Muthiah Bhagavathar

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Muthiah Bhagavathar

Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavathar (November 15, 1877 - June 30, 1945) was a composer of Carnatic music and a famous singer.

Muthiah Bhagavathar was born in Harikesanallur, a small village in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu in India, in the late 19th century. He was sent to Thiruvaiyaru, to learn the sastras, but due to the melodies of Carnatic music that surrounded him he soon found himself at the residence of Guru Sambasiva Iyer of the sishya parampara of Thyagaraja, to become a skilled musician.

He had to his credit almost 400 musical compositions, the largest among the post-Trinity composers, that included many different types of Varnams as well as other kritis and thillanas. The songs were on a number of Hindu gods, his patrons, and in four languages - Telugu, Tamil, Sanskrit and Kannada. Almost 20 ragams owe their existence today to this great composer, including Vijaysaraswathi, Karnaranjani, Budhamanohari, Niroshta and Hamsanandhi. He also popularized 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).

He was adept at playing both the 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 Swathi 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 nagaswara vidwans playing during the puja time at the Thiruvananthapuram temple." Muthiah Bhagavathar was awarded the most prestigious award in Carnatic music, Sangeetha Kalanidhi title in 1930.

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