Musicians of The Kingdom of Mysore - King Jayachamaraja Wodeyar

King Jayachamaraja Wodeyar

King Jayachamaraja Wodeyar was the last king of the Wodeyar dynasty. An avid fan of music, he was well trained in classical Western music and was an expert pianist. It was only during the later part of his life that he became interested in Carnatic classical music. Several compositions of the Russian composer Medtner were recorded by the king and made available to the public. For his contributions, he was awarded an honorary doctorate and was made a fellow of "Sangeet Natak Academy" (an academy of music and drama). Many important musicians were part of the king's court. Tiger Varadachariar, a native of Kaladipet (modern Tamil Nadu) moved initially to T. Narasipura where he performed music for some years. Later he moved back to Chennai where he served in various music schools. In 1916, he got an opportunity to sing in the presence of King Krishnadavaraja IV. Impressed with this musician's mastery over his art, the king gave him the title "Tiger" In 1944, Varadachariar was appointed court musician at Mysore. He has about eighty compositions to his credit. Chennakeshaviah, a native of Natanhalli (in modern Mandya district) was a Kannada pandit and court musician in 1944. Apart from his compositions, he wrote articles, published three volumes on haridasa compositions, and wrote a book on music. Other well-known musicians of the time were Dr. V Doraiswamy Iyengar(Veena Doreswamy Iyengar), Titte Krishna Iyengar, S. N. Mariappa, a native of Sasalu village (in modern Mandya district), Chintalapalli Ramachandra Rao, R. N. Doreswamy, a native of Rudrapatna (in modern Hassan district) and Vaidyalinga Bhagavatar.