Muthiah Bhagavatar

2021-06-25T12:52:19Z

2405:201:E00E:C040:24D4:F87F:90BD:83B4: /* Varnams */

{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Muthiah Bhagavatar
| image = MuthiahBhagavatarPic.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1877|11|15}}
| birth_place = Harikesanallur, [[Tirunelveli]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1945|06|30|1877|11|15}}
| death_place =
| nationality = Indian
| other_names =
| occupation = Song composer
| years_active =
| known_for =
| notable_works =
}}
'''Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar''' (15 November 1877 – 30 June 1945), commonly known as '''Muthiah Bhagavatar''', is one of [[Carnatic music|Carnatic classical music's]] famous twentieth-century composers. He also created about 20 ''[[raga]]s''.

==Early life==
Muthiah was born on 15 November 1877, in Harikesanallur, a small village in the [[Tirunelveli]] district of [[Tamil Nadu]] in India, into an affluent [[Brahmin]] family. He was exposed to music from a very early age, as his father was a patron of musicians. He lost his father at the young age of six years, and his maternal uncle M. Lakshmana Suri took over the responsibility for his education, initiating Muthiah into [[Sanskrit]] and [[Vedas|Vedic]] studies. However, the love of music that had been implanted in him led Muthiah to leave his hometown of [[Harikesanallur]], Tamil Nadu when he was only ten years in search of a teacher. He found the gifted teacher Padinaindumandapa Sambasiva Iyer at [[Tiruvarur]], who recognised Muthiah's talent for music. Sambasiva Iyer was the father of T.S Sabesa Iyer, a contemporary who also went on to win the prestigious [[Sangeetha Kalanidhi]] award from the [[Madras Music Academy]]. During the nine years he spent with Sambasiva Iyer, Muthiah cultivated this talent and made his name as a ''Harikata Vidhwan''. His rich voice and excellent tanam singing made him one of the era's most highly coveted concert artists.He was Asthana vidvan in seithur zamin and first guru of m. Subbulakshmi

==Composer==
He has to his credit almost 400 musical compositions, the largest among the post-[[Trinity of Carnatic music|Trinity]] composers, that included many different types of ''[[Varnam]]s'' as well as ''[[Kriti]]s'' and ''[[Thillana]]s''. The songs were on a number of the [[Hindu pantheon]], his patrons. He composed them in four languages – [[Telugu language|Telugu]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Sanskrit]] and [[Kannada language|Kannada]].

Some of the ragams that owe their existence today to this great composer include ''Vijaysaraswathi'', ''Karnaranjani'', ''Budhamanohari'' and ''[[Niroshta]]''. He also popularised ''[[Shanmukhapriya]]'' and ''[[Mohanakalyani]]''. When someone asked if he could compose something that would appeal to Westerners, he composed the English notes (later popularised by [[Madurai Mani Iyer]]).

In 1934, Muthiah composed music for Tamil Nadu Talkies then owned by S. Soundararaja for their ''Lavakusa'', a film based on the Uttara [[Ramayana]]. Bhagavathar initially was very reluctant but was later persuaded by Raval Krishna Iyer, a budding contractor of Madras. Muthiah travelled to Bombay where the film was being made at the Ranjit Studios. He composed 63 songs for the film resulting in the film being renamed as ''Sangeetha Lavakusa''.

==Artist==
He was adept at playing both the [[Gottuvadhyam|Chitraveena]] and [[Mridangam]].


In addition to musical talents, his theoretical knowledge was also vast. He wrote a treatise on musical theory, ''Sangita Kalpa Drumam'', and regularly gave lectures on musicology at the Music Academy. He was the first musician to be awarded a doctorate in India when the [[Kerala University]] awarded him the D. Litt. for his Tamil treatise in 1943. He was also the first principal of the [[Swati Tirunal]] Academy of music started in [[Trivandrum]] in 1939. Muthiah Bhagavatar has also authored a Sanskrit poetic work called ''Tyagaraja Vijaya Kavya''. [[T. N. Seshagopalan]], who was taught by [[Ramanathapuram]] Sankara Sivam, a disciple of Muthiah Bhagavathar, said "He was also the first to introduce the practice of [[Nadaswaram|nagaswara]] vidwans playing during the [[Puja (Hinduism)|puja]] time at the Thiruvananthapuram temple."

