Mysore Vasudevachar
Encyclopedia
Mysore Vasudevachar was a renowned composer of Carnatic music compositions as also an accomplished singer.
Tyagaraja
--> Manambuchavadi Venkatasubba Iyer --> Patnam Subramania Iyer
--> Mysore Vasudevacharya
Vasudevachar's compositions (numbering over 200) were mostly in Telugu and Sanskrit. Some of his most popular kritis include Brochevarevarura in Khamas raga, Devadideva in Sunadavinodini, Mamavatu Sri Saraswati in Hindolam, "Bhajare Re Manasa" in "Abheri" and "Ra Ra Rajeevalochana Rama" in Mohanam. He published a large number of his compositions in the book Vasudeva Kirtana Manjari. His compositions in Telugu have such sweetness and lilt, and beautifully blend with the tune of the raga as do the Sanskrit compositions, which are mellifluous. His songs reflect his mastery over Sanskrit language and show his erudition and scholarship in Sanskrit literature. In his Telugu compositions, one can see the deep insight he had into the language. He considered his insight into Telugu as a gift from Thyagaraja (Thyagaraja's bhiksha). Unlike the Dasa kuta songs, his compositions don't have any Dvaita undertones but many have the words "Paramapurusha Vasudeva" or "Vasudeva" which means the supreme Vasudeva/Lord Vishnu which incidentally is also his mudra or signature. True to his Vaishnava heritage and the Thyagaraja shishya parampara to which he belonged, most of his compositions are in praise of Lord Rama his favourite deity. In addition to Kritis and Keertanas, he also composed Varnams, Thillanas, Javalis and slokas. His admiration for the trinity of Carnatic music specially Thyagaraja resulted in "Srimadadi Thyagaraja Guruvaram" in Kalyani, "Shri Ramachandra"(a ragamalika)and two other ragamalikas in praise of Muthuswamy Dikshithar and Shyama Sastri. Vasudevachar's compositions are thus like sugar candy which gives one instant pleasure and yet lingers on in the mind and heart long after.
He is also credited with two writings in Kannada, one of them an autobiography called Nenapugalu (meaning "memories") and Na Kanda Kalavidaru (meaning "The musicians I have met") in which he wrote the biographies of many well known musicians.[1]
Mysore Vasudevachar also taught in Rukmini Devi's Kalakshetra, (founded in 1936). He was already quite old by then, but thanks to Rukmini Devi he agreed to shift to Kalakshetra. He became the chief musician in Kalakshetra and helped in setting the Ramayana to music. He died in the year 1961 at the ripe old age of 96. He lived a simple and austere life devoted to the study of Sanskrit and music.
S. Rajaram, his grandson worked at Kalakshetra eventually taking charge of the institution at Rukmini Devi's request. Vasudevachar had composed the music for only the first four kandas and it was left to Rajaram to finish the work. An accomplished musician and Sanskrit scholar, he remains amongst the few musicians, the sole repository of Vasudevachar's compositions. He died on June 2, 2009.
S. Krishnamoorthy, his other grandson worked at All India Radio(A.I.R) and has translated his grandfather's memoirs into English. He's also published a memoir of his own.
Tyagaraja
Tyagaraja
Kakarla Tyagabrahmam , colloquially known as Tyāgarājar and Tyagayya was one of the greatest composers of Carnatic music or classical South Indian music. He, along with his contemporaries Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastry, forms the Trinity of Carnatic music...
--> Manambuchavadi Venkatasubba Iyer --> Patnam Subramania Iyer
Patnam Subramania Iyer
Patnam Subramania Iyer was a composer and singer of Carnatic music. Subramaniya Iyer followed the traditions of the great composer Tyagaraja. He has left behind almost one hundred compositions....
--> Mysore Vasudevacharya
Life & Career
Vasudevachar was born in Mysore and started learning music from Veena Padmanabhiah, the chief musician of the Mysore court. He also mastered Sanskrit and allied fields such as Kavya, Tarka, Vyakarana, Nataka, Itihasa, Purana, Sahitya et al... having studied at the Maharaja Sanskrit college in Mysore. He then went on to learn from the famous composer cum musician Patnam Subramania Iyer and imbibed the music of not only his Guru but also other great maestros of the Thanjavur delta. Vasudevachar eventually became the chief court musician(Asthana Vidwan) at the Mysore court. He was known for his madhyama-kala tanam singing which he learnt from his Guru. Patnam Subramania Iyer often requested his sishya "Vasu" to help him with the sahitya(lyric) aspects of his compositions. This aspect of his training undoubtedly helped Vasudevachar as a composer. Vasudevachar belonged to the direct line of Thyagaraja's disciples. The lineage is as follows:Vasudevachar's compositions (numbering over 200) were mostly in Telugu and Sanskrit. Some of his most popular kritis include Brochevarevarura in Khamas raga, Devadideva in Sunadavinodini, Mamavatu Sri Saraswati in Hindolam, "Bhajare Re Manasa" in "Abheri" and "Ra Ra Rajeevalochana Rama" in Mohanam. He published a large number of his compositions in the book Vasudeva Kirtana Manjari. His compositions in Telugu have such sweetness and lilt, and beautifully blend with the tune of the raga as do the Sanskrit compositions, which are mellifluous. His songs reflect his mastery over Sanskrit language and show his erudition and scholarship in Sanskrit literature. In his Telugu compositions, one can see the deep insight he had into the language. He considered his insight into Telugu as a gift from Thyagaraja (Thyagaraja's bhiksha). Unlike the Dasa kuta songs, his compositions don't have any Dvaita undertones but many have the words "Paramapurusha Vasudeva" or "Vasudeva" which means the supreme Vasudeva/Lord Vishnu which incidentally is also his mudra or signature. True to his Vaishnava heritage and the Thyagaraja shishya parampara to which he belonged, most of his compositions are in praise of Lord Rama his favourite deity. In addition to Kritis and Keertanas, he also composed Varnams, Thillanas, Javalis and slokas. His admiration for the trinity of Carnatic music specially Thyagaraja resulted in "Srimadadi Thyagaraja Guruvaram" in Kalyani, "Shri Ramachandra"(a ragamalika)and two other ragamalikas in praise of Muthuswamy Dikshithar and Shyama Sastri. Vasudevachar's compositions are thus like sugar candy which gives one instant pleasure and yet lingers on in the mind and heart long after.
