Tyagaraja

Tyāgarāja (Telugu : త్యాగరాజ) ( May 2, 1767 - January 6, 1847) was one of the greatest composers of Carnatic music or classical South Indian music. His full name is Kakarla Tyaga Brahmam.He, along with his contemporaries Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastry, forms the Trinity of Carnatic music. He was a prolific composer and highly influential in the development of the South Indian classical music tradition. Tyagaraja composed thousands of devotional compositions, most of them in praise of Lord Rama. His compositions remain very popular even today. Of special mention are five of his compositions called the Pancharatna Krithis(English: 'five gems'), which are often sung in programs in his honour.

Personal life and background

Tyagaraja was born in 1759 in Tiruvarur, a small town in the Thanjavur district of Old Madras State, now Tamil Nadu, to Kakarla Ramabrahmam and Sitamma in a Telugu Brahmin family of the Mulukanadu subsect.^[1] He was named Tyagaraja, after Lord Tyagaraja, the presiding deity of the temple at Tiruvarur. Tyagaraja was born at his maternal grandfather, Giriraja Kavi's house. Giriraja Kavi was a poet-composer in the court of the king of Thanjavur.

Tyagaraja was married at a young age to Parvatamma, who died shortly afterwards. He then married Kamalamba and they had a daughter named Sitalakshmi. Tyagaraja died on January 6, 1847.^[2]

Musical career

Tyagaraja began his musical training under Sonti Venkataramanayya, a noted music scholar, at an early age. He regarded music as a way to experience God's love. His objective while practising music was purely devotional, as opposed to focusing on the technicalities of classical music. He also showed a flair for composing music, and, in his teens, composed his first song Namo Namo Raghavayya in the Desika Todi ragam, and inscribed it on the walls of the house.

A few years later, Sonti Venkataramanayya invited Tyagaraja to perform at his house in Thanjavur. On that occasion, Tyagaraja sang Endaro Mahaanubhavulu, the fifth of the Pancharatna Krithis. Pleased with Tyagaraja's composition, Sonti Venkataramanayya informed the King of Thanajavur about Tyagaraja's genius. The king sent an invitation, along with many rich gifts, inviting Tyagaraja to attend the royal court. Tyagaraja, however was not inclined towards a career at the court, and rejected the invitation outright, composing another gem of a kriti, Nidhi Chala Sukhama (English: "Does wealth bring happiness?") on this occasion. Angered at Tyagaraja's rejection of the royal offer, his brother threw the statues of Rama, Tyagaraja used in his prayers into the nearby Kaveri river. Tyagaraja, unable to bear the separation with his Lord, went on pilgrimages to all the major temples in South India and composed many songs in praise of the deities of those temples.

In addition to nearly 600 compositions (kritis), Tyagaraja composed two musical plays in Telugu, the Prahalada Bhakti Vijayam and the Nauka Charitam. Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam is in five acts with 45 kritis set in 28 ragas and 138 verses, in different metres in Telugu. Nauka Charitam is a shorter play in one act with 21 kritis set in 13 ragas and 43 verses. The latter is the most popular of Tyagaraja's operas, and is a creation of the composer's own imagination and has no basis in the Bhagavata Purana.

Often overlooked is the fact that Tyagaraja's works are some of the best and most beautiful literary expressions in Telugu language. Valmiki composed the Ramayana, the story of Rama, with 24,000 verses and incidentally Tyagaraja also composed 24,000 kritis in praise of the lord.

K.V. Ramachandran, a well-known 20th-century Indian music critic, wrote: "Thyagaraja is an indefatigable interpreter of the past...but if with one eye he looks backward, with the other he looks forward as well. Like Prajapati, he creates his own media and adores his Rama not alone with jewel-words newly fashioned, but also with jewel-[like]-music newly created. It is this facet of Thyagaraja that distinguishes him from his illustrious contemporaries." In other words, while Tyagaraja's contemporaries were primarily concerned with bringing to audiences the music of the past, Tyagaraja did the same, whilst pioneering new musical concepts at the same time.

