
6. Prahalada Bhakti Vijayam in five acts with 45 kritis set in 28
ragas and 132 verses in Telugu.
7. Nauka charithram in one act with 21 kritis set in 13 ragas and
45 verses in Telugu.
He has employed over two hundred ragas in all and of these,
more than hundred seem to be his own creations. He appears to
have adopted the raga nomenclature found in “Sangraha
Choodamani” of Govinda Dikshitar. For many of the ragas we have
only the kritis of Tyagaraja as “lakshyas” as no composer before or
after his name has attemped songs in them. Even in ragas like
Saveri, Sourashtram and Kalyani there are twenty songs and in
Bhairavi and Madhyamavathi upto fifteen songs he has composed.
This shows the ragas that were popular in his time. He has
exhausted the possibilities of ragas like ‘Narayani’ and
‘Gaulipanthu’ in a few kritis leaving hardly anything for his
successors to innovate.
Another noteworthy feature about the music of Tyagaraja is
that it is full of bhava. The raga chosen for the song aptly conveys
the emotion expressed by the sahityam. Moreover his words are
simple, many a time casual but appealing and full of emotion. It can
be seen that the great saint has handled a vast variety of rasas.
There is ‘Veera rasa’ in “Jagadanandakaaraka” (Nattai), ‘Joy’ in
“Kanukontini” (Bilahari), ‘Anger’ in “Chalakalla” (Arabhi) and
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‘Despair’ as in “Eti janmamu” (Varali). Tyagaraja’s awareness of
the navarasas is seen in the phrase “Navarasa yuta kritiche” in
the kriti “Sogasuga mrindanga talamu” in Sriranjani raga.
Apart from bhava, Tyagaraja was a great master in
portraying ragas. He worshipped swaras as things of beauty in
‘Sobillu Saptaswara’ in the raga Jaganmohini. He has handled
several ragas for which we have no lakshanas in the science of
Karnatic music. The raga bhava was much emphasized by him in his
compositions. Many unfamiliar ragas came to light through his
kirtanas.
Although a deep Rama bhakta, Tyagaraja has sung on several
deities with equal devotion and fervor. But his songs addressed to
Rama, however stand in a class of their own. A musical rapture
appears to seize him at the very thought of Rama and we find him
with his Ishta devata on an equal plane, not pleading him as a
devotee, reproaching him for his slighting him and now assuming
the role of nayaki and communicating his love for Him. As poet
Subrahmanya Bharathi says : “Tyagayyar was blessed by God.
He is an ocean of rasas (sentiments). He is the soul for
Karnatic music which is alive today”. Tyagaraja has fully
implimented the grammar spelt out by himself for a kriti that it
should contain all the nine rasas.
Behind this magnificient achievement in the field of music,
wasTyagaraja, the ‘Nadopasaka’, who did not consider music as a
fineart but as the easiest path to salvation. Infact he is the only
composer in Karnatic music, who has written more than fifteen
kritis on the origin of Nāda, the birth of seven notes, the nature of
ragas and how only a combination of music and bhakti can lead to
moksha. To him music was ‘Nadopasana’ or ‘Sangithopasana’
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and singing bhajana.
Karnatic music has grown three centuries riper between the
days of Purandara Dasa and Tyagaraja and the later can be said to
have flourished in more congenial and musical circumstances. The
result is that Tyagaraja was able to compose songs in a fashion
much more sophisticated than the songs of Purandara Dasa. And
Tyagaraja infact consolidated a song of classical music of a
classicism not known in earlier centuries and of a sophistication that
will last many further centuries. This leads us to the topic of this
chapter about which musicologists are never tired of repeatedly
read and write. Time measures human being as a period before
Christ and after Christ (BC & AD) because Jesus Christ was such a
beacon light to humanity. In the history of music, musicologists
freely refer to Pre - Tyagaraja and Post – Tyagaraja periods,
because Tyagaraja was such an undisputed patriarch among
luminaries. Composers too are studied under the heads Post –
Tyagaraja and Pre – Tyagaraja.
