Dharmapuri Subbarayar

Dharmapuri Jaavali Subbarayar was a composer of Carnatic music who lived during the nineteenth century. He composed mainly in the Telugu language and used Dharmapuri, the name of his birthplace and a city in Tamil Nadu, as his mudra. He was famous for composing Jaavali, a song-type used for romantic subjects.

The word Javali is said to have come from the Kannada Word “Javada” which means “Lewd Poetry”. Javali, a musical composition often sung at the closing part of the concert program, is one of the most popular forms of classical music. It is pronounced both as “Javali” and Javadi in Kannada. The Marathi word “Jhawali” means a gesture of eyes in the language of ‘love’. According to the Tamil Lexicon, the origin is traced from the Urudu word ‘Jahali’ or ‘Jhawali’. But this is not confirmed by the Persian or Arabic scholars. In the Telugu language its etymological source may perhaps be traced to the word ‘Java’ meaning speed or ‘Vega’ or quickness, indicating the tempo in which Javalis are usually sung.

Dharmapuri Subbarayar hailed from Dharmapuri, Tamilnadu, and composed in Telugu. He is the most notable composer of the Jaavali form, of which he is the universally acclaimed master. Most of the music he composed, therefore, dealt with sringaara rasa, or romantic and even erotic love, and all were of the jaavali form. Many of his compositions were composed in the home of Veena Dhanam, whose music he admired, and who learned around 60 javalis from him. It is said that he may have composed the poignant javali “Sakhiprana” at her home, grief-stricken at his inability to save her from bankruptcy. Smara sundaranguni (paras) was also written out of respect for her. This close contact with Veena Dhanam as well as T. Balasaraswati influenced dance as much as music, especially abhinaya. Subbarayar was also employed by the Yenadi Sisters. T Shankaran, in one of his articles, writes that he kept a notebook at his bedside near the pillow to write down the javalis that came to mind, but his wife is said to have fervently prayed to the diety at Tiruchengodu that her children should not take after their father!

Among his compositions are javalis like Parulanna mata (Kapi), Sakhiprana (Jhunjooti), vaaNi pondu (kaanaDaa), , caarumati (kaanaDaa), Muttavadura Mohananga (saavEri), Ethanaichonalum (saavEri), ni Pondu Chalu (kaanaDaa), Narimani (Khamas), praana sakutitu (chenchurutti), Idi niku (bEgaDa) and Emandune muddu (Saindhavi).

Compositions

External links

• Karnatic.com biography

See also

• List of Carnatic composers