He lived like a great king, but was as magnanimous as he was rich. The Harikesanjali Trust (promoted by his descendants) has been established to propagate his compositions.

==Awards and recognitions==
Having impressed the [[Maharaja of Mysore]], he was appointed court musician at Mysore.He was patronized by the [[Maharaja of Mysore]] [[Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV]]. At Mysore he composed 115 [[kriti]]s in Kannada in praise of Chamundi devi, the matron goddess of the Mysore dynasty. Later he was invited to the court of [[Travancore]] by the Maharaja Mulam Tirunal where he studied [[Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma|Swatitirunal]] ''kritis'' and wrote the book ''Sangeeta Kalpadruma'', which won him an honorary doctorate. Muthiah Bhagavathar was the first President of the Annual Conference at the [[Madras Music Academy]] and was awarded the most prestigious award in [[Carnatic music]], [[Sangeetha Kalanidhi]] title in 1930. He was conferred with an [[honorary doctorate]] by [[University of Kerala]] in 1942.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://hindu.com/2003/03/29/stories/2003032903810400.htm|title=D.Litt for Yesudas after Muthia and Semmangudi from Kerala University|location=Chennai, India|date=29 March 2003|access-date=18 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001175410/http://hindu.com/2003/03/29/stories/2003032903810400.htm|archive-date=1 October 2013|work=[[The Hindu]]|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Legacy==
When he died in 1945, Muthiah Bhagavatar had written over 400 ''kritis'' and changed the entire landscape of Carnatic music by introducing many Hindustani [[raga]]s (for example "Sohini" which is Hamsaanandhi in carnatic and Saarang Malhar) and creating approximately 20 new ragas of his own. He ensured that his legacy would live on with such compositions as ''Bhuvanesvariya'' and also through his disciples, the most famous of which was [[Madurai Mani Iyer]].

Muthiah Bhagavatar's legacy of music lives on in his granddaughter, [[veena]] expert Smt. [[Rugmini Gopalakrishnan]].

== Compositions ==

=== Varnams ===

{|class="wikitable"
! ''Composition'' !! ''[[Raga]]'' !! ''[[Tala (music)|Tala]]'' !! ''Language'' !! ''Audio Links'' || ''Other Info''
|-
| ''mAtE malaya-dhvaja pANDya-saHNjAtE'' || ''[[Khamas|khammaj]]'' || ''Adi'' || [[Sanskrit]]/[[Kannada]] || {{YouTube|YazYNWimg9Y|M.S. Subbulakshmi}} ||Dharu Varnam
|-
| ''shrI rAja-mAtaHNgi'' || ''[[Shuddha Dhanyasi]]'' || ''Adi'' || [[Telugu language|Telugu]] ||
|Tana Varnam
|-
| "shrI rAjarAjEswari" || ''[[Kapi (raga)|Kapi]]'' || "Misra Chapu" || [[Sanskrit]] || || "Dharu Varnam" ||
|-
|Sannuthangi shri Chamundeshwari
|Vasantha
|Adi
|Telugu
|
|Dharu Varnam
|
|-
|manamOhana
|Mohanam
|Adi
|Telugu
|
|Tana varnam
|
|-
|}

