9

CHAPTER I

The History of Indian music can be classified under three

main periods namely 1.The Ancient Period, 2.The Medieval Period,

3.The Modern Period.

The Ancient Period of Indian Music:

Indian music tradition traces its origin in the Sāma Vēda. The

Vēdic hymns of Rgvēda, the most ancient of the Vēdas, were the

prayers to different Gods. The date, according to researchers is about

4500 B.C. Vēdic chants have three forms namely, Arcikā, Gāthikā and

Sāmikā as stated in Nārada Siksā. Sāma Gāna is differentiated by

adding new notes to the Gāthikā system. Sāma Vēda has no text of its

own. The repetition of the scale with the notes Sa, Ma or Pa as

fundamental with its component notes unaltered in pitch and order,

finds three different scales which are the result of development of

Sāmagāna. During the period 2500 B.C. to 1400 B.C., there was a

progress by means of seven fixed notes in the Sāmavēda Scale.

With the advent of next stage being the literature in music or in

other words the compositions or the Upanishads, the Āranyaka and

Grāmagāna flourished during the period 1500 B.C. to 500 B.C.

Āranyaka Gāna was limited to the three scales Harapriyā, Kambhōji

and Bhairav (History of south Indian music). The Sāman notes were in

the descending order according to Nāradiya Siksā, such as Ma, Ga, Ri,

Sa, Ni, Dha, Pa giving an irregular pattern of svarā combination. From

Saman music, arrived Gāndharva and Mārga music. Gāndharva is

sacred music which represents a counterpart of Vēdic music. 1

1 Dr.Geetha Ravikumar, The concept and Evolution of Rāgā in Hindustāni and Karnatic music,pg5

10

The development of music triggered into various treatises in

music created by scholars like Bharatā, Kōhalā, Dathilā, Nārada etc.

and their famous treatises are Nātya Śastrā, Sangithamēru, Dathilam,

and Nāradasiksha respectively. Nātya Śastrā was the foremost literary

work on music, dance and drama and it is ascribed to the 2nd

Century

B.C. This work is considered to be the oldest text on the theory and

practice of music. Kōhala and Datilā are the contemporaries, while

Nāradā is associated with the Sage Nāradā and his works are

Nāradasikshā, Nāradeeyam, Svarārṇavā, Nāradasamhitā and Saṅgita

Makarandā of which Saṅgita Makarandā is ascribed to the Medieval

Period.

These creative works on music portray the abundant knowledge

possessed by people in music even during those times. ‘N ātya Śastrā’

the maginificent text by Bharatā in Sanskrit paved way for future

works in the same discipline. Seven chapters of Nātya Śastrā are fully

devoted for music and musical instruments.

Bharatā defines Svarās, Grāmās, Mūrcanās, Tānās,

Svarasthānās, Varṇās, Alankarās, Śrutis and Yathi. He mentions 2

grāmās namely the Ṣaḍja grāmā and Madhyamā grāmā based on the

22 śrutis. He also describes 7 Mūrcanās in each of these two grāmās,

18 Jāthis of which 7 belong to Ṣaḍja grāmā and 11 in Madhyamā

grāmā. He also explains 3 types of layā and the Tālā prasthārā. He

gives a very detailed picture about music, in his treatise, though it is

basically a book on Dramaturgy.

11

Evolution of Raga system

It was Matangā who defined the term ‘r āgā’ for the first

time.Brihaddēśi of Matanga is ascribed to the 9th century A.D. and

deals with both Mārga and Dēśi music. The author has tried to follow

Bharatā in many respects. He describes the jāties based on twenty two

Śrutis and also refers to only two grāmās namely Ṣaḍja grāmā and

Madhyamāgrāmā. He explains 49 shādava and 35 audava

Mūrcanās2and gives description of Grāma rāgās alongwith their

derivatives and gives aesthetic treatment to rāgā.Matangā quotes in his

book his predecessors, namely Bharatā, Kōhalā, Datilā, Viśwavasu

and Nāradā.

Brihaddēśi highlights many aspects of music which were

omitted by Bharatā. The ancient history of Indian music perhaps

ended with the emergence of Matangāwhich gave way to the medieval

period. During this period exhaustive commentaries on Nātyasāstra

also sprang up.

Medieval Period

From the beginning of the medieval period of musical history

the concept of rāgā found its important place.The names of rāgās, their

Laksanās and their classifications were included by different

Lakṣanakārās in their treatises. These treatises were called as

Lakṣanagranthās and Nātya Śāstra was the pioneer in this aspect.

Large commentary works on Nātya Śāstra came as a boon to the

future musicians and researchers on music.

2 Dr. S,Bhagyalekshmy, Lakṣanagranthas in Music, page 55

12

Saṅgita Makarandāof Sage Nāradā can be ascribed to the 11th

century and there exists difference of opinion regarding the accuracy

of its period. This work describes 22 Śrutis giving names to them

which are different from those given by his predecessors. 93 different

rāgās are explained and the classification of rāgās into Masculine

(Purusa) and Feminine (Stree) and Neuter (Putra) is given for the first

time.