Remembrance

Tyagaraja Aradhana, the commemorative music festival is held every year at Thiruvaiyaru in the months of January to February in Tyagaraja's honour. This is a week-long festival of music where various Carnatic musicians from all over the world converge at his resting place. On the Pushya Bahula Panchami^[3], thousands of people and hundreds of Carnatic musicians sing the five Pancharatna Kritis in unison, with the accompaniment of a large bank of accompanists on violins, flutes, nagasvarams, mridangams and ghatams.

Popular culture

Films on Tyagaraja (Biographical)

As the most famous composer of Telugu kritis or (kirtanas), Tyagaraja who is fondly remembered as Tyagayya, has caught the imagination of various film makers in the Telugu film industry. Apart from references to his works, using the kirtanas as songs; two films were made on his life. The legendary Chittor V. Nagaiah made a biographical epic on Tyagaraja titled "Tyagayya" in 1946 which is still treated as a masterpiece of Telugu cinema. Nagayya's rendition of "Endaro Mahanubhavulu" and its picturisation is treated as a matchless classic even today. Later, Bapu - Ramana made Tyagayya in 1981 with J. V. Somayajulu in the lead role. Another attempt is being made by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao to picturise the life of Tyagaraja.

Tyagaraja's compositions

	Kriti	Raga
1	Dudukugala	gowla	Pancharatna Kriti
2	Sadhinchane	Arabi	Pancharatna Kriti
3	Kana Kana Ruchira	varAli	Pancharatna Kriti
4	Endaro mahAnu bhAvulu	sri	Pancharatna Kriti
5	Jagadanandakaraka	Nattai	Pancharatna Kriti
6	SogasugA Mridanga	sri ranjani
7	EnAti nOmu palamO	Bhairavi
8	SAmaja Vara GamanA	hindoLam
9	Nagumomu	Abheri
10	Telisi rama	pUranachandrikA
11	ManasA YeturlO	malaya mArutham
12	Raga Sudha Rasa	AndOlika
13	Vandhanamu raghu nandanA	sahAna
14	Bantu Reethi Kolu	HamsanAdam
15	Teliya LEru RAmA	dhenuka
16	Sompaina Manasutho	Ahiri
17	Baagyenayya	chandrajyoti
18	Mari Mari Ninne	kAmboji
19	Sri Rama PAdamA	amruthavAhini
20	MOkshamu Galadha	sAramati
21	ShObillu Sapthaswara	jaganmOhini
22	EthAvunarA	kalyANi
23	Amba Ninnu	Arabi
24	Sundari Ninnu	Arabi
25	Naamoralanu	Arabi
26	Juthamurare	Arabi
27	Nadasudha rasa	Arabi
28	O rajeevaksha	Arabi
29	Adukuvaramula	Arabi
30	Ipudaina nannu	Arabi
31	Ninne nera namminanu	Arabi
32	O rama rama	Arabi
33	RAma PAhi MEgha	kApi
34	Nagumomu Galavani	madhyamavati
35	Nada Tanumanisham	chitharanjani
36	Dasaratha Nandana	asAveri
37	HecharikagA RArA	yadukula kAmboji
38	Ra Rama Inti Daka	asAvEri
39	Tulasi DaLa	mayAmAlava goula
40	SogasujUda Tharama	kannaDagowLa
41	SEthamma MAyamma	vasanthA
42	PAhimAm HarE MahAnu	sowrAshtram
43	RAnidhi RAdhu	maNirangu
44	Odanu JaripE	sArangA
45	Niravathi Sukadha	ravi chandrika
46	paralOka bhayamu	mandAri
47	dayaseyavayya	yamunA kalyAni
48	nArAyana hari	yamunA kalyAni
49	rAma rAma	yamunA kalyAni
50	vidhichakradula ku	yamunA kalyAni
51	haridAsulu vEdulu	yamunA kalyAni
52	abhimAnamu lEdhEmi	AndhAli
53	kAla haraNa mElarA harE	sudha sAveri
54	raghu nAyakA	hamsadwani
55	abhishta varadA	hamsadwani
56	sri raghukula	hamsadwani
57	adamOdi gala	chArukEsi
58	yentha vEduko	saraswathi manohari
59	lIla gAnu jUcE	dundhubi	Only kriti in this raga
60	nanu kanna thalli	sindhu kannada
61	ninnE bhajana	nAttai
62	rAjuvEdale	todi
63	ArAgimpavE	todi
64	evari mAta vinnAvo	kambhoji
65	Sara sama dana	Kapi Narayani
66	Maa Janaki	Khamboji
67	Nija Marmamulanu	Umabharanam
68	Cakkani Raja	Khara Harapriya
69	Narada Gana Lola	Atana
70	Evaru Vunnaru Brovava	Malavasri
71	Seethapathe Na Manasuna	Khamas
72	yOchana kamala lOchana	durbAr
73	parAsakti manu	sAveri
74	Manasaa Sri Rama Chandruni	ishamanohari
75	Emidova Balkuma	sArangi
76	Kaluguna Pada Neeraja Seva	pUraNalalithA
77	anurAgamulE	saraswathi(64)
78	nidhi chAla	kalyANi(65)
79	gandhamu puyyarugA	punnAgavarALi
80	vara lIla gAna lOlA	shankaraBharaNam(29)
81	raminchuvAr evarurA	supOshini(28)
82	sArasa nEtra	shankarAbharaNam(29)
83	Manavyalakincharathate	nalinAkAnthi
84	KshIrasagara sayanA	dEvagAndhari
85	kolivaiunnAdE	dEvagAndhari
86	vinaradana manavi	dEvagAndhari
87	karuna samudra	dEvagAndhari
88	sItAvara sangIta	dEvagAndhari
89	maravakurA	dEvagAndhari
90	namoralakimpa	dEvagAndhari
91	eavaru manaki	dEvagAndhari
92	palaya sri raghuvara	dEvagAndhari
93	sri thulasamma	dEvagAndhari
94	tanaloni dayaninchi	dEvagAndhari
95	marugElarA O rAghavA	jayantashree	dEshaadi tALam