Prominent composers of the Post Trinity period
The kriti which attained the perfection at the hands of the
musical Trinity, attracted the attention of many composers of the
post Tyagaraja period. Kriti became to be composed in profusion.
Kritis with brilliant Chittaswara, Swara Sahithya, Sollukattu Swaras
and Madhyamakala Sahityas have been composed. Subbaraya
Sastry and Mysore Sadasiva Rao have to their credit brilliant
examples of swara sahityas in their kritis. The swarakshara beauty
continued to exercise the intelligent attention of many composers.
Of the new ragas in which kritis came to be composed in the post-
Tyagaraja period, mention may be made of ‘Kuthoohalam’,
‘Kadanakutoohalam’, ‘Panchamam’, ‘Mallika Vasantham’,
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‘Vijayanagari’, ‘Hamsagiri’, ‘Seshananda’, ‘Lokaranjani’ and
‘Hamsanarayani’. In the first four ragas we have kritis composed
by Manambuchavadi Venkatasubbaiah, Patnam Subramaniya Iyer,
Tachchur Singaracharyulu and Pallavi Seshayyar. In the remaining
five ragas Tiruvottiyur Tyagayyar has composed kritis.
Many Tana varnams, Pada varnams, Ragamalika varnam
(Nava Ragamalika, Dina Ragamalika, Ghana Ragamalika),
Ragamalikas and Tillanas were composed during the Post Tyagaraja
period. The monumental composition 72 Melaragamalika of Maha
Vaidhyanatha Iyer was composed in the year 1883. This
composition stands as one of the world’s longest musical
composition. The musical form Javali also had its birth during this
period. Dharmapuri Subbarayar, Pattabhiramayya, Patnam
Subramanya Iyer, Tachchur Singaracharyulu, Ramanathapuram
Srinivasa Iyengar and Tirupathi Narayanaswamy have left behind
them beautiful Javalis in Telugu.
The Post -Tyagaraja period also witnessed a number of Tamil
composers. Gopalakrishna Bharathi (Junior contemporary of
Tyagaraja), Koteeswara Iyer, Kavi Kunjara Bharathi, Anantha
Bharathi, Ramaswami Sivan, Nilakanta Sivan, Mazhavai Chidambara
Bharathi, Vaideeswaran Koil Subbarama Iyer, Achuta Dasar,
Vedanayakam Pillai and Ramalinga Swamy, Papanasam Sivan are
some of the prominent Tamil composers.
The Sishyas and Prasishyas of Saint Tyagaraja not only carried
on the tradition of high standards of musicianship, but also as
excellent composers. Manambuchavadi Venkatasubbaiar,
Walajapet Venkataramana Bhagavatar was composers of great
merit. In turn their disciples like Maha Vaidhyanatha Iyer, Anai-
Ayya, Patnam Subrahmaniya Iyer, Mysore Sadasiva Rao and
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others produced some marvellous compositions. Each of them, to
some extent, tried to enhance the musical value by their
compositions. This they achieved either by creating new ragas or by
dwelling deep into the existing ragas with new insights. Patnam
Subrahmanya Iyer’s ‘Kadanakutoohalam’, Poochi Srinivasa
Iyengar’s ‘Swararanjani’ and Manambuchavadi Venkatasubbaier’s
kriti in ‘Kutoohalam’ and ‘Pravala Jyothi’ ragas are examples of
creativity of the later composers in composing in new ragas.
Among the musicians who occupied an honoured place in the
later part of the 19th century, ‘Maha Vaidhyanatha Iyer’ and
‘Patnam Subramanya Iyer’, ‘Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar’,
‘Koteeswara Iyer’, ‘Harikesanallur Muthaiah Bhagavatar’ and
‘Papanasam Sivan’ are noteworthy.
Maha Vaidhyanatha Iyer
Maha Vaidhyanatha Iyer was born in 1844 in the village
Vaiyacheri near Tanjore. He had his early training in music under
Anayya, a composer of kriti in Telugu and Tamil and later under
Manambuchavadi Venkatasubbaiar, a direct disciple of Tyagaraja.