Some of the books belonging to the period 11th

– 13 th

centuries

include Saṅgitasamayasārā by Parṣvadēvā, Saṅgitasārā by

Vidhyāranyā and Saṅgita Ratnākarā by Sārngadēvā. These works

clearly illustrate the development of music through the centuries, of

which Saṅgita Ratnākarā of Sārṅgadēvā is an authoritative text next to

the major works Nātya Śāstra and Brihaddēśi and can be considered as

one of the earliest and longest standard treatises that dealt with all

aspects of music. Sārṅgadēvā classifies Mārga and Dēśi music as‘M

ārga was Gandharva music, a highly devotional form of music,

whereas Dēśi was popular music based on region, culture, local

traditions and folklore’.

Sārṅgadēvā explains 22 Śrutis, the seven svarās with their

names and their corresponding animals and also about the Vādi,

Anuvādi, Samvādi and Vivādi svarās. Unlike other music texts, he

explains three grāmās namely Ṣaḍja, Madhyamā and Gāndhara grāmā.

He defines nearly 264 rāgās inclusive of panns of Tēvāram, melodies

or rāgās of both South Indian and North Indian music. He describes 34

Pūrvaprasiddha and 52 Adunaprasiddha rāgās3.

3 Dr. S,Bhagyalekshmy, Lakṣanagranthas in Music, page 76

13

Evolution of Mela System

The next magnificent work on music in this period is

‘Svaramēlākalanidhi’ written by R āmāmātya. This is mainly a work

on svarā and mēlā and hence gets the name. This is believed to have

been published in 1550 A.D. Rāmāmātya, greatly inspired by ‘Sa ṅgita

Ratnākarā’ which is regarded as a scientific approach to Indian music

packed with the facts and techniques of music presented in a

systematic manner and being a versatile scholar in music himself,

brings in all the particulars relating to the theory and practice of music

in detail, and tried to reconcile tradition and current practice.

‘Svaramēlākalānidhi’ is a comprehensive work consisting of

328 couplets in Sanskrit having 5 chapters, namely, Preface,

Svaraprakaranā, Vīnāprakaranā, Mēlāprakaranā and Rāgāprakaranā.

For the first time the term ‘mēlā’ is used and there are listed 20 mēlās

starting with the Śuddha scale Mukhāri. Some of his mēlās became

janyās of later time. Mālavagaula mēla became Māyāmālavagaula;

Śuddharāmakriyā became Kāmavardhani; Dēśākṣi to Sūlini;

Kannaḍagaula to Vāgadheeswari; Śuddhanāti to Chalanāta and so on.

The Śuddha scale Mukhāri became the Kanakāngimēlā of later

time. In addition to mēlās, a number of janyārāgās were derived from

these mēlās and the classification of rāgās as Uthama, Madhyamā and

Adhama based on the musical forms, time theory of rāgās, and the

rāgā Lakṣanās was also dealt with. His concept of MadhyamēlāVina

technique has proved a milestone in the scientific development and

systematic analysis of rāgās.

14

Many contemporary works like Saṅgitadarpanam,

Rāgatarangini, Rāgavibhoda and Saṅgitasudha within a period of 100-

200 years, contributed greatly on the development of Indian music

under the two categories viz., South Indian or Carnātic music and

North Indian or the Hindustāni music. This was the period when there

was an emergence of Janaka-Janyā rāgā classification. Saṅgitasudha

by Gōvinda Dīkṣitar belonging to the 17th

century provides a detailed

knowledge of the style and system of music prevalent during that

time.

This period happened to be the gateway of the Golden Era of

music, with the emergence of Janaka-Janyā classification, later

replaced by Mēlā-Rāgā classification in the South and the Thāt-Rāgā

classification in the North and this could be attained with the help of

the theoretical bonanza, gifted to the future generations by

Rāmāmātya, Somanāthā and Gōvinda Dīkṣitar through their illustrious

treatises namely Svarāmēlākalanidhi, Rāgāvibodha and Saṅgitasudha

respectively.

Vēnkaṭamakhi, greatly influenced by his father, Gōvinda

Dīkṣitar, the author of ‘Sa ṅgitasudha’, created his authentic work on

the theory of music ‘Caturdaṇḍiprakāśikā’, called the Bible for

musicologists. Vēnkaṭamakhi is addressed as the Pānini or the

Pithāmahar of Carnātic music. The 10 chapters of the work are

entitled as Vina, Śruti, Svarā, Mēlā, rāgā, ālāpa, tāya, gita, prabhandha

and Tālā prakarana. He also explains the two major grāmās Ṣaḍja and

Madhyamā as any other work on music, which existed before his

period.

15

Vēnkaṭamakhi’s scientific approach in grouping the r āgās

under a scheme of 72 mēlākartās was unique and time-bound. He

identified about 72 mēlās out of which 36 are Śuddha

Madhyamāmēlās and other 36 are Prathi Madhyamāmēlās. According

to the variations in the notes R, G, D and N these mēlās were derived

and the mēlā names were designed using the Katapayādi formula

(given below). The 72 mēlās were grouped under 12 cakras each cakra

consisting of six mēlās. The 12 cakras were named as Indu, Nētra,

Agni, Vēda, Bāna, Rutu, Rishi, Vasu, Brahma, Disi, Rudra and Āditya

based on Bhūta Sankhya. His mēlās are incomplete scales andhence

called theAsampūrna mēlā paddhathi.

