Musicians of The Kingdom of Mysore - King Krishnaraja Wodeyar III (1794-1868)

King Krishnaraja Wodeyar III (1794-1868)

This period heralded the beginning of British control over the administration of Mysore and the start of an important period in the development of vocal and instrumental Carnatic music in south India. King Krishnaraja Wodeyar III was a trained musician, musicologist and composer of merit. Being a devotee of the Hindu goddess Chamundeshwari, he wrote all his compositions under the mudra (pen name) "'Chamundi'" or "'Chamundeshwari'". He composed many philosophically themed javali (light lyric) and devotional songs in the Kannada language under the title Anubhava pancharatna. Javali in Carnatic music have their roots in Mysore and are first mentioned in the king's writings as javadi. His scholarship in Kannada is acclaimed and his compositions are seen as parallels to the vachana poems of the Virashaiva poets and to the devotional songs (pada) of the Haridasas of Karnataka. Mysore Sadashiva Rao was born in Greemspet in the Chittoor district of modern Andhra Pradesh to a Maharashtrian family. He came to Mysore between 1825 and 1835 and served as a court musician to the incumbent king for nearly fifty years. His compositions are said to have been in the hundreds, though only about one hundred, written in Sanskrit and Telugu under the pen name "Sadashiva", still exist. He is known as the reviver of Carnatic music in the Karnataka region.

Veena Venkatasubbiah came from a Mysorean family of famous veena artists ( or "vainika") of the time of King Haider Ali and belonged to the Badaganadu community. He was appointed music teacher to King Krishnaraja Wodeyar III by his minister (or "Dewan") Purniah, who wanted to make Mysore the cultural centre of south India just as Vijayanagara had been during the rule of the Vijayanagara Empire. His most famous composition is the Sapta taleshwari gite. Some historians claim the work was a combined effort by the king and the musician. The king's son-in-law, Aliya Lingraj Urs, was an authority and composer in both the Kannada and Sanskrit languages. A native of Heggadadevanakote (in modern Mysore district), he had several interests in the fine arts. He has over fifty works including compositions, dramas, and Yakshagana to his credit, all of which were written with a pen name beginning with "Linga", such as "Lingendra" or "Lingaraja". His most famous compositions in Kannada are titled "Chandravali jogi hadu", "Pancha vimshati leele" and "Amba kirtana", and in Sanskrit, the "Shringara lahari".

Shunti Venkataramaniah was a musician from Tiruvayyar (modern Tamil Nadu) and an expert at playing the tambura. He was introduced to the king by the court musician Veena Venkatasubbiah under unusual circumstances. When Venkataramaniah first met Veena Venkatasubbiah, the latter asked him to sing a particular tune. Unable to sing it, Venkataramaniah walked away, only to return a year later having mastered the tune. While singing the tune, Venkataramaniah went into a trance and the court musician hurried to the palace and requested the king to be audience to the singer. The king arrived there and was so pleased with Venkataramaniah's voice he appointed him as a court musician. Venkataramaniah's most famous composition is the Lakshana gite.

Chinniah was the eldest son of a family known as the "Tanjore quartet", a quartet of brothers who were singers and composers. Before his arrival in Mysore, Chinniah served at the court of the Tanjore kings Sarabhoji II and Shivaji II. He had learnt music from Muthuswamy Dikshitar. At the court of the king of Mysore, Chinniah created several compositions in praise of his patron king and the local deity Chamundeshwari. Famous among these compositions are Ninnu koriyunna, Vanajalochana, Nivanti, Chakkani na mohanaguni, Manavigai konarada and several javali.

Veena Chikka Lakshminaranappa, an expert vainika, was a descendant of Krishnappa, a Mysore court musician during the time of Bettada Chamaraja Wodeyar in the 16th century. Chikka Lakshminaranappa became the chief musician in the Prasanna Krishnaswamy temple located within the palace premises. His two sons Krishnappa and Seenappa, who were later patronised by the kings of Mysore, were also proficient players of the veena and violin. Well known visiting musicians to the court during this time included Pallavi Gopalayyar, Veena Kuppayyar, Tiruvattiyur Thyagayyar, Veena Krishnayya and Suryapurada Ananda Dasaru.