Even as a boy of ten, Vaidhyanatha Iyer could sing in all the
three sthayi-s (octaves) with remarkable skill and accuracy. He
used to sing in the Gandhara sruti (third kattai of the Harmonium),
and move between six kala-s (tempos) with great speed. At the age
of 12, he gave his first public performance in Kallidaikurichi, in the
distinguished presence of Subramanya Desikar and Ambalavana
Desikar, the two chiefs (adhipati-s) of Tiruvaduturai Mutt. Among
the audience were two reputed musicians of that time, Periya
Vaidhyanatha Iyer and Chinna Vaidhyanatha Iyer. Impressed with
his performance and the depth of his musical knowledge,
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Subramanya Desikar as well as the sadas (assembly of men),
conferred upon him the title 'Maha'.
Maha Vaidhyanatha Iyer was one of those stalwarts who
popularised the compositions of the Trinity by his polished and
classical renderings. He was a versatile genius, a composer and a
Harikatha performer, and more than all, an inspiring singer with an
impressive voice.
He was especially proficient in singing rare ragas like
‘Kanakangi’, ‘Narayana gaula’ in extense. He expounded on one
occasion a Pallavi in ‘Simhanandana tala’, which is the longest of
the 108 tala. This is the only Tillana in this tala. The entire
composition consists of only two Avartanas. He composed the 108
Ragamalika in seven days, an achievement without parallel in the
sphere of musical composition.
Maha Vaidhyanatha Iyer was a great exponent of
manodharma, or extemporaneous singing. He also composed the
famous 72-melakartha ragamalika (Pranataarthihara) and a Tillana
with the pallavi beginning ‘Gowri naayaka
kanakasabhaanaayaka’. He used the Mudra ‘Guhadaasa’ for his
compositions.
Patnam Subramanya Iyer
A contemporary of Maha Vaidhyanatha Iyer and a resident of
Thiruvaiyaru, Patnam Subramanya Iyer was one of the top-
ranking performer in the post Trinity period. He was both an
eminent composer and an excellent performer.
Patnam Subramanya Iyer initially learnt music from his uncle
Melattur Ganapathy Sastrigal and later came under the tutelage of
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Manambuchavadi Venkatasubbaiar, a relative and a disciple of
Tyagaraja, from whom he learnt number of Tyagaraja’s
compositions.
One of the finest exponents of Madhyamakala, Patnam
Subramanya Iyer was noted for his chaste rendering of the kritis of
Tyagaraja. He excelled in rendering apurva ragas like ‘Narayani’,
‘Simhavahini’, ‘Kannada’ and ‘Mandari’ in which he has
composed kritis.
Patnam Subramanya Iyer had remarkably original way of
handling ragas. His rendering of ‘Begada’ was unique, which earnt
for him the title “Begada Subramanya Iyer”. His renderings of
Tyagaraja’s composition were true to the original versions.
In the tradition of Tyagaraja, Patnam Subramanya Iyer has
composed many kritis. They are in Telugu and Sanskrit. As a
composer, Patnam Subramanya Iyer has enriched the Karnatic
music repertoire to a considerable extent. It is believed that he has
composed about hundreds of pieces including Kritis, Tana Varnams,
Pada Varnams, Tillana and Javalis etc., and they are in ‘Adi’,
‘Rupakam’, ‘Chapu’ and ‘Jhampa’ talas. Besides compositions in
familiar ragas, he has kritis in ‘Sindumandari’, ‘Chakravakkam’,
‘Phalamanjari’ ‘Purnachandrika’, ‘Bhairavam’, ‘Kannada’ and
‘Udayaravichandrika’. Patnam Subramanya Iyer invented a new
Vakra raga ‘Kadanakutoohalam’ and composed a song
‘Raghuvamsasudha’ in this raga with captivating Chittaswara. On
account of solid musical mould of his kritis with fine sangatis, he
earned the name ‘Chinna (Small) Tyagaraja’. His famous piece in
Kannada ‘Inthakante’ was composed as a prayer to Lord Rama, to
free him from debts he had contracted and to his immense
satisfaction it was answered. He composed mainly in Telugu and
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few songs in Sanskrit with the mudra ‘Venkatesa’ and also
‘Varada Venkatesa’.