This format was slightly modified and another Asampūrnamēlā

Scheme was framed by Muddu Vēnkaṭamakhin, the grandson of

Vēnkaṭamakhi, on the basis of the Katapayādi Sankhya Formula of

Computation. Some of the scales which were not named under this

Katapayāthi Sankhya formula were renamed and the new set of

Kanakāmbari-Phēnadyuti nomenclature was formed. This was further

developed with mēlās with complete scales. Modern rāgā system and

the modern musicians and musicologists follow the refined and

renewed system constructed by Śri Gōvinda or Gōvindāchārya, a

renowned author of the 18th

century.

KATAPAYĀDI SANKYA

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

KĀDI-NAVA Ka Kha Ga Gha Ng Cha Chha Ja Jha Jn

TĀDI-NAVA Ta Tta Da Dha Na Tha Thha Da Dha Na

PĀDI PANCHA Pa Pha Ba Bha Ma

YĀDI-ASHTA Ya Ra La Va Śa Ṣa Sa Ha

16

Modern Period

With the modification of the mēlās and their names,

Gōvindāchārya found a very appropriate Mēlā-scheme which is also

known as the SampūrnaMēlā Paddhathi. The mēlās are complete

scales which mean all the seven notes occur in order in the Ārōhaand

the Avarōhaof the scale. Moreover, there is a maintained symmetric

and uniform structure in the ārōha and avarōha. The formation of

svarās in the Ārōhaor the ascending of notes is similar to that of the

Avarōhaor the descending of notes.

For example, the svarās of Māyāmālavagaula, the 15th

mēlā are

Ṣaḍja, Śuddhaṛṣabha, Antara Gāndhāra, Śuddha Madhyamā, Pañcama,

Śuddha Dhaivatā and Kākali Niṣāda. The ascending and descending

forms of these notes are the same. They form a straight line scale

without any possibility of a curved or a zigzag pattern of the notes.

Thus formed are the other mēlās. Kanakāmbari, Phēnadyuti etc. are

replaced by Kanakāṇgi, Ratnāṇgi and so on.

Here one needs to mention about a very prominent

Lakṣanagranthā namely, ‘Sa ṅgita sārāmṛta’ by King Tulajā, who was

born in a family of musicians and musicologists and ruled over Tanjore

from 1729-35 A.D. His profound knowledge in music is exhibited in his

work. Sārāmṛta consists of 14 chapters, and gives details of Nādā, Śruti,

Svarā, Grāmā, Jāti, Tāna, Rāgā, Gīti, Vādya, Prabhandhā, Tālā and

Nātya. He says that the mēlās and rāgās are born out of grouping of

svarās in different permutations and combinations. He also describes the

72 mēlās designed by Vēnkaṭamakhi. He details the 19 mēlās which

were popular during his time.

17

Some of them are Śri, Śuddhanāti, Dēśākṣi, Chāyāvēlāvali,

Vasantabhairavi, Bhinnaṣaḍja , Tōdi, Kalyāṇi, Sāranga, Mālavagaula,

Varāli, Rāmakri, Hejjuji, Sāmavarāli, Śan۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟karābharaṇā,Kmbhōji,

Sindhurāmakriyā, Bhairavi, Mukhāri and Vēgavāhini.Tulajā gives

numerous new rāgās and their contour in definite terms like Ārōhanā and

Avarōhanā with practical illustrations of rāgā sanchāri, phrases from Gitās

and Prabhandhās.

Saṅgrahacūḍāmaṇi by Gōvindais of great significance and perhaps

this is considered the last work written on the theory of music and the

period of this work is ascribed to the latter part of 18th

century. He

modified the Mēlā Scheme of Vēnkaṭamakhi based on the 22

Śrutis and 16 svarā names. He retains some of the names of the mēlās

like Rūpavati, Māyāmālavagaula, Chalanāta etc. and affix new names

to other mēlās according to Katapayādi formula. These mēlās are

heptatonic scales and are homogeneous in nature. He explains the

entire theory of music, apart from which he has also composed 366

lakshangitas4, 72 for the mēlās and 294 for janyās of his time. This

work serves as a link between the music of the medieval period and

the modern period.

The concept of rāgā was not known to us till the beginning of

the medieval period. ‘J āti’ was the name mentioned in ‘N ātyaŚastrā’

and it was the ‘Gr āmā-Mūrchana-Jāti’ which was in vogue during the

pre-Matanga period. There are references in old literature like

Kalidāsa’s ‘Abhigñāna Śākuntalam’ to the term r āgā5. The scale of

Sāma gāna is the primordial scale of Indian music.

4 Dr. S.Bhagyalekshmy, Lakṣanagranthas in Music, page 148

5 Prof.P. Sambamurthy, South Indian Music, Book IV, page 80

18

The Raga System of Indian Music

Grāmā – M ūrcanā – J āti system

Group of svarās brought together gives rise to Grāmā. The definitions

of Grāmā are very clearly given by Matanga in his ‘Brihadd ēśi’.