References

^ His date of birth according to the Hindu lunar year Sarvajit 27th Soma, on Chaitra Sukla Sapthami, the 7th day of the bright half of the Hindu month of Chaitra, under the Pushya star.
^ On Pushya Bahula Panchami, the fifth day of the dark half of the month of Pushya, in the Hindu lunar year Prabhaava.
^ Pushya Bahula Panchami - the fifth day of the dark half of the month of Pushya, in the Hindu calendar every year.

Saint Tyagaraja's Nauka Charitam, A Dance Drama, choreographed by Radha, Doordarshan Archives, New Delhi 2003
The Spiritual Heritage of Tyagaraja, C. Ramanujachari with Introduction by Dr V.Raghavan, Ramakrishna Math, Chennai
Tyagaraja Kritigal (in Malayalam) by Prof P.R. Kumara Kerala Varma, Dept of Cultural Publications, Govt of Kerala, Trivandrum, 2000
Tyagaraja Kirtanalu (in Telugu) by Smt Dwaraka Parthasarathy and Sri N.C. Parthasarathy, Tagore Publishing House, Kachiguda, Hyderabad, 1995(Balasaraswati Book Depot, Kurnool)
Ramachandran, K.V., 'The Melakarta: A Critique,' The (Madras) Music Academy Platinum Jubilee Commemoration Volume, Vol. I, 1930-1940 (Original publication in the Journal of the Music Academy in 1938)

External links

[1] His date of birth according to the Hindu lunar year Sarvajit 27th Soma, on Chaitra Sukla Sapthami, the 7th day of the bright half of the Hindu month of Chaitra, under the Pushya star.

[2] On Pushya Bahula Panchami, the fifth day of the dark half of the month of Pushya, in the Hindu lunar year Prabhaava.

[3] Pushya Bahula Panchami - the fifth day of the dark half of the month of Pushya, in the Hindu calendar every year.

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