Subramanya Iyer spent a long time in Chennapatnam
(Chennai). This gave Subrahmaniya Iyer the prefix to his name
“Patnam”. Many of his students like Mysore Vasudevachar, Poochi
Srinivasa Iyengar and Tiger Varadachariar became famous
composers and vocalists.
Ramanathapuram Srinivasa Iyengar
In the great Sishya Parampara of Saint Tyagaraja, some
musicians shone as composers and enriched the content of Karnatic
music by their kritis. Of these, Ramanathapuram Srinivasa
Iyengar (alias Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar) 1860 - 1919 occupies a
unique place. He was one of the senior most disciples of Patnam
Subramanya Iyer.
Srinivasa Iyengar underwent Gurukulavasam under Patnam
Subramanya Iyer and after a few years he gave his first
performance at the Padmasini Taayaar Sannidhi at Thirupullani
(Darbhasayanam, where Muthuswamy Dikshitar composed the kriti
‘Sri Ramam’ in the raga ‘Narayanagaulai’).
In few years, Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar made astonishing
progress by his assiduous practice and was singing with his guru in
his concerts. He was also fortunate to receive special training in
raga alapana and pallavi singing from Maha Vaidhyanatha Iyer.
There are many versions, relating to the appellation of the word
“Poochi” to his name. The one given by the great Tamil scholar
,U.V Swaminatha Iyer is “Poochi meaning an insect, came to be
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associated with his name, because the sweet ring of his
voice compared favourably with the hum of the honey rich
Bee”.
Srinivasa Iyengar was an erudite scholar, well versed in
Sangita Sastra, a great composer and an accomplished platform
Musician. Endowed with the rich and mellifluous voice, he soon
made a mark as a front rank musician and was held in esteem by
his contemporaries.
He had an extensive repertoire, which included the songs of
Musical Trinity, Patnam Subramanya Iyer, Bhadrachala Ramadas,
Tamil composers like – Gopalakrishna Bharathi, Ramaswamy Sivan;
Tevaram and devotional hymns of Naayanmars, Padams, Javalis
and Tillana.
Srinivasa Iyengar learnt from his guru, the secret of
composing songs and has given to the music world about hundreds
of compositions. Simplicity of style, sweetness of melody and rich
imaginations were the chief characteristics of Poochi Srinivasa
Iyengar’s compositions. He was proficient in English, Tamil, Telugu
and Sanskrit. He has composed 7 Tana Varnams, 1 Pada Varnam,
25 Kritis, 7 Javalis, 3 Tillanas, 4 Tillanas in 108 Talas including one
rare in “Lakshmisa Tala”, 5 Tillanas in 72 Talas, 1 Kavadichindu in
Tamil and 1 Navaratna Ragamalika in 9 Ragas. The total number of
composition by this composer is 54. Following the tradition in his
time and following the footsteps of his guru Patnam Subramanya
Iyer, Srinivasa Iyengar also composed most of his compositions in
Telugu and some in Sanskrit though his mother tongue was Tamil.
The only Tamil composition attributed to Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar is
a Kavadichindu in the Raga Anandabhairavi starting with the verse
‘Valliyin Kalyanam’. The style closely follows the Kavadichindu of
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the famous Annamalai Reddiyar of Ettayyapuram.
Koteeswara Iyer
Koteeswara Iyer (1869 - 1938) was one of the outstanding
Composers in the Post-Trinity era in Karnatic Music. He was the
Grandson of the noted Tamil Scholar and Composer Kavi Kunjara
Bharathi from whom he learnt both Music and Literature. He wrote
Poems and performed Harikathas even in his student days. He was
well educated, taught English in Sanskrit College, he was a Reporter
in Madras High Court and held career positions. According to late
T.S.Parthasarathy the eminent Musicologist, Music was the ruling
passion in his life.