There were two major grāmās Śa-grāmā and Ma-grāmā during the

Ancient period of music.

Mūrcanās are the scales that are formed out of grāmās and they are the

precursors of the later mēlās.

Jātis born out of Mūrcanās can be related to the Janyārāgās of present

music.

This system of ‘Gr āmā-Mūrcanā-Jāti’ was the fundamental which

inspired the later musicologists to go in for a scientific research into

rāgās and their classification.

Hindustāni rāgā system

During the medieval period when Mēlā-rāgā classification was

prominent in South India, Rāgā-Rāgini classification was gaining

importance in North India. Four Granthākars namely Siv-Mat,

Bharata-Mat, Kallināda-Mat and Hanumant-Mat referred to Rāginis,

Rāg-putrās and Rāg-putra-vadhu. Later this system was discarded and

the Thāt-Rāgā Classification system was introduced by Pt.Bhatkhānde

based on the Mēlā-Rāgā system of Vēnkaṭamakhi. This consisted of

ten ‘Th āts’ and the janyās thereunder. Classification of rāgās based on

the Time-theory is strictly observed by the Musicians of Hindustāni.

19

Name of Thāt in Corresponding Mēlā

Hindustāni Music Carnātic Music

Bhairavi Hanuma Tōdi

Bhairava Māyāmālavagaula

Asāveri Nata Bhairavi

Kāfi Kharaharapriyā

Khamāj HariKāmbhōji

Bhilāval Dhīra Śan۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟karābharaṇā

Tōdi Śubha Pantuvarāli

Pūrvi Kāmavardhini

Mārva Gamanāsrama

Yaman Mēchakalyāṇi

Śri Muthuswāmi Dīkṣitar spent his early days in Vāranasi

where he learnt Hindustāni music system and their rāgās. This is

evident from his kritis in the rāgās Hamirkalyāṇi, Yamunākalyāṇi,

Brindāvanasāran۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟gaandDwijvanti.

Later many rāgās like Behāg, Dēsh, Madhuvanti,

Darbārikānada, Pilu, Dhanaśri and Tilang were adopted by the South

Indian composers and musicians. We find many scintillating Tillanas

composed in these rāgās by the modern composers and musicians like

Lālgudi Śri Jayarāman and Dr.M.Bālamuralikrishnā.

________________________________________________________

20

A PREVIEW ON THE PRE-TRINITY COMPOSERS

Carnātic Music has its roots buried deep in history but has

enormously grown over the ages from merely being patronized by the

kings and scripted in palmyra leaves.The distinctive feature of Indian

Music is that it is focused on enlightenment and self-realization rather

than mere entertainment. Indian composers are also distinct in that as

most of them are vāggeyakārās, who compose the lyrics and music by

themselves.Whatever be the style of musical expression it is in other

words expression of the rāgā which is diverse in character and

emphasized by different composers in our music. While some

composerslaunched through their songs, intricate rāgā structures,

others confined themselves to a limited range.

The transition from Vēdic chants and hymns to song was indeed

a slow process. Grāmā gēya gāna was set apart for community singing.

Āranya gēya gāna was for forest dwellers. Uha gāna was sacrificial

music. Uhya or Rahasya gāna was open only to the initiates. These

four patterns clothed appropriate verses chosen from the Sāma Vēda6.

Gradually music consumed a full fledged art form and by 8th

century

onwards, many musicians and composers started flourishing

throughout India like Nāyanmars, Ālwars, Nārāyana Tirtha, Sadāsiva

Brahmēndra from the South, Purandaradāsā and Haridāsās of

Karnātaka, Annamāchārya, Badrāchala Ramadāsā, Kshētrajña from

Āndhra and Jayadēva, Bhaktha Mira, and Tulsi Dās from other parts

of the country.

6 R.Rangaramanjua Ayyangar, History of South Indian (Carnātic) Music,page 4

21

“The seventh and eighth centuries of our era in Sou th India

witnessed a religious revival associated with the Bhakti movement and

connected with the theistic and popular sects of Vishnu and Siva. This

revival was spread far and wide by means of songs composed by the

leaders of the movement and so resulted in a great development of

musical activity among the people generally and in the spread of

musical education. The old melodies to which these songs were sung

are now lost, though Travancore claims to have preserved some of

them such as the rāgās Indisā, Indalam, Pādi, Puranirmai” says

H.A.Popley7

The common feature in all their music was devotion, and their

divine compositions brought serenity to those who heard and enjoyed

their music. All their music was applied for the singing of the glories

of God and for the redemption of their souls. The form of music

followed by them is known as ‘Bhajana’ Samprad āyam today. It was

not constrainedin terms of grammar or text or musical forms. The

overwhelming joy triggered out of devotion led to creative melodies.

The Pre-Trinity Saint composers:

Jayadēva (12th

century)

Some of the puranic works like Rādha-Krishna Lila in

Brahmavaivarta purānā and Krishna Lila of Śrimad Bhāgavatam were

composed in musical forms by Jayadēva known as ‘G īta Gōvindam’

and the songs under this compilation are known as Ashtapathis. The

definite musical pattern adopted by Jayadēva was unknown and hence

his songs are tuned to different rāgās and rendered.