He is also credited with two writings in Kannada, one of them an autobiography called Nenapugalu (meaning "memories") and Na Kanda Kalavidaru (meaning "The musicians I have met") in which he wrote the biographies of many well known musicians.[1]
Mysore Vasudevachar also taught in Rukmini Devi's Kalakshetra, (founded in 1936). He was already quite old by then, but thanks to Rukmini Devi he agreed to shift to Kalakshetra. He became the chief musician in Kalakshetra and helped in setting the Ramayana to music. He died in the year 1961 at the ripe old age of 96. He lived a simple and austere life devoted to the study of Sanskrit and music.
S. Rajaram, his grandson worked at Kalakshetra eventually taking charge of the institution at Rukmini Devi's request. Vasudevachar had composed the music for only the first four kandas and it was left to Rajaram to finish the work. An accomplished musician and Sanskrit scholar, he remains amongst the few musicians, the sole repository of Vasudevachar's compositions. He died on June 2, 2009.
S. Krishnamoorthy, his other grandson worked at All India Radio(A.I.R) and has translated his grandfather's memoirs into English. He's also published a memoir of his own.
Compositions
| Composition | Raga Raga A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made... | Tala Tala Tala may refer to:* Samoan tālā, the monetary unit of Samoa* Tala , a DC Comics supervillainess of the Phantom Stranger* Tala , the goddess of stars in Tagalog mythology* Tala , a rhythmic pattern in Indian classical music... | Type | Language | Audio Links |
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| bhajana sEyarAda SrI rAmuni | dharmavati | rUpaka | Telugu Telugu language Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu... |
Vairamangalam Lakshminarayanan (Part 1) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5WNYzUXbe4 Vairamangalam Lakshminarayanan (Part 2) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcS0nExnwHk |
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| brOcE vArevaru rA Broche varevaru ra Broche varevaru ra is a popular Telugu composition of Mysore Vasudevachar in Raga Kamas-Pallavi:brOcE vArevaru rA - ninu vinA raghu varA nI caraNAmbujamula nE viDajAla karuNAlavAla-Anupallavi:O caturAnanAdi vandita - nIku parAkElanayyA... |
kamAs | Adi | Telugu Telugu language Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu... |
MS Subbulakshmi - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aqd9Pmksx8s Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2QkYh9Eesc Bombay Sisters - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHwqrpXxHms Nagavalli Nagaraj - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEY07a-3NcQ |
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| girijA ramaNA natajana sharaNA | gambhIra nATa | Adi | Sanskrit Sanskrit Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand... |
Vani Sateesh - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TpEJtzi-aw |
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| gOkula nilaya kRpAlaya pAlaya | abhEri | Adi | Sanskrit Sanskrit Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand... |
TM Krishna - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fHEVqhre7o |
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| mAmavatu SrI saraswatI | Hindola | Adi | Sanskrit Sanskrit Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand... |
Priya Sisters - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnvGV7GtKlM Sudha Raghunathan - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_-UV1mLZug |
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| mari mari vaccunA mAnava janma | kAmbhOji | Adi | Telugu Telugu language Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu... |
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| nIkEla daya rAdu rAmacandrA | kadana kutUhalam | Adi | Telugu Telugu language Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu... |
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| nimishamainA shrI rAmaA yana rAdA | sAma | Adi | Telugu Telugu language Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu... |
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| ramA ramaNa nArAyaNA | nAga swarALi | Adi | Sanskrit Sanskrit Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand... |
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| vara lakshmI namOstu tE | gourI manOhari | rUpaka | Sanskrit Sanskrit Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand... |
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| Sri Chamundeshwari | bilahari Bilahari Bilahari is a rāgam in Carnatic music . It is a janya rāgam from the 29th melakarta scale Shankarabharanam. It is a janya scale, as it does not have all the seven swaras in the ascending scale... |
Adi | Sanskrit Sanskrit Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand... |