Kavi Kunjara Bharati's forefathers were in Tirunelveli, but
after some time they were invited by the Raja of Ramnad,
“Hiranyagarbha Tirumalai Setupati”, to come and settle in
Perunkarai, a village in Ramnad district. They were all well-versed
in the Vedas, Sastras, Mantras, Sanskrit and Tamil. The king
honoured the young Koteeswaran with the title Kavi Kunjara
Bharati.
Since Koteeswara Iyer lost his father while he was young, his
grandfather, Kavi Kunjara Bharati, brought him under his tutelage.
He taught him Music, Sanskrit and Tamil. Later on, he learnt the
finer aspects of music from Patnam Subramanya Iyer and
Ramanathapuram Srinivasa Iyengar.
Poetry and music came to him naturally and effortlessly. Even
while he was a student, he composed ‘Siddhivinayakar Padikam’,
‘Shanmukha Malai’, ‘Sundareswara Padikam’, ‘Kayarkkanni
Paditrupattu’, ‘Meenakshi Andadi’ etc. in Tamil, which excel in
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language and poetic beauty. He also performed Harikatha
Kalakshepams on Skanda Puranam. After some time he served as a
translator in the Madras High Court. With his earnings he published
his grandfather's works such as ‘Kanda Purana Keertanam’,
‘Alagar Kuravanji’, ‘Perinba Keertanam’ etc.
Those were days when forty of the Melakarta ragas were
deemed as Vikriti ragas (Vivadi ragas) and hence ‘Dosha Ragas’,
that could not be sung in concerts. Before Koteeswara Iyer’s period,
Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan had composed a lengthy Ragamalika in the
72-mela ragas. But Koteeswara Iyer was the first one to compose
separate songs in Tamil in all the Melakarta ragas with his
‘Vaggeyakara Mudra - Kavi Kunjara Dasan’ and also the ‘Raga
Mudra’, which blended smoothly with the lyrics. All the songs are
dedicated to his ‘Kuladeva’ (family deity), ‘Muruga’ and hence
titled ‘Kanda Ganamudam’. The songs are highly poetic and are
adorned with Swarakshara Sandhis, beautiful Sangatis (Musical
Phrases), Raga Bhava and Depth. Even Vidwans considered Vivadi
ragas as difficult to handle. But Koteeswara Iyer, at the age of 47,
not only composed his Melaraga kritis but also demonstrated and
popularised them. His Sishya (disciple) N.Ramakrishnan, who was
P.A to Kamarajar, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, published
these kritis in book form with notations. The first part with 36 songs
in the Suddha Madhyama ragas in 1932, and the remaining 36songs
in Prati Madhyama ragas in 1936. Apart from these, he composed
31 kritis, 4 Varnams and a few poems (Venba).
In those days Tamil kritis were not very popular and until his
time, did not receive elaborate treatment. Music concerts mainly
consisted of Tyagaraja, Dikshitar and Shyama Sastri kritis.
Thoughthere were kritis in Tamil by Muthutandavar, Gopalakrishna
Bharati and Arunachala Kavi, they were sung as tailpieces.
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Tevaram, Tiruvachakam, Tiruppugazh and Prabandham were sung
mostly in temples. So, great personalities like S.Satyamoorti, Rajaji,
Kalki, TKC and others took pains to propagate Tamil songs in
concerts.
After he did his first group of 36 songs, Koteeswara Iyer
invited prominent artistes and musicologists and sang all the songs
himself. They appreciated his work and also encouraged him to
continue his Herculean task. His songs were a mixture of Sanskrit
and Tamil, and were highly poetical with a natural flow and
excellent raga bhava: example, ‘Eimponn ammaye’ (
) (Sriragam). He himself has written the meanings, ‘Pada
Urai’ ( ), of the songs. He has used many varieties of Talas
and various ‘eduppu’ ( ). He had the highest regard for
Dikshitar and Tyagaraja and has composed songs on both of them.
He followed the Sampoorna Mela Paddhati of Ramamatya, which
Tyagaraja followed. Like Tyagaraja kritis, his songs also had many
sangatis. But like Dikshitar his songs also had Chittaswaras, Raga
and Vaggeyakara Mudras. Thus he was influenced by both of them.
