Muthiah Bhagavatar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Muthiah Bhagavatar
Born	Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar (1877-11-15)15 November 1877 Harikesanallur, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India
Died	30 June 1945(1945-06-30) (aged 67)
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Song composer

Harikesanallur Muthiah Bhagavatar (born November 15, 1877 – died June 30, 1945), often called Muthiah Bhagavatar, was a very famous composer of Carnatic music. This is a type of classical music from South India. He lived in the 1900s and created about 20 new ragas, which are like special musical scales or melodies.

Early Life and Musical Journey

Muthiah was born on November 15, 1877. His birthplace was Harikesanallur, a small village in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, India. He came from a well-off family. From a young age, he was surrounded by music because his father supported many musicians.

When Muthiah was only six, his father passed away. His uncle, M. Lakshmana Suri, then took care of his education. He taught Muthiah Sanskrit and ancient texts called Vedas. But Muthiah loved music so much that he left home at age ten to find a music teacher.

He found a talented teacher named Padinaindumandapa Sambasiva Iyer in Tiruvarur. This teacher quickly saw Muthiah's musical gift. Muthiah spent nine years with Sambasiva Iyer. During this time, he developed his musical skills and became known as a Harikata Vidhwan. This means he was a performer who told stories through music. His beautiful voice and excellent singing made him a very popular concert artist of his time.

A Prolific Composer

Muthiah Bhagavatar created almost 400 musical pieces. This is the largest number of compositions by any composer after the famous Trinity of Carnatic music. His works included many different types of songs, such as Varnams, Kritis, and Thillanas.

He wrote songs about various Hindu gods and goddesses, as well as for the kings who supported him. He composed in four different languages: Telugu, Tamil, Sanskrit, and Kannada.

Some of the ragas that exist today because of him include Vijaysaraswathi, Karnaranjani, Budhamanohari, and Niroshta. He also helped make Shanmukhapriya and Mohanakalyani ragas very popular. Once, someone asked him to create music that Westerners might enjoy. He then composed "English notes," which later became famous through singer Madurai Mani Iyer.

In 1934, Muthiah Bhagavatar composed music for a film called Lavakusa. This movie was based on a part of the ancient Indian story, the Ramayana. He was at first unsure about doing it, but was convinced by Raval Krishna Iyer. Muthiah traveled to Bombay (now Mumbai) where the film was being made. He composed 63 songs for the movie, which led to it being renamed Sangeetha Lavakusa (meaning "Musical Lavakusa").

Talented Artist and Scholar

Muthiah Bhagavatar was skilled at playing two musical instruments: the Chitraveena (a string instrument) and the Mridangam (a drum).

Beyond his musical talents, he also had a lot of knowledge about music theory. He wrote a book about music theory called Sangita Kalpa Drumam. He also often gave talks about music at the Music Academy.

In 1943, he became the first musician in India to receive a doctorate degree. The Kerala University gave him this special honor for his Tamil book. He was also the first principal of the Swati Tirunal Academy of Music, which started in Thiruvananthapuram in 1939. Muthiah Bhagavatar also wrote a Sanskrit poem called Tyagaraja Vijaya Kavya.

A famous musician named T. N. Seshagopalan, who was taught by one of Muthiah Bhagavatar's students, said that Muthiah was the first to have Nadaswaram players (who play a wind instrument) perform during the puja (worship) time at the Thiruvananthapuram temple.

Muthiah Bhagavatar lived a grand life and was very generous. Today, the Harikesanjali Trust, started by his family, works to share his musical compositions with more people.

Awards and Recognitions

Muthiah Bhagavatar impressed the Maharaja of Mysore, a powerful king. The Maharaja appointed him as a court musician in Mysore. There, he wrote 115 kritis (songs) in Kannada language, praising Chamundi Devi, the goddess of the Mysore royal family.

Later, the Maharaja Mulam Tirunal invited him to the court of Travancore. There, Muthiah studied the kritis of Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma. He also wrote his book Sangeeta Kalpadruma, which earned him an honorary doctorate degree.

In 1930, Muthiah Bhagavatar was the first person to lead the Annual Conference at the Madras Music Academy. He also received the most important award in Carnatic music, the Sangeetha Kalanidhi title. In 1942, the University of Kerala gave him another honorary doctorate.

Lasting Legacy

When Muthiah Bhagavatar passed away in 1945, he had written over 400 kritis. He greatly changed Carnatic music by bringing in many ragas from Hindustani music (another type of Indian classical music). For example, he adapted "Sohini" from Hindustani music into "Hamsaanandhi" in Carnatic music. He also created about 20 new ragas of his own.

He made sure his music would live on through songs like Bhuvanesvariya. His teachings also continued through his students, the most famous of whom was Madurai Mani Iyer.

Muthiah Bhagavatar's musical legacy is still alive today through his granddaughter, Smt. Rugmini Gopalakrishnan, who is an expert veena player.

Compositions

Here are some of the musical pieces Muthiah Bhagavatar composed:

Varnams

Other Krithis