7 H.A.Popley, The Music of India,page 13

22

Annamāchāryā (1408 – 1503)

Annamayyāborn in the year Sarvadhari (May 9, 1408 A.D) in

Tallapaka, a remote village in Andhra Pradesh, is believed to be the

incarnation of Lord Venkateswara’s Nandaka or Sword . He was the

disciple of Shatakōpayati of Ahōbalam. Hestarted composing kirtanās

at a very early age and created the musical forms that we use today

having Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charanamto separate a compositionand

he was the first to compose padams in Telugu and said to have

composed around 32000 padams.

Annamāchārya has adopted the rāgā system of Vidyāranyā. All

his fifteen mēlās and the 50 janyārāgās thereunder are found

incorporated in the Sankirtanās of Annamāchārya on the copper plates

preserved by the Tirumalā Tirupathi Dēvasthānams. Almost all the

rāgās adopted by Annamāchārya are also found in ‘Svar āmēlā

Kalānidhi’ of R āmāmātya. Most of the earlier mēlās like Śri,

Śan۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟karābharaṇā,Tōdi,Bhairavi, Kāmbhōji, Mukhāri, Nāta, Varāli,

Rāmakriyā, Mālavagaula and the Pre-eminent janyārāgās like Bauli,

Pādi, Sourāṣtra, Malahari, Mālavaśri, Guṇḍakriyā, Sāvēri and

Dhanyāsi are plenty in his sankirtanās8.

Haridāsās of Karnātakā

The first major work to which Modern Carnātic music owes a

lot is that of the Haridāsās of Karnātakā. Narahari Tīrtha was the

founderof the Haridāsā movement and the other saints who followed

his footsteps are Śripādarājā, Vyāsarājā and Vādirājā who channelised

music to convey their devotion to God and the path of self-realization.

8 S. R. Jānakirāman, Rāgās adopted by Annamāchārya , M.A. Souvenir 1978,pages 17&18

23

The other dāsās are Kanakadāsā, Vijayadāsā, Gopaladāsā and

Jagannādadāsā who inspired the future composers with their valuable

music inherited with great techniques and nuances. Although devotion

formed the most important aspect of their compositions, the musical

value of these compositions is equally great. Though it was the

‘Bhakthi’ movement dominating they introduced vario us techniques

in classical music perceived even today.

Purandaradāsā (1484 – 1564)

Purandaradāsā, the most prolific composer of Karnātakāis said

to be the Disciple of Vyāsarājā. He is considered as Nāradā’s

reincarnation and is called the ‘Pit āmahar’ of Carn ātic music.His

creative marvel for the beginners in music, like Svarāvalis, Jantā and

thātu varisai, Alankārās and the basic Gitams form the basic lessons

even today. It was Purandaradāsā who inspired Śri Tyāgarājā and

Muthuswāmi Dīkṣitar, to a greater extent in composing kirtanās which

are considered the embodiment of South Indian Classical music.

Kshētragnā (16th

to 17th

century)

Kshētragnā was the greatest composer of padams and he also

promoted Madhura bhakthi like Annamāchārya. He has handled many

rāgās like Kāmbhōji, Mukhāri, Bhairavi, Sāvēri, Tōdi, Kedāragaula,

Ānandabhairavi, Madhyamāvati, Śan۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟karābharaṇā,Āhiri,Husēni,

Punnāgavarāli, Saurāshtra, Bēgada, Navrōj, Dhanyāsi, Surati, Atāna

and also new rāgās like Saindavi, Vasantabhairavi, Gouri and

Goulipantu9.

9 Dr. S.Sita, Tanjore as a seat of music,page 126

24

Kshētragnā is supposed to have composed 4,200 padams of

which only 125 seem to be available today.The padams of

Kshētragnāare written in Telugu and are based on Nāyaka-Nāyaki

bhāva. Five of these padams were in praise of King Vijayarāghava

Naik of Thanjāvūr and are known as "Vijayarāghava Pancharathnam"

or "Kshētrayya Pancharathnam." They are even now rendered for

Dance recitals and also in Music concerts for their richness in rāgā

bhāva.

Nārāyana Tirtha (16th or 17th Century)

Nārāyana Tirtha was another saint composer like Jayadēvā. His

most famous contribution is the ‘Śri Krishna Lila Tarangini,’ a dance-

drama in praise of Lord Krishnā. It is written in Sanśkrit and consists

of twelve Tarangās. The Krishna Lila Tarangini is nothing but the

essence of Śrimad Bhāgavatam composed into songs. Nārāyana Tīrtha

was not only a scholar of Carnātic music but also of Bharata Nātyā.

The Śri Krishna Lila Tarangini contains 12 Tarangams (or waves),

147 Kirtanās, 267 Slōkas, and 39 Gadyams (a musical form).

The rāgās handled by Nārāyana Tirtha try to bring out the bhāva

which is embedded in his music. However, his original tunes are not

available. He is also supposed to have composed two other operas,

"Parijātha Abhaharanam" and "Haribhakthi Sundarnavam."One of the

well-known disciples of Nārāyana Tirtha is Sonti Vēnkatasubbayya,

father of Sonti Venkataramaniah (guru of the Great Saint Tyāgarājā).