Even though Dikshitar had composed songs in most of these ragas,
his was the Asampoorna mela paddhati of Venkatamakhin and were
not called Melaraga kritis. Koteeswara Iyer, however, did not
compose even a single song with Samashti Charanam, although
Dikshitar has to his credit many such songs. Nevertheless, the
musical approach and pattern of Koteeswara Iyer’s songs is the
same as that of Dikshitar. Koteeswara Iyer was adept at in handling
various Talas also. He has used Adi, Rupakam, Triputa, Misrachapu,
Khandachapu, and Kandajati Triputa Talas. His Compositions
featured ‘Chittaswarams’, were in Madyamakalam, the names of
ragas occurring appropriately in the compositions - all in the style of
Muthuswamy Dikshitar.
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Harikesanallur Muthaiah Bhagavatar
Muthaiah Bhagavatar was born on November 15, 1877, at a
village called Punalveli near Srivilliputhur. When he was six his
father died and he came under the tutelage of his maternal uncle,
Mahamahopadhyaya M.Lakshmana Suri and settled with him at
Harikesanallur. In 1886, he was put under Muthu Ganapathigal of
Thiruvaiyaru for learning the Vedas.
At that time, Thiruvaiyaru was the home of many eminent
composers of classical music such as Maha Vaidhyanatha Iyer and
Patnam Subrahmaniya Iyer. Young Muthaiah was attracted by their
music and giving up his adhyayana, switched over to the study of
classical Karnatic music. He became a disciple of Vidwan Sambasiva
Iyer, Violinist who was a descendant of Pallavi Doraiswamy Iyer and
belonged to the Sishya Parampara of Tyagaraja.
After completing his studies, Muthaiyah Bhagavatar returned
to Harikesanallur in 1893, and devoted himself completely to the
practice of music for three years. He paid particular attention to
voice culture and specialized in Akara Sadhakam. His voice was
remarkable for its range and richness and “Tanam” was his forte.
Muthaiah Bhagavatar then began to give concerts of
classicalmusic and soon became one of the recognized concert
Vidwans in Tirunelveli. In 1904 Muthaiah bhagavathar entered on a
new phase in his career. The death of Thanjavur Krishna
Bhagavatar had left a great void in the field of Harikatha, and many
were the eminent concert Vidwans like Anantharama Bhagavatar
and Vedantha Bhagavatar who also took to Harikatha performance.
Muthaiah Bhagavatar became one of them. Besides being learned in
Tamil and in Sanskrit, he had a fine personality and a wonderful
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power of exposition scintillating with wit and humour. It is,
therefore, not surprising that his reputation as a Harikatha
performer should have outstripped his fame as music Vidwan.
Among the Kalakshepams which he popularized may be mentioned
‘Valli Parinayam’, ‘Sati Sulochana’, and ‘Tyagaraja Charitram’.
During the year 1905, Muthaiah Bhagavatar went to Tanjavur
and lived there for about three years with his uncle, Lakshmana
Suri, who was a professor of Sanskrit in St.Peter’s college. It was
during this period that he established his reputation in Tanjavur, as
an eminent concert Vidwan and Harikatha performer. Among his
intimate friends and associates at this time may be mentioned
Konerirajapuram Vaidhyanatha Iyer, Mayavaram Subbiyer (Violinist)
and Kumbakonam Alaganambi Pillai (Mridangist).
An important result which followed from the stay of Muthaiah
Bhagavatar at Tanjavur was his specialization in theory of Indian
music. It must be mentioned that the foundations for this had been
laid by his Guru, Samba Siva Iyer, who taught him not only
geetams, varnams and kritis, but also Lakshana geetas of
Venkitamakhi.
