Saint Tyagaraja
| Tyagaraja | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Native name | త్యాగరాజ |
| Birth name | Kaakarla Tyaagabrahmam |
| Born |
4 May 1767 Thiruvarur,Thanjavur Maratha kingdom |
| Died | 6 January 1847 (aged 79) Thiruvayaru, Tanjore district, Madras Presidency |
| Genres | Carnatic music |
| Occupation(s) | Carnatic composer |
Kakarla Tyagabrahmam (4 May 1767 – 6 January 1847) or Saint Tyagaraja, also known as Tyāgayya in Telugu, was one of the greatest composers of Carnatic music or Indian classical music. He was a prolific composer and highly influential in the development of the classical music tradition. Tyagaraja composed thousands of devotional compositions, most in Telugu and in praise of Lord Rama, many of which remain popular today. Of special mention are five of his compositions called the Pancharatna Kritis (English: "five gems"), which are often sung in programs in his honour.
Tyagaraja saw the reigns of four kings of Maratha dynasty — Tulaja II (1763-1787), Amarasimha (1787-1798), Serfoji II (1798-1832) and Sivaji II (1832-1855).
Saint Tyāgarāja was born in 1767 in Tiruvarur, Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu to Kakarla Ramabrahmam and Sitamma in a Telugu Brahmin family. His family belonged to the smarta tradition and Bharadvajasa gotra. Tyagaraja was the third son of his parents, and Panchanada Brahmam and Panchapakesha Brahmam are his older brothers. He was named Tyagabrahmam/Tyagaraja after Tyagaraja, the presiding deity of the temple at tiruvArUr, the place of his birth. Tyagaraja's paternal grandfather was Giriraja Kavi. Giriraja Kavi was a poet and musician. Giriraja was born in Kakarla village, Cumbum taluk in Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh. He is believed to belong to the Mulakanadu of Niyogi sect. Tyagaraja's maternal grand father was Kalahastayya/Veena kalahastayya. He was a Veena player. Tyagaraja learned playing Veena in his childhood from Kalahastayya. After Kalahastayya's death Tyagaraja found "Naradeeyam", a book related to music.
Tyāgarāja began his musical training under Sonti Venkata Ramanayya, a music scholar, at an early age. He regarded music as a way to experience God's love. His objective while practicing 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.
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