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Bhadrāchala Rāmadāsā (17th Century):

Rāmadāsā hails from Andhra Pradesh and his famous work is

the Dāsarathi Satakam from which we find that his preceptor was

Raghunātha Bhattāchārya. Rāmadāsā is supposed to have received his

musical knowledge and blessing from the illustrious Kabir Dās by

way of Tārakamantrōpadēsam. Rāmadāsā’s compositions include both

kirtanā forms of the earlier period and the kriti forms of the later

period. Hence Rāmadāsā is the link between the kirtana composers of

these two periods.

Saint Tyāgarājā refers to Rāmadāsā and his devotion to Śri Rāmāin his famous

compostion, "Kshīrasāgarasayanā" and the lines are “Dhirudau R āmadāsuni

bandhamu dirchinati vinnānura Rāmā”. Rāmadāsā has composed in many ancient

rāgās like Śan۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟karābhara, Yadukulakāmbhōji, Nādanāmakriyā, Ānandabhairavi, and

Nilāmbari and also some new rāgās like Mōhanam and Yamunākalyāṇi.

Sadāsiva Brahmendrā (17th

century)

Like Nārāyana Tirtha, Sadāsiva Brahmendrāalso took up

sanyāsa at a very young age. He had composed about 23 songs in

Sanskrit language. Most of them are sung as part of the Bhajana

sampradāya. His compositions are in praise of Śri Rāmā, Krishnā and

in some cases about the Nirguna Brahman or Lord without attributes.

His famous composition is Gāyathi Vanamāli. Sadāsiva Brahmendrā

who was the disciple of Śri Parama Sivēndra Saraswathi, the 57th

pontiff of the Kānchi Kāmakōti Matt, is a name to conjure with in the

field of Advaita and he is the author of many classics like the ‘Ātma

Vidyā Vilāsa’.

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ŚriTyāgarājā was all the more fascinated by the simple beauty

of Brahmendrā’s lyrics. Tyāgarājā has not only composed a kriti

starting with the words ‘M ānasa Sanchārārē’ and his kriti ‘Nadachi

nadachi’ is based on the song ‘Kh ēlati mama Hridayē’ of

Brahmēndrā10

.

SIRKALI MOOVAR(Muthuthandavar, Marimuthapillai and Arunachala kavi)

Muthuthāndavar (1560 – 1640)

Muthuthāndavar, an early composer in Tamil, composed his

first song “Bh ūlōka Kailāsagiri Chidambaram” under the blessings of

Parvati Devi.This is widely sung in the rāgā Bhāvāpriyā set to

Misrajampa tālā. Later when he was bitten by a poisonous snake, he

sang “Aru Marundoru” and was saved. Muthuth āndavar has

composed numerous kritis and padams in popular rāgās and Tālā s. He

was the first to introduce a genre like ‘Padam’ to the worl d of

classical music. His compositions are rendered in rare rāgās like

Sūryakāntam, Malayamārutam and Kōkilapriyā.

Marimuthā Pillai (1712 – 1787)

Marimuthāpillai was born in Tillaividangan near Chidambaram.

He started composing at an early age and most of his compositions are in

praise of Lord Natarājā of Chidambaram. His famous contribution is the

"Puliyūr Venpa." Most of his compositions are in the form of music

called Nindāstuti. His songs are set to rare rāgās like Vilāsini, vēlāvali,

Bānukirvani, Ratnakānti, Vasukari, Kaumāri and Darmavati11

10 San۠۠۠۠۠۠gitaKalanidhi Semmangudi R Śrinivasier, Music Academy Journal 1978

11 P.T. Chelladurai, Thennaga Isaiiyal, page 244

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Arunachala Kavirayar (1711 – 1778)

Greatly influenced by Kamba Rāmayanā, Arunāchala Kavirāyar

composed his magnum opus, ‘R āma Nātaka Kīrthanaigal’. Many of

his compositions are popular and rendered in present day’s concerts.

Some of them are ‘Yar ō ivar yarō’, ‘Andha r āma Soundaryam’ ‘Y

ārendru Rāgāvanai’ which are set to r āgās like Bhairavi, Kedāragaula

and Yadhukulakāmbhōji respectively.

Songs of Arunāchalakavi are said to have been tuned by his

disciples, Venkatarāma Aiyer and Kodandarāma Aiyer. Another famous

song ‘Ēn Palli Kondirayya’ stands for his deep devotion to Lord

Ranganāda at Śrirangam. Arunāchala Kavirāyar has also written works

like “Ajamukhi N ātakam”, “Anum ār Pillai Tamizh”, “Sirk āzhi Sthala

Purānam” and “Sirk āzhi kōvai” apart from R āmanātakam.

Ōthukādu Vēnkata Kavi (Beginning of 18th

century)

Śri Vēnkata Subramanian later called as Vēnkata Kavi, has

composed around 400 compositions in which he revealed his mastery

over the science and art of music and his proficiency in the musical

forms such as kriti, tillānā and kāvadichindu. His works also reveal the

proximity he felt towards the Almighty and his incessant devotion.

