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The origin of South Indian Music dates
back to the Vedic times. This genre of music has evolved since
the discovery of the seven vital notes, and the process of
evolution still continues. The golden Age of South Indian
Classical Music dates back to the period between 1750 and
1850. The more famous of the composers during those times
wree Sri Thyagaraja, Sri Mythuswamy Dikshithar and Sri Shyama
Shastri with Sri Thyagaraja in particular, changing the course
of musical history forever.
One of the most brilliant and versatile composers of that
time was Maharaja Sri Swathi Thirunal Ramavarma of Travancore,
who was hailed as “A Prince among Musicians and A Musician
among Princes”. His accomplishments in various fields
(music, dance, literature, education and administration) are
so vast and prolific, that it would ordinarily take a person
several lifetimes to achieve half of what he did during is
tragically short life of 33 years (April 16th, 1813 –
Christmas day, 1846).
Unlike most composers, he did not restrict his talents to
one or two genres of compositions. Apart from literary works
in Sanskrit, he has composed Keerthanas, Thana Varnams, Pada
Varnams, Janalis, Thillanas and compositions like Dhrupads,
Khayaals, Abhangs, Bhajans and Thumris. Though, a majority
of his compositions are in Sanskrit, has has composed in other
languages too like Malayalam, Telgu, Kannada, Hindi and Brij
Bhaasha. The contents of his compositions range from the utterly
devotional to the eminently danceable to the supremely philosophical
to the sublimely erotic.
So widely was he accepted even during his lifetime, that
one comes across his compositions written in books more than
a century old, which exist all over South India, usually hidden
away in dusty shelves of libraries or in the attics of musical
hopuseholds.
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