Venkatamakhin also known as Venkateshwara, was a prominent musicologist and composer of Carnatic music

Carnatic music

Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...

; renowned for his Chaturdandi Prakashika in which he explicates the melakarta system of classifying 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...

s. Venkatamakhin composed geethams

Geethams

Geetham, the simplest music form in Carnatic music, was created by Purandara Dasa in order to introduce talas with sahithya .- Structure :...

 and prabandhas, as well as 24 ashtapadis in praise of Lord Thyagaraja of Tiruvarur

Tiruvarur

Tiruvarur is a town and a municipality in Tiruvarur district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Tiruvarur is the administrative headquarters of Tiruvarur district. Tiruvarur is one of the oldest towns which has been popular as cultural head quarters for many centuries...

.

Venkatamakhin was the son of Govinda Dikshita, a Kannada

Kannada language

Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...

 brahmin from Mysore. Govinda Dikshita himself was a scholar and musicologist, as well as a minister in the kingdom of Thanjavur. Venkatamakhin received his formal training under his elder brother, Yagnanarayana Dikshita.

Dr.Padma Murthy, noted musicologist has said in many of her speeches that Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji of Mysore is related to Venkatamakhin.