Vēnkatakavi’s works were intensely analysed by great musicians

such as Chitravina Ravikiran, and found that he used a wide variety of

major rāgās like Tōdi, Kalyāṇi, Kharahapriyā, Sahānā to the minor rāgās

like Kannaḍagaula, Jayantaśri, Mālavi, Umābharanam and also a few

that are rarely rendered like Balahamśa and Rasamañjari.

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Perhaps Vēnkatakavi’sworks are the first to be available in

therāgāswith compositions such as Śri Shivanāyike in Lalitagāndharvam

and Pādasēvanam in Diparam.Many of his compositions were made

popular by yesteryear artistes and also the living musicians. Some of his

popular compositions are ‘Th āye Yesōdha’, ‘P āl vadiyun mugam’,

‘Alaip āyude’, ‘Y ārenna sonnālum’, ‘Neeth ān mechikollavēnum’, and ‘

Ādāthu asangāthu vā kannā’.

He has to his credit the rāgāmalika ‘Śri Rāma Jayame jayam’

which covers the entire story of Rāmāyanā. His group kritis like

Saptaratnās are similar in style to Tyāgarājā’s Pancharatna

Kirtanās.Vēnkata Kavi has also composed Navāvarnams on Goddess

Śrividhya which resemble that of Muthuswāmi Dīkṣitar. He has also

composed Vināyaka stuti, Dhyāna stuti and a Phala Stuti.

Pachimiriyam Adiyappā(17th to 18th century)

He is the guru of the great Śyāmā Śāstri, one of the Trinity of

Carnātic music. Many of us are familiar with his Viribhōni varnam in

Bhairavi rāgā. Pachimiriyam Adiyappā is the composer of this

varnam. Śri Adiyappā is also well-known for contributing the musical

form Tana Varna. For this reason, he is known as the "Tānavarna

Mārgadarsi."

Pallavi Gopāla Iyer (17th to 18th century)

Pallavi Gopāla Iyer was the disciple of Pachimiriyam Adiyappā.

Gopāla Iyer was the earliest vidwan to be honoured with the title

“Pallavi” for his exceptional skill in rendering pa llavis. He has

composed three Ata Tālā varnams in Kalyāṇi, Kāmbhōji and Tōdi.He

has also composed kritis with gamaka prayōgas.

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Matrubhūtayyā (18th

century)

Matrubhūtayyā was an ardent devotee of Sugandhi

Kundalāmbika, the deity of Tiruchi, and has composed many songs on

this deity which were grouped under ‘Sugandhi Kundalāmbika

Kirtanās’ and ‘Trisiragiri Padas’.His composition “N īmadi Challaga”

in Ānandabhairavi is distinctively popular. His usage of this rāgā

influenced many composers who came after him.He has also

composed an opera ‘P ārijātabharaṇa nātaka’.

There are many other composers who belonged to earlier period

of Trinity and also contemporary. Most prominent among them are

1. Mārgadharsi Sēsha Iyengar (17th

century) 2. Ghanam Sinnaiah of Madurai (1659-1682) 3. Girirājākavi (1684-1710) 4. Ramaswāmi Dīkṣitar (father of Muthuswāmi Dīkṣitar)

5. Pāpavināsamudaliar (18th

century – period of Tulaja II) 6. MārgadarsiVirabadraiah (1741-1765) 7. Vijayagōpalaswāmi. 8. Merattur Venkataramana Śāstri

The junior contemporaries of Trinity are Subbarāma Dīkṣitar,

Subbarāya Śāstri and Swāti Tirunal.

______________________________________________________

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Tiruvārur Trinity (1750 to 1850)

The Tiruvārur Trinity Śri Śyāmā Śāstri (1762 – 1827 A.D ), Śri

Tyāgarājā (1767 – 1847A.D ), Śri Muthuswāmi Dīkṣitar (1776 – 1835 A.D)

lived almost during the same period viz., from the middle of the 18th

century to the middle of the 19th

century. Tiruvārur of Thanjāvur

District is their place of birth. They were born in highly learned

families, with profound knowledge in Sanskrit and Music and other

sāstrās. The Trinity is greatly acknowledged for their kritis on

different Gods includingŚri Rāmā, Vināyakā, Ṣivā and Ambāl among

others.

All of the three composers gained knowledge by studying

thoroughly the various works on music, namely, Saṅgita Sudha by

Gōvinda Diksita, Caturdaṇḍiprakāśikā by Vēnkaṭamakhi, Saṅgita

Pārijātā by Ahōbalā, Saṅgitasārāmṛta by Tulajāji Maharājā and

Saṅgrahacūḍāmaṇi by Gōvinda all belonging to the same golden

period of music.