It was during his career as Harikatha performer that Muthaiah
Bhagavatar began to compose kirtanas. He wrote his own
‘Nirupanams’ for his Harikathas, and the next step was to
compose kirtanas suitable to Kalakshepams. He also composed
kirtanas independently of Harikathas, with an eye on their aesthetic
excellence. In the course of a decade, Muthaiah Bhagavatar came to
occupy a unique place among musicians as a concert Vidwan, as a
Harikatha performer and as a composer of kirtanas. Apart from the
great popularity which he enjoyed with the public, he was also
patronized by Maharajas and Zamindars like the Raja of
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Ettaiyapuram, the Raja of Ramanad and the Zamindar of Andipatti.
In the year 1927, Maharaja Krishna Rajendra Wodeyar
appreciated his music so much that he conferred on him the title of
‘Gayaka Sikahamani’ and appointed him one of the chief
Samasthana Vidwans. At the suggestion of Maharaja, the
Bhagavatar composed Ashtothara Satha kirtanas in praise of
Goddess Chamundeshwari. And this was followed by another
Ashtothara on Lord Siva. Besides these, the Bhagavatar composed
several Varnams, Ragamalikas, Darus and Tillanas.
Muthaiah Bhagavatar’s compositions are remarkable for their
quality as for their number and variety. There are 10 Tana
Varnams, five in Adi tala and five in Ata tala. There is also a
Padavarnam, ‘Pankaja Lochani’ in Anandabhairavi raga. There are
four Darus, ten Tillanas and five Ragamalikas.
As for his kirtanas some 400 of them have come down to us
and they are in praise of all the deities of the Hindu Pantheon. Many
of them are in popular ragas but a good number of them are in rare
ragas of which we get a picture in the Kritis of Tyagaraja such as
‘Suddha Simanthini’, ‘Navarasa Kannada’, ‘Hamsanadam’,
‘Saraswati’, and the like or in the kritis of Muthuswamy Dikashitar
such as ‘Amruthavarshini’, ‘Madhava Manohari’, ‘Padi’ and
‘Dwijavanthi’ the like.
‘Mohana Kalyani’ is another raga which has become similarly
famous through the Kritis like ‘Bhuvaneshwariya’ and ‘Siddhi
Vinayakam’. ‘Gauda Mallar’ , yet another raga which has become
popular through the piece ‘Sarasa Mukhi’.
But, the most notable contribution of Muthaiah Bhagavatar to
Karnatic music lay in the number of new ragas which he had
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created. Many are brilliant kirtanas which he had composed in new
ragas invented by him such as “Vijayambika” in the raga
‘Vijayanagari’, “Saravana Bhava” in the raga ‘Pasupati Priya’,
“Samayamide” in the raga ‘Budha Manohari’. He invented more
than 20 new ragas.
In point of style, Muthaiah Bhagavar was an ardent
worshipper of Tyagaraja, and he held him as his model. He followed
him in elaborating his kritis with a number of ‘Sangatis’, so as to
present a full picture of the raga. Such, for example, are the
kirtanas “Nipadame Gati” in ‘Bhairavi’, “Bihala Devi” in ‘Todi’,
“Sahaja Guna” in ‘Sankarabharanam’, “Niveitu” in
‘Kharaharapriya’.
Turning finally to the Sahitya of the pieces, they are of the
pattern to be found in the kritis of the modern composers such as
Patnam Subramanya Iyer and Ramanathapuram Srinivasa Iyengar.
The emphasis is more on the musical qualities of his kritis that they
are cast in four languages – Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu and Kannada.
Among the Post - Tyagaraja composers of classical Karnatic
music, Muthaiah Bhagavatar occupies a very distinguished place
and his Compositions are outstanding for there quality and their
originality.
Among the Post - Tyagaraja composers, Papanasam Sivan
does occupy a very important place to an extent by which his
admirers calls him “Tamil Tyagaraja”. Ranking up any person or
principle in the field of arts, is debatable and scholarly criticism.
This thesis is a humble effort of analyzing the merits of the title
“Tamil Tyagaraja to Papanasam Sivan”. The researcher here
wants to assure at the outset that she does not at all mean any
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disregards to any personality discussed in the thesis and it is more
out of a fact finding urge of a researcher than any tendency to
propagate any opinion that this humble study is undertaken.