=== Chamundamba ashtottara shatanama Krithis ===
=== Other Krithis ===
{|class="wikitable"
! ''Composition'' !! ''[[Raga]]'' !! ''[[Tala (music)|Tala]]'' !! ''Language'' !! ''Audio Links'' || ''Other Info''
|-
| ''Ananda rUpaM haraM durdarshaM'' || ''vijayashrI'' || ''Adi'' || ''Sanskrit'' || ||
|-
| ''ambA vANi nannu AdarimpavE'' || ''[[Keeravani|kiraNAvaLi]]'' || ''Adi'' || ''[[Telugu language|Telugu]]'' || {{YouTube|r9liDEEFA7E|''T N Seshagopalan''}} ||
|-
| ''aSTAdasha-supIThasthE'' || ''[[Simhendramadhyamam|simhEndra madhyamam]]'' || ''rUpaka'' || ''[[Sanskrit]]'' || ||
|-
| ''dakSAdhvara-haraM shaHNkaraM'' || ''[[Surati (raga)|Surati]]''
|-
| ''bhuvanEshwariya'' || ''[[Mohanakalyani|mOhana kalyANi]]'' || ''Adi'' || ''[[Kannada]]'' || {{YouTube|KoHDBYUlMAI|''Maharajapuram Santhanam''}} ||
|-
| ''gam gaNapatE namO namaH'' || ''[[Hamsadhvani|hamsa dhwani]]'' || ''rUpaka'' || ''[[Sanskrit]]'' || {{YouTube|zgH1Puih0Tc|''Nithyasree Mahadevan''}} ||
|-
| ''himagiri-tanayE hEma-latE'' || ''[[Udayaravichandrika|Shuddha dhanyAsi]]'' || ''Adi'' || ''[[Sanskrit]]'' || {{YouTube|zgH1Puih0Tc|''S. Sowmya''}} ||
|-
| ''rAja-rAjArAdhitE'' || rupakam''[[Niroshta]]'' || || ''[[Sanskrit]]'' || ||
|-
| ''shakti-gaNapatiM bhajEhaM'' || ''[[Nata (raga)|nATa]]'' || ''rUpaka'' || ''[[Sanskrit]]'' || ||
|-
| ''AryA dEvi amarEsha-nutE'' || ''sahAnA'' || ''Adi'' || ''Sanskrit'' || ||
|-
| ''siddhi-vinAyakaM sEvEhaM'' || ''[[Mohanakalyani|mOhana kalyANi]]'' || ''Adi'' || ''[[Sanskrit]]'' || ||
|-
| ''sudhA-mayI sudhA-nidhE'' || ''[[Amritavarshini|amRta varSiNi]]'' || ''rUpaka'' || ''[[Sanskrit]]'' || ||
|-
| ''vijayAmbikE vimalAtmikE'' || ''vijaya nAgari'' || ''Adi'' || ''[[Sanskrit]]'' || ||
|-
| ''ratna-kaHNcuka-dhAriNi'' || ''[[Kambhoji]]'' || ''Misra ChApu'' ||''[[Sanskrit]]'' ||
|-
| ''AdityaM dEvAdhi-dEvaM'' ||''[[mAyAmALavagauLaM]]'' || ''Adi tALaM'' ||''[[Sanskrit]]''
|-
|''giripriyaM gangAdharaM''
|''Katanakutuhalam''
|''Adi''
|''Sanskrit''
|
|
|-
|''devI SrI mahAlakshmi''
|''Harinarayani''
|''Rupakam''
|''Kannada''
|-
|''jaya mangaLaM nitya Subha mangaLaM''
|''Vasanta''
|''Adi''
|''Kannada''
|-
|''umE ninnagE''
|''Sri''
|''Adi''
|''Kannada''
|-
|''vAgIshvari vani saraswathi''
|''saraswathi''
|''Adi/Deshaadi''
|''Sanskrit''
|-
|''vAncatOnunA''
|''Karnaranjani''
|''Rupakam''
|''Telugu''
|
|-
|''varasiddhi vinAyaka''
|''Kannada''
|''Adi''
|''Sanskrirt''
|-
|''jaya mahishasura mardini''
|''Hamsadhwani''
|''Rupakam''
|''Sanskrit''
|{{YouTube|2m9Z66qs|''R. K Srikanthan''}}||
|-
|}

== See also ==
* [[List of Carnatic composers]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://saaranimusic.org/vaggeya/vaggeya.php?edi=34]
* [http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/07/06/stories/0906070v.htm Genius shining in regal style]
* [http://carnatica.net/composer/muthaiahbhagavatar.htm Basic Info]
* [http://carnatica.net/composer/hmb1.htm Detailed Biographical Information]
* [http://www.carnaticcorner.com/articles/muthiah.txt Articles on Muthiah Bhagavatar]

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhagavatar, Muthiah}}
[[Category:1877 births]]
[[Category:1945 deaths]]
[[Category:Carnatic composers]]
[[Category:Mridangam players]]
[[Category:Sangeetha Kalanidhi recipients]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century drummers]]
[[Category:Harikatha exponents]]

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Muthiah Bhagavatar