The Golden Era of music was the period 1750 to 1850 A.D.

which had arisen with all its radiance. The Trinity who lived in this

period, spread soulful and eternal music, largely influenced by the

Saint composers like Purandaradāsā, Bhadrāchalam Rāmadāsā,

Jayadēva and Annamāchārya . They were scholars in Sanskrit, Telugu

and also the integral part of music. Though their compositions are

mainly based on devotion, they have also inculcated the various

aspects of music namely, the rāgā, Tālā, bhāva, the decorative angās

like sangatis, cittasvarās, etc., in their own style in different musical

forms like Kritis, Kirtanās, Svarajathis and Operās.

31

They had many disciples from whom their compositions were

carried to generations and thus the World of Carnātic music is

indebted to the Music Trinity for leaving behind a very rich legacy of

musical heritage through their compositions.

Though each of the three composers had his own unique method

of composing, their common focus was on the rendition of divine

music, by way of simple as well as grand compositions on all the

Deities they had worshippedduring their lives. They strictly adhered to

the Laksanā and Lakshiyā systems prescribed in the Lakṣanagranthās

while composing, thus creating a milestone and setting a new horizon

in the field of Carnātic music.

Trinity contributed innumerable rāgās to the World of Carnātic

music by way of soulful kritis. Rāgā, Tālā and Bhakti bhāvas are

exotic in their compositions which are preserved till now even after

passingthrough generationsover a century and a half. Their

compositions in popular or major rāgās like Tōdi, Kambhōji, Kalyāṇi,

Śan۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟karābharaṇāandBhairaviare masterpieces and they form the source

of creativity for the past, present and the future generations. Such

rāgās live on various genresfrom gitam, varnam to kriti forms.

They had also composed kritis in the rāgās which are janyās of major rāgās

like Harikāmbhōji, Kharaharapriyā, Śan۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟۟karābharaṇāand also janyās of other mēlās

like Natabhairavi, Māyāmālavagaula and Kāmavardhani. They had critically

examined the structure of the mēlās so that they could efficiently compose in their

janyās. Even Vivādimēlās were part of this experiment.

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ŚriTyāgarājā has composed in rare rāgās like Śrimani,

Viravasantam, Dundubhi, Rañjaniand Kaikavasi which are the janyās

of Vivadi melas Ratnāngi, Varunapriyā, Divyamani, Darmavati and

Nitimati respectively. These mēlās belong to the Kanakāngi Mēlā

paddhathi and they are all krama-sampūrna or otherwise all the svarās

present and they are in order in their Ārōhana and Āvarōhana.

On the contrary, Śri Dīkṣitar exclusively handled Rāgāṅgas

(which are not krama sampūrnas) of the Later Kankāmbari Mēlā

paddhathi manipulated by Śri Venkata Vaidyanādha Dīkṣitar,

popularly known as Muddhu Vēnkaṭamakhin, who was the preceptor

in the science of music for Śri Ramaswamy Dīkṣitar, father of Śri

Muthuswāmi Dīkṣitar. Hence it may be derived that Śri Dīkṣitar has

composed only in Rāgāṅgas which are otherwise the janyās of future

Mēlās belonging to the Kanakāngi Mēlā Paddhathi. His compositions

are highly sophisticated in Sanskrit and the priority is given for the

eternity. He has handled many rāgās like Pūrva, Gaula, Mālavagaula,

Dhunibhinnaṣaḍja, Naṭanārāyaṇi, Mārgadēśi, Ārdradēśi etc. which

have long history in Indian music.

Śri Śyāmā Śāstri composed many kritis in rāgās which were

popular during his period and he was confined to a set of rāgās and

tried to master them through multiple compositions. He has composed

in the rāgās like Varāli, Ānandabhairavi, Paraju, Sāvēri and Bhairavi.

In Bhairavi, Tōdi, and Yadukulakāmbhōji he has composed

Svarājathis, a genre of his own style. These Svarājathis form a mark of

excellence among his creations.

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Śyāmā Śāstri has also composed in rāgās like Māñji, Kalgada

and Gaulipantuwhich were also handled by Tyāgarājā and Dīkṣitar.

Yet ‘Cint āmaṇi’ is a r āgā solely owned by Śyāmā sastri in which he

has composed a single kriti namely “D ēvi Brōva” and we find no

other composition in this rāgā till today.

Some of the rāgās handled by Trinity were neither passed on to

the succeeding generations nor were they rendered by their disciples

due to various reasons. Some of them solely exist as single

compositions and do not receive the status of popularity even today.

These rāgās have been dealt with in this thesis in Chapters 3 and 4.

• Treatises of ancient period based on Dance and Dramaturgy did

not give much importance to music. There was a steep growth

in the field of music only during the medieval period which led

to the present rāgā system.

• The rāgās of Trinity were mainly based on the music texts

Saṅgrahacūḍāmaṇi and Caturdandiprakaśikā. Trinity explored

in new rāgās which were not handled by their predecessors and

their contemporaries.

• All the three composers of Trinity were greatly influenced by

the enthralling compositions of the saint composers who lived

atleast a hundred years before them. But the rāgā system

followed by them was very unique. Tyāgarājā was much

influenced by the eloquent kirtanas of the Rāmanātakā and the

devotional songs of Rāmadāsā. Dīkṣitar was much impressed by

the Sūlādis of Purandaradāsā. Śyāmā Śāstri put forth exclusive

rhythmic patterns